Victory!!

Well this evening was perfect... Caroline and myself arrived at the crag in perfect conditions and feeling fresh. Dry cool rock, good light and a gentle breeze. Most importantly Caroline's skin was feeling better and her goal was obvious. Warming up on the 6b the rock felt great. Right then straight onto the 7b+. I lead up it putting in the draws and lower off, brushing the holds even though they didn't need any attention... just following routine at this stage. Caroline ties in and flows up to her redpoint crux at half height. Chalking, I could tell she was going to send. Left hand onto the crimp, right foot stepps through, left foot way out onto it's ticked edge and now the crux ... Caroline moves her right hand from the big undercut and latches the small crimp, but only for a moment, she immediately moves it onwards to the high right hand edge... hitting it her body flexes away from the wall and i can see her 3 fingertips just latch the high edge, fingers straight. Previous attempts saw Caroline ping off at this point but this was different, she bounced her right hand into a half crimp and moved her feet across and up onto her familiar edges and slopes and eyeballed the base of the crack marking the end of the technical crux and the beginning of the final 3 clips worth of draining, off balance, stabbing up the finishing flared crack. Switching into auto pilot Caroline just executed each move as she had done countless times before... not making a sound until clipping the chains and letting out a scream that echoed around the crag! Over two weeks of effort and around 15 redpoint attemps. Rain, cold, 27 degree heat waves, fatigue, thin skin, sore shoulders and split tips! Awesome!! After seeing all that I felt motivated to get on El Rincon again – falling off the initial crux move between the first and second bolt I hung on the rope. It was feeling good tonight. I chalked up and pulled on with my feet probably 2m above the ground. Every hold felt positive and I moved through the sequences I had worked placing the draws as I climbed. I made it to the chains without falls or rests!!! YES! Feck!! Now I know it’s on!!! Brilliant!! I gave it two more redpoint attempts but fell off one move from the change of angle and the good undercut above the crux! We finished up with a few laps on Extreme ways for a finger friendly pump. I'd say that was a productive Friday evening alright!!

All the small things

The past two weeks have passed by in a blur of work and climbing and sore tips. Caroline has been trying her project whenever she’s had a chance and it’s awesome to see. It’s re-defining my ideas of what makes a project. Up until now 5 goes would represent an epic battle… Belaying Caroline for the 14th attempt last night, it was interesting to see the affect coming so close so many times can have on a climber. She wants it real bad now. But the drive to climb it is causing her to want to send it any chance she gets… unfortunately the nature of the crux means Caroline has to pull damn hard on some tiny crimps and hike her feet up high for a deadpoint to another sharp edge. Her skin just can’t take it but her need to finish what she started won’t let her take a break and recover. Catch 22. Last night after a rest day Caroline punctured her tips during her first try of the evening – feeling fresh and having a route dialled was not enough it seems. Logistics and patience. It really is all in the head. It’s also brought the old grade debate into my mind again – does size matter? Obviously it does! It’s clear to see that Carolines sequence is a solid couple of grades harder then the one I use but she still gets the same grade for all her effort. Similarly Neals sequence through the start of Elite Syncopations looked about right for the 8a grade while mine (reach dependant) feels far, far easier. Caroline cut through the bull and put it simply – I don’t care, I just want to do the route. What have I taken from all this? Well in an attempt to avoid hypocrisy I have kept trying the 8a+’s despite feeling like little or no progress is being made. But I can’t NOT try them while Caroline is pushing herself to go through the project process – it’s inspiring. The problem with only having two 8a’s, two 8a+’s and three 8b’s at the crag is that they’re damn hard and can be very specific and/or conditions dependant. All too easy to sack them off as being impossible for me, my style, my height (Yes! Sometimes even being tallish can make a Dinbren move hard!) or being out of condition. Well I’ve done the 8a’s so I’ve no option but to work on the others. Last night marked a milestone for me. The realisation that after 9pm the temps dropped sufficiently for the first crux to be held on El Rincon, kicked my brain into fighting gear and I managed the route in two big overlapping links for the first time. From the deck, through the crux to above the 3rd bolt – and from below the crux (around second bolt), through it and through the bulge, past the rockover and on to the chains. Totally unexpected and marking a huge leap forward for me. All of a sudden it seems possible to me.

