Natalie Berry's Blog

Hola from Siurana!

With just one climbing day left we are trying to decide on the best plan of action for tomorrow. In the last two days me, Robbie and Ross have all completed our projects which means a relatively relaxed last day with no pressure! Last night we were woken up by the biggest thunder and lighting storm I have ever experienced – no matter how good our skin might have been today it was definitely destined to be a rest day! Just now we are sat in the cafe waiting to order a Spanish omelette bocadillo (a Spanish omelette in a baguette, basically!) and chilling out before our final day in the valley!

It has been a great trip for all of us. The campsite has quietened down considerably and our little patch is being increasingly invaded by alien tents We certainly made an impression on the campsite – Calum’s special extra thick hot chocolates still live on in the cafe and one member of staff is still a bit grumpy after a certain water fight involving two of our crew accidentally splashed her. Personally I appear to have found a friend in the campsite’s caretaker who turns the thermostat up each night for me before I go in the shower…shhh don’t tell anyone! There has been a fantastic atmosphere in the camp and at the crag and a very international one at that. Although things got a bit competitive with the table tennis game on the iPad and the football games in the camp, no cat-fights started, even when we were sabotaging each others’ tents by putting things on top of them! We have met up with friends old and new and will for sure meet up/bump into most people again at a crag in the middle of nowhere at some point in the future!

The last two days have been very productive for the remaining 3 Scots. Robbie completed his 8b+, Ross ticked his 8b and I finally succeeded on my project from last year Pren Nota 8a. My route takes on a very aesthetic line on small but positive holds through a beautiful blue and orange striped scoop of wall that starts off vertical and gets gradually steeper. In the beginning of the trip I felt fairly fit, I had managed to tick Marijuana 8a on my third attempt and had done some good onsights in the 7′s, so I felt ready to take on Pren Nota once again.

The first section of "Pren Nota" 8a

There are some specific features of this route which made it challenging for me – there are two sections that require a high step mantle which I always find quite difficult (long legs and no triceps make it awkward :p ) and the positions which the mantles are in are quite exposed. Last year I never made it past the first one as I was too scared of falling off awkwardly with my feet so near my ears and being high above a bolt! This year after doing more bouldering and being exposed to weird and wonderful volume problems at Ratho I found the move much less daunting and found a method which suited me. After climbing a lot more on rock last year I was also more confident with being above the bolt and could focus purely on the climbing. However, when working the moves higher up on an early attempt I came off and swung into a bulge, hitting the side of my knee hard into the rock and narrowly missing the kneecap! Although it was very painful I wasn’t too bothered by it at the time and was proud to show off the massive egg shaped bruise, but on my next attempts I definitely had something at the back of my mind telling me I could get hurt if I fell!

Heading into the steep bulge!

Unfortunately I fell victim once again to a stomach bug not dissimilar to the one I had in Ceuse and felt too ill to climb. Long days spent at the campsite playing the Logos Quiz followed and after 5 or 6 days I was ready to climb again. I suspected I would feel weak with not having climbed in a while and still felt a bit ropey (excuse the pun!) I think my frustration at being ill must have translated into aggression on the rock, as on my first attempt back I made it through to the final clip before the chain – a heartbreaker section on small crimps with bad feet which spits off so many people on the onsight or red point. I was disappointed as I was so near yet so far from the chains. I was still getting pumped and felt as though my power endurance just wasn’t up to scratch. I reworked the top section and got a good sequence in my head ready for next time. Just as I was ready to go for another attempt I watched as some climbers were stripping their quickdraws out of the route – ahhh! I would have to wait until someone else put them in again or go up myself the next day. At least putting the quickdraws in would enable me to work the top section again and get a good warm up before the siege.

About to take on the 2nd mantle!

It was a cold and windy morning when I tried to put the quickdraws back into the route and climbing the moves felt quite alien. I seemed to find moves hard that I hadn’t found difficult before and additionally some of the clips were very hard to put in. I tried not to get psyched out and told myself that it was a good opportunity to re-familiarise with the moves. After a good hour or so of rest the sun had come out and the wind had died down a little – perfect! I listened to some music and got ready to climb after crossing the scary ledge for what would hopefully be the last time! I felt quite relaxed as I started up and found that I was recovering quick and not grunting or huffing and puffing as much as I was previously. I was totally relaxed and not bothered at all about coming off. I focused on the moves and soon found myself past both mantles and before the final section trying to gain some composure in anticipation of the fight. I had climbed much quicker than usual and left the rest sooner than normal. The awkward clip was made and soon I was into the crimps, I felt strong but still shook out between the moves just to be sure. I grasped the final ledge and clipped and couldn’t believe I had done it. I had fallen high up so many times and let the fear and pressure get to me, but finally I had overcome my demons from last year when I could barely get past halfway because of fear. Stripping the quickdraws was a bit of an epic as I was exhausted both mentally and physically, I don’t think it had sunk in at that point!

Eyeing up the top crux...

Robbie has made a great video and took lots of awesome photos, some of which you can see here. It was very tiring making the video and having to re-climb the route but it was well worth it yesterday I watched as Robbie ticked his 8b+ and Ross his 8b – which has inspired me to try and complete a third 8a of the trip called “Memorias de una Sepia”. I tried it yesterday and worked out all the moves and am hoping to get it done tomorrow. We will also be getting some more video footage and pictures – watch this space!

Looking slightly demonic nearing the chains...

We still need to find some way of getting to the airport on Wednesday. We have made a sign which is up on the front door of the cafe/bar asking if we can hitch a lift with anyone to Barcelona. The funniest thing is that Robbie started writing BARCALONA before I stopped him and told him it was spelled wrong, but the camp owners stuck it to the glass and on the other side of the door you can still see BARCAL. No wonder no one wants to give us a lift!

Just hanging around!

Hasta luego!

I’m currently on my way to Spain via Fontainebleau with Paul and Scott Gowens and Iain the guitar! We have arrived at the Eurostar terminal and are waiting on a very delayed train over to France. I am also knackered after a few very hectic and hyperactive weeks and after an awesome send-off night out which left me having only 3 hours sleep before the start of the drive! Can’t complain though, too much good stuff to look forward to

Luckily it has been fantastic weather for the drive down so far, hopefully this will continue as we cross the channel! Tomorrow we will be spending the day in Font and we are looking to go to sectors such as Bas Cuvier, Elephant and Cul de Chien. 

I am really excited about returning to Siurana a year after my first holiday there – I can’t believe time has gone so fast! I don’t have any specific aims in mind, I just want to relax and have fun after what has been a very busy year at university filled with essays, exams and injuries! 

