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Saturday 25 June 2011

Riding a Bike

Another climbing stint has passed without me realising how many days on i've had. I only feel like resting when i'm feeling tired but my skins getting pretty thin now. My form has continued to improve. The little jumps in strength coupled with shedding a few pounds have made me much happier. I made some good progress on my hole project making it to the lip with about 4 more moves to go. I've got every move worked out and its pretty short so hopefully i'll do it soon. I went back the next day though and really struggled with the move into the hole. Its a weird one for me, some subtle body position that i can't quite pin down. The sequence is about font 7c and pretty crazy! I returned to Parisellas Cave after not climbing in there regularly for about a year. I was quite good in there considering the lay off. I've spent so many days hanging on all those holds and trying the moves i think i'll always know how to do the problems (if i've got the strength that is). RA went first go and felt easy, fell off the end of LF and Broken Heart both 1st go. I played on Pilgrim a bit struggling with my old heel sequence. The foot swing method is now much easier with the new right foothold but the swing is still pretty draining. I should probably get the heel way sorted again. Anyway its a low priority when it's route season. It felt nice being in there though. I felt really good on TC but didn't have my jeans on so dropped out the kneebars. I was keen to get back on my Dulas proj to see if that felt any easier. I still felt like i didn't have the moves drilled in so spent some time making sure i knew what i was doing before having a few shots from the ground. It went quite well, i got to just before the end sequence but fell. After a short rest i went to the end. The moves are excellent, just as good as Temple though its not quite as pure as on the proj the sidewall comes in so if you were hellbent on it you could escape the finish. I guess that makes it a slight eliminate but the holds and the line are obvious and the moves are damn fine. I need to take a bouldering pad up there to pad out a ledge that i don't want to break my legs on if i run the top out. Potato bulge did Mudjekeewis. Today i went downstairs with Jimmy big guns. It pissed it down in the night and we were not impressed with the conditions to start with as there was actually water on some of the holds. I was keen for Parasite. I got shutdown on this last year but i've realised that if i don't go and re-try routes i get shutdown on then i won't have much to try! First dog i was flummoxed on the last hard move, a rockover just over the lip. I was getting frustrated as it wasn't strength that was failing me, i just wasn't doing it right. Obeying another golden rule (don't give up after one go up!) i linked the crux sequence first go on the next go up. I went for a redpoint and fell off the last hard move, quite close. The next redpoint didn't go as well. The plan now is to try and do the two projects i've made headway on. To keep training (cave/board/start deadhanging), keep doing easier routes and harder redpoints and in mid July start PE training. The upturn in form means that i might be re-visiting a teeny weeny crag on the Little Orme. Oh god!!!

3 comments:

Dave Redpath said...

Glad to hear your getting motivated again for harder stuff. Projects seem to sap the motivation away and don't make climbing very fun - especially when injured! See you late Aug for Diamond season, I predict its going to be the best yet!

Doylo said...

I've always been motivated Dave, just too shit to get on anything above 7c til now. Come and stay at my place for 6 weeks, Aug 15 onwards, i'll need a regular belayer!

Dave Redpath said...

Might take you up on that... Would be up for regearing of those remaining 7c+/8a monsters!