Friday 22 June 2012

A Rain Filled Weekend



This weekend we made the long trip to Malham for a coaching event organised by the MCofS and delivered by Robbie Philips. The drive was long and mainly wet, with the rain giving us thoughts about where the nearest indoor wall was! We arrived at the campsite at 9:30 on the Saturday to a rainy, grey sky and some psyched climbers. Robbie reckoned the crag would be dry so we headed up and found the entire wall was dry as a bone, and I think the only dry piece of rock in Yorkshire!

The conditions were perfect, cold and dry and the rock felt really sticky warming up (and that’s saying something for Malham!) and after doing a route or 2 and using the Crusher Holds Orbs hanging from a bolt (great for warming up, will get a pair to go to Ceuse with! http://crusherholds.co.uk/crusher-orb ), I got on my project from last time at Malham, Raindogs!

The (one of many) classic of the crag, pure power endurance without a single easy move or rest over its 24(?) move length has been a project that has taken me a while to do, at least since I first wanted to do it, which was as soon as I heard about it! It has not taken a long time in actual work on it, but it feels like ages.

I had one quick go to remember the moves, feeling very strong from the start and only resting on one sequencey move that I soon remembered and again to clip the final clip that hadn’t been extended. I came down and after a bit of a rest went for the route again. First moves felt strong, but a foot slip by the first bolt put me back down again. Another rest, then off!

I felt strong and solid, climbing steadily to the “rest” and had a minishake and chalked before moving on to my redpoint crux, a high step up to a polished foothold from a sidepull and a sloper undercut pocket. I stuck it, bumped for the sidepull, right hand to a sloper, feet up, go again for the final pinchy sidepull, match and final foot change. Then the final move, a long bump to the chain that many people fall off 20 times before they actually do the route. Fortunately I stuck it and clipped the chains in relief, a good first day!!

Grabbing the chains! DONE!!

Relieved!


The second day I decided to focus on volume at mid 7 range in preparation for Ceuse, and got some good onsights, second goes and a couple of failures!

Ticklist:

-Raindogs 8a
-Free and even easier 7a+ (Flash)
-Just Another Dead End Job 7a (Flash)
-Rose Coronary 7a (Second Go, numb fingers!!)
-Something Stupid 7b (Onsight)
-Bongo Fury 7b (Second Go)
-Rated PG 7a+ (Onsight)
-Consenting Adults 7a (Repeat to take the draws out, still polished and      rubbish!!!)

Below are a few pictures of the trip: (All credit to my Dad, he’s got a new camera so took about a thousand photos!!)


  
Warming up

Something Stupid, 7b Onsight

Starting Wasted Youth... (love this picture!)

And off!!