Tick Report - April

This month, as ever, the focus has mainly been on bouldering. this is mainly a time consideration, however it also means (along with exploration) I don't have to be too honed. Llugwy has been a real eye opener, exploration wise, with acres and acres of crap boulders, I seem to have found some alright ones, The 600m bouldering club is going strong, and may give a substantial tick, given time, replacing Tick 14, which was rubbish.

April also heralded the long awaited return to Cae Dafydd. I was able to bring along Mike Goldthorp, who's a bit strong at the moment, and he liked the place. Although the Koyamada boulder apparently has too few footholds... Or has it.

Llugwy has also given me some more scootering fun. my own scooter now has one of Logan's old fairly decent wheels on the back and I'm keen to see if I can melt that too...

Physio is moving forward, I can lift my legs to 60 degrees whilst lying on my back, and 9 times out of 10 in the morning I can stand on one leg to get dressed. Increased flexibility has meant that the real buggers, the tight little minor muscles, are being exposed so progress but the backs not pain free yet.

However, training is now back on the cards, I've had about 3 months off climbing other than my Monday and Friday morning jaunts, and core training was suspended until we progressed more with my back. Last Monday evening at work I had two sets of clients that wanted to work on upper body and core, this meant 2 sessions of Rings, jumbo campus, and knee-bar sit-ups. Suffice to say Tuesday and Wednesday were achey tummy days...

Enough text, here are some pictures. After my last visit to The Tosheroon (and before core training was resumed) I got an evening pass to visit with the old Team; a broken Ben on spotting duties (bad knee) and Charlotte once again on the camera. Its definitely a "one spotter & no mat" set up, and this worked well enough on this day. Unfortunately once more their were no victory drinks, as I was simply not match fit, maybe one for June. It didn't help that my assessment last visit that the crux was a couple of moves to easy ground was erroneous, The crux section is more like 2m which in offwidth terms is 10 times that many... Must try harder:

Taping up, headtorch and old jacket already deployed

The starting moves. My left hand is still jammed on the chockstone that takes you off the deck, my feet following the juggy initial rail

First jam, first squeeze, first knees. Bens still at the start, no need to spot yet.

Squeeze entered, double knee-bars, and thrutching fists

Turning through the squeeze

Through and getting upright

Time to face the other way...

Mid switch

And rest.... Theres a crux coming!

 I've already covered 4m or so.

Misunderstanding the length of the crux section I kick through

Fail! note the high squirm rail, and the lower flare of the cave, this keeps the climbing up in the rafters

Second attempt, and this is mre like it. Horizontal and leading with jams. However I needed to utilise foot jams more and my core wasn't good enough to hip scum onto the squirm rail. This may be the Key.

Nothing Left

(Me, or Ben it seems)

Next Month, Twll Mawr (today actually), and Llugwy, I think. Although I'd like to get to the Cube if I can get a posse.