The Climbing Thread

Street · 1 Nov 2021 at 10:36

Annoyingly, I did it a couple months ago and it's taken this long to get the referral started with the NHS!

I went to a sports physio first at the start of September and he said he suspects a torn meniscus and that I could really do with an MRI to see the damage. He told me he had the contacts to get it sorted privately, but it's not going to be cheap as I don't have insurance so I said I'd check out the NHS route first. I had the appointment with my GP towards the end of September and it's taken a month for the knee clinic to get my referral. They've now said it's going to be another 12-16 weeks before they can see me, let alone getting it scanned. At this point stumping up £5k is looking like a good option just to get it sorted quickly as I'm going stir crazy.

MM-Seat · 1 Nov 2021 at 10:44

Street said:
Annoyingly, I did it a couple months ago and it's taken this long to get the referral started with the NHS!

I went to a sports physio first at the start of September and he said he suspects a torn meniscus and that I could really do with an MRI to see the damage. He told me he had the contacts to get it sorted privately, but it's not going to be cheap as I don't have insurance so I said I'd check out the NHS route first. I had the appointment with my GP towards the end of September and it's taken a month for the knee clinic to get my referral. They've now said it's going to be another 12-16 weeks before they can see me, let alone getting it scanned. At this point stumping up £5k is looking like a good option just to get it sorted quickly as I'm going stir crazy.

Ouch, I damaged mine in May earlier this year (not a full year thankfully) and it’s taken till now to really get over it.

hopefully you can get sorted ASAP!

mid_gen · 8 Nov 2021 at 13:35

Did a whole day at Stanage Sunday, got there at 8...bit nippy. Had to toprope solo until lunchtime as this climbing group don't get up early

My main objective this year has been to get my first trad lead done.....I was a bit worried about running out of decent weather, but managed it. Went up an easy VD first to make sure I had it all straight in my head. Then led Manchester Buttress HS 4b which was more exciting. First I completely ballsed up the starting arete, going up the wrong side and got pumped as hell before managing to get round the right side and getting gear in. I didn't see the crimp in the traverse break either so ended up just flopping my way around the crux corner

Had to borrow some stuff again, so been shopping today!

jpaul · 9 Jan 2022 at 10:42

I haven't seen 14peaks yet, but this is currently running on Quest channel , start looked promising.
Everest's Greatest Mystery
https://www.facebook.com/Discovery/...e-top-of-everest-before-sir-/679597116003640/
Mountaineer Jake Norton and his team search the upper reaches of Everest for undiscovered clues that prove who was the first climber to reach the summit

from Quest trailers looks like they may have other upcoming mountaineering material ?

mid_gen · 4 Feb 2022 at 17:02

So, climbing plans for the year?

Last year my aim was simple, get into trad and start leading. Mission accomplished!

This year, mostly just want to climb, a lot...but in terms of specific aims, I want to start doing big multi-pitch mountain routes. Will probably be able to tick that one in a few weeks as I'm leading a club meet in Snowdonia.

Was meant to start some Scottish winter this month but weather put paid to that. Not going to have another chance this year due to starting a new job sadly.

Been working some 7a boulders outside that I'm pretty sure I'll tick in the next couple months.

Looking further ahead, I am seriously considering taking a month off in January to chill and climb in Spain/Tenerife.

Street · 4 Feb 2022 at 22:46

For once, I've actually been happy with the lack of winter conditions. It means I haven't had to sit inside with my dodgy knee getting jealous of everyone else having fun! :cry:

I had my op yesterday so I'm hoping I can start breaking myself back into it in a few weeks time. I've not climbed outdoors since last October though so my hill fitness is going to be shot. Never know though, I might manage to catch the end of the winter season.

mid_gen said:
I want to start doing big multi-pitch mountain routes.

I can high recommend Main Wall on Cyrn Las. It's one of my favourite low grade big mountain routes. Nice bit of variation on the pitches and the exposure and setting are fantastic. If you want a full day out, you can start with something on Dinas Mot, carry on up Main Wall then finish on Gambit Climb and Reades Route.

mid_gen · 19 Feb 2022 at 16:15

Sadly my week off between jobs is a bust weather wise. Probably get some soggy mountain trudges in if I'm lucky.

Been ploughing through some books and concentrating on training a bit more. Been reading Dave MacLeod's book which isn't really anything novel, but does hit the nail on the head. Took it to heart today, I am very guilty of cruising around routes I can do and not failing enough on things I can't do, so decided today I won't climb anything I've already climbed.....and whaddya know, I sent 3 project boulders that had been shutting me down for weeks :rolleyes:

mid_gen · 20 Mar 2022 at 08:47

Finally got out yesterday, had a day up at Stanage. Starting to find my feet so to speak on gritstone.

