Month: March 2009

Well I was up the wall again training, seems to have become a habit! The usual crew were in there doing routes, as well as a few regular bouldering hound dogs. At the end of the session Al Leary showed us a copy of the New Llanberis Pass Climbing guidebook from the Climbers Club.

The book is available from Joe Brown’s and V12 outdoor, and at a first glance it would appear that the Climbers Club have listens to the critics of there guides of which I have been quite a vocal one. However I’ll try and get a closer look tomorrow and give it a more eye!

I have had a closer look but by no means extensive look and whilst i can say that this is way better than the last Llanberis Pass guide by the Climbers Club, although you would have been hard pressed to make a worse one. The current guide is a much better guide in terms of appearance, however there are several small niggles, and they are small. Some of the obscure crags, are well covered, but despite having a photo of the crag they fail to add any topo lines. Another trick that the Climbers Club seem to have missed is the colour coding of the topo lines, they use three colours that could have been used to show grade bands (easy, moderate and hard) but instead they use them at random.

I do have to say though Don Sergeant has made the guide with his collection of images that feature heavily throughout the guide the Climbers Club certainly owe him a debt of gratitude, as without those images the guide won’t be the visual delight. Similarly they have added in some environmental information through the guide, and Simon’s selected bouldering guide to various bits of the pass will possible open up some of the popular bouldering areas to people who are only aware of the Cromlech boulders.

One thing that has been pointed out to me was that despite some information being provide for various areas (The crag right of the Parsons Nose) by some quite proficient and respected climbers that information appears to have failed to make it into the guide. As a guide though it is certainly one of the best that I have ever seen the Climbers Club produce, and worthy of calling itself a guidebook in the modern idiom. update 6/3/09

Its been a while since there was any form of actions on the re-equipping front in North Wales, whilst people have been plugging away at bolting up their own projects, very little in the way of replacing old bolts has occurred. Possible because the majority of the more well know routes have already been re-equipped, leaving a few less classic, more obscure and difficult to access locations.

Last weekend Mike Raine headed up to one of these harder to access places and re-equipped the belays on his routes Dinorwic Unconquerable, possible the finest hand jamming crack in North Wales and the appropriately named route ‘The long and Winding Road’ that describes the approach. These routes saw an ascent by James McHaffie, Llion Morris and Mark Dicken shortly before they were re-equipped.

Having done Dinorwic Unconquerable I can testify its ‘classic’ jamming status, a route well worth seeking out by any wannabe Yosemite Valley Rat.

I received an email today from Mike asking if anyone is available on Tuesday 17th March for some re-equipping work on the Great Ormes with Chris Parkin. It looks like I am busy, but if anyone out would like to get involved, a day out with Chris is always a hoot, then contact me through my instructional website and I’ll do my best to connect you to hopefully a small team of keen volunteers.

Self talk is a phenomenon that whilst most of us will experience when climbing and it our day to day life, we probably don’t pay it much attention. What I refer to is the internal chatter in our mind like shall I eat that biscuit or shall I not. It often allows us to rationalise our decisions with ourselves. Sometimes that self talk will be positive other times it will be negative, either way it can be rational or irrational.

Yesterday when at my research proposal I saw a presentation on Self-talk, and inparticular ratio’s of positive to negative, and believe it or not there is a ratio of positive to negative thought where you are deemed to be able to function adequately (somewhere in the region of 0.6 positive to negative thoughts); above that you become ‘happy’ below that you become sad and eventually if the ratio gets too low can lead to depression.

To use it when climbing it is better to concentrate on irrational, as talking yourself into a danger position that you can’t physically back up is fool hardy, similarly if the self talk is unnecessarily negative like I can’t hold on anymore, when in fact you can, is going to have a negative effect on your performance. Whilst over confidence can lead to the irrational positive self talk, it is the pessimist in us that leads to the negative.

In order to do something about it, you first need to identify you self talk. There are several ways to do this, but with climbing it requires several of these technique. I often suggest that a climber has a carabiner on them, and everytime they experience a negative thought click the gate on the carabiner. Whether you bouldering or climbing, when you get down off route use a note book to write down your negative thought(s).

After a few session look through for patterns, an example I have come across is someone has a thought that tells them they are letting go of the hold, or they are about to slip off a hold. To counteract this I got them to say ‘I am solid’ if that thought entered there head. This counter acting or as NLP practitioners would say reframing of the thought helps stop the negative effect of the thought on your performance.

Similarly I have used it to trigger the transition between relaxed climbing and attacking the crux of the route, by using the phrase ‘Go for it’ and ‘Relax’. At its most basic Self-talk is really about identify negative thought patterns at consciously stopping them by overtly saying or shout alternative phrases like those mentioned above, and eventually making the a single word that you say internally to yourself.

Now I remember reading somewhere this week, it was probably some post/feature/news item on UKC, as I have been meant to be focusing on my research presentation, however displacement activities really took over, for instance my room is cleaner than its ever been, bound to only improve as the written proposal is due in soon! Anyway, back to what I read whilst having a ‘cognitive break’ from my presentation on UKC. Basically, it came up with the assumption that if you lived/climbed in mainland Europe under the big blue sky and overhanging rocks, we’d instantly become better as a climbing nation because of the amount of climbing we can do.