The last few weeks I have been trying to get my fitness up on routes but also learning to enjoy climbing again – it feels great to be able to go to the wall and climb whatever I want without feeling any niggles or pain! My heel is – healing – and my fingers feel more sturdy than normal, so I have been having fun climbing with the Ratho crew (you all know who you are!) making funny videos and even getting out to Back Bowden. 

I also went mountain biking in Glentress for a day which was a good distraction from   
Training and essay writing! Iain promised not to break me and I returned unbroken save for a few bumps and scrapes! I found it to be pretty exciting and scary at times, but really fun and a good supplement to my climbing. I was very tired by the end of the day but am keen to go back again sometime when I return from Spain!

The trip to Bowden was during a rare day of good weather before the snow/hail/wind and rain arrived! Me, Iain S, Ian P, Jason and Neil travelled down and the team had a good day of bouldering, eating and banter. I managed to flash two font 7as which I had never achieved before in a day (only done one 7A in my life before this!) Everyone was doing well and the only thing holding us back at the end of the day was a lack of skin and light!

Here’s to a good trip – about to board the Eurostar!

Edit: in the hotel in font now! I am extremely tired after the first half of the journey but all three of us are excited for our “rest” day from driving of climbing tomorrow!

I really should be writing my psychology essay just now rather than a blog, but I’ve had two very eventful weekends which I think merit a write up whilst it is all still fresh in my mind! I have just returned from competing in the Climbing Works International Festival in Sheffield and the BUCS university championships, both events that I have been looking forward to since last year. So when asked by the crew at TCA Glasgow whether I would like to be part of their team at CWIF alongside Alan Cassidy, Gary Vincent and Alex Gorham I was more than willing to take on the challenge. Also, the chance to represent Edinburgh University in the sport we love would be a great honour for the whole team at BUCS.

Everything in the few weeks beforehand had been looking up – my finger was feeling fairly well-healed and mentally I was preparing to train hard again for my upcoming trip to Spain and for whatever I might get up to in the summer months. As though I had jinxed myself through my newfound optimism, I had a new hurdle to overcome – an achilles paratendinopathy. Stubbornly, I had persisted with the ever-intensifying pain I was experiencing in my right heel when wearing my latest pair of climbing shoes. I shrugged it off as being mere discomfort that most people experience when first wearing a new style of shoe, rested for a few days and then carried on. Yet as the pain refused to subside and even simply walking one step in my shoes became unbearable I knew something a bit more serious was going on, and so I decided to get help from a physio! I was worried that my Achilles tendon was the problem, and certainly didn’t want to risk a full or partial rupture!

Luckily, my problem was limited to the sheath of the tendon only, which was really inflamed and swollen from being aggravated by a very narrow, tight heel fit from the shoe. My right foot endured several episodes of acupuncture, ultrasound, massage and kinaesio taping to try and put it right. Whilst the immediate effect was a reduction in pain, as soon as I put climbing shoes on it would flare up again, and even everyday shoes were starting to aggravate the sheath. I was prescribed ibuprofen in the expectation that it would reduce the inflammation and help the healing process, and in the meantime Scarpa sent me a pair of Forces (a less aggressive shoe – one that doesn’t bite heels!) in a bigger size, so I tried to get used to climbing with odd shoes without putting too much pressure on my foot. It wasn’t perfect and my foot was still sore, but it was the best I could do for now.

It was the night before the big day at CWIF, and after a few organisational mishaps and inconsistencies Team TCA Glasgow had finally met up at EICA Ratho and were ready to leave for Sheffield! It was 8pm on a Friday night, and we were more than aware that in under 12 hours we would be getting up for the morning session of the competition – and we still had a 6 hour journey to Sheffield to make! Jen did a great job of getting us there despite how late we had left and the length of the journey. As per usual, I was relegated to the middle seat in the back as the littlest!

We arrived at Stu and Jules Littlefair’s house at 2:30am and tried not to wake anyone up or be attacked by “the sleeping cat at the top of the stairs”, of which we had been forewarned. Fortunes were reversed from being the middle man in the car to ending up on the sofa bed and leaving Gaz and Alan to sleep on the floor in the dining room! :p it was 3am by now and we were due to leave the house at 8am…sweet dreams!

Team TCA! Photo: Dan Bradley

The irritatingly chirpy alarm woke me up and reminded me of how little sleep we had had, time to get up and get energised for a busy day! We bundled into the car and set off for the Works, a short drive away and an opportunity for Alan to try and remember his way around his former home-town! The car park was almost full to the brim and the wall was a hive of nervous energy and excitement. I immediately recognised lots of faces, and it was this aspect of the weekend I had been most looking forward to, the chance to meet up with friends that I hadn’t seen for a while since growing out of the junior team and through not having partaken in any events down south recently.

After a brisk warm up it was time to face the weird and wonderful creations that the setters had concocted for us. A few of the easier problems were tricky but I managed to do most of the lower end ones. My heel was sore but I was trying to grin and bear it for the most part, but this meant that on a lot of the technical problems on the slabs and vertical walls I had to weight my right foot more than I wanted to, and occasionally I would just drop off to avoid the pain. I did fairly well on the few steeper problems but in all the technical problems had let me down. Gaz, Alan and Alex had been climbing very consistently over the course of the day but like many others had dropped some problems due to silly mistakes and slips. In this kind of strict time-limited competition which has well over 150 competitors climbing at one time it isn’t difficult to lose concentration and rush things. The team had dropped some points due to not getting round all of the problems, but in general we had had fun and learned a fair bit about our own climbing. Highlights for me were using a sneaky finger jam on a tough steeper problem and power screaming to grab the last jug on a tricky crimpy problem!

Whilst the rest of the team went out to Stanage I stayed back and caught up with a lot of friends that I hadn’t seen in a while and watched some of the later group climbing. Afterwards we went out to an amazing Turkish restaurant where Chicken Shish seemed to be the dish of the evening! The Sunday was spent (most of us in agony from the exertion of the day before!) at Stanage again for a few hours before heading back to the Works to watch the finals. Many attempts were had at Brad Pitt by the boys but unfortunately to no avail, and I decided to rest my heel and take photos and video of the day.

Back at the Works, the crowd was filling up the buiding. Lots of familiar faces in the finals and massive support from the crowd. I managed to find a speck beside Ailsa and Kitty right up at the front, so much so that we were squished against the barriers! The finals were quite a spectacle – so many strong climbers and mostly British! I was really inspired by the performances of the finalists and thought the problems looked amazing. We are very lucky to have such a world-renowned event of high quality and multinational participation here in the Uk, and I can’t wait to get involved again next year (and hopefully without injuries!)

