Choosing a Project

Some people are goal orientated, I know that I am more focused when I have a either an overt or covert goal to aim for. For me I have two goals this year, one get fit enough to clibm the Nose on El Cap, its been a while since I was last Big Walling however I feel like I could go there tomorrow and get up it. The trick is now to keep that focus and maintain it until September. My second goal is to climb F8a, now I have been training like mad at the beacon over the winter, and feel physically ready, so now I have to choose a project.

For the last week I have been doing just that. For a route of this grade I feel that i need it to work my strengths, rather than use it to battle my weaknesses. As such I have been looking around the Slate quarries and getting on hard sports routes on a top rope, and giving the moves a go. I am just about 5’10” if I stand very tall. Unfortunately many routes are designed (quite literally in some cases) for people over 6′.

Whilst i have yet to try the last route I have discussed my options with a friend, James McHaffie, who although small, is very, very strong. As such my shortlist of projects for the coming months are Gin Palace a F7c chimney to a powerful crack in the headwall, The Dark Destroyer a strenuous F7c+, Menstrual Discharge a fiercely technical F8a+, The Medium a desperate slab route F8a and Forsinain Motspur a bouldery and technical F7c.

In choosing these routes I have climbed another 4 or so routes that simply seemed wrong for me. Whereas the one I choose have all felt like given enough commitment I could do and eventually link all the moves. This to me gives me a psychological advantage, because in my head even after one attempt on a rope they ‘feel’ possible.

I have spoken about goal setting here before and the need to set a difficult yet believable goal, can and I hope will change my behavior when it comes to climbing these amazing routes. I am already looking forward to getting on these routes, unfortunately I will have to find some very good friends to belay me on them, as I sense it might be a long and drawn out affair with some of the routes.

So what are your projects, and how are you going to reach them? I have tried to do something almost everyday to reach these goals. Even if it is something as small as one less cake at dinner time, an extra lap of the Castle when out for a run or one more lap of a circuit at the wall.

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