Engaged

Well now, been a while hasn't it? I've still to post on my recent trip to font but far more interesting is myself and Jenny getting engaged!

That's why I haven't been blogging, to busy living life.

Going to Font!

Woohoo, leaving on a jet plane (carbon footprint++) this evening. My wrist seems to have recovered, sadly I'm not as fit as I'd like to have been. Dunno what my approach to font is going to be, will I do circuits or will I just pick a couple of problems and work them? Probably depends on what the group are going to do. Either way the sun's going to shine on Saturday and Sunday, the temperatures or around 7ºC, perfect conditions so it'll be great.

I'll post the better photos next week and may even get myself an online web album for the lot. Not picasa though, google are tring to take over the world. (Yes I know this is blogger.com but that kinda highlights my point)

Competition Photos

As promised, although a week late, here are some photos of the competition in Galway. I apologise for the poor quality, my little camera isn't the best when in adrenalin shook hands. My wrist is still sore after the competition but nearly recovered, it should be alright for my trip to font (1 week to go!).


 



 

Bouldering Competition

The first round of the Irish Bouldering League was on Saturday in Galway City. This year the organisers have introduced a new scoring system (outlined here) and it was a great success. The basics of the system are that each problem has its A variant and its B variant, B being easier with additional holds but fewer points. Now this way you could try B, score points on it and then try the A variant and score more points. This really encouraged people to try all the problems as scoring points on B meant you had nothing to loose and everything to gain trying the A version. There was a good turn out on the day with over 100 competitors.

The problems themselves were excellent and I scored points on all of them. Personally I think it was the best IBL round I've been too. Sadly I injured myself again by spraining my wrist which scuppered my plans for going to Doolin the next day. This is a bit shit as I was looking forward to the meet in Doolin more than the competition. Still though, with my trip to Font set for three weeks time its better if a rest and heal so I can be in good shape, although my fitness will be affected. It’s been a couple of weeks since I was outdoors and I've only two weekends left to get out, well one actually: Myself and Jenny are spending next weekend at a luxury spa in Co Wexford. We have mud baths booked.

The IBL is an amateur competition so there were no guest star appearances from Dave Graham or anyone. Although the after competition slide-show did have an interesting movie staring Marcin Ostasz and his hula-hoop. It was ás gaeilge too, apparently.

I'll upload photos of the competition later.

To Hell and Back petition

Dave MacLeod's new route 'To Hell and Back' (E10) was on BBC2 Scotland last week. There was a great response in the blogosphere so now Dave is spearheading a drive to get the programme shown on BBC2 National. This means we'll get it in Ireland amoungst other places

If this sounds like a good thing to you then leave a comment on Dave's blog.

Embrace the Web

Not much to write about this week. We had a bank holiday weekend here in Ireland but the only day I could get out was Sunday, and it rained. That's how it goes I suppose. I'm back training and trying to improve my finger strength but taking it easy as there's a competition on this weekend. I'm looking forward to it but I'm not giving it my all as Font awaits at the end of the month and would rather save myself for that. Still though, it should make for some good photos. Theres a meet planned for the next day in Doolin if the weather holds.

The Mountaineering Council of Ireland (M.C.I.) have an exciting new website, its about time too. The last one was really, really, really bad. Seriously, it looked like somebody's kid brother developed it using the MS-DOS editor or something; Think <blink></blink>. The all new http://www.mountaineering.ie has finally dragged Irish Mountain Sports kicking and screaming into the late 1990s. Internet un-savvyness is quite a common thing in Ireland, as a nation we really haven't embraced internet technologies. Seriously I only know of one person who teleworks. ONE! She's actually on the MCI commitee come to think of it :/

Injury and entertainment

I'm out injured after a spill on my bike and had college at the weekend so nothing happened bouldering or training wise. I'm back at the wall tomorrow for a few tentative problems to see how everything has healed. God bless Arnica is all I can say, that injury could have seen me out of action for a few weeks.

Just to keep you entertained here's Chris Webb Parsons climbing Wheel of Life (Font 8c+) in the Grampians, Australia. An incredibly long problem, this second ascent is a study of climbing in 3 dimensions.

Foolin' in Doolin

Spent Saturday afternoon in Doolin and got a good bit done this time. There's no photos but I might be able to salvage something from my previous trip. So I spent the first 40 minutes just wandering around looking at the different sectors. When I was about to start local climber Paul, who is originally from Dublin, turned up with his two dogs George and Rosín. Paul showed me around and we worked the problems together and tried a new line, FA going to Paul.

Doolin rock has been mentioned briefly before but I'll now elaborate. The rock in Doolin is mostly on small cliffs although there are some boulders. Its sharp due to weathering and has high friction. The cliffs themselves are mostly overhanging, probably about 3-4 metres high and pockmarked with cracks, pockets and breaks. Very sharp and fingery. One sector has problems going to about 7m, too high for me. There looks to be some really good slab problems too which I'll have a crack at next time I'm down.

The boulders themselves are good, they can be quite like the cliffs but at different angles. The tend not to be so sharp as they've been weathered by the sea instead of the elements. Most of them are big, probably weighing in at 20 tons+ and here's the thing: they change from year to year. Over the winter big storms roll in off the Atlantic moving the boulders around and bringing in new ones. Cool.  

A few more people turned up and sandwiches were munched much to George and Rosín's delight and we waffled for about an hour before I headed off. Jenny was at a conference in Limerick so we had a hotel room for the night. The next morning there was a spillage of orange juice at the breakfast bar, nothing spectacular, just some orange juice. However, the dude who was cleaning up cleaned the floor with his manky old grey stringy mop and then mopped the breakfast bar with it. How vile is that? I won't name the hotel for fear of legal action against this blog but I won't be staying there again.

Glendalough

Good session up in Glendo on Saturday, even if conditions were a bit greasy, and a good crowd too. Last few times I've been out it was me on my lonesome. Did the usual warm up circuit by the path and spotted a possible new line which looks kind of easy but still interesting. However there was a smell of *ahem* animal droppings coming from where my mat would have to go so I left it alone. It will go next time. I did get the path side traverse problem on my first attempt which I'm pleased with, tried Greg's Problem which I could hang but couldn't get the campus move. Greg's problem is basically a jump to a couple of slopers and then either campus or try and get a foot on under the overhang and slap for the next hold. Followed by the obligatory mantle.

We tried the fin slab (6a version) but it wasn't to go for any of us and neither were the Rails (for me anyway). Then we tried The Butcher of Glendalough AKA Howard's roof. This is a hand jamming crack along a roof and then up and around for a mantle finish. I got the first two moves before quitting but its on the 'To Do' list. It really is a butcher of a problem. We headed over to Big Jim to do the slab problems and give our hands a break. As long as I've been going to Glendo I haven't been able to do that fecken slab problem at the back of Big Jim and I'm despairing for any future attempts. A dew started to settle in the valley at this stage so we called it a day.

It's interesting how some problems that are easier than most just won't go. I'm sure everybody has something that they think 'For crying out loud I should have been able to get this years ago'. Try and try again you just can't do it. There must be a way around these mental blocks, a NLP technique or something. I'm going to start experimenting with NLP again as it helped me break into a new grade a couple of route climbing years ago.

Anyway I forgot my camera but Neal showed up with his so I've stolen a few from his photos below. You can find the full album here.

I've now got two short trips away planned: Bouldering competition and meet in Galway and The Burren 3rd/4th November. Then Fontainebleau 22nd-26th November. One of the things I love about climbing is the travelling. Admittedly Galway isn't exactly exotic but you know what I mean.


  

Going Off Route

Well I went to the wall again tonight. Haven’t been in a week and now I’m a weak too. Nothing exciting to report other than I fallen off the training regime and need to sort myself out.

Obviously I’m not a bouldering bum who just eats and sleeps between problems. If I were this blog would be about my score on 8a.nu and not about me faffing around on 6a probs. This entry is about me off the rock so to speak.

What do I do for a living? Free lance web development, more in the coding side of things than the design. This means that you don’t get to see a lot of what I do in your browser window, although I’m thinking of branching out a bit and have downloaded fireworks. My current main project hasn’t been released yet so it’s a bit hush hush but it will be high profile when it published. This is something I’m getting paid to do and is taking up lots of my time at the moment.

I love all things web. The things that really get my attention don’t make any money for me. Like this blog – I’ve put some customizations into it by hacking the XSLT template and including the CPDT. It’s a non-standard blogger.com blog. There’s a couple of other sites I’ve got sitting on my server at home (yes, I’m a nerd) which are slowly being developed. It’s the social aspect of the web that gets me, I’m a moderator on http://www.boards.ie/ too. The symantic web would be a growing interest of mine.

Oh yes, I’m studying homeopathy part-time as well. Homeopathy is a somewhat controversial holistic therapy where the body’s energy is stimulated to heal itself. Mentioning that might get me flamed, but I won't publish those comments. :P

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 :(

Bloody Hell!

Dave McLeod is at it again: http://davemacleod.blogspot.com/2007/08/to-hell-and-back.html

A pretty selfless account of the climb from the top end of the game. I think the fact that he's so worried about his belayers has increased my respect for him.

The BBC have the footage apparently, I'm looking forward to seeing that.

