Well, the UK has just had a few nice weekends where it has finally been possible to climb, I have also managed to get out after work and climb a few route. One of the things I try to do this time of year is have a bit of a shake down, in that I try and see where I am this year when it comes to climbing. If you like I have a few ‘acid test’ routes like Comes the Dervish, that allow me to see how I am climbing based on the experience from passed years.
I also try and get on a few easy routes to get my eye in for gear placements, rests and route finding. I might also get on a bold route to kick my mind back into shape after a winters bouldering at the climbing. I basically use the first few climbing session of a year to perform a few system checks to ensure that all is well in the climbing machine that is me.
How this helps you is to build your confidence in your ability to climb, and allow you to see the benefit of all that training on your real climbing. I am fairly luck as I spend much of the early season teaching people to climb on easy routes, so nearly always have an eye for gear placements and route finding. However if your not that lucky then it is best to ease yourself into the summer by climbing some nice easy routes, before strapping yourself to something too hard.
TOP TIPS FOR EARLY SEASON SHAKE DOWN
1. Climd a few easy routes to try and get your gear placement eye in.
2. Climb a few easy route to get your route finding eye in.
3. Climb a reasonably hard route that you have climbed before to see how you are going this year.
4. Check you rack when your climbing these first routes.
5. Set yourself a route to do in this early season to kick start your outdoor climbing year.