Resolutions and Training!

 

Training at home is underway, with the haul bag training program pumping my body, and the Christmas Boulder giving me some grief. I have managed to figure out the second move on the climb, after trying for hours I managed to get my, fingers to hold in two very tight crimps, I am now at the point where I will need my bouldering mat, only one day to wait for that. I have been looking up some places in Spain for Will and I to travel to (Spain was Wills idea) and Cataluña looks to be the most travelled destination for climbers going to that region, although not a multi pitch infested place, but with 143 sport climbs from 6a to 9b it looks like something we should try out! Will is soon to be joining me on this rock starved Christmas and we are to be writing down are training plan and our goals for 2014. Keep you updated!

Joss

The Mind Game

(Not A picture of me)

The Mind, well you’ve heard it all your life, is a powerful thing. It can do almost anything, it controls you, it is you and you know no better of it. To think is to use it, to breathe is to use it, it is in a constant state of running emotion. I believe this to be the reason I, like others, look to literally ‘feel’ our mind. I suppose you could say the ‘rush’, but it is more than that. I feel this in a moment of complete exposure. I  don’t have a ,choice, my mind can’t take me that way, I have no happy, sad or angry emotion, my mind can’t take me that way, in fact the only two thoughts coursing through my mind is filling the space under my feet. Up. And how far down? Combine these two thoughts and you have the feeling that we all search for, the moment we hate and love at the same time. That balance. Its the fine line, the uncertainty of the balanced moment that makes it. You can’t explain it, and if you can you haven’t found it yet.




http://static-dev-climbing.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Yellow-Ridge-Gunks.jpg

The Yosemite, Christmas Boulder

The world has gone vertical! Two Amazing lines in the one week? First Pete, Now Tommy? Very different I know, but all in all a fantastic week for the climbing world! Still the Christmas Boulder sits without a first ascent, it was the first day without an attempt today, due to my lack of cash I have been needing the work hours, I got my training in though, and of course my perusing of many climbing articles and books, I have been looking at some gear for Yosemite, and I posted a question on Portaledge advice on UKC, got a huge response and there seems to be a few ledges, both affordable and of course  robust. Fish seem to do the lot! From, the Econoledge which sits at £299 (with fly) to the Double Whammy at £926, this seems to be the better bet with a larger amount of people giving this a good response. Quite a few people said that they got their ledge posted to the Yosemite Post Office along with a lot of their gear, which seems like a fantastic idea, to cut luggage and the hassle of getting the gear two ways across the world! I also looked at the BD double and the North Face A1, and at the moment I have to say that the fish gear looks to be the best contender..But who am I to say? Blog soon!

Joss

 

Headless Horsemans Arete Topped Out by Pete Whittaker

https://www.thebmc.co.uk/pete-whittaker-on-headless-horseman-arete-the-interview-and-exclusive-video

All, I have to say in this rather short and Hero worshiping post is...Well Done, Take A Bow.

So back for Christmas! Coming home to a flat landscape is very strange, but living in Derbyshire means its not far away at all! Having been reunited with my car as well, I took a trip out to the peak district (not a patch on the lakes I know), but its still pretty awesome up there. The Roaches was my first port of call, but with the weather being 100% piss, there was not a great deal of climbing done other than a few small boulders and an abseil.

Being back on gritstone is a godsend! There is something about the rock up in the lakes that I cant seem to get on with; with grit you just seem to stick to it and its so much more reassuring. The main aim for the holiday period is squaring away my first E grade. My sights are set on elder crack at curba, but my main project is flying buttress direct at stanage. This route has a huge overhang with limited protection but once the crux move is done it turns into a great climb. Hopefully if I do it I shall upload some pictures!

Update On Christmas Boulder

The Christmas Boulder has been somewhat cleaned and slightly chipped for realistic handholds...still grading it 7b+,I have managed to connect the second and third move but the holds are so crimpy that my balance and strength has to be just perfect! I am training hard, its a good incentive, this boulder (Buildering) project is hard enough to last me the whole holidays, and keep my fingers strong and my balance improving! I have set up The Haul Bag Training Set, which involves this:

Put 5kg into a Haul/Dry Bag

Finger Lifts x25(using your fingers and elbow extension only,  lift the haul bag)

 Finger Straight Arm Lifts x15 (Elbows stationary lift your forearms up from a 90 degree angle, to your chin resting on fingers)

Finger Holds x2.00min (Hold Haul bag for 30sec on two fingers on each hand alternatively)

Haul Bag Hold (feet) 1.00min (crunch position, hold bag aloft with feet, back off the ground and hands by your side)

Push Ups x2-25s

This was a simple training routine hoping to keep me in shape and strengthen both core and finger strength ready for my return to the lakes. Keep you posted!

 

Joss

 

 

 (A picture not really showing you the climb very well, but it gives you an idea)

The Christmas Boulder

I’m home! For Christmas anyway, and again can’t seem to get climbing out of my head for one minute! I live in Norfolk and as such lack any kind of rock to climb, and you will even be hard pushed to find a centre. I live on a farm in the fens, which is probably the most out of the way of rock climbing you can get! But, that doesn’t mean I won’t try and find some! What? You say, well our farm buildings are very old, and the bricks that make up the office wall are half chipped out, hollowed if you will, and it is an amazing boulder (buildering) project, for the rock starved Christmas holiday’s! I have managed the first two moves with the second being a rather trusting dynamic move that requires a lot of finger strength and some gnarly balancing but still have a long way to go, which is perfect! I will try and film myself climbing it and put up an edited film in the near future! I am going to make a bold statement and say that it is close to that of a 7b+ with the wall in terrible condition, a wire brush is needed to chip away years of decay. I am currently sitting on £0.98 which is a small fortune...I need to work. Many hours of thought sitting in a tractor will have this route sorted out by the time I leave for new years! Blog soon!

 

Joss