All in all a hectic but fun weekend! Thanks must go to TCA Glasgow and Bristol for funding this and giving me the chance to participate!

BUCS
This weekend was BUCS weekend and it was time for me to once again return to the Works. This time I was travelling down (on a very hot and uncomfortable bus) with some very good friends from my University, many of them in the EUMC. Myself, Clara, Valerie, Clement, Ryan, Chris, Sam, and Eddie (along with Ted and Chris who were volunteering as judges for the event) made up Team Edinburgh. Last year we came 2nd to Sheffield as a team and this year we were keen to try and go one better! However, there were mixed feelings towards the competition on the way down – my heel was still giving me grief and I had been ill from taking medication specially prescribed for it all week, Chris had a finger injury, Ryan had had flu all week and Eddie hadn’t been bouldering in a while! :p With these negatives in mind we had to work very hard indeed to try and stay positive for the competition – after all, we were there to have fun and spend some time on the grit on Sunday but our main goal was to bring back some medals for the University!

Team Edinburgh University @ BUCS 2012 Photo: Chris Prescott

My heel had still been hurting through the week since CWIF and the medicine had made me feel ill. The night before leaving an idea popped into my head, one that involved cutting the heel of my shoes. I had already split it a fraction and carved some of the rubber into a looser shape but it was still causing me pain. I got some scissors and cut right down the heel, not far from the bottom, and tried them on. The lack of contact with the shoe meant that my Achilles was relatively pressure-free which meant no pain! It was still slightly sore but much more bearable than before. I was so happy that already I started to feel better about BUCS.

Hungry and tired we arrived at our hotel and set off to find some food. Chino’s fast food shop on London Road provided us with all the calories and meat feasts we needed in order to perform like proper athletes the next day. Pizzas, kebabs and curries – food of champions! Back at the hotel we relaxed in front of the tv and discussed tactics for the event, before staying up later than we should have watching the Mask of Zorro….

The next morning was basically a repeat of the CWIF weekend before – a case of deja vu! Up early and travelling to the wall for 8am, we had one small problem in that we were not entirely sure of the way to walk to the Works. 45 minutes later and we had made it with just under 15 minutes to go before registration was due to close. Fortunately we had an hour to relax before climbing began. We scoped out our problems and split into pairs to go round together. I was working with Clara, and we started off on some easier problems before testing ourselves on the competition wall. We had two and a half hours to complete 25 problems, but I knew from last year just how tight for time we were and the rushing around at CWIF had me well trained for this year’s event! Eventually time started catching up with us and with half an hour left I still had about 8 problems to try, luckily most of them easier ones which by now had no queues. A mad dash, some stressing out and and a few more points later we were finished! I ended up flashing every problem on my first attempt apart from one which I got second go, and the other two I didn’t complete but earned 2 bonuses. More than anything I was happy with how I had climbed in comparison with the weekend before – splitting the heel of the shoe had made such an unbelievable difference that I wished I had done it earlier and before CWIF! I had a good score but it would be a nervous few hours of waiting until the second group had finished climbing to see whether I had done enough. The rest of the team had performed fantastically – top scorer being Eddie and Ryan just one point below my score, particularly impressive considering he was very ill in the morning and almost didn’t compete! Sam, Chris, Clement, Clara and Valerie had also climbed to their best and had a great day of tenacious climbing. Everyone was very supportive and worked well as a team, which is exactly how we had wanted it to be.

Me and Clara just hanging around…Photo:Chris Prescott

A few of us stayed at the wall or went back to the hotel for a bit whilst others went to Burbage. I had to stay at the wall in case of a tie as I had scored the highest from the first round in the women’s event, and later on the organiser and route setter of the event Mark Pretty (Zippy) gathered the scores from the girls he thought had been looking strong. “I think you have won Nat!” I was very happy to hear this and couldn’t believe that I’d managed to win after the setbacks of the last few weeks. I was very lucky that I found a temporary solution to the heel problem as otherwise I definitely wouldn’t have won – there were some very strong women in my category, including ex-junior GB Team members, a GB Bouldering Team member and generally lots of very impressive climbers.

Problem 25 - hard!! Photo: Chris Prescott

The next focus was the team ranking – how had Edinburgh fared overall? We added our top 3 scores together and thought we might have a good chance of getting onto the podium as a team again. After standing on the podium (made of bouldering mats!) I received my trophy and gold medal. Then the team results were read out along with the scores. “3rd place, Sheffield!…..” we knew then that we were either 1st or 2nd…”2nd place…Edinburgh!” we had matched our team placing from last year and also defeated our main rivals from the year before! Congratulations to Leeds who took 1st place, 4 points ahead of us. Me, Ryan and Valerie stood on the podium with silver medals and collected some t-shirts for the rest of the team.

Ryan topping out dramatically

Absolutely exhausted we headed back to the hotel and had a very lazy dinner of fish and chips – we needed to reward ourselves for our efforts after all!

The next day we set off to Stanage (my second home over the last two weeks!) to climb for a few hours before being picked up in the minibus in town to go home. My body was still aching from the day before (and possibly still from CWIF?) so I wasn’t feeling too psyched to try and push myself too hard, but it was nice to be climbing on rock again after a long while and be outside in the sun ( the day had brightened up considerably since the morning, luckily!) everyone pottered about and at the end of the day it was nice to catch up with the rest of the mountaineering club who had come down on a separate trip to the Peak. They had to endure two nights of camping in the rain when we were in a lovely hotel :p

Eventually it was time to head back into town and through a series of events involving uncooperative taxi-drivers, helpful tea and cake stall owners at plantation car-park and a spot of luck we somehow managed to get back into town for 6pm ready to head home. McDonald’s provided us with yet more fast food to round the weekend off and at 11:30pm we arrived in Edinburgh completely exhausted. Well done guys, here’s to next year!

2 and a half weeks til SPAIN!!!!!

Hello everyone! It’s been a long time since I last blogged, mainly due to exams and Christmas getting in the way! I haven’t been climbing too much over the last few months as my finger injury is still giving me problems, but I’ve been finding the time to relax and do other things like eating, sleeping and route setting!

After a busy Christmas and new year split between Glasgow, Edinburgh and Melrose, it was back to Glasgow to spend time with my family and climb a bit at TCA. I managed to get through to the new wall a fair few times during first semester and really enjoyed having a fantastic new facility to explore, so I was keen to spend some more time there whilst in my home city.

