What a difference a year makes

For those of you who have followed this little corner of the internet since its birth, it will be common knowledge that this blog is now a year old. So too is my love affair with climbing. A chilly evening in late January, my boss (at the time) and a measly £25 joining fee and gear rental was all that it took to spawn what is, at its barest an obsession with going up things and being extremely cold.

I would say I've done quite a lot for only a year's climbing - I've gone from top-roping 3's and 4's indoors to comfortably leading 5+ and attempting 6's indoors and  VDiff outdoors. I've gone from absolutely no knowledge of technique both technical and physical, to at least a solid base understanding of knots, their uses, weight transfer, footwork, body positioning, crampon use, ice axe technique and all the other things fundamental to climbing and mountaineering. I can build a safe belay and bring up a second, rig a recoverable abseil and use it safely, I can front-point, plunge step, (just about) climb Scottish mixed and navigate my way off a mountain relatively safely.

In the mountains I've experienced the highs and the lows - from seeing the sun rise over the Western Highlands from 500m up Etive Mor to suffering debilitating wind and rain on the summit of Glydr Fawr. I've learned success is never guaranteed - you're at the mercy of the mountain, the weather and your own physical condition. Self-reliance is a huge part of climbing - knowing that you set that bomber anchor, you placed that cam properly, you tied those knots right. There can be no space for 'that'll do' or 'I hope this works'. It must be perfect every time. The responsibility is huge, lots of the time even as a second you're attached to another human being by two dozen meters of 11mm dynamic kernmantel climbing rope, and if you fail for a split second that could be game over. It also teaches you maturity - the mountains are no respecter of manliness or drive - if it's time to back off you pay attention and listen. It's not a game for those of a nervous disposition.

The people I've met have been amazing - from building a solid friendship with Charlie, my climbing partner (who will hopefully start to contribute to this place soon enough...) to industry reps, professional climbers and enthusiastic amateurs. Being a climber is like being in a massive extended family - everyone knows what you've been through or are going through, or are looking to you for guidance. Everyone has a story and most everyone is willing to share. Even those not of the climbing fraternity, but those who support them like the lovely staff at Pete's Eats in Llanberis or the lovely couple who put us up for a whole weak in Strathssynt, Glencoe. Everyone has a part to play and I can say I'm very glad I got to meet them.

It's also shown up flaws in myself - arrogance, impatience, lack of physical condition and a penchant for obsession I didn't know I quite had. Before I started climbing I would occasionally browse motorcycle websites, glance at properties to rent or browse 9gag. Now my internet history is filled with endless climbing blogs, route plans, gear offers and inspirational videos. Hardly a day goes by when I don't think 'hey, that looks fun to climb', even wandering around the artificial landscape of London. I'm forever annoying Charlie with pipe dreams of Alpine glory or a daring first ascent in one of the unconquered ranges that still exist in the world. He quickly brings me back to reality but it doesn't last long - I'm soon dreaming again.

I've been climbing for a year and I've had a wealth of experiences that some climbers wouldn't have in their entire lives - indoor, midlands gritstone, bomber indoor ice, patchy neve, powdery welsh windslab and slabby scottish mixed. The plans for the future go even further and farther afield - Finnish waterfall Ice, French Granite and hopefully even some Alpine routes. The training is upped, but so is the interest - I've gone from having a casual interest to seriously considering this as a career. I could quite happily spend the rest of my life going up and down mountains in all conditions and sharing that with anyone who wanted to listen. There are even first steps of that happening already.

I hope you've enjoyed being with me on the trip so far, and I hope you'll continue to follow me for a long time to come. It should be a blast.

Adventures in Scotland: Day 5 - Ice Factor

Indoor climbing has always had several advantages over outdoors, especially when it comes to ice. Firstly, the condition of the ice is always guaranteed - you never have to bank on good weather for safe climbing. Secondly, they are easy to get to - the walk in is only ever a few feet from the car, rather than a two hour uphill slog. And lastly, you can source yourself a lovely hot chocolate to warm up when you take a break.

With that in mind, we decided that if we were going to get some actual winter climbing in on this trip, we should head over to the Ice Factor National Ice Climbing Center in Kinlochleven for a try on their indoor ice climbing walls. The walls are graded from Scottish winter III to VII, so everything is technically beyond what I've climbed so far, but in some ways pure ice is easier than mixed climbing - you can properly sink the axes, not hold the points on narrow, iffy rock holds!