Now putting aside that even if Wales had a European climate we’d all still have to work, and that would mean we’d only be able to climb evenings and weekends. Given that Europe has such good weather, I am making the assumption that they don’t really have the same ‘indoor’ facilities as us. Given Llanberis is a sleepy backwater, there are three excellent public walls (Beacon, Indy and Brenin) as well as Bangor University’s excuse for a wall and the private torture chamber and home of homoerotica (take it from me girls we’re talking tops, backs out paradise) ‘The Mill‘. That’s all in the sticks of North Wales, when you hit the big cities it becomes an upside down wonderland!

I would like to suggest the argument that given that a) it must rain in Europe sometimes (it ain’t no dessert), b)There crags aren’t flood lit so you can’t climb in the evenings for at least 1/3 of the year and c) the lazy so and so’s siesta in the afternoon; that in fact the UK is way better for climbing than Europe because we have indoor artificial plastic, and when push comes to shove if you want to get good then you need to train after work all year round.

I have spent the day at big school today, where I had to give a research proposal for my MSc thesis, the title that simple rolls off the tongue – The Interactive Effect of Pre-Imagery Activation State and Individual Differences on the Efficacy of Imagery on Bouldering Tasks! It was a cerebral day to say the least, i had to sit through twenty research proposals, all on various different topics, some of which were interesting, expect to hear above transformational leadership if your on a ML with me in the future!

Anyway, I have to say that compare to climbing on Sunday my anxiety levels were low (although I did want to puke as I walked up), and despite not really being a scientist (yes I have managed to blag it this far!) I did reasonably well I hope in my presentation. Although all I want is a pass, the questions I got at the end were few and far less nasty than a few of the students that were seemingly thrown to the Lion’s on a couple of points.

So rather than go out and drink like the rest of the MSc students I’ll head up the wall and beast myself up some routes. I had a lot of mental support and encouragement from my friends for this presentations and I’d like to say thanks to all of them, from my instructor friends that were meeting their groups outside the university this morning, to the good luck messages from my friends and Matt who dropped in just to see my presentation, it all helped. (well I hoped it did!)

Anyway seems like I have got to finish the written report now, and then conduct the research, then make up the results and then write those up! Will it never end?

I have posted up before on the mental skills that help elite athletes reach there peak performance. However in light of my climbing experience over the weekend I feel that it would be interestingly to use it as an example of how I use them when I climb to help me reach my peak performance.

Firstly having a goal has been paramount for me maintaining my motivation, however as well as dream rotes to aim for my training has used what can be described as micro-goals. In that every time I go to the wall I attempt to improve on what I achieved the last time. I don’t write it down, but you’d be surprised at what you can remember if you train a lot at the same wall.

I also used imagery, although not in a formal day to day pre-thought out scripted way. instead i tend to attempt to have more lucid dreams about my successful days out and dreaming about my the routes I want to do. I dream of the type of moves, type of holds, typical gear placements on the routes. Anything that will help build a mental parallel to the experience I expect to help me to plan for the ascent in my mind. If i had taken this further and imagine, what if this or that happened, I might well not have fallen off due to misreading the route first time round. In a way my imagery is more about mastering the rock and my emotions, than a specific sequence for onsighting routes.

I then used imagery at the based of the route, imagining getting to the first ledge, then the second, placing the gear, finding the ledges to be good rests. I do this to get me psyche up and in the right mind state. Although on Sunday I was fighting extreme nerves, I was suffering from feeling quite jittery and my heart was racing as the adrenaline flow through me in anticipation, similarly I was concerned over blowing the on-sight, rather than falling off and injuring myself. These are the two side of anxiety that of cognitive worry and the bodies interpretation of the physiological response to stress.

Whilst i was carrying out my pre-performance routine of racking up, tying in to the ropes, tying shoes tight, cleaning the shoes and chalking up. I was also doing so breathing exercises to relax my mind and control the anxiety. I am used to it and know that as soon as I start climbing the jitters tend to disappear. In my mind I had prepared well. I had previous climbed E5 of this slab and felt fitter than every despite not having climbed much on real rock I was cardio-vascularly at my best, as well as near the top of my game in terms of anaerobic endurance, I was confident in my ability to climb the route.

I am in the process of researching some fingerboard exercises for my coaching book, and stumbled across Simon Lee’s review of the Beastmaker on UKC. Which in turn lead my to the Beastmaker website, which has some very good and very hardcore advice on how to train using a fingerboard.

The training section has a host of terminology and even a glossary of holds to help the unwitting like me decipher their front three from the back three! Not only a great product but some stirling advice on how to use it to develop finger strength from guys that appear to have used it to do just that.