I had been offered the chance to do some route setting at TCA – which I was both excited and nervous about seeing as I had never really done it before! I had never used a drill or climbed up ladders much either, and given my clumsy disposition I was very anxious about being safe and sound and was eager to avoid falling off from a great height! However, I was helped through the route setting and safety procedures by Alan Cassidy, and gradually got more into the swing of things and was able to concentrate on the flow of the problems rather than worrying about not being safe!

Been there, done that and got the routesetter's t-shirt!

Lots of people say it’s easy to set good routes and problems if you have been climbing for a while, as you will have acquired a large repertoire of varied movements and climbing styles, yet the hardest part for me was trying to make the problems accessible to people of all shapes, sizes and abilities.In a commercial climbing wall, the quality of the problems is extremely important, and I wanted to make sure that they would not only be “climbable” but also enjoyable and thought-provoking I.e. a bit funky!

My first session of setting involved stripping old problems and setting new oranges around v3/v4. I felt as though I was speeding up a bit with each problem I set, but equally I was trying hard not to compromise on the quality! I ended up with 3 decent problems which were forerun by Rob Sutton and Alan Cassidy – all in all a successful day of learning!

The next time I came in everything seemed to flow a lot easier and I got more into the rhythm of setting everything up and working out a sequence that flowed. I tried my best to think about keeping moves relatively small for shorter climbers, although at times I think I may have accidentally neglected to think about the taller people! I suppose it could be seen as payback for when I was a tiny little kid and I struggled with big reaches – I know how hard it is when you are limited in reach and you are faced with ridiculously large moves! At the MCofS GB Team training session on Friday 6th January it was great to see all the kids testing out my problems and hearing what they had to say – the girls enjoyed my crimpy yellow, the boys loved the slopey one and there were mixed views on the heinous mantle up the corner! I was satisfied with the range of different styles across these problems and I now feel more confident in my new skills

Training-wise I have been climbing circuits on big, finger-friendly holds and doing some core training and pull up workouts. I am really  looking forward to an end of semester trip to Spain depending on how our exam timetable turns out. I am also keen to climb well in the upcoming TCA and Ratho boulder competitions and the BUCS championships and CWIF in Sheffield, depending of course on the state of my injury at these points.

Off to do some work now then Ratho tomorrow!

Hello! I have not written a blog in a very long time due to becoming absorbed in a whirlwind of university work, climbing and life in general. However, on Wednesday I attended a very significant event which caused me to reflect on the current position of competitive climbing, the future of British competitive climbing, and where I hope climbing in general can take me later in life. So I decided to switch my focus from writing about the function of the Latin quotations in one of Montaigne’s Essais and discussing Chomsky’s theories of language acquisition to talk about my recent trip to Westminster -  a bit about the event and the possibility of climbing becoming an Olympic sport in the 2020 Games!

Competition climbing has been shortlisted – alongside 7 other sports – as a potential event for inclusion in the 2020 Games. The purpose of the reception for the GB Team and BMC affiliates at the beautifully ornate Palace of Westminister was to promote our sport as one which encourages active participation at all ages and abilities, and one which has a wide variety of benefits outside of the competitive arena and aside from the superficial ”glory” of winning a competition. Amongst the many influential people we had the honour of meeting were John Mann MP and David Rutley MP (Co-Chairs of the Mountaineering APPG (All-Party Parliamentary Group)) and the Minister for Sport and the Olympics Hugh Robertson MP. I had met John Mann MP at a similar reception at Number 10 Downing Street in 2008, although I doubt that he recognised me! Also attending the Reception was guest of honour Dame Kelly Holmes, who we were all very excited about meeting. Anyone -particularly those involved in a competitive sport and especially those from the United Kingdom – would find it difficult not to be inspired by watching her performance at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Winning not just one, but TWO Gold medals in one Olympic Games is an outstanding acheivement in itself, yet what is even more striking is the journey undertaken in order to acheive this – the years of gruelling training, defeat and injuries which provide obstacles at the most inconvenient moments.

Attending the Reception were members of the Junior Team – Ed Hamer, Luke Tilley, Kitty Wallace, Buster Martin, Tara Hayes, Molly-Thompson Smith and Manager Ian Dunn. Representing the Bouldering Team were Shauna Coxsey, Dave Barrans, Jon Partridge, Diane Merrick, Helen Shilleto, Nick Clement and Tom Sugden, and I took on the role of representing the Senior Difficulty Team. Alongside the Teams were BMC officials and top officials from Sport England including Jennie Price (SE CEO) and Tim Lamb (SRA CEO).

Audrey Seguy, Rob Adie, Dame Kelly Holmes and me!

First of all a select number of us were given a tour of the Palace of Westminster, which was incredibly ornate and adorned with numerous historical relics, paintings and statues which appeared on every turn of the labyrinthine corridors and archways. Kings, Queens, Prime Ministers, Presidents and Popes – the history inside this gigantic building was mind-blowing! After making it through security to Portcullis House and being issued with an identity tag which consisted of a black and white photo (which rather amusingly resembled a CCTV image of a shoplifter) we began the tour. The long and very cold corridor which lead from the Portcullis House (a building opposite Big Ben on the other side of the road) and under the road into the Palace of Westminster resembled something you would expect to see in Hogwarts – stone and marble statues, paintings, beautifully sculpted arches and ceilings welcomed us through to a passageway which led out to underneath the world’s most famous bell-tower – Big Ben. Admiring the scale of the tower and clock-face and learning of its history, we took photos whilst simultaneously scoping out the decorative exterior of the building – “Tufas!” exclaimed Kitty. Upon entering Westminster Hall, we were told of the recent visitors who had given speeches there this year – the Pope Benedict XVI and US President Barack Obama. Then we were lead through the crypt and into the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft, which was restored after fire damage and was once used by Oliver Cromwell to house his horses!

We ventured into the Central Lobby which lies between the House of Commons and the House of Lords, and noticed the four intricate mosaics above the 4 doorways which featured the 4 Saints of the United Kingdom’s constituent nations - George, Andrew, David and Patrick.  The House of Commons was situated beside another lobby called the Members’ Lobby (which you may recognise from TV news broadcasts) The room featured bronze statues of former British Prime Ministers Winston Churchill and David Lloyd George, and the archway leading to the Commons was left unrepaired after the bombing in 1941 to serve as a reminder of the evils of war. We saw a brief glimpse of a session occuring inside the Commons, and saw the Speaker and many MPs debating. Across on the other side of the Central Lobby was the Peers’ Lobby, which lies in front of the House of Lords. If the Members’ Lobby was ornate, this one was ten times more beautiful than that. Security was tight and despite our MP’s very persuasive attempt to get us in closer, we were not allowed to get very near to the chamber doors.

