Flap

Good session at the wall the other night. With the dark evenings closing in and the climbing season coming to an end people are looking forward to the bouldering season. Sessions are the best way to boulder. I love getting out on my own but when there's a group of you the energy goes way up, plus more people means more problem solving skills. However, I tore an enormous lump out of my finger. The calluses on my little fingers (pinkies to any Americans) have been building up and finally the left one let go. Sore is the word, worst flapper in a couple of years, it looked like the muscle fibre was visible underneath.

There is of course a photo, I'll post it later.

Good Morning

Got out to Dalkey quarry yesterday morning for a while around the Ivy Chimney area. Its been quite a while since I climbed in the quarry, probably 2 or 3 months, and even longer since I bouldered. The quality of the problems surprised me - I don't remember them as being that good. Of course the day was fantastic, sunny, warm, clear blue sky and it was quiet. Really quiet. All I could hear were the occasional cries of 'Climb when ready' coming from people on routes and that's about it. It was so quiet I could listen to the bees buzzing amongst the gorse. A little robin was flitting about watching what I was doing (they're curious little birds). Its rare where I live to have quiet - it really was great. I love days like that.

Problem wise I got a couple of hours in before I was called away. The grades in Dalkey have me confused: are they Font or British grades? Might be a bit easy for British but I've never heard of Font 4c. The goals for the day consisted of two 6a problems. One is quite highball (its problem 4 in the new Dalkey guide if anybody is interested) and it's a brilliant fingery problem. I didn't send it but I'm close, I'm really close. Foot work is vital too, I'm tempted to say its delicate but considering how hard I had to pull it doesn't seem like an accurate description. The starting slab on Fang would be delicate, not this guy. My left forearm is still stiff. The other 6a I had a quick go at after the phone went calling me away. Just a quick scope of the problem really but it looks good. If you have access to Dalkey go, it seems there's a bit of a revival on considering the amount of chalk on the rock.

Sadly I don't have photos as I forgot my camera. But I'll include some photos from my recent trip to Doolin featuring the Cool Photo Display Thingy© as promised. They were taken over a couple of days. The problems weren't difficult and don't make for exciting photos, but the location was amazing. Just click on a photo to see it full size then click on the right or left side of the photo to scroll to the next one. The arrow keys on your keyboard work too. (If you're using Internet Explorer you may have to open a photo twice to get it to work)

 

 

 

LifeTM

I haven't been bouldering and have nothing to report on that front. But no news is good news. Or rather its bad news. Both myself and Jenny (my GF) have had our hands full with family emergencies. In the middle of Jenny's emergency at 7:45 am on Saturday I get a phone call to tell me my Dad, who's elderly, is going to hospital after a bad fall. He's broken his collar bone and will be laid up for a few weeks. Believe it or not this isn't too bad - it could have been much, much worse. In fact it is much worse but that's for Jenny to tell. So no climbing for us - we've driven all over the country though picking up people from airports, visiting hospitals, bringing dad home from hospital and attending a heavy metal wedding (the bride wore black).

I can't even cycle to work at the moment what with needing the car to see Dad in the evening - hope I don't get too unfit. I may try and get down the gym before the weekend but TBH with all the cool ascents going on the in country the gym is hardly inspiring, read Dave Ayton's blog on the right side bar for more. I want to get out onto the rock, I'll see if I can swing something at the weekend. Glendo would be good but I need my mobile phone working at all times and the coverage up there is minimal but even a trip to Dalkey is something. I would be good to unwind.

Bouldering is my folly. With all this going on around us I've had a chance to pause for thought, go play with my god daughter, and get things in perspective. Life has a way of reminding you whats really important. I've 11 months left in this year which is more than enough to get some climbing done. Life^TM needs me elsewhere for now.

Weird Buildering Dream

I had a cool dream last night - I was involved in an adventure race though a city. One of the challenges was to free solo across an old bridge. The crux was an nasty figment of a crimp running around the top of an arch and an opposing sloping rail in under the arch itself. I stuck it and beat the challenge. Way to go me, if only I could do that in real life. Did I win the race? No - the dream then changed into a high tech bank robbery alá the Oceans 11/12/13 series of movies. I was a robber by the way which is a good winning an adventure race as far as I'm concerned.

Feeling a lot better now and will probably head down to climbing wall tomorrow and hopefully out to either Glendo or back to Glenmacnass over the weekend. I'm looking forward to it, after getting the mint problem (and have two solutions to it) I'm now working a new problem which starts juggy, then gets way crimpy and finishes on a couple of fat slopers. Obviosly I'm working other problems too but thats the current target. My climbing club has organised 20% discount off our wall membership for the coming year. I may still be sick but things are good today.

Sick

I'm sick, too train, too sick to climb. I'll be out of action for about a week I'd say :(