Wow. What a fortnight at the Olympics!

I have for the past two weeks been glued to the TV. It has really got in the way of my working. However given the 9 billion pound price tag, I was certainly going to make the most out the Olympics. I have seen so many sports all performed to the highest standards an many efforts have truly inspired.

I was lucky enough to get down to the watch the qualifiers of the womens gymnastics and was blown away. I was gutted to not have got tickets to the Athletics as the atmosphere in the stadium seemed to have been electric.

Beware Falling Gymnasts

In terms of performance from Team GB, its been amazing. Even those that didn’t medal have put in amazing performances, but third in the medal table seems unheard of in my lifetime. More importantly though as the first games to see parity across sports from male to female, not to mention all countries entering both men and women another first for the Olympics. The first disabled athlete entering the 400 metres was a touching moment, especially when the winner of the race swapped number with him.

Of course I couldn’t mention the Games without the amazing 44 minutes last saturday when we took 3 gold medals in Men’s Long Jump, Womens Heptathlon and Mens 10000m. It is a credit to Team Gb that to just mention every medalist would take too long. But Ennis and Farah are just two of the stand outs for me. Mo inparticular coming back to win the 5000m kept me on the edge of my seat as he relentlessly held off the challenges in the last 800m of the race.

It has raised the question again as to weather Climbing should be in the Olympic Games. For me I would love to see it included as at the very least it embodies the olympic motto Citius, Altius, Fortius or Faster, Higher, Stronger. However the Olympics is restricted to a certain number of sporting events. So for climbing to go in other activities would have to come out.

Now please don’t take this the wrong way but there are some sports that could make way. Surely they could have less dressage. As not only is it part of several events but it is also an individual event as well as another event where the dressage is set to music. Personally, I would get ride of the standard dressage and keep the horses dancing to music as I would never have thought I would have to tell a friend that I would be out in 5 minutes, as I had to wait to see the result on the final routine.

I would have said rythmic gymnastics but for some reason I am somehow captivated with the finals of this. Although only the group stuff. So maybe they could drop a couple of swimming events and make way for a climbing event.  Although my most hated sport, one which I have never watched in teh greco-roman wrestling. Its just awful.

The Modern Pentathlon is also an odd sport as well, although the story behind it is good, the fact they now use lazer pistol rather than air pistols is something that makes it run and shoot part more like glorified Laser Quest.

The biggest problem other than which sport to replace is what climbing to include. As one of the biggest reason for the inclusion of sports is how goos they look on television. Here I have some great ideas first off, watching a series of skinny climbers get to various heights on a climbing wall can be dull. However the recently interweb broadcasts of the bouldering championships have been good watching. Speed climbing also makes great viewing, and if you standardised the routes it could make world record times and such things the public like. However my best idea so far is to take over the aquatics centre and have some awesome Deep Water Soloing Challenges, although at the latest Olympics I can see there being a queue for clandestine ascents of the Orbit, that strange high structure in the olypic park.

How we fair against the other sport trying to get into the Olympics who knows. I just hope one day indoor climbing makes it. As the Olympics is a truly inspiring event to watch. Although nothing is as imspiring as this….

Nea

Well a lovely spell of weather this week, and having managed to climb for the first time in a month. Albeit struggling up a route that was really beyond me due to my tendonitus. So yesterday I headed out up the pass and climbed Nea. One of the classic rotues on the Crouchan.

Was a lovely afternoon nipping up this route. It was also nice to see the pass busy with climbers. Hopefully, my elbow won’t find that too hard and I can slowly get back into climbing again. I hopefully have a physio appointment in the next few weeks as well to help with the rehab.

Indoor Coaching Courses – Winter 2012/13

Over the winter indoor climbing season, I am offering some great value coaching for young climbers and adults. All session are geared towards increasing your performance and helping you climb harder. The courses last for the length of each half-term and you need to pay for each 6 to 8 week course in advanced.