Attempt at artistic photograph of Big Ben!

The Tour was over and we were taken through yet more winding passageways bursting with history and into a small function room. Assembled as a group, the climbing teams stood together as the speeches were read out. A welcome address from the MPs and Sports Minister and then an excellent speech by Audrey Seguy who addressed the room about the benefits that climbing as a sport can bring to people of all ages, abilities and from all walks of life. Audrey mentioned the health benefits that climbing brings to children and adults, the community aspect of climbing, and the respect that climbers develop for the natural environment. The past lack of recognition of climbing as a sport in the UK was highlighted as a problem that is very quickly diminishing – with the growth of indoor climbing facilities and the corresponding increase in participation. As participation in the sport has widened, the media coverage and public awareness of indoor climbing has gradually risen, but very little funding for sports development has been arranged in comparison with Olympic sports such as athletics and gymnastics. Audrey highlighted these issues and countered them with an extensive list of the acheivements of the GB teams – a very impressive array of results which can only be improved upon if the Teams receive the funding and support which they deserve!

Money isn’t everything, but it certainly helps in the arena of competitive sport - with costs of travel, training, coaching, competition entry and physio to take into account! By increasing the money available to competitive climbing in the UK, the opportunities available to aspiring athletes would increase, and who knows where these opportunities may take them. In short, it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy – more funding equals more participation, which means more chance of success, and with success comes promotion of acheivement and resultantly more recognition and more funding.

Back to Westminster, Dame Kelly was taking her time to speak to each Team member and find out more about our climbing backgrounds and acheivements. She is a keen climber herself, and told of her trips to Fontainebleau, Stanage and of her fascination with the sport. She came across as very friendly and quietly confident, and spoke very modestly of her acheivements in Athens when questioned as to whether or not she expected to win. “After the first race I was so shocked, and after the second it was simply unbelievable!” I vividly remember watching her races and screaming at the TV in 2004, aged 13. Even though I didn’t know much about athletics, or indeed much about her past, it didn’t matter – her expression both before and after was enough to show everyone how much it meant to her, and it inspired me to work hard for what I wanted to acheive. We didn’t have an Olympics, but as young competition climbers we had our own battles. Three years later in 2007, when I won my first European Youth Cup in Kranj, Slovenia, I felt the same feeling of shock and disbelief when I realised what had happened, and the elation when I knew that a dream had come true. It was obvious to me that Kelly’s joy did not derive from having beaten people, but from the personal journey which had taken her to the top of the podium. What made her success even more poignant was her struggle with years of injury and disappointment, and her fight to keep running competitively with the fear of injury constantly on her mind: “You have all those dreams and then something goes wrong, and I just thought everything’s going too good, and it’s just going to go away from me again.”

I know from personal experience (and I know many other people who are currently injured and in the same situation) exactly what Dame Kelly means by this and can relate to her word for word. The power which injury holds over a person’s self-confidence and self-esteem is incredible – the emotional pain often outweighs the physical, and having the strength of mind to pull oneself back from an abyss of injury is very difficult to acheive. Kelly was 34 when she won her two Gold medals, and is a prime example of someone with outstanding strength of character and determination to get back in the game after defeat and injury, and someone who - after years of being denied success - is not afraid of slowly taking her time to work her way back to winning form. This brings to mind a quote from Michel de Montaigne, a French Renaissance writer whose work “On the Verses of Virgil” I am currently writing an essay on. Despite writing about love, the following line could easily be applied to a sport or anything that requires a “journey” of some sort: ” Plus il y a de marches et degres, plus il y a de hauteur et d’honneur au dernier siege” which roughly translates as “The more the steps the greater the height, and the more the rungs the greater the honour, of that ultimate siege.” As competition climbing works its way closer towards the Olympics, many of the world’s upcoming young climbers will be aspiring to fulfil their ambitions to succeed in what is truly the most “ultimate siege” in any sportsperson’s dreams.

Yet what would the Olympics mean to the current GB Team? We talked quite a lot throughout the event about the possibility of competing in the 2020 Olympics. For the older ones amongst us, it seemed very surreal to be thinking about something which has always seemed so far-removed from our own little bubble of competition climbing – thinking of the usual sighs of disappointment when people ask if climbing is an Olympic sport and seem surprised when they are told “No, not yet!” Many of the Team admitted feeing slightly cynical about the Games in the past, wondering how the format would work out and how the rest of the non-climbing world (and indeed the anti-comp crew within the climbing society) would perceive our sport. Now, though, we felt as though competition climbing had built up so much force and influence (the IFSC now consists of 66 member federations and 10 associate members from 5 continents around the world) that we have no reason to feel inadequate as competition climbers, and that we need to work together positively to ensure that things go our way. If you don’t ask, you don’t get!

Dame Kelly's autograph

Dame Kelly also told us about the difficulty faced by many athletes as they reach the transition from school to university. She highlighted the fact that maintaining participation at this stage is tough when many are faced with changes in circumstance and the challenge of balancing education, work, sport and life alongside the physiological changes which frequently result in injury. Personally, I felt quite proud when she praised me for keeping up my climbing alongside university studies and for having to deal with 2 years of injuries which she called “great strength of character.” I had never thought of it that way before, and I will admit that hearing it from Dame Kelly was very inspirational.

Wherever life will take us in 2020, we all agreed that if climbing made it as an Olympic event, it would make us proud to represent our country if we are still competing in 8 or 9 years time, and that even if we are simply enjoying climbing as a hobby whilst looking after kids/homes/pets and whatnot, we could feel proud that the sport we love has finally been recognised as one which fulfils the criteria to become part of the world’s most prestigious sporting event. Proud that the younger kids we see down at the wall or at the crag today and the ones we encourage will have something amazing to aspire towards acheiving. Even if competition climbing doesn’t make it in 2020, we can rest assured that one day it most likely will, and deep down we know that it is more than worthy of the Olympics. It might take a few more steps and a few more rungs, but as the sport keeps growing and the kids keep having fun, maybe in a good few years down the line the GB Climbing Team will be bringing the greatest honour of an Olympic Gold medal to a climbing wall near you.

At Heathrow, Mum and I visited the shop dedicated to “London 2012“. On a stand were commemorative gold medallions for each of the Olympic sports. I read the sports aloud and sighed. Mum said “Maybe one day, there will be one for climbing.” Watch this space…

This (rather hectic!) last week has been Fresher’s Week at Edinburgh University, and it’s crazy to think that a year has passed since it was my turn to move to Edinburgh and enter a whole new stage in life! It’s been a great year for me in Edinburgh, both climbing and academic/university- wise, and judging by the last week or so I think 2nd year will be just as exciting if not more so – with new friends, a new flat, new subjects and an amazing atmosphere of serious psyche for training and getting strong (and that’s just within the University!)

