The Climbing Thread

mid_gen

mid_gen

mid_gen

Soldato
Joined
20 Dec 2004
Posts
16,256
How's about a thread for the climbers? Getting more and more popular over here so I'm sure there are plenty into it.

Just about to get an annual membership at my local bouldering gym as I'm up to 3-4 2 hours sessions a week reliably.

Did a couple of hours yesterday, finally beat an awkward overhang after finally getting the toe hook right to get round the lip, satisfying, although my ankle is wrecked from trying to heel hook and bashing the joint on the edge of a volume :S
 
Yeah I like the social side, I'm at the local gym 3 times a week for 2+ hours now, getting to know a lot of the faces there. It's great to be able to ask for tips from the ninjas doing black routes! There's a meetup group just started here so should get to know more....quite a few people from work are getting into it as well.

Got my grip strength, general core and upper body strength up to a good level now, easily recover in a day. Been watching the Neil Gresham videos and trying to concentrate on my technique and doing existing routes as smoothly and efficiently as possible rather than just beasting the hardest ones I can.

Technique is definitely holding me back, rather than strength and fitness, gonna work on that before I get into installing any gear at home. The wall is only a 10-minute bike ride away.
 
Got my Star Citizen refund, so just treated myself to some La Sportiva Solutions today :)

No excuses for those niggly little technical routes now. Had a great 3 hour session on Sunday morning, was sailing through all the mid-level problems. Been concentrating on technique on the intermediate rather than busting my balls on trying to beat harder routes and it's paying off. Flowing nicely, moving legs smoothly on the overhangs instead of slipping off and grunting and swearing like beck when I didn't have the core strength for it.
 
fez said:
I've been dragging the other half to Font quite a lot lately and she seems to like it. There is so much stuff there for all abilities and even on those days when its too hot to climb or your skin is a bit **** you can still get some great circuits done.
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I take it there are places you can rent mats there?
 
I'll be driving from wurstland so car not a problem. Got a couple of people interested, can probably persuade the gf to come as resident photographer too.

Made an appointment to get my toe looked at, I've had pain in the big toe joint after exercise for years, think it's from a fatty stamping on my foot playing rugby years back. Not that painful but chronic and starting to interfere with my climbing, hopefully an easy fix.
 
Enjoy! It's worth persevering over the painful first few sessions until you get your grip strength up....can be just kinda frustrating and painful at first. Doesn't take long to get past it though...

Annoyingly my toe pain has flared up, can't walk after yesterday's session. Just been to the docs and they've taken blood, will see results tomorrow. Hope it's nothing permanent :S
 
Been in Sweden on work this week and managed to get along to a gym there with some colleagues.

First time I've used a gym with graded routes so it was nice to get an idea of where I'm at (although obviously not that reliable). I was flashing all the 5s, beating the 6As reliably and did a 6B+ which felt like the kind of level I can beat regularly with a couple sessions figuring out the problem.

Most importantly, this arthritis in my toe is fading....was a bit concerned about it initially.
 
Focusing on my most loathed problems the last few weeks, it's starting to pay off. Now doing about 3 hours 3 times a week and strength is really improved, starting to make progress on the cave roof problems...forcing myself to keep repeating them and work my core instead of making my arms drop off. Fun stuff!

I have some hallux rigidus in my right big toe joint which is stopping me doing a few problems, but I've got some joint mobility exercises which are helping.

They've just revamped the gym part of my hall, may have to start attacking the campus board and other exercises....although I need to look up some routines and exercises...
 
Went outdoors first time on the weekend down the Eifel region near Cologne. Beatiful day for it.

Two of us first time on the ropes so just doing easy stuff and getting some practice. Think I'm hooked, great way to spend a nice sunny day :)

Felt like superman when I went to the bouldering gym the day after too, absolutely monstered through all my project routes, done wonders for my confidence after spending a few hours outside clinging to tiny pockets and pea sized footholds.
 
Got my harness, belay and carabiner today ready for the weather to break. Found another climber at work so have a crew together now :)

The Boulder Bundesliga is at my gym for this month, some really nice routes. I'm placed about halfway in the men's 2nd division...but I reckon there's 2 out of the 4 remaining routes I think I can manage with some more practice. One is a big pinch crux on the horizontal overhang that is just right at the limit of my grip at the moment, the other is one of those daft routes that is just two ridiculous dynos strung together...more a mental challenge than physical!
 
Street said:
It's that annoying time of year when it's not winter enough for winter climbing and too wet for trad. I think the ice axes are definitely being hung up for the year now though. :(

We took a chance at heading to Curbar today hoping to get some trad in but most of the routes were soaked. We did an HVD and HS that were mostly dry, looked at a few others but they were a bit slimy so bailed and went bouldering instead.
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Was planning to go outdoors today but the weather has been awful. Went here instead :

http://bergstation.nrw

First time indoors, was good to pull some difficult moves 20 metres up, definitely gets the adrenalin going like it doesn't bouldering!

Wanted to try some leading as my climbing partner knows his stuff (long time trad climber from the UK) but they want you to take their course before they'll let you on, which is fair enough. 120 Euros though. If there were some easy sport routes outside we could go learn there, but the places we've been are too sketchy to learn on, 3-4 bolts on a 15m crag.
 
Sao_Sin said:
Bit of an odd question but I've been bouldering for about 2-3 years now but generally only spend an hour or so in the gym 3ish times a week. What do you guys do to drag your sessions out to 3-4 hours? I find I'm pretty much done problem wise of achievable problems and am nowhere near anything more complex to justify working on it as a project.
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I usually do a full lap of the easiest problems, then next level up, and then a full set of the 'starting to get challenging, but still flashed every time' routes, paying particular attention to footwork on the easy stuff. That's an hour gone already.

Then I'll do limit climbing on my project routes for half an hour. Then half an hour on hard routes that I've already got down. Then half an hour in the gym doing some on the hangboard, campus board, various other exercises...then 15 minute warm down on the easy routes.

The time usually flies by, could easily carry on :)

Got a competition at my gym this Saturday so I'm taking it easy, probably just do 90 minutes twice in the week.
 
Street said:
How did the comp go? I was quite pleased with my result in the winter league at the place I go to, ended up in 10th out of about 150! :D

I thought the weather had turned for the better as we managed to get out to Helsby last weekend for some trad with glorious sun and warm rock. The plan was to do do Grooved Arete on Tryfan this Saturday but I think it's all going to be a bit damp and miserable so may have to think of an alternative.
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Comp is this coming Saturday, will see how I go. Depends who turns up, it's mostly a 1 year anniversary for the gym, excuse for a few beers. In the Boulder Bundesliga I placed 150 ish out of 400 in the end.

Going bouldering in Glees next Tuesday as there's a bank holiday, 4 or 5 of us driving down, provided the weather holds up. Currently looking to be 18C and dry so perfect, but there's rain over the weekend and it's quite Woody so hopefully not too damp.
 
Finally back to climbing 100%.

Did the comp, which was great, not sure where I placed, but did 5 hours of bouldering, climbed my limit. Kinda trashed my fingers though. Then went outdoor bouldering a few days later, and just stripped what was left of my finger tips raw, and finished off the last of the sole on my Solutions.

Had to take a week off for my fingers to recover....then breaking in a new pair of shoes for a week. They've finally stretched out and my skin has returned....hallelujah! Wearing Five-Ten Hiangles which are so much better than the solutions for my feet, fit like a glove, and smear better...and half the price of the Solutions :)
 
Breaking a little plateau at last. Bouldering here in Germany tends to just be marked green->yellow->blue->red->white->black. I've been been on reds, with the occasional white for a while, but finally broke through and can regularly beat white problems. Figured out that basically most white problems require you to maintain body tension all the way up, rather than just the crux. Amazing what a little heel hook can let you pull off!

Cracking on with some core workouts on my off days...my fingers and upper body are pretty strong (certainly not my limiting factor at the mo). Can manage a decent pistol squat on my right leg, but left needs some work.

After the summer holiday and football viewing season is over I'm going to hit the training and nutrition hard and really try and crack on for the autumn season.

Off to Sweden for hols next week, climbing friend told me about a good spot near where we're staying. Going to have to try and sneak my shoes into the luggage and organise a 'walk' in the forest here :)

https://27crags.com/crags/kjugekull
 
There's quite a lot of competitive climbing available on stream, which is pretty cool.

Plotting the first post-summer outings, probably head to Glees again as soon as it cools. Then in October I might head to Abarracin in Spain with a mate to do a few days bouldering and have a bit of late summer sun recovery afterward in Valencia.
 
Nice. Plans changed here so I'll be heading to font rather than Albaraccin as soon as we get a dry weekend in September. Organising people is a right pain...fortunately a guy joined my team at work this summer who's up for any and all outdoor bouldering.

My gym got a Moonboard installed last month which has been great, I can already feel feel some good strength gains coming on after plateauing a little over the summer.
 
Back from first trip to Fontainebleau, great climbing. Weather was perfect.

First proper trip outdoors, took a day to adjust to the rock tbh....so many problems with nothing but smears for feet and slopey slapfests on top. Got the hang of it after a while though. Managed to flash a 6A which was the highlight grade-wise. Here's me making a struggle-athon out of La Fenetre 5A+ :)

RArHNz7.jpg

Going to try and go back next month if I can squeeze it in. We just kinda wandered around some circuits and did whatever we came across rather than chasing a grade. Now we've sussed the place out and know the rock I want to start finding some projects to aim for.

Now back to plastic, get working on those sloper problems and stop avoiding the mantles :P
 
Been on a good run recently, spent a couple of hours this morning concentrating on my footwork, then immediately sent my first two 6B moonboard benchmarks.

Went to the bigger climbing just out of town during the week for a change, really good boulder setting. It was bugging me why I recognised this guy that was climbing next to us, crushing all the problems..then realized it was Jan Hojer. Got a bit self consious as he was watching us struggle up the 6B/C routes :P
 
Starting to think about a proper training plan for next year. Going to do a week or two in Font in Spring.

Kinda plateaued now after 18 months of just bouldering 3x3hours a week. I'm projecting 6C boulder problems right now, so my aim is to break into 7A in the first half of next year.

Going to go for it and really push myself. Going to pack in alcohol for the year (not that I drink much these days, but I do notice it on the wall if I've had a drink in the last few days), and sort out my pre/post training nutrition. I don't have any weight to shift, I just want to make sure I can climb hard and recover quicker.

I've been fitting in a short session in the gym, and regular moonboard sessions that has been a real noticable gain. The moonboard in particular is really good for training my main weakness right now, which is maintaining core tension through my feet when making moves...I'm still at the stage where I'm launching from one move to another and letting my core relax in between. Gotta cut that out....it's really hard to train though! The moonboard helps though as it becomes twice as hard if you cut feet.
 
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