Month: February 2009

I have to admit that I say Watch me all too often when climbing, unfortunate not necessarily for the actual reason that I am facing an impending plummet from the next move. Whilst I may feel uneasy in the current position that I inhabit, the uttering of the words ‘Watch Me’ is possible due to me wanting more people (or at least my belayer) to see me climb those moves!

I actually believe that I climb one grade harder per person viewing me, as the possibility for personal gratification in my mind goes up. I can for instance go to a climbing wall on my own and have a reasonable session, however given the right audience, then the effort and experience goes up immeasurably. That effort of course increases if those present includes a girl I want to show off to.

So I have come to the conclusion that anyone using the words ‘Watch Me’ when climbing is a narcissists, and I will use it with pride! I also concluded that I am whore who shows off to women.

I have been openly critical of the BBC TV series High Altitude, and this week it went down hill fast. Not however in terms of viewing pleasure, for that it actually went up in my estimation, and I would advise anyone who didn’t catch it to watch in on the BBC I-player. As this week saw the two presenters take on a speed challenge.

Well most of the time I adopt a do as I do rather than a do as I say approach to coaching and climbing. Until August last year I was a smoker, who only got out of breath when I was walking up hill, and then only briefly until I told the group to slow down. Quitting smoking was hard, really hard, however in doing so I needed something to fill in those gaps which hitherto were spent chuffing my lungs with smoke, tar and of course nicotene.

So I started to train at first it was going to the wall, then it was mountain biking. Now I am running and climbing a few times a week. At first the difference was quite noticable, I went to town training indoors during the poor weather we had last summer and come a sunny spell manage to cruise my way up Right Wall on Dinas Cromlech, which was quite a task for climber of my age and bravery. 

We can hardly not of noticed that there has been a ‘purple patch’ in Grit Climbing, and from a psychological perspective it is interesting. If for example we take the Four minute mile, a ‘mile’ stone so famous that we can all probably name Roger Bannister, as the man that broke that ‘ultimate’ psychological barrier.

Now why do I call it a psychological barrier? Well within a year of him breaking that barrier several other people manage the same previously unachievable task. In psychological terms it is fundamental change in the perception of the task from being impossible to possible that leads to the removal of this psychological barrier. In doing so it frees the athlete to reach for there ultimate physical level without the barrier of self-doubt, instead knowing within themselves that they are capable of that.

There are several mechanisms that can help build the confidence of sporting performance, which i have spoken of at length on my coaching blog. However here I want to concentrate on a how in recent times a change in the way our leading climbers may have changed their perception of the ‘big grit’ routes. In particular that of vicarious experience, this if you like is how your experience of the world is changed by observing others.

Take a grit route for instance, that has been climbed by a living Legend like Johnny Dawes, many of these were avoided to a certain extent, due to the kudos of the first ascentionist. Then along with the kind of Hard Grit era many climbers started to realise that climbing hadn’t so much moved on but the perception of what was possible changed.

In the recent past the number of routes getting climbed ground up or onsight, is just an extension of this ‘one up, all up mentality’. Whereby one climber sees or even hears of another ascent of a route and mentally measuring themselves against that climber, and subsequently changes both their perception and behaviour. I am sure we have all witnessed an occasion in a climbing wall where after trying a problem endlessly in a group, one persons climbs it and then you see a flurry of ascents just after, could it be an extension of this effect that we are seeing at the moment?

Either way it bodes well for the future of British climbing as psychological barriers are shifted, and redefined.

Having watch Upside Down Wales a while ago now, I have to say that as a local I have found it thoroughly entertaining, and a bit of a tonic to the usual pull hard, try hard, near death and scream formula for the usual climbing video. Not that it doesn’t work, just the light hearted nature of Upside Down Wales is a big relief.

However last night I finally got round to watching what I perceived to be the B side of the DVD, Joe Brown. Now I have to say this is the best climbing video I have seen in a long time. Joe basically spills the beans on his climbing, as he recalls first ascents and climbing folly’s from across the ages.

As a historical piece An Interview with Joe Brown is one of the best films you could ever watch. If you climb any of his first ascents then you’ll know just why its important to know some of the history. Like how the pudding stone got there!

Anyway go buy this great An interview with Joe Brown, which has a great B side called Upside Down Wales

A few years ago I commented negatively on the use of a blowtorch for drying holds, saying that it may all be well and good in the hands of expert climbers, but some young idiot is going to see your example and think that you basically fry the hold till its dry. Rock being formed by heat and pressure, so adding one of those will invariably damage the rock. I got a lot of stick for that comment made in a pub a few years back, but I did stand by my convictions and a few years later it was seen as a bad thing. My thoughts are that if it is too wet to climb then its too wet to climb, we live in Wales so deal with it.

I have every respect for Simon Panton, and all the work that he does, however from time to time mine and his opinions differ radically, in one of his latest news items on North Wales Bouldering Simon congratulates as public spirited the work (depends on your view point) of Ted Kingnorth, for repairing a hold on Pill Box Wall. Again I have to disagree with Simon, difficult as he is currently editing a guidebook that I am (Possible not anymore!) co-authoring for him. However I have a simple belief that gluing holds is unnecessary, and sends out the wrong message entirely.

Do we really need to DIY/Bodge it and scarper on our rock, or should we just let time and attrition take the routes from us. If the hold fell off, would another hold or different sequence appear? Who knows it might even be harder/better? I love bouldering, but not sure that any route is worth sticking back together, when its gone its gone. A view of the first five minutes of Amateur Hardcore shows you that the rock is friable (Witness Nodder ‘pulling down the crag’)

If you look at the picture here, it looks like a right hatchet job at the moment, I appreciate that it needs some work, but given that the worry was the hold won’t be the same if it falls off, it seems the hold simply won’t be the same full stop now. Its a tricky one but not sure whether this was covered by the BMC ten commandments of bouldering, either way it doesn’t seem like it is in keeping with the general idea, or ethos of them. I have to say from a recreational (read punter as I have only bouldered V9), rather than obsessive (read dedicated) boulderer, I don’t think this should be encouraged in anyway, as it sends the wrong message to people who may not have the experience to make the right judgement.

As is often the way, in climbing, it is often alright for the elite to do what the hell they like, yet the mere mortals are expected to toe the line. Climbing is anarchy, there are no rules, so make of this what you will. I have done a few things people object to and taken the criticism on the chin.

If you visit this blog regularly you’ll have noticed this post was pulled for a while. Unfortunately in my haste to get something online, after challenging myself to get some written everyday, I managed to really upset Simon Panton, having re-read the post I realised exactly why, however I do believe that’s it is ironic to glue a hold to avoid altering and alter it in the process. However the original post read like I was accusing Simon of ‘advocating using a blow torch’ which wasn’t something that I actually meant or believed, it was a bit of a gross misuse of the English language, something that if you read this blog will be apparent that it a skill set that I possess in bucket loads.

I’d like to offer Simon my apologies, and have re-edited the post, to remove the offence and hopefully rectify it by offering this apology. Similarly I have remove the reference to vandalism to the gluing, as it is again a strong use of language that will have cause Ted some offence. Simon pointed out to me that I didn’t take criticism on the chin when I was faced with the Kangaroo Court that is UKC, instead I eventually after several months of abuse, of which Simon was one of my main defenders, I ‘spat my dumby’ and walked away from re-equipping the Slate Quarries. Climbing does need people like Ted who will get of their arse, and actually do something, even if it something that I disagree with. 

My point of this post was really that firstly ‘I’ disagreed with it, and that it was rather ironic in trying to fix it something so not to change it and in the process probably change it. Also the making public knowledge of the activity by North Wales Bouldering made idiots like me aware of it, and able to comment, also the issues around reinforcing holds is a difficult one, and requires a lot of ethical consideration often only possible by people with a great deal of experience. By publicising it does it make it seem like gluing holds is a common, everyday thing and worthy of praise to the less experienced climber?

redrum…redrum…redrum…

Well I have been working hard this week, at the detriment to my school work, but unfortunately them bills still need to be paid. I have been at a variety of tasks , first of all I ended up teaching a great indoor climbing session at PYB, I did do a small blog piece on this, however as the week progressed it seemed interesting to revisit the ground, as a series of coincidence that have highlighted the whole small world/6 degrees of separation thing.

One of the people on the course was strangely familiar to me, which given that I instruct and rescue a lot of people throughout the year wasn’t that odd. Trying to recall where we knew each other from was tough, as we tracked it back to first Dorset, then Bournemouth, followed by Bournemouth School, until we arrived at the startling fact that we had been in the same year at school, way back when I did my A-levels! Bob has since become an anesthetist and spends time in Afghanistan flying into collect the dead and injured, with the RAF.

If that wasn’t enough I was then working at the Conway Centre, an Local Education Authority Outdoor Education Centre for Cheshire County Council. So it was odd to be with a school from Kendal, it turned out that one of the teachers had a Ulverston top on, and from that I asked if she knew a friends parents who were teachers based in the south lakes. The answer was no she didn’t but did I know there son Matt, who she went to school with. If that wasn’t freaky enough she asked if I knew a young Mr George Ulrich, which since i had been route setting with him a couple of weeks ago, made the world seem very small indeed.

After that the rest of the week just shot past, and a little bit of running, a little climbing indoors, babysitting and some prep work for the weekend teaching people to teach navigation at PYB meant that time was becoming the most precious asset. I also had a quick boulder with Libby Peter author of Rock Climbing Essential and Steve Long head of the MLTB and author of Hillwalking. A quick lunchtime boulder for them and an informal way for me to catch up on how the Coaching report I helped put together for the BMC was going.

I then got a message from Dave “Best route in the World” Evans, about trying Rocio’s mix route in the quarries. Wanting to get some images of someone on the sharp end of this route, meant I rushed up Fachwen to join him. It looks impressive and Dave blamed the failing light to him not redpointing the route. Better luck next time, I am sure it will be the best route in the volume 4! The photos I have attached to this blog are for Dave.

Anyway I am back on the whole work thing at the moment, so I will endeavour to keep fit and climb indoor!

Originally these sock have been attributed to Scottish Clansmen who cut their Tartan on the bias and used them as foot coverings. They were then popularised by an American John Wood Clark who brought them back from a golf tournament in Argyle.

Back in the day when knitting was popular, grannies enjoyed the complex work of knitting a pair of these diamond designed beauties. Of course knitting has fallen out of fashion in recent times however it is have a bit of a come back, with knit club popping up everywhere including Llanberis, there are even rumours of a Facebook group!

Next month: marino wool

Well it is upon us again the day that celebrates the christian martyr of Valentine, that has over the years been twisted, particularly by Chaucer’s courtly love into a very elaborate and hollow festival of love and of course commercialism. Now as you can imagine Valentines Day is about as much fun as a wedding for a single man. You get to see lots of people pretending to enjoy each others company when actually they have just had a massive to do over what shoe’s or tie their partner decided to where to their over price and overcrowded restaurant.

In light of the credit crunch it might even mean a few businesses staying in business for a couple of extra weeks! Its ironic really Valentines day seems to be very romantic if you are in a new and fresh relationship, through my cynical observations, it seems that after the second year of ‘serious’ relationship, even the women become slightly jaded. Whereas the men just book a table or buy some flowers to keep the ‘magic’ alive, and women go along with the pretense just encase they upset the apple cart.

Is it Really that hard to tell someone that you love them on any one of the other 364 days in a year. If everyone was to spread out the love, then I wouldn’t have to avoid the 14th February in fear of seeing too many public displays of infection. As ever my love life is about as interesting as the Financial Times to a two year old girl (although I guess it is kind of pink looking!), it has been like that for as long as I can remember, women seem instantly repelled by my humour and good looks!

Now its been years since I received a Valentines card, and when I did it was anonymous; What is the point in that, I am a single man, I am very open to offers for female company, yet they send an anonymous card! What am I supposed to do with that, use my sixth sense! Girls and Boys if you actually want someone to sit up and take note, send a photo, email address, phone number and a bunch of flowers stolen from a cemetery (nothing like leaving the card on “In loving memory of John”), but above for the love of god send a name. We are not in the playground now, so grow up!

I guess I should answer the question as to how many cards I have sent this year. Well given that I really don’t know any local ladies that could A) Stand a day in my company, B) Actually be single, C) Be attracted to me and D) Be attractive, so at the moment the plan is to send zero, mainly to avoid disappointment. To quote a hero of mine Jim’ll Fit It Saville, “I don’t want no brain damage, Man!” Although saying that I could do with a service, maybe I should go to Amsterdam and pay for it, probably cheaper both financially and emotionally in the long run!

Anyway Happy Valentines Day!

Whilst in an ideal world we would train by climbing every single day , the fact remains that we are not in an ideal world. So at times we have to alter our training to fit with our lifestyles. So whilst we may not be able to make it to the climbing wall every night, there may well be somethings that we can do in order to maintain or develop areas of fitness.

With more general fitness in mind it is possible to do many different type of activity that will have an effect on your climbing. One of the main things is developing a higher level of aerobic fitness, now whilst you might want to be working on your strength unless you have a pull up bar, finger board, multi-gym or training wall in the house that might prove impossible.

However going for a run or cycle might not be as hard as you expect, you might even find that the local swimming pool or aerobic class is closer than the wall. Generally any form of exercise that raises you pulse rate above the everyday amble is going to do you good, even if it is just boosting the power and efficiency of you heart and lungs.

Activities like swimming, aerobics or circuit training that exercise the upper body as well, will also help with helping build and strengthen cappilaries in the arm muscles by forcing blood through them, this will help deliver more oxygen and fuel to them when your need it climbing.

Whatever the activity you choose there is a right way and a wrong way to develop it into a habit and not shock your body too much into your new regime, and instead break it in gently. So to start with limit the activity from twenty minutes to half an hour and build up slowly, starting with exercise every other day. The best thing about cardiovascular work is that you can do it on the rest days from climbing.