Friday 28 May 2010

So much climbing, so little energy to write . . .

It's been a full two weeks since i last posted, and i've done quite a lot of climbing that i have been very, very pleased with.

It seems that my efforts training indoors for the last 4 months have really paid off - i have, without doubt, broke into a new level with my climbing that can only be explained from some dedicated but really quite tedious training.

The training has translated to a couple of really good days:

1 Day: 1 x 8a/+ Flash, 1 x 8a Onsight, 1 x 7c+/8a (Retro Flash)

(this was all caught on camera or film by Alistair Lee and i can't wait to see the results!)

2 Day: 1 x 8a/+ Onsight, 2 x 8a+ First Redpoint.


So it was all going very well, and to be honest, it was about time that i got on something harder - so i've jumped on a few 8c's to see which i should project . . . more news coming very soon.

Friday 14 May 2010

Riglos Video

A quick video shot en route while Stu and i were on pitch 5 of Fiesta de Los Biceps . . .

(Excuse the strangely shifting camera angle!)


Riglos

From EU Road Trip 2010



FIESTA DE BICEPS - 7 pitches of conglomerate climbing. 230m of 7a in total.

(If you look close enough directly above my finger, you can see the white chalk line that you climb up the route)

What a route.

I can honestly say that despite completely shitting myself standing at the bottom of the route before the first pitch, it is probably the best route i have ever done.

From slab to vertical to overhanging, technical slopers to holds bid enough to stand and even sit on - this route has it all. Every climber should experience this route.

My expression here with Stu on pitch 5 (about 180m high) gives away how i was feeling - a mix of fear and elation!

Rodellar

Day 1 of the (real) road-trip started in Rodellar and could not have been better.

The sun was shining, a team of 12 Brits were psyched out of their minds to climb and Sector Surgencia was calling.

I had a great first day; ticking a few 30/35m routes between 7b+ and 8a onsight and things were looking good for the next few days until the rain and snow travelled down to Rodellar.

Stu and I decided to head to Riglos to do something a little bit different. . .

EU ROAD TRIP 2010

Things have moved really quickly over the past few months. . .

Handing my notice in at work and leaving for a road trip around Europe in the summer and then to the US in Autumn seemed a really long way away . . . and now, i've already been on it for 9 days!

My plan was to head to the Pyrennes to do some trad big walls, then to northern Spain and the south of France to really push my grade sport climbing and then on to Rumney, Red River Gorge and Yosemite in September/October. However, the start has already turned out very differently.

On the drive down, expectations of the weather getting warmer as we drove south into France and Spain were replaced with the reality of snow blizzards in the Tarn area.




A weather report told us Europe was / (is) covered by an enormous area of low pressure that wont budge for a while. . . . we changed out route to Barcelona airport, parked the van and promptly got a flight to Mallorca - the only place where it was actually sunny, as Charlie Woodburn proves here -



After 5 days of complete and utter luxury i returned to Barcelona, picked Ste McClure up and headed to Rodellar . . . more coming soon.