Craggy

Went to craggy last night to have a climb with the Soithongsuks and try out the other tough lead line on the 8/9.

After an extended warmup, due to my partners staying true to form and arriving later than publicised, we got on a few easier lines up the comp wall to loosen up and teach Tiff to use a GriGri.

We then moseyed on to the project line round back and cleaned it up.

Tiff went first and caused a mild heart attack when she fumbled the fourth clip and fell off with a shed load of slack out. Fortunately she stopped shortly before hitting the floor and got back on for another attempt. Loads of kudos for that kind of guts for sure.

I then had a go and reached the same point as Tiff but fluffed the sequence a bit and also fell. I had the clip in but for some reason the GriGri didnt work ideally and in combination with Tiff going for a short fly in the air I ended up with a foot on the ground...Not ideal really.

The picture above gives a decent idea of the fall for both of us...Pretty good eh? Either way, once I finished trembling I had another go and fell off the last move after I battered my knee going for the dyno. Should go next session if I get back on it.

Finger feels tweaked up again, next climb will probably be at Reading on the 2nd so I think I may rest up and ice it till then.

Cranleigh wall

Well it's only been 2 days since the last update but I'm sure many people are bored of their families and need to know what is going on in my life.

First of all I think I should take the short term goal off the right hand side of this page since I have definitely done that now. (Although I still claim not to be fit)

Second - I went to Cranleigh wall again to try out some of the new problems at the school, I did all of the easier problems (bar one which required a heel hook - my leg still cant quite do them due to the strain I got from the Reading comp) I also managed a funky compressiony neon yellow 6cish problem in rather too many goes.

I dont really have much more to say beyond that. I expect to go climbing somewhere tomorrow too but I don't really have a plan as of yet...

Christmas Update

Hope everyone reading this had a good Christmas but this post isnt really about that.

It's an update on my climbing performance:

I went to SSP and Craggy on Wednesday, setting problems at SSP for a few hours before going over to Craggy to do some lead climbing.

I am pretty happy with the SSP problems which included a cool slopey, pinchy, straight-up black problem and a big strange dyno on some white buckets. I hope there haven't been too many complaints yet... :-P

The lead climbing at Craggy went alright, considering I havent tied into a rope for absolutely yonks. I warmed up with a few traverses, auto belay lines and a little bouldering before getting on a slightly overhung 7b and working all the moves. I didnt get the route on Wednesday but I shall blame fatigue and paper thin skin as a result of climbing at SSP earlier in the day.

I also met Yann Genoux, who is the lead setter at The Arch, which was nice. He even made one of the funniest mistakes in language that I have ever heard.

Jack was just about to get to the crux of the route, which involves a large move from a pinch up to a sloper. Just as he reaches it Yann shouts

'Go on Jack, Give it some Willy'

needless to say - Jack laughed himself off the wall.

I went back on Friday and sent the route second attempt after getting a little bit of new beta from a chap nearby. Close run thing though, as I almost pulled my hands off when I was on the last mediocre hold, fortunately I stuck it and moved on to my hardest ever craggy tick :-D

Brilliant New Years Eve gift to myself, as was the coockie that Abi then bought from the cafe.

Win!

Happy boxing day everyone.

Reading Winter League

HeyHey!

My first top 10 placing in competition this year, one of my year targets was a top ten in the TCA rounds. Unfortunately I ran out of them, so this will have to do.

I came in 3rd place out of 37 people and had at least 1 whole climb between myself and 4th.

The problem setting was great and really suited my style of climbing which was fortunate.

Unfortunately I crippled myself on one of the last problems when I tried to pull too hard on a heelhook...so that is my current major ailment - ah well.

I spent most of today setting some problems in SSP, which I am glad to say is taking a turn for the better for a few days. I will be returning on Wednesday to set a few more problems in a separate section of the wall.

Couple of cool problems, still having trouble setting something around the 7a level though, maybe I can try and remedy this on wed.