I returned to Edinburgh last Saturday after spending a week or so in Glasgow recovering from 5 weeks of damp camping in Yorkshire – along with yet more clothes/objects/food and anything else that I thought would come in handy. I had about 5 days of rest in Glasgow to fully recover before coming back to Edinburgh and launching into my training programme. My next big event is the BLCCs at Ratho on the 15th and 16th October – I may even enter the speed competition! I’ll have to hurry up a bit though…

I trained on Sunday at Ratho with the usual suspects – James, Will and anyone that happened to be bouldering too! I also gave young Jodie some belays on her latest lead projects and she seemed to be cruising up them all! After a bit of Beastmakering I returned to my flat and was asked if I wanted to come round to the University’s Mountaineering Club flat – Graham Brown House (GBH), just 5 minutes walk from where I stay. In the last year I didn’t join the club as I had so much on with my junior comps and training, that I thought I wouldn’t be able to make meets or have much time to socialise with everyone. However, I got to know quite a few of the club members throughout the year whilst climbing at Ratho and the Uni wall at The Pleasance. The meets sounded fun, the parties looked awesome and the people seemed friendly, so this year I have decided to “join the club”, as it were!

I went along to GBH and met quite a few new faces, and was inspired by the legendary GBH “woody” which can be seen in the window from the street. It may be a small wall but it’s enough to play about on and do silly things like dynos and one-move wonders – enough to keep a bunch of enthusiastic climbers amused anyway! I committed a crime by trying to guppy a tiny round crimp to get to the next hold- don’t think I stuck it though! The living room is adorned with hundreds of guidebooks, alpine journals and mementos from past trips in the mountains. I learned of all the traditions in the flat and heard stories of the famous “GBH Parties”. At the end of October I may come along and experience one for myself! Surprisingly, I managed to spend almost 7 hours at the flat and left in the early hours of the morning :O

Monday was a quiet day sorting out any admin I still needed to do for Uni and the flat, and Tuesday I had a physio assessment and screening as part of the Edinburgh University Individual Performance Programme. Somehow my ridiculously over-tight hamstrings and knotted back have improved since last year, which is good news! I found out that my left shoulder is “winging” slightly, so that’s one area I will receive help with through physio support  at FASIC. Afterwards I had a good session at the University climbing wall at the Pleasance. I had fun climbing with Ryan and Big Tom trying some very funky problems with dynos, mantles and massive rock-overs. One problem kept us amused for over an hour as we tried to dyno for a slopey hold over the lip of the roof traverse – we then realised (thanks to Mehmet) that we could simply get our left foot a bit higher and prevent having to do the awkward (and scary!) lunge and generally stop looking like fools landing SPLAT! on the mats like a sack of spuds! Eventually me and Ryan managed the problem despite numerous failed attempts (caught on video, but I can’t upload them to my computer for some reason). In the evening I helped to set up the Mountaineering Club’s stall at the Fresher’s Fair ready for the following two days. After suspending a tent from a balcony and dangling a stuffed alpinist off the wall we went round the Uni accommodation putting up posters for the club – which was more fun than it sounds! Surrounded by lots of mental Freshers, we encountered some funny scenes near the student halls

The EUMC stall

Early on Wednesday I arrived at the sports hall to make sure that someone was there if the stall had to be moved (our dangling tent was worryingly near to the fire exit!) We managed to attract lots of interest by dressing up and looking a bit silly but equally cool enough to entice people into the club. Harry wore his winter kit, Ryan wore a harness and chalkbag, and I wore my GB team vest and SUS/BUCS medals (they made me do it!!! ) We had over 100 names by the end of the day so it went pretty well. I left later on to climb at Alien Rock 2 with Kirsten, who was looking in good shape for the Scottish Bouldering Championships next weekend in Aberdeen.

Thursday was a very full-on day – I had my induction for the Performance Sport Programme at the gym from 9am-2:30 pm, then a meeting with my Director of Studies, then a bouldering and beastmaker session at Ratho, and then a Fresher’s preview slideshow for the mountaineering club at 10pm. I received some new Kukri kit for the Programme and had a lunch with some senior people from the University. Then it was on the bus to Ratho to train and give Jonny Field a few belays before he leaves for Sheffield (good luck Jonny!) Back in town it was time to head off to the Pleasance Theatre for the slideshow, I arrived a bit early and met up with others in the bar before watching the slideshow with photos and videos from the last years in the club. I was surprised to see Ioan Doyle – Welsh trad star – and his girlfriend who had come along to the slideshow as Eleanor is an Edinburgh Fresher and keen to join the club  Everyone seemed to enjoy it, and returned to the bar for a bit before deciding to head out to a club. We may be able to move well on the wall and rock, but I’m not so sure the same applies to the dancefloor! We had a good time and afterwards had a dyno and lock-off session at GBH until 4am!

The next morning I had lunch with mum in town and then headed to Ratho for yet more bouldering, Beastmaking and campus board power-endurance. I found out that my left arm is considerably stronger than my right at the one-arm stuff now….and that I am getting surprisingly close to being able to do a 1-armer with 6kg assistance (my goal for February) I started off taking about 25 kilos off my weight when I first started this training before Yorkshire….and last night I tried using only 5 kilos thinking it would be impossible but managed to do about 75% on my left and almost 50% on my right. Not sure why this was as I am actually right-handed! This shows how quickly my strength gains are coming, and what is more exciting is that the plan has been made to make the GBH woody into a campus board with a Beastmaker on top! Watch this space….

Tomorrow I am going to Ratho for more strength training – before starting my courses on Monday! Here’s to a great year of training – Edinburgh University are going to be a force to be reckoned with in the BUCS this year, watch out!

P.s. Also, so psyched for Robbie and Alex Barrows – who have both completed the 8b+ tufa “Tom et je ris” in Verdon – good effort!!

The last few days have been very productive and exciting for me, as we come to the end of our trip to Yorkshire. Yesterday I ticked my project “Zoolook” 8a (just after Robbie – team ascent!) – a route which had taken a fair bit of patience to learn the sequence and cope with polished footholds! The route finally went down on our 3rd attempt of the day – something just seemed “right” and both of us focussed on doing the move rather than worrying about our feet slipping!