So I was at my local Tesco’s today, I am sorry but it is by far the most convenient shop for me other than Morrison’s, but they make you pay £1 for a trolley, and I never seem to carry cash so I end up not buying half the things I need because they won’t fit in a hand basket. So hate me if you must as Tesco’s are set to take over the UK, you wait come the end of the credit crunch they will own everything! I am fuelling there fire as it is the only place I shop, but Tesco’s will lead to the breakdown of the High Street, there is very little you can’t buy in there often cheaper than anywhere else.

I had the usual shopping scene, looking for any yummy mummy’s or attractive young women; never seem to see too many though. I then went to the check out and the cashier was very chatty, although she had the look of a very stressed woman on the brink of a heart attack, or a series of events similar to Micheal Douglas in the film ‘Falling Down’. She informed me that they didn’t have any large plastic bags and if I wanted some they were 9p a bag, from several metres away from the check-out. Before anybody thinks I shared these thoughts with the poor clerk, don’t worry I simply said the small bags would suffice, as I didn’t want to have to carry out CPR her if she had a seizure through the stress, and besides it wasn’t her fault.

Now Tesco’s is a massive company, with many middle manager and to think that they couldn’t afford to give away a few 9p bags with people shopping when some spotty graduate who was fast tracked to plastic bag ordering position screwed up. Should we could have taken each 9p out of his wages? It did make me think though, what if Tesco didn’t supply bags for free. I stop shopping there for one, as they seem to be able to rob both the customer and the producers blind, so providing a bag seems the least they could do. In fact I an sure they could provide a decent ‘bag for life’ based on your clubcard that way they can even up there ‘green’ credentials.

Not that I have a clubcard, I don’t want some multinational superpower knowing what I buy, not that anything is too embarrassing from Tesco’s, well apart from those vibrating cock rings! Its just seems like an unnecessary invasion of my privacy, and a way that Tesco’s get very easy marketing for very little in return to me. Anyway I won’t be surprised if today was a pilot study to see people reactions to not have bags provided for free, after all the average shop requires 6.7 bags, at 4p profit per 9p bag and around 8000000 shopper a week that’s a truck load of cash for the already rich Mr Tesco.

Well from someone who thought training was a swear word, I have become somewhat addicted to it. My general approach is to boulder at the wall or do easy routes. However having started to run I have really noticed my recovery time when I get pumped dramatically reduced. In terms of power endurance I have been using linking a number of boulder problems into each other both up and down, to the extent that I think to link those moves on a sport route would probably warrant F7c.

Combining this with the running and climbing lots of easy routes for capillarisation seems to be paying dividends. If you read my other blog you’ll know I had a crack at climbing a route that I named on this blog as a major goal for this year. Despite failing narrowly I am sure I’ll get it done soon. But to get on it in early March is just amazing.

I am putting this progress down to the fact that I have a holiday planned, and the motivation that I am getting for training with that trip in mind is outstanding. If you remember the goal setting post a while back I can’t over emphasis the need for something to aim for even if it is just one major route for the year. I will do some research into motivation and try and write a post for you.

At the moment though my training is going great, and I am using several of the key training skills that I have blogged about on here. In particular I found improving my confidence in my own ability a real help for pushing the boat out. I just hope that your training is going as well.

Well it is very occasional now that I get out climbing on anything other than plastic, however today was an exception, and after Llion suggested a rainbow slab session, I started getting psyched, as after my training seems to be going well, and have followed him up Pull My Daisy, I decide to strap my cock, tuck my skirt and man the f£$% up, and have ago at one of my major goals for this year Rainbow of Recalcitrance, and E6 with a big reputation and undoubtedly the line of the crag.

To say I was nervous was an understatement, however compared to a blind date I went on a few months back, where I almost puked on the lass when she eventually turned up, and was unable to string sentence together for five minutes, I can safely say that it wasn’t that bad. Years of anticipation disappeared after the first few moves and wires. The first crack is a bit of a fight however i didn’t find it too bad, however there was a lot of ‘Watch Me’.

I had quickly abseil to the side of the route to eye the gear, mainly because I didn’t want to kill myself, it all looked good and on the lead when I was slotting home good wire after good wire my confidence increased. My problem was where and when to traverse across onto the rainbow, I forgot my tape measure, so my 13 metres up was a bit of a guess, it turn out to be more like 12m, and after what I can only describe as a desperate battle I finally fell off.

A quick go the same way made me think I was going about it all wrong, and as soon as I committed to making another move up the crack, the step across, which I had built up to being the crux was well easy. Stood on a ledge unable to reverse with the bold climbing ahead it took a long long time to commit to horrendous smear or disappear move, which on slate means that every move felt like my last, all the way up to the junction with Poetry Pink, where despite the difficulty reducing the on/off teetering of the ripple became apparent as the run-out is astronomical. It looks like you’d make quite a crater from here.

With my belay getting cold, and my failure already sealed, I ‘escaped’ up the top of poetry and belayed Llion, as my pulse rate slow and the jitter diminished. Next time I tell you, next time I do it!

I decided that it wasn’t bad for an old man who doesn’t get out that much to comes so close to on-sighting such a respected route so early in the season. Come On!

Llion Morris on Pull My Daisy – E2 – Rainbow Slab