Wore my soft bouldering shoes instead of stiff Katana Laces....so much better on grit, I really trusted the smears and standing on slopey break. Head game was much better, led my first VS, then first HVS to finish the day. Felt pretty solid and will be breaking into the E grades in the coming weeks.

Hope this weather keeps up!

ci_newman · 22 May 2023 at 11:35

Bit of a thread necro

I've been climbing on and off for 20 years so I'm not new to the sport but I seem to have hit a wall in my climbing abilities and my performance is actually getting worse. I have a recurring problem where my forearms basically just seize up after a couple of 6a/6b routes. I can climb 5c until the sun sets but I seem to be over engaging my forearm flexor muscles when on grades 6 and up. The muscles basically just get rock solid and I lose all of my finger grip strength.

My guess is that I have some imbalance in my lower arms which means I am not using my extensor muscles, but any suggestions from anyone who has encountered this?

To be clear, this is not medical related

I don't get specific pain when climbing and it's just muscle soreness.

Cantankerous · 22 May 2023 at 12:14

ci_newman said:
Bit of a thread necro

I've been climbing on and off for 20 years so I'm not new to the sport but I seem to have hit a wall in my climbing abilities and my performance is actually getting worse. I have a recurring problem where my forearms basically just seize up after a couple of 6a/6b routes. I can climb 5c until the sun sets but I seem to be over engaging my forearm flexor muscles when on grades 6 and up. The muscles basically just get rock solid and I lose all of my finger grip strength.

My guess is that I have some imbalance in my lower arms which means I am not using my extensor muscles, but any suggestions from anyone who has encountered this?

To be clear, this is not medical related I don't get specific pain when climbing and it's just muscle soreness.

You're describing forearm pump. It could be that you're simply trying to do to much, to quickly. I've always found climbing with someone helps so much, both with beta and rest while they climb something. Hard climbs take an awful lot out of me though and I have to take good rests in-between to let the pump relax and settle. There's only so much I can do in a session before either my fingers give out or the forearms do. Others that I climb with seem to be able to push all day but I think have been doing this their entire lives.

Deadhangs and really working on building up finger tendons strength has massively helped my bouldering though. With the off shoot that my foarms are bigger and stronger now. I'm not as strong overall as pre-lockdown but my climbing is simply better now due to the finger training I've been doing.

mid_gen · 22 May 2023 at 20:47

ci_newman said:
Bit of a thread necro

I've been climbing on and off for 20 years so I'm not new to the sport but I seem to have hit a wall in my climbing abilities and my performance is actually getting worse. I have a recurring problem where my forearms basically just seize up after a couple of 6a/6b routes. I can climb 5c until the sun sets but I seem to be over engaging my forearm flexor muscles when on grades 6 and up. The muscles basically just get rock solid and I lose all of my finger grip strength.

My guess is that I have some imbalance in my lower arms which means I am not using my extensor muscles, but any suggestions from anyone who has encountered this?

To be clear, this is not medical related I don't get specific pain when climbing and it's just muscle soreness.

As @Cantankerous said, sounds like forearm pump, pretty standard.

When you climb hard sport routes, you will get pumped, simple as that! The trick is minimising and managing it.

Minimise it by using your feet and core to take the weight off your arms. Unless it's a very sustained route there will be rest positions to recover, so make use of them. Make sure you aren't over gripping, stay relaxed, shake out your arms in between moves.

Dry tooling did wonders for my pump management, just getting used to swapping hands and shaking out, staying calm, milking strenuous rests.....you can do the same on a circuit board by just doing continuous laps and trying to rest on the wall.

ci_newman · 22 May 2023 at 22:38

I'll take a look into that, thanks!

mid_gen · 14 Jun 2023 at 08:17

Awesome effort from Toby Roberts, first British male to win a Boulder World Cup in 16 years.

Some really strong brits at the moment, along with Will Bosi and others

mid_gen · 21 Dec 2023 at 18:44

Well, had a period a bit flat this year not feeling like I'd progressed much, but had a spurt of try hard at the end of the year.

Ticked my first E1 early in the summer.
Did a week of big multipitch in Morocco
Did a week ice climbing in Rjukan
Didn't progress my bouldering grade, but lt ticked another F7a. Haven't done a lot outdoors tbf.
Got my big boy pants on last weekend and ticked my first E2 and E3 on the same day. Both bold slab routes with bugger all gear, but very much my style.

NightSt@lk3r · 2 Feb 2024 at 19:03

Just got back from a week in Snowdonia, was my first visit up there and something totally new for me and really enjoyed it, prior to this my only experience hiking was doing the Brecon Beacons twice last year but this was a totally different animal.

Day 1 we did a loop around Llyn Idwal via Devil's kitchen up to Y Garn and back down.

Day 2 we did Crib Goch which was my first ever attempt at a scramble up towards Snowdon, there was a lot of people heading to Snowdon and the summit was in the clouds so we decided to skip it and head back down the Pyg Track.

Day 3 was a wash and blow out so just took a short walk up to Ffynnon Llugwy

Day 4 was probably my favorite route of the week, we headed up to Pen yr Ole Wen then on to Carnedd Dafydd then on to Carnedd Llewelyn then finally to Pen Yr Helgi Du, and after starting the morning looking pretty cloudy the conditions quickly improved and ended up being perfect.

mid_gen · 3 Feb 2024 at 20:12

NightSt@lk3r said:
Just got back from a week in Snowdonia, was my first visit up there and something totally new for me and really enjoyed it, prior to this my only experience hiking was doing the Brecon Beacons twice last year but this was a totally different animal.

Day 1 we did a loop around Llyn Idwal via Devil's kitchen up to Y Garn and back down.

Day 2 we did Crib Goch which was my first ever attempt at a scramble up towards Snowdon, there was a lot of people heading to Snowdon and the summit was in the clouds so we decided to skip it and head back down the Pyg Track.

Day 3 was a wash and blow out so just took a short walk up to Ffynnon Llugwy

Day 4 was probably my favorite route of the week, we headed up to Pen yr Ole Wen then on to Carnedd Dafydd then on to Carnedd Llewelyn then finally to Pen Yr Helgi Du, and after starting the morning looking pretty cloudy the conditions quickly improved and ended up being perfect.

Nice, I was up Cym Idwal ice climbing in the last cold snap

Sensible call not doing Crib Goch unless you're totally happy with the conditions. People die on it *every* year. It's pretty straightforward scrambling but if you slip you're gonna have a really bad time.

You may get more eyes posting this on the hiking trekking and mountaineering thread in GD btw

NightSt@lk3r · 4 Feb 2024 at 19:04

mid_gen said:
Sensible call not doing Crib Goch unless you're totally happy with the conditions. People die on it *every* year. It's pretty straightforward scrambling but if you slip you're gonna have a really bad time.

We did do Crib Goch, conditions were not great up there probably wasn't the smartest time to do my first attempt at scrambling though lol

mid_gen said:
You may get more eyes posting this on the hiking trekking and mountaineering thread in GD btw

Got a link, i can't find a thread in GD?

mid_gen · 4 Feb 2024 at 19:12

NightSt@lk3r said:
We did do Crib Goch, conditions were not great up there probably wasn't the smartest time to do my first attempt at scrambling though lol

Got a link, i can't find a thread in GD?

Hiking, backpacking, trekking, mountaineering...

Norway is a much drier climate than the UK so the cold feels completely different and despite being a lot colder, is much more manageable. I've climbed in Norway and been out on the artic plateau in winter down to nearly -30C with most days being about -15 to -20 and I've been colder and worn...

forums.overclockers.co.uk

NightSt@lk3r · 4 Feb 2024 at 19:23

mid_gen said:
Hiking, backpacking, trekking, mountaineering...

Norway is a much drier climate than the UK so the cold feels completely different and despite being a lot colder, is much more manageable. I've climbed in Norway and been out on the artic plateau in winter down to nearly -30C with most days being about -15 to -20 and I've been colder and worn...

forums.overclockers.co.uk

Thanks.

Vandle · 5 Jun 2024 at 07:23

Looking for some advice on climbing gloves, or if I even need any. Climbing Mt Blanc in August. Not really done that sort of thing, I climbed Kilimanjaro a few years back which likely won't have many similarities. Started the summit around midnight and it was the coldest I have ever been in my life. Being a Geordie lad I didn't think I'd need gloves, ended up getting a cheap pair of ski gloves just before I went and used those. Probably would have been just as warm not wearing any. I think we summit MB very early morning too so not repeating that mistake this time so got myself a sweet pair of Baist Ski gloves on FB Marketplace today. What we didn't do in Killi was any form of roping or actual climbing (apart from a bit of scrambling up rocks for an hour or so) however there is a bit of that at Mt Blanc. Thinking a pair of more climb specific gloves will be needed? I'd expect it may be quite cold early morning / evening and may struggle to grip the ropes. My hands are tough from crossfit and lifting weights everyday but appreciate this isn't the same.

Was thinking of the Crag gloves from here, cheap enough https://www.blackdiamondequipment.com.au/collections/apparel-mens-gloves They actually do a Mont Blanc glove but not sure thats what I want. I don't want to spend loads, would a pair of leather work gloves be the best bet and I can just chuck them away after?