I want to get to other areas more now but funds and the cost of diesel are keeping me close to home. Hopefully over the coming weeks we’ll make it to LPT more often and I can start to play on a crag with a bit more variety in the 8’s :o)

Irish Invasion

A week or so ago we had the all too rare chance to entertain some guests and show some people round our local crag, Dinbren. Sean Marnane, Kev Marnane and Tricia Fox got the ferry over from Dublin and Mr McQuaid (he’s old now so we have to call him that) came by train from Sheffield. Right then, 6 Paddys vs Dinbren…. This was gonna be epic! Haa! After the Marnane morning bakery stop we got to the crag in blue skies and perfect conditions. Everyone went up the 6b warm-up to get a feel for the rock and then we split up and the routes were attacked. Tricia’s lead of the 6b was also her first ever lead outdoors, deadly stuff! Caroline got stuck into her 7b+ and I pointed Sean and Neal towards Fat Boys 7a+ while Kev and Tricia played on Resist and Exist 6b+. Knowing all too well how difficult route reading here can be on first acquaintance I was offering beta out left, right and centre but you know yourself – it’s one thing someone shouting up how to do a move and quite another to actually make sense of it when you’re up there. The day went by and routes were jumped on all over the place. I ended up playing on Gwennan, an 8a+ that had apparently never been repeated. A vicious and stretched sequence through a low roof got you to … Blah, blah, blah! This post has been a stop start thing for two weeks now! I give up... Heres what’s still stuck in my head about it all;

Neal onsighted Technicolour Yawn, 7a+
Tricia lead her first 6c
Kev lead his first ever 7a+, Fat Boys
Sean lead Bandits, 7b+, Full respect after putting in two days of siege redpointing
Caroline made 6 solid redpoint attempts of her 7b+, falling at the top of the crux and then leading straight to the top
Myself and Neal played on two 8a+’s and an 8a on top of all the 7’s
The cakes were great!

By Sunday evening I was wiped out!!!

Awesome weekend!

Thanks to Tricia for the use of the pics!!!

Elite Syncopations

• I first tried this ages ago and thought it was impossible.
• Then i tried it before going to Siurana and still couldn't do two entire sections and was convinced that if it was possible it was for only the strong.
• Tonight i climbed it - it felt beautiful - the holds felt big and happy - the moves were beautiful and in balance - and the evening sun was warm.

Caroline gave me the beta for my redpoint crux right at the top and the impetus to try it again. I couldn't of sent it this evening without her.

8a and a personal best for me - best for difficulity - best for unexpected - best for personal progress - best for style. So psyched for more it's insane!!!!!!!

Enter your zone

Forget what you think you know about where your limits are. Climb without guides. Climb often. Climb happy.

After 9 days of climbing in Siurana and 3 weeks of evening and weekend craging back home in North Wales I am feeling in the best form I have ever experienced. The last two sessions out on rock have totally blown apart the last remains of what I thought was impossible and what I thought was required to achieve personal progression.

I’ve typed about it before and each time I get a little closer to understanding it fully. There really are no limits. Everyone is on an even playing field. We have the same tools, it’s what we do with them that makes the difference.

Friday I had an awesome breakthrough on holds, moves and a route that I previously sacked off and considered impossible. Sunday I had another similar experience on another hard route that I had looked at in the past but considered physically un-doable for me. After aiding up the route to place the draws and brushing the holds, I lowered off, pulled the rope down, tied in and gave it a lead attempt – no expectations, no hopes – just because everything else was busy. I was planning on working one of the many moves I couldn’t do and settling in for a long term project. Without really thinking about it I began bearing down and snatching up the poor holds and steepness… clip, clip, clip, clip. Before long I had climbed through the 8a section and clipped the last draw before the chains. I was chalking up on the rest before the final stiff pull through the crux of a 7b+ that the route joins. I don’t wait long – I expected nothing and have nothing to loose, I launch into the sequence, hike my feet, commit and … my right hand blows out of the wet hand hold. I sail back through the air looking up at the last hold. Only then I realise what I had done and hear the shouts of the people who had stopped to watch. Shit!!!! But I don’t tick 8a’s first redpoint attempt – do I? Why the hell not?!?! I had it!! YES!!!! I can have this anytime!!! Woo hoo!!! I get to climb it again!! That felt amazing!!! I need to focus.

Seeing Caroline working her projects during the past few weeks has given me a kick in the arse. Some days they go smoothly and others it seems like every hold is just a tiny bit too small or far away. Yet she keeps trying and making progress, even if it’s only a new clipping position or finding a different way to hold a piece of rock. From the belayers perspective it’s clear that the ability is there and every move can be climbed so naturally it’s only a case of waiting for a magic moment when it all comes together. But I can see Caroline sometimes doubting if it’s even possible for her some evenings. Obviously it is – and more! I suffer from those same thoughts too… but the beauty of doubt is that it’s very nature insists on there being a possibility of success! From now on, if the move can be done at all – even if it’s only once every hundred tries – I’ll send the route.

Redpointing is all about staying motivated through the hard days and milking any improvements or success’s. Use them to fuel your psyche during the drought periods of repeated failure and fatigue – every moment spent on holds or moving between them your body is assimilating the route – believe. So heres my to do list for the next few weeks out in the open…

Elite Syncopations 8a
Gwennan 8a+
El Rincon 8a+

After payday in a few weeks time I should be able to afford diesel and want to play down at LPT some more… at which point my to do list may well change!