After Pilgrim i was feeling good and keen to get something else hard done. You can never tell if you're just having a freak day sometimes when you do something. Little did i know i was about to embark on my best week of hard climbing ever! It all started on Sunday, Me and Matt got rained off the hills and the Orme so we had a session on his board. I had a set a problem a year ago up some wooden pinches. We named it after Gary Speed who had just died. I couldn't really do the last move and it represented a big step up on his board for me, Den 7b+. I had made it the goal for the Winter but i was having a good session so started trying the crux move. I managed to do it a few times and then from the start. Boom - Winter's training goal complete!
Vid:
Broken Trigger went down 1st RP on Tuesday, brilliant - another long termer in the bag. I had a rest day and did Hatchatrocity 2nd go on Thursday. Friday i got the rope out and went to Dinbren with Pete Harrison, i felt knackered but managed to scrape up one of the best 8a's on the crag Elite Syncopations. I almost powered out on the easier climbing at the top. I'd been there a few times to do it this year but was wet/too hot.
Lovely day in Eglywsyg:
I didn't expect much yesterday 3rd day on but had planned to hit the hills with Dan Knight. We went to the Pass but couldn't park so quested on to Elephantitus. I thought it was going to be wet all the way there but it was suprisingly dry. After doing Elephantitus again (hard and sharp) we started trying Downset, a one move 8a:
It involves a big dyno to a good sloper on the lip and the feet make it hard to generate upward momentum. One move 8a isn't really my bag so i moved onto The Tusk which i couldn't really figure out (Cross Therapy is not 7c+ Nodder!!). We both had had enough so decided to try the Pass again to try the main objective for the day, Diesel Power. I'd done all the moves for the first time weeks ago and was ready to start redpoint's. After working it again we were ready to go from the start. Dan struggled with the first move for a bit and i had a really close go, slipping off the last tensiony move. I was psyched to top out before Dan as he's a 8b beast! Then Dan dropped the same move. It's horrific on the skin and mine was thin to start with. I swung about on the end but managed to top out. I looked at my thin tip and it was pissing with blood. Any other week and i would have slipped off that go and had to stop. But the stars were in alignment this week and it finished on a high. Dan got it next go (in a session) and we went home happy. I found myself wondering what had caused such an upturn in form. I hadn't done any special training or diet. In fact I'd put weight on! I think it's just culmination of trying hard all year. If you bang your head against a wall long enough a few bricks will crumble eventually i guess. Diesel is only my 3rd 'bloc' 8a, it's definitely the hardest as the other two were soft for the grade. It's problems like this I'm really keen to get better on. I know i can do PE climbing but to get better on the hard sport routes round here i need to be better on hard moves. Five bits of 8a climbing in a week was pretty sweet and I'll savour it for a long time. Time for work, rest and wondering when I'll turn shit again.
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