Straight after ticking “Zoolook”, Robbie put the clips in “GBH” 8a+ and worked out the moves. Today I had a go working out the moves then went for a redpoint burn – getting up to the crux and coming off on a powerful undercut move (of which there are many!) Robbie ticked the route 3rd go – an awesome effort! I am hoping to feel refreshed tomorrow (our last day of climbing ahhh!) and get it done. It really would be the icing on the cake if I manage to do it, hopefully the fact that we will have limited time before getting the train home will be an incentive to fight for it!

Chilling at the top of Malham...nearly hometime! Will Carroll

Tonight more good news arrived as I received an invite to join the GB Bouldering Team  via email – an offer I am very excited about! After my 4th place in the BBC’s I am psyched to improve on this and to experience the international bouldering comps. Through following my bouldering-orientated training program, I am really starting to see the benefits of having extra strength both on the boulder wall and on routes – indoors and out.

Another exciting development is my offer of sponsorship from Blurr – the American climbing clothing brand just starting to branch out into the UK. I have chosen my first 15 items for next season (I was tearing my hair out trying to decide on clothes and colours! ) and can’t wait for the gear to arrive.

Today I helped out a little with Robbie and Ross’s MCofS coaching session at Malham with young Angus Davidson and William Bosi – both Ratho climbers and GB junior team members. They had an awesome time, both sending “Something Stupid” 7b 2nd go and William redpointing “Space Race” 7b+ 2nd go! Tomorrow we are returning early to the crag to get back on projects and get some sends in before heading home….FINALLY!  :P

We have had a great trip so far, let’s see what tomorrow brings…

Goodbye Malham! Will Carroll

Hey guys! We are nearing the end of our 4 week stint in Yorkshire Pudding land. We are still going strong on porridge, oatcakes, houmous, and flapjacks (we will turn into oats soon enough if we don’t stop eating foods consisting of them!) and our nighttime dinners of pasta, veg and chorizo sausage! The weather is steady and not as unpredictable as the first three weeks, but we are definitely feeling a bit jaded after working so hard in our coaching sessions and redpointing our routes at the Cove. Reading Harry Potter at the top of Malham Cove (where some scenes of the last film were shot) in the evening has become a habit of ours and is a good way to relieve redpoint stress!

I have been getting frustratingly close to doing “Zoolook” 8a  - each time I go up I learn something new about the sequence, and tomorrow I hope to get it done if I manage to keep my head together! Last attempt went really well, I got through the crux and felt calm as I reached up for a good sidepull. I then had a total mind-blank with my foot sequence and dithered too much, going for a tricky undercut pocket with my left-hand and falling due to not catching it properly. Robbie is also planning an attack on this route as well as “The Groove” 8a+. Conditions have been a bit muggy over the last few days and today we are taking a well-earned rest.

Raindogs...the windmill move

We have now finished our Yorkshire Sport Climbing weekends, which went really well. Our last group included Nina, Stewart and Andrew – Ratho regulars who all had varied experience on rock before coming to Yorkshire. Stewart (Andrew’s Dad) was a keen trad climber in his youth and was looking for some hints and tips on getting back into the sport climbing game on rock. Andrew (18) had primarily been trad climbing before coming on the trip, and hadn’t pushed his sport grades as much. Nina was looking for help with transferring her indoor skills onto the rock, after having only started climbing in January this year.

Our first day was spent at Robin Proctor’s Scar, not too far from Malham. We started on some easier topropes to get everyone’s head in the game and focus purely on movement without worrying too much about clipping/falling etc. I filmed the first climbs for comparison with their later attempts on other routes, and it was very interesting to watch how quickly Stewart and Andrew adapted to the rock, moving much smoother and quicker than when they first started warming up. Nina was having difficulty with trusting her feet and having the confidence to commit to moves, however she did fantastic for her first time on real rock and we reassured her that almost everyone has difficulty when climbing outdoors for the first time, where there are no coloured blobs to follow and many possibilities for movement! Stewart flashed a 6b+ on lead and Andrew redpointed it shortly after his first go. Work started on the project of the trip – a techy 6c+. Both tried the moves on toprope to scope out the sequences, aided by some tickmarks on the holds courtesy of Robbie!

On the second day the weather let us down at Robin Proctor’s so we only had a half day there before getting rained off! We headed to Malham and the guys had a play on “Rose Coronary” 7a and Nina also had a go on toprope before settling for “Begozi and the Ledge Lizards” 6a+. Nina loved Malham and her confidence was starting to grow – her performance on these routes was much more in control than at Robin Proctor’s, things were looking up for the next two days!

We decided to start off at Giggleswick Scar for a morning warm-up and to test out some of the 5′s and 6′s the crag had to offer. Nina flashed a 5+ on toprope, making very easy work of it, and the guys both flashed some 6a’s and looked on form for getting back to work on the 6c+ at Robin Proctor’s in the afternoon. It was a wild and windy day, absolutely freezing and not the best conditions for sending, but the boys did a great job – both falling near the top and giving the climb their all. Nina top-roped a 6a+ with ease and was really starting to enjoy the climbing for what it was without the fear of falling or being high up. Everyone was psyched for the next day, when the project would be going down!

We finally struck lucky with the weather and the sun came out to cheer on our rock warriors at Robin Proctor’s. Andrew gave the 6c+ a great first attempt, falling off just below the chains. His Dad Stewart had a lot to live up to after that attempt, he was nervous but psyched! He cruised up the route and battled through the tricky top moves, he threw for a crimp, stepped up and was at the top! Mission complete for Stewart! Meanwhile, Nina gave the classic 6a+ of the crag “Wheel of Fire” a great attempt, getting through the crux and slipping just after halfway. Andrew was raring to go on the 6c+ again after a good rest and went through the sequence again with Robbie. He was looking smooth and composed himself before going for it at the top…an easier sequence helped him reach the top and clip the chains – another 6c+ for the team!

Not satisfied with the 6c+ ticks, Andrew decided that he wanted to try “Rose Coronary” 7a again at Malham, giving it a final burn before leaving for Scotland. Stewart decided that he was too fatigued after the 6c+ to try “Rose Coronary” after giving it a good attempt on a previous day, but Andrew was keen to get it ticked. He fell off at the chains just before it was time to leave, but he decided he wanted to give it a final go – and he did it! 6c+ and 7a in a day – a personal record for Andrew who had lead-climbed 6c before coming on the trip. In all, a very successful 4 days of climbing, all 3 climbers learned something new and accrued some useful experiences to take home with them and reflect on when next on a rock-trip.

Off for some chorizo and pasta…stay tuned for more updates from the Cove!