Going to London tomorrow so that will probably act as a rest day for the most part, plenty of walking around in the cold though.

Yay.

Weekly Workout

Starting on Sunday since it is that day today.

Sunday:

• 40 minute chilled crosstrainer 5km
• 30 minute fingerboard

1. repeaters (straight hangs)
2. hangs and pullups on the slopers of the simulator
3. few maximal hangs

• about 200 situps of various styles.

Iced hand once

Waiting on the results from the Reading boulder round before I write about it.

Monday:

1. Spent about 5 hours in SSP lugging around holds and setting problems.
2. Going to go and ice my hand now.

SIBL Writeup

A slow response but I have been a bit busy recently with uni shiz.

The latest round of the Southern Indoor Boulder League was on Saturday and held in the Castle.

Having never been to the castle before I had no idea what to expect, fortunately for the competition the wall was excellent, the setting was great, the hold set was top notch (revolution) and the music was kinda cool too.

Another earlyish (5:30am) start to get over there and get a parking space left us with 3 hours to kill before the competition started - but that is important beta planning and warmup time (we spent it drinking tea in a local cafe)

The rest of the competitors eventually showed up and once it all kicked off a good time was had by most.

I achieved my highest position so far in any of the rounds: out of 73 competitors I came 18th which is alright but, once again, I'd like to do a little better at some point.

Overall I am placed 16th out of 122 people, though this is much to do with turning up to all of the rounds so far.

My fingers on the left hand are still a little tweaked though they feel a bit better every day, might go to Reading competition on Friday to beat Henry again. He loves it.

I also got a new 3x3 record = 27.43s

Time to do some real work instead of typing away on this though, so till next instalment of my thrilling life.

Gdbai

I seem to be in an unrepentant and thoroughly undeserved state of happiness right now, my infective cheer seems completely at odds with my usual state of mind as christmas approaches.

Ordinarily I will scrooge about and frown at lights and trees but I grinned merrily as the lights were switched on in TCA today.

Now unless someone is drugging me it would appear that I have little to feel festive about as I have a tweaked A2 in my left hand, my left arm has suddenly decided to succumb to tendonitis, my knee is not quite healed and I have a competition this weekend in London which will require another earlyish start.

On the other hand I have been climbing fairly well despite these issues, today I almost managed my first one arm pullup ever, and I followed this up with my first a 1-4-6.

I sound like a broken record, but if I could get a stretch of decent health then I think I would be doing alright just about now.

Its a cooking 101

I decided to have a little cooking session this evening and made this glorious monster of a meal.

So here goes with the recipe:

Marinade Chicken in:

• Lemon Juice
• Golden Syrup
• 4 Birdseye Chillis
• A dash of Soy sauce
• Cayenne pepper
• Ginger

Rice goes into my rice cooker (love my rice cooker)

Green Curry paste gets a quick fry and coconut milk + a small amount of chinese five spice added, highish heat used to reduce the very watery liquid down to the consistency you can see in the photo - about until the rice is done.

Chicken fried in a wok till golden on outside, add chopped Pak Choi and allow chicken to cook.

Oil the inside of a bowl (the chequered one for me) with sesame oil and stuff with rice.

Flip the bowl onto a plate - the oil should help the rice to come out easily.

Cover with the green curry paste mix and add chicken.

Enjoy.

Chef Arché Cameron Blacké

100 Posts

According to my dashboard this will be my 100th post.

I havent much to say apart from commenting on my continuously broken hands which is starting to grate a little. There isnt much climbing to be done over winter though so hopefully I can heal up soon.

I came 23rd in the last SIBL competition which puts me 16th in the overall standings. Not much to comment about that except for it being just about alright. Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda again but it really would be nice to turn up to the January round and not be injured. I am already assuming I will still be a little bit broken by next weekend for the Castle round so we'll see how it goes.

I spent a little time taking some pictures last time I was nursing my finger and came up with a couple that I quite liked. I hope you enjoy.