Top Outs

Train train train. You can train all you want at the wall it won't prepare you for those rounded mantley top outs. I was up in Glenmacnass on my own yesterday working some problems - couldn't finish one as the top out's a nightmare (actually there's two I couldn't finish). The problem itself is a roof problem called Right Angle and it isn't hard grade wise. After checking with the author of the guide its a standing/crouching start apparently although there is a slightly harder bum start to it. So when you get to the lip of the roof you have to heel hook and mantle up on some very uneven ground. Suppose I could get an old table and practice on that for a while. Its frustrating but I had my ass handed to me all day anyway. I'll get it next time.

The granite in Glenmacnass is a lot more crystallised then that of my regular haunt Glendalough so it's harder on the skin. The friction, however, is fantastic. I have the one photo of Glenmacnass taken before my battery ran down. Photos are a feature still to come to this blog. I'm working on the Cool Photo Display Thingy© which may are may not work out. The CPDT is in development until further notice.

As for bouldering on my own, it's fun but I find if you're in a group the energy gets higher and having spotters means I can pull harder. Being out on my own in a lonely place in the mountains requires caution. Still though - its a beautiful place to spend an afternoon.

Bank Robbery excitment : you heard it here second.

I've just been locked inside a bank as it was being robbed! Well, the armoured van outside was being robbed. Shots were fired apparently and we were locked in for about 20 minutes. There were loads of armed gardai* running around outside, one of them took my details**.

More here: http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0823/robbery.html


*Irish police force.
** In case I was a witness, not a suspect.

Stats for a start

As is inevitable with a new blog I'm going to be posting loads, this will ease off as the blog gets older. For the one person who has read it so far: thank you come again.

So some stats to start with and then some goals, please note I am an average climber just like the rest of you. When on form I'd usually be bouldering in the Font 6's.

Currently onsighting about font 5/5+ but I'll work some more problems over the weekend to get a better idea of where I stand.

Tried the usual suspects game and did terrible. 4 chin ups every minute, 10 minutes, absolutely wrecked¹. I did the last 2 reps on Metolious Rock Rungs though, with my legs straight out in front of me in an L shape. This bright idea of mine is to build core strength (wonder how long that's going to last?) so it will be a separate exercise from now on. I do own a finger board and its being very useful sitting in the shed gather dust and spider carcasses. Hanging it requires effort on my part - this will go someways to explaining my current abysmal stats².

I doing 50 sit ups straight, I can do more but I want to build gradually.

On the campus board I can do 1-4-6 once, to my shame. I used to be able to do 1-4-7 a several times followed by a few up-downs in the 1-3-5-7-9 pattern.

Obviously there's a lot of room for improvement, I'm going to do the pull up game every Monday from now on and log my efforts. I could probably loose a little weight, not that I'm over weight but shedding a couple of kilos makes all the difference. My current weight is: a mystery as we don't own a scales. My training schedule is in the making - I've a fair gauge of my current fitness and needs now so I can develop a good plan.

Here are my goals.

Short term: Get back to 1-4-7 on the campus board and be able to do it more than once. Complete the full 20 minutes of the pull up game. Do 10 straight L pull ups on the rock rungs. Send lots of problems within my ability. Send the mint problem on the UCD bouldering wall.

Middle term: Send Chillax this coming winter (font 6c) and the Fin Area Arete (6b the grade should have + on the end I think). Get back to onsighting at 6a/6a+. Get my ass over to Font. Do better in this year's Irish Bouldering League : Open A events.

Long term (end of year): Send a Font 7a problem. Just the one will do, more will be nice but I'll settle for the one as it'll be loads of work. It will probably be the sit start to Andy's Arete in Glendo but that may change.

¹And not in a cool vodka advertising way. That's the difference between me and an 8a climber I suppose.
²Lazy mofo.

First Post

What's this blog all about then? I've always wanted to spend a year bouldering and forgetting about all other forms of climbing. The weather in my home of Ireland has been really bad this summer so there's been very little climbing. However, our winters are usually dry and mild and traditionaly are the bouldering season on the emerald isle - so I thought I'd do it this year: I'll train, I'll boulder and I'll blog about it. Here it is - my bouldering blog. (Don't forget to bookmark it).

What's been happening so far, I've been working on a training schedule which I'll post later and I've been down in the Co Clare doing some surfing and a little bouldering in Doolin. It started raining though so I didn't really get much of a session but I shall return. For those of you not from Ireland this country is really, really small. You can never be more than 78 miles from the coast. Doolin, on the other side of the country, is about a 3½ hour drive from where I live. The rock is really sharp limestone which high friction and the setting is amazing. Its right on the coast of the Atlantic above the waves. I'll post some photos later.

My most frequented bouldering venue is Glendalough where hopefully I'll be visiting this weekend. Just so you know the banner above is me on a Glendalough problem called The Rails which goes at about font 5+ (V1 I think).

So, I've started my blog. *phew*