At the top of Malham Cove

Yesterday was a very long and tiring day. We got up reasonably early and sat outside the tent wondering what to do – if it was going to be too hot and sunny to climb, we didn’t want to bother going to the crag and would rest instead. It was fairly overcast and cooler than the day before, so we decided to head up to the Cove a bit later on with our objectives in mind – to crush our projects! We lazed around reading and drawing and watching the wasps devour a massive blob of honey which we had put on a spoon to distract them from trying to get at our breakfast. I also drew out a route map of “Overnite Sensation” on the back of some cardboard from the cereal box! (I was very bored!)

Upon arriving at the crag, our friends informed us that conditions were rubbish – greasy holds and muggy heat! I’ve never liked letting conditions obstruct my desire to climb a route – I sometimes think that worrying too much about whether holds are damp or greasy prevents you from really going for things. We warmed up on a 7a+ and top-roped it again to get a bit more of a pump on. As the sun broke through the clouds in the early afternoon, we took it easy and relaxed on the Catwalk for an hour or two.

At the top of the Cove...don't look down! Will Carroll

My project “Overnite Sensation” 8a+ was the first to come into the shade out of our routes, so I looked at my little drawing on the cereal box cardboard – complete with footholds, clips and little memory-jogging notes such as “camp crimp!” (only Robbie and Will would understand ) – and compared my sketch to the route. I had remembered it perfectly and had what I thought was a perfect sequence. I tied in and stepped up to the tricky boulder problem at the start. I placed my feet on the tiny polished crozzles and hoped that they would stick, I reached the last hold of the boulder crux just after the first clip and jumped up to a good sloper and gaston edge. I clipped and breathed and continued. I tried to rest in a position which Robbie had used when he climbed the route, but it wasn’t as comfortable as I found it to be when working the route. I pushed on and fell after my foot slipped going for a good side-pull crimp halfway up – it was the same as my last highpoint. I was frustrated to get to the same place again but equally pretty happy that I had made it through the boulder again at the start. I re-worked the big move and found a much easier way of throwing for it without using a polished foothold! After falling I did the route to the top in one push so was satisfied to have completed it in two halves – next go I would have the ultimate sequence and really wanted to get it done!

Robbie was still waiting for the shade to come in on “Unjustified”, so I decided to have another go. I pulled on and found that I was too slow in moving my feet around, getting a bit confused with the footholds. I was annoyed that I had managed to get through this section twice before fairly easily and now it felt hard again, I got a bit frustrated and tried again, but was tiring from hanging onto the tiny sharp crozzles. My skin was wearing thin and my energy was waning. I decided to leave it until after Robbie had tried his route and relax for a bit with some bran flakes and oatcakes!

Working "Predator" 8b. Will Carroll

“Unjustified” was now in the shade and Robbie was psyched to get on it – he had been waiting all day for this moment! He cruised up the start – a tricky 7b – and smoothly climbed through the crux before his foot slipped going for the next hold. A brilliant effort, but he was not satisfied with the sequence and re-worked a bit of it and did some cleaning of the holds on the way down.

The air was much cooler now and the herds of tourists staring up at the Cove were diminishing. I knew I just had to relax and not get too pent up about doing the route, I needed to enjoy it. Adam Jeewooth and his Uncle Carl (and dog Treacle) had been following my attempts on the route with enthusiasm, and as I tied in Carl said “This go Nat?” “Yeah I hope so!” I replied. I took a deep breath and began to climb. I felt very calm and the boulder problem went much easier than before. I shook out by the second clip and tried to keep up my breathing – the holds get bigger as you go higher on this route, but at the same time the distance between them starts to increase! I got to my previous highpoint and used the new foot position, which sent me flying directly to the crimp. I was relieved, surprised and nervous all at the same time. Now I had to do the rest! One big move to a flat, open pinch and then into two undercut sidepulls for a quick rest.The next move from an undercut and gaston to a good tufa was one of the biggest moves on the route for me – feet high, I lunged for it and caught it. Then into a poor block undercut (at this point I actually spotted a small insect on the hold, and rather than squash it by grabbing onto the hold, I opted instead to politely poke it out of the way!) and into the top of the tufa as an undercut. I clipped and shook out straight-armed, breathed deep and smiled – the chain was in sight! A powerful cross-through to a sidepull and then a shouldery press off a gaston into the “Camp Crimp”! I turned my left hand from a gaston into an undercut and threw from a sidepull to a bad pinch just below the chains. I snatched for an intermediate sidepull with my left to balance myself and move my right foot up and flagged really deep…catching the final crimp before rocking over and clipping the chain!

I was so shocked that I had managed to complete it – even though I had climbed the route in two halves before, I thought it would take a lot to keep going through the final hard moves without falling. I was completely out of breath at the top and struggled to take the clips out! Robbie, Adam, Carl and some other climbers at the crag were all cheering as I topped out – I was grateful for their support, I think it definitely helped to bring out the aggression I needed to keep fighting!

Getting psyched! Will Carroll

After my ascent Robbie was unsure as to whether he should have another go on “Unjustified”. He decided he might as well seeing as the next day would be a rest day. He had another good attempt but felt tired and instead worked on finding some sneaky rests! Judging from today I reckon he is certainly not far at all from ticking this route, and it will be an awesome achievement to climb such a route at Malham.

I am not sure what to do next. I think I will have a day of mileage tomorrow, onsighting some easier routes and maybe getting on “Zoolook” 8a or “Predator” 8b. At the moment we are in the pub (again!) waiting for a meeting with someone about something exciting…

Natalie

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Hey everyone,

Sorry for the lack of blogging since Ceuse, so much has been happening and I’ve not had the time to put it down on paper (or on a computer screen :p) We are currently in the pub which has become our “local” over the last while!

We have been in Yorkshire for a week and a half now and have already undertaken our first successful coaching group as part of our 3 “Yorkshire sport climbing weekends”. We have also managed to get a bit of climbing for ourselves in on the side in between coaching sessions and the psyche is now high for our projects at Malham Cove.

Robbie and I arrived in Yorkshire to be greeted by the worst rain I have ever experienced! Torrential downpours were not ideal for setting up and living in a tent for 3 weeks, but we were determined not to let the weather get in the way of our work and climbing. Positive thought and “sundances” were brought  on in order to dissuade the rain from destroying moral and dampening our hopes of having a good time. Luckily, we somehow escaped the worst of the weather and managed to find some dry rock…

Our first group consisted of Ben from London and Pete from Edinburgh. Both guys went from strength to strength over the 4 days – overcoming fear and doubt and generally being enthusiastic and good fun to work with. Ben managed to lead his first 6c+ and toprope his first 7a outdoors, and Pete successfully lead his first 6b+ outside! Our crags of choice were Robin Proctor’s Scar and Trow gill for the first three days, and Malham Cove on the fourth. