Tuesday 30 March 2010

Spain and Skymasters

Well with the send of Tuppance in the bag i packed my bags and headed to spain to get some Spanish sun! Dave and myself landed in sunny Mercia and drove up to the Blanca and wildside getting there in the dark finding a dos spot we parked up and got to making dinner and bedding down for the night thinking that the stars re out lets try out my new sleeping bag under said stars, well a few hours later and putting the tent up in the middle of the night in the rain things were not looking good!
So a lazy morn and climbing in the rain on a damp and cold wildside we decided to head back south chorro hear we come. five hours of driving later and again finding a dos spot on the top of a mountain and cooking dinner in the dark we settled down to sleep and not learning from the first night i slept out under the stars, dave not risking it and opting for the tent.A dry night saw us having coffee the next morn with the best view but shortly after we found the nice looking but very very wet crag of loca.
this pattern followed for the next few days moving around finding some nice crags but climbing the dry rock ie stuff in the sun was trashing our skin as was to hot and out of the sun it was wet.
we found ourselves passing thru chorro stopping to do afew routes then going up to Displomlandia and finding a route i try'd a few years ago but failed on so again went looking for a nice dos spot and found it in the form of an Olive grove, we bedded down hear fingers crossed for good red pointing the next day. So Mar de Ortigas 8a i went up working the moves and warming up all good so far, i came down jumped around a bit to stay warmed up and ten miutes later tyed on to have a go, a further five minutes later i was at the top thinking why dident i do that last time its not so bad! so coming down i thought why not try the 8a+ to the right iv not done two 8's in a day before so moved the draws over and started working the moves on that. So two redpoints later and first falling off a big move near the top and the last move with arms feeling spent i was close to calling it a day when dave said just try one more time so a coffee in town and a nice rest saw me not only sending it but in a fine style.





So back home a few days work first route setting in dublin then building a climbing wall closer to home, also a few comps first CWIF at the climbing works a wicked boulder comp, and then Skymasters at the outdoors show at the NEC.
now getting the van ready for another trip down to spain to get amongest the Spanish boulders of Allbracin happy days...


Thursday 11 March 2010

Tuppance

Well at last The seal has been broken I have reached the 8b garade in
theform of climbing Tuppance at Ansteys cove Devon. A route that gets
8a+ in the guide but knowbody says it is it is much harder ie 8b
This route marks a bigstep up in my climbing as is a route iv worked
over along perord of time, I first got on this route it must of been
five or more years ago with rob Sutton and on that first try I did all
but one of the moves ( the crux ).
So from hear I'd go down once in a wile and have a look at said move
but alas no luck, the move consists of a deep drop knee to a crimp for
me holding this crimp comming out of the drop knee and moving the
right hand is the hardest part, I got on the route late last year and
on that day I did the move only once mind you but this was enuf to let
me know I could do the route! So with this In mind I set to training
on my weekness in climbing.... crimps
This all came together in march with almost sending it on a Monday
then comming back on wensday and climbing it making a very happy gav
now where to go from hear will have to look around find a new
project ! .....

E-mailing you from my phone because this is the 21st centuary after
all...

Tuesday 9 March 2010

comps and climbing






so since my last update i'v had some time off that rubbish work thing do do some climbing, well that was the plan when going to font! not the best thing to happen the day before we turned up was a big dummping of snow. so a nice load of picturesque walks looking at bocks that were unclimbable saw us driving home boots unpacked and the only use for our bouldermats was as a nice sledge.
I also had a bit of a trip to the london first building a big volume then setting for the last round for the King of the mez at the castle, the comp went well with a nice split in the men and women thenks to mr j partride turning up to show all how its done.

March started well with aweek of training down in the shed on portland and sportclimbing for the first time this year on the west coast fine days had by all, March is also the month for comps getting off to a fine start with the last round o fthe leage at the Climbing Academy in bristol, with around win and comming joint first in the final head to head the leage was in the bag.
Comps now on the cards are the cwif at the climbing works and skymasters at the outdoor show at the NEC brum. So what to till then i think a short trip to spain should fill the gap nicely ill keep you posted on how it go's !!