The course are run by an Mountaineering Instructor with a Masters level degree in Applied Sports Science. Meaning that we can focus on all aspects of climbing performance. From the physical side of training for harder routes, the movement side to aid in your efficiency of climbing and the psychological side through using mental skills training to help you remain cool, calm and focused on the lead.

We will also use an online web based coaching facility that logs training, monitors performance and helps find your training needs on a monthly basis. The iCoach Climbing website was designed and built by myself specifically with indoor coaching in mind.

The courses will run on every night of the week with two sessions each night. One at 4pm to 5.30 pm (although this time might move back if enough people need an extra half hour to make it to the beacon after school) this session is for under 18’s only. A later session from 7pm to 8.30pm will run for people 16 years and over.

The courses cost £5 per session (6 to 8 weeks payable in advance) plus entry to the wall, which will be at the group entry rate . For more information or to book on a course visit Snowdonia Mountain Guides to get my contact details. You can find out more about your coach mark reeves here.

Monday 

  • 4pm -5.30pm – Advanced  – under 18
  • 7pm – 8.30pm -Advanced –  16 years +

Tuesday

  • 4pm -5.30pm – Under 18 and abilities
  • 7pm – 8.30pm – 16+ years and all abilities

Wednesday

  • 4pm -5.30pm – Under 18 and abilities
  • 7pm – 8.30pm – Advanced – 16 years +

Thursday

  • 4pm -5.30pm – Under 18 and abilities
  • 7pm – 8.30pm – 16 years +

Friday

  • 4pm -5.30pm – Under 18  and abilities
  • 7pm – 8.30pm – 16 years +

Television Route

Last year myself and Dave Evans made a pilgrimage to Red Walls at Gogarth. To me it is one of the most beautiful walls in North Walls. For most that attraction is very much in the eye of the beholder. As generally the wall is slightly overhanging with some of the looses rock at Gogarth. However if you learn to master this type of climbing, which to me  is the total use of all the skills you have learnt in climbing.

Technique is vitally important, as turn up with the grab and pull of a indoor climber or sports climber and you’ll soon fall off, usually with two holds in your hands. For the technique is there to limit the weight you place on each hold as you try to share the weight equally between hands and feet.

Similarly you will need to be both calm and collected as you fiddle runners into some of the softest rock you have ever climbed on. Quantity rather than quality of runners is often the technique on this wall, so you often start a pitch weighed down with a double rack of friends and 20+ quickdraws.

If you have noticed that I haven’t been bloggin gthat much, it because I am battling with tendonistus in my elbow. So I have basically not climbed for 4 weeks, other than for work. When Dave pghone me up for part of teh annual pilgrimage to red wall, I found it impossible to say no, and just thought I needed this in my life.

The abseil in is exciting, and we decided to climb Television Route, originally aided by Joe Brown and the American Royal Robbins for a BBC live outside broadcast. The history of which makes up a small part of the book I have been working on. Bolts or pegs were placed every 10ft to keep the climbers safe but in edge and the route climbed the easiest piece of cliff to film rather than the best line.

Most people start up the ‘safer start’, but Dave was psyched for the original. This resulted in him playing the long game, a very sensible thing on such a bold start. Edging his way up and down until he was ready to commit to get through the crux. As soon as he went for it Dave was on fire, the initial wall is very much a baptism of fire, and whilst I am somewhat out of shape, I felt the E4 5c grade was something of a sandbag, and so did dave.

Certainly compared to all the other E4’s on this wall I have climbed it was certainly a step above. Dave thought E5 5c, which is a horrendous grade, which reflects the commitment need to succeed. After I flaialed my way up it, after my elbow gave up half way up, although I was pumped out of my mind as well, Dave said that it took the great Nick Bullock an age to commit to the route.

I have no pictures as I was more focused on the climbing, but a great day out, and thanks to Dave for getting me off the couch.