We had a bloody early start this morning - because of my lack of bolt-tightening abilities we had to make a trip in the dark to Jewsons to source some temporary replacements for the last couple of days of our trip. Not suprised to say, Charlie wasn't hugely impressed and I was left with death-glares until breakfast. I've ordered an official DMM replacement set, but I need something to keep me going, so Jewsons it was.

Anyway, the Ice Factor is bloody good fun - there are both rock climbing areas and an ice room, which we had all to ourselves for the few hours we were there for the measly sum of £25 each. We kicked off with some easier stuff, then steadily moved harder and harder - the routes didn't seem to be graded as we were used to, but I reckon that I completed at least one Scottish IV and Charlie a V or VI. They were made easier by the fact they were all top-roped, but still. It's something. We made some good shapes and had a lot of fun as we did so.

Climbing on pure ice was fun, and required a different kind of thinking - axe placements aren't necessarily as bombproof as you'd like, as I found out to my cost when my adze blew out and smacked me in the nose, leaving me dazed and smarting, and Charlie cracking up with laughter as he lowered me down. It's a little bit more think-y than mixed climbing, but it some ways it's nicer than rock climbing because every foothold is solid and every handhold is a massive jug, so it's easier to hold on. It does pump your forearms quite quickly though, with some of the longer routes giving you a bit of numbness.

We had a bit of fun with the cameras taking some video, so I should be able to put up some interesting stuff when I get back and my internet connection is a little faster. It's not movie-quality stuff but it's still fun to look at.

Anyway, today was a bit of fun and a confidence boost for tomorrow - it's our last day in Scotland and we're looking to go out with a bit of a bang and summit Ben Nevis via an actual north face route. We need to complete something whilst we're here...

Well...this sucks.

Had a climb today. Not a good one. Not a good one by any stretch of the imagination.

Unfortunately I think this is all caused by my visit to the US and the weeks that have followed; when over there I got lazy and fell back into old eating habits; I put on 14lbs in 3 weeks and honestly haven't really done anything about it. I've talked about it with Bailey but I keep being tempted by Two-for-Tuesdays and convenient ice cream offers (especially in this heat). So I'm not in all of that good-a shape, unfortunately, which has a direct impact on my climbing.

Before I left for the US, I was actually climbing to a reasonable standard - I was regularly topping out on 5+ indoor leads and was even top-roping 6a routes. Today I got 75% up a grade 4 lead and had to back down because I couldn't hold myself on to clip in securely. In fact I didn't top out on anything at all - all my flow, my moves, my power and my poise has disappeared. Not saying that I was the world's most elegant climber before I left, but I look like a ham-fisted buffoon up there at the moment. I still have power to do the big moves, but staying static on a hold to clip in saps all of my strength. It's irritating and frankly embarrassing.

A solution to one of my problems. But not a fix-all, upsettingly
enough.

So, I have to work on a plan as to how to rectify this; and quickly - I'm supposed to be leading my first outdoor routes in just over 3 weeks time. My first solution (and the easiest) is to work on my grip strength and endurance. To that end, on the way home today I picked up a tub of Rock Technologies' ExerFlex Power Putty from the good folks at Urban Rock. (I got the medium one to kick off with - it's tough stuff) My plan is to carry it around with me, and in an effort to avoid me picking my nails (which I do a lot, and I'm convinced affects my ability to crimp) have it rolling around in my palm getting squeezed and squished every which way to try and bring my forearm strength up to speed.

I've also resolved to try and get climbing as much as possible, and not just doing top-roped work; I want to get some good bouldering action in to again work on my strength, balance, poise and technique. I won't need a partner so I'm not beholden to climb with anyone which means I can do it pretty much whenever I'm free which is good. I'm also going to try and get to the gym as much as possible to work on pure strength and power, mainly in my upper body and arms - lots of pullups for me!

The intimidating shape of 'The Spike'
following Charlie's successful climb

In matters of a target, me and Charlie discovered something cool at the Westway: indoor climbing walls outdoors. Two great slabs of concrete fitted with climbing holds and pre-placed quickdraws to create some really interesting climbs. I named one (a massive, five-meter wide behemoth that is a permanent, evil-looking overhang) 'The Devil' and the other 'The Spike'. I didn't get far up the main face of the Spike but Charlie took it on, beat it and told me how fun it was. This is my new nemisis. This is my target for the next few weeks - lets see if I can beat it before I get back to Froggatt.