The Crest

The Crest is a Hocking 7c at the Wave boulders near Bethesda. It starts from a crouch and climbs a prow for 7 moves, beneath you is a roof with a obvious sit start at the back. After my lack of psyche and wrist pain I needed a project to fire me up again. Somewhere to hide and something no one would notice me working. I wandered up before Christmas to have a look, the first 2 moves are easy big spans with good feet, then you do a tricky blind slap, this puts your left on the start hold of the crouch, so far so good. Then I stalled on the next move I could reach it from a bicycle at the back of the roof but had no chance of taking the swing without hitting the ground. I needed a way to bring my feet off the back wall and onto the prow itself. I don't think I have ever tried a hard problem with so many different ways to nearly do the move but still be unable to make any of them work. There was an obvious three finger drag that you could drop into and use for your heel. Had a couple of sessions and managed to make it work, cool redpoint time probably 8a.

Footage of the original problem:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeMlZQEMjaU


Next session I snapped this hold off, I decided to glue it on again, it snapped again and again so in the end I committed to working a new way. This was slightly annoying as I had gone from being reasonably solid back to being skin of my teeth to keep the tension through the crux section. By this point my amazingly well hidden project had been discovered by Bethesda boy Ioan, he didn't know that the crouch had been done by Hock, so set about this and stole one of my mats, pikey bastard. Fortunately for me by this point I had my sequence and the top spent a few weeks being covered with snow while I did lots of leg raises and campused to get my contact strength up. I lied and told him I would ring him when I was going to try it share my beta etc as long as he gave me a head start.


Then the weather window of February arrived and I got distracted by a couple of other lines, after feeling good on a few other things I was ready. I started to wait for a dry day and started to get a bit frustrated. In the end I wandered up after Jacks birthday session cursing as it was dry and cold and I was dry heaving and sweaty. Pulling on I did the 7c first go, and fell twice on the crux before linking it together. I think its probably 8a+, feeling like a 8a to get to the start holds of the original. Ioan is keen for the second ascent I hope he does it, but I am still not going to share my beta though. I think working out how to do it was the hardest and most enjoyable part of the problem for me.

Six inch dyno

The Six Inch Dyno at Hyll Drem, well I think it is. Details may change in the mist of time. Been down here a bit as a change of scene in all the rainy weather.

Some Photos

Coming out of a hole, 10th move of a stand up and look where the floor is, magic!

The Minimum

The Pinch hold of Eat the Meek on the Plas Y Brenin bloc. This boulder has beautiful holds in a relatively sheltered location good fun on a windy day when you get cold or need a warm up before a project.

J Rat 2 on what became Bubbles traverse, beta master Si showing the way.

My aim strong little fingers, Choo shows the way working out Tide of Dreams bravely risking skinned knuckles on the grease. Interesting fact, Brian was an American who sprayed.

The fingers plan, climb on the 30 board lots.

Lou Ferrino sans chips (should be called Lou Ferrigno surely!), the classic but without the drilled pockets better harder and more interesting than the original.

best laid plans...

Had a nice dreamy strategy to work some outdoor projects and train on my weaknesses inside over the winter. This all started quite well with some scrubbing boulders a reset of the 30 degree board in the mill so I could start pulling on small holds instead of lanking my way up steep walls on good holds so my ego could remain intact. This brought about the first discovery, for me working my weaker points is far more effective if I am doing it alone. Everybody does stuff their own way, but I like sitting down smoking and staring at the wall totally lost in the idea that the move is hard and inching my way toward success. Nothing pisses on my bonfire like some skinny youth pissing my project and telling me how easy it is, ego, what a bitch.


Anyway projects are still around in Wales, some better than others I admit. For now though all they have to do is make me pull hard, get up in the morning and go climbing, stay straight at the weekend then they have done their job. All good so far. Then I realise the last post was at the point of redpoint for one of them, it was all nicely worked done in two, end wired start fine, a tricky tension move in the middle but confident. Then there was snow, this was ok just worked the hard bit cos it stayed dry, and carried on in the wall. Then it melted, fair enough its wet for a bit, then its rained and has been wet every time I have been off work. So I carry on in the wall and rebuild the mill and sort out the bills and real life stuff, still all ok, but you have to wonder. Its a nice enough bit of rock, cool moves and stuff, but its a locals problem at a locals crag its not going to be the best or the hardest or anything like that. Shes starting to be a multi month project, I have been to look at it 4 times in the last month and not pulled on. Still after all its not giving up that matters most I guess, the more in the more out and all that .

projectile

I find projects much more motivating than established lines so I have been spending most of my time trying hard for the last few weeks. My main focus has been a 5 move sitter into a old v9, this has been going quite well, although one hold has been glued on and fallen off 3 times. I have taken the hint now and did the move without it after a bit of work, not sure if I will glue it again although it was a lot nicer when it was there. The first 2 moves are easy then a tricky 3rd move into a cut loose and then the top out. This one should go in a session or two if the top thaws out anyway.

More please...

More, I want more. The last week had 30 hours of climbing in it. For the first time in ages I want it and you can't beat that feeling. Did Sub Society on Saturday, I was really pleased with this as I have been plodding for ages. Almost seems like I have got more done this year because of a lack of time out climbing. My fingers feel the strongest they have in ages. Spending unholy amounts of time on the 30 degree board in the mill and noticed myself curling the thumb across the top of my fingers like a real crimper. No photos at the moment as I have lost my wire to download them.


Am obsessed with weight at the moment there are a lot of people in Wales who seem to have lost weight and got stronger as a result. It depresses me as I fluctuate so much, 86Kg in mid November down now to 81kg. There was a point when I was developing Moel Y Gest that I came in at 75kg, not sure whether that was the dancing or the 10 times I walked up there in 15 days.


Between the trees and the Rocky box set will be to blame if I am broken again in a few weeks. In the meantime thanks to Keith and Sly!

Pain free

Had my first totally pain free session in months this week. The wrist feels much better, now it is just about undoing the damage of half a year without any real push. Its been strange this year as most of the people I climb with seem to have gone or been injured. Combined with my injury this has caused at best variable levels of drive. I am now returning to full psyche, I actually really want to go to the wall and am relishing the kicking places like the cave will dole out as I feel I can now start to do something about it.