The Other Side of 50

 I seem to be using Instagram far more than dipping into writing on the blog. Although I can see a time when this effectively transfers across, it still ain't dead yet...

The idiocy that is the Padshaw!

This year has been one of introspection. This started with the race to condition my body into something stronger and more robust before I entered my second half century. On the whole this has been successful, with more careful monitoring of the feedback from my body and a more scientific commitment to consistently nudging it forward.

Never thought I'd lift weights

As a metric for this, I had the whimsical notion of climbing something a grade harder than I've previously accomplished. I've climbed a few things given F7B, so decided to try and find a F7B+ boulder to work on over the year. I knew I needed something that played to my comfort zones of technique and finger strength ( there are no jamming boulders of that grade locally), and after discounting some aretes ( balance not so good) I'd settled on Ultimate Warrior.

The move eludes

Since that first visit back in February, I've had 8 further sessions. Apart from one where I learnt the value of gaining good conditions, it has been steady if microscopic progress. Every session teaches me something. I've learnt about connecting a heel hook through the core, targeting minor muscles to provide dynamic movement in awkward positions, and the importance of rest. 

I get about 10 goes at the crux before I'm rolling down the downhill slope. When a hard boulder is as cruxy as this you can really tune into the subtleties of movement. Once I'd started touching the target hold, I had a crisis about what was going to allow me to keep hold of it, worrying that my heel skills were too clumsy. However, another session came and I was able to see it was the coordination of arms and shoulders that will bring success.

My fiftieth birthday came and still no ascent. I did however have a great session on another project..

What this space on that one.

So what have I learnt?

That consistency in training keeps you climbing. 

That if you pick a project that's really hard you have to be patient.

That some of the climbing I've done trying unclimbed projects was probably harder than 7B.

Hopefully Ultimate Warrior will happen before Christmas, I'm certainly now allowing myself more time on other projects, but I also hope I keep learning. Not a bad mindset to take into your second half century.

Conditioning Culture

 So.

Six months after coming to the realisation that I had to change my climbing mindset, I think it's going ok.

I'm doing things I'd always cocked a snook at, like weighted pull ups and regular targeted fingerboard sessions.

My fingers are feeling healthy, I restarted outdoor climbing in November, visiting Mindhorn with this Wad

I then didn't get out again until January when this wad invited me to slog up a mountain

In between these sporadic micro adventures, I've been chipping away at my weakness indoors, getting volume and trying to get some consistency in my bouldering. This far that's meant doing a lot of 6C/+ with some low 7's occasionally being gifted.

As previously stated, this year I turn fifty, and I'm keen to make myself into a more robust bouldering machine. Further to that I am aiming to climb harder than I have done before because of this.

To that end I have set myself the goal of climbing a 7B+ before my birthday in August. I have nominally selected Ultimate Warrior as a target as it ticks the following boxes:

 ✔️ Its a very good problem that looks pretty

✔️ It's been 7B+ for ages

✔️ I'm not shit at bouncing between crimps on a slightly overhanging wall.

✔️ The hard bits at the bottom 

Yesterday's weather was a rare window in the rain and I decided to take my first visit. Due to the wonderful logistical set up I have in North Wales I was able to spend an hour warming up at the wall, then jump on the new bypass and be putting on my boots and hour later.

It was a very still day and the north facing wall hadn't shed all it's dampness. I was unsure as to whether I should pull on, but gave the holds a good feel, and was happy the handholds were dry enough to use without damaging them ( I know it's dolerite not grit, but being such a famous problem I was a bit paranoid).

 There is a hollow foothold out right that I excluded from my attempts on the stand as it looked to damp and fragile. I think it would be really useful for my attempts at the full thing, but I can work that into my sequence in better connies.

A bit of beating and a brush on a walking pole and I was ready to try. In my slightly brash thinking in my head, I'd decided to give it full beans and go all out for the flash on the stand version.

I arrived at the lip and got a bit scared, grinding it out on my knees. However, another mini goal ticked.

The whole thing is another kettle of fish.

Another climber called Tom arrived, and it was really cool seeing him get the stand also. We spent some time playing with the full version, and I started pulling on with one hand on the stands rail and the heel in. 

Once it was lunchtime I decamped to another hillside to open this year's account on a couple of other goals for the year. Some long term projects near Dutch Trance. I was pleased to climb both stand versions ( I couldn't last year), and also pleased that the moves I had done in the past on the full versions looked no harder than those on Ultimate Warrior. I don't think I'll be double sessioning these venues again for a while though.

This is the middle bit of Gabber Gabba

So all positive and good motivation to get back to conditioning.

Watch this space.