The DaxMindMapper Reloaded

Yep .. reckon I’ve sprained the ligaments on the middle fingers on both hands (maybe the ring finger on my right hand and the index on both hands too).

Details of the injury and possible treatments can be found at:

www.climbinginjuries.com

Looking at my profile in UKC I can see that although my average climbing standard isn’t so different from previous years my leading is .. it’s well and truely consolidated at trad VS/Sport 6a+

TBH the leads have all felt pretty cool (apart from Secret Identity VS 4c where I thought a lot of the gear was marginal till teh overhang).

Reckon I should start looking at more HVS and 6B routes to do .. just gotta make sure I don’t overstep the mark too far

So far, this year I’ve led:

Grobbler VS 4c (Symonds Yat)
Black Slab VS 4b * (Burbage North)
Wall Corner The Direct Finish VS 4c * (Burbage North)
Ash Tree Wall HVD ** (Burbage North)
Can’t ‘Member HVS 5a (Wyndcliffe Quarry)
Empire and Revolution F6a+ (Wyndcliffe Quarry)
Same Old Story F6a (Wyndcliffe Quarry)
One Tooth Short of a Smile F6a+ (Wyndcliffe Quarry)
Dirty Harry HS 4b (Shorn Cliff)
Secret Identity VS 4c * (Shorn Cliff)
Indecisive Victory HS 4b (Shorn Cliff)
Thread Security VS 5a (Shorn Cliff)

Went climbing up in the Peaks on Friday/Saturday with Rhys. We drove up there on Friday morning but due to rain spent the afternoon walking around Stanage Edge.

Met up with the WCC in the evening at The Moon Inn (Stoney Middleton).

Saturday morning and it’s dry so went mad @ Burbage North .. climbing from 8:30am in the morning till I wore out Rhys sometime in the afternoon.

Ash Tree Variations VS 5b * Lead dnf - fell off loads of times (I now trust cam placements on grit), cut my hands up, bled all over the place.
Black Slab VS 4b * Lead O/S - One bit of gear in 8m .. nice!
Wall Corner The Direct Finish VS 4c * Lead O/S - Fun finish with a mini roof (think tiny Flying Buttress Direct)
Ash Tree Wall HVD ** Lead O/S
Ash Tree Crack VD * 2nd O/S
Bilberry Crack VD * 2nd O/S
Bilberry Face VD 2nd O/S
Route 2 S 4a Solo O/S
Route 3 HVD 4a * Solo O/S
Route 1 S 4b Solo O/S - best route of the day!

I think Rhys was a bit out of sorts .. a bit knackered from all of his other non climbing activities. Probably didn’t help with me running around like a hyper active pup wanting to climb everything in sight

Finished with 3 solos - great feeling to do them all with no hiccups. The very last solo (Route 1 S 4b) was probably my best climbing experience for quite some time as:
1. I wanted to do it becuase I liked the look of the route,
2. I did it even though I knew it was not just a simple jugfest, and
3. I was able to unlock the crux and totally visualise the moves before I even started.

.. and I kept the fear totally locked down even though some of the moves where quite technical (for a solo by me).

Seems like I’m having a great start to my outdoor season .. training indoors @ the Link in Swindon during the winter, on top of last years trad climbing is paying dividends.

Climbed at the Link last night.

Managed to climb the white 6C route clean

This is only the second time ever that I’ve led a 6C clean (the last one was a stretching, thuggy route @ the Warehouse sometime in 2007). This route is vertically up a corner - it appealed to my strengths (ie not requiring out right finger strength, requiring some tactile thinking re: conserving energy and using available rests).

Also got a thumbs up for my climbing technique on an easy green 5C(?) overhanging route .. I reckon my bouldering practising technique @ lunchtimes and the confidence that I’ve gained from my first trip of the year outdoors last Saturday are both paying off and crossing over into my indoor leading

Spent Saturday climbing at Shorn Cliff in the Wye Valley with Rhys and Rob.

The sun was out, the rock was dry and we had all day to climb .. perfect.

We made a point of all of us leading each route (no seconding, leader just stripping the gear on the way down) to give everyone maximum exposure to the joys of leading on real rock again.

This was mine and Rob’s first time visiting the crag .. As I tend to climb in the evening the longish walk in of 30 minutes means Shorn Cliff isn’t usually a viable option.

We quickly realised that the crag was out of the sun in the morning so we ended up getting cold between climbs .. it wasn’t till 1-2pm before the sun managed to peak around the cliff and the trees to deliever some welcome warmth.

We all led Indecisive Victory (HS 4b) and Secret Identity (VS 4c).

Rob had to leave a little early so Rhys and I where left to lead: Dirty Harry (HS 4b).

I finished the day off by leading Thread Security (VS 5a).

Apart from a loose block on Thread Security (VS 5a) I felt Shorn Cliff is a really great place to climb .. the routes may be a little short but there are plenty to choose from. Liked it much better than Wynd Cliff - which, if I never visited again, I wouldn’t have a problem with. Whereas I’d love to come back to Shorn Cliff .. and may even try it one evening during the summer in spite of the walk in.

Had a bit of a revelation climbing last night .. was managing to move up the rock on the most marginal of holds (natural holds, vertical rock). Just kept on going .. felt great, no real effort .. just climbed them. Brilliant feeling.

I’m more concerned with training the vertical stuff at the mo’ cos that’s what I’ll be climbing outdoors. So I also lapped a very slightly overhanging (big holds though) 5c route .. maybe 5 times.

Next time will choose a 6a route and see how it goes.

Fingers and arms absolutely knackered this morning.

.. just not much loss of weight.

My body fat percentage is down (to approx 15% on my home scales and even if they’re not accurate I can tell just from looking that the fat is going) .. not bad considering I’ve always been in the high teens.

I reckon some of the fat has turned to muscle too. Not much but enough to make the diet have less impact on my weight.

Climbing is going well - managed to onsight an old nemesis (overhanging 6a+) and, apart from resting) managed to do a 6B overhanging arete down at the Link Center last night.

Hmmm .. two weeks of dieting and I’ve lost 1 bloomin’ lb!

Well that was hard work for not very much.

Back to the drawing board.

.. OK it was after climbing and I was probably dehydrated but what the heck, this is great news.

End of Day 9 (and, yes, I was very hungry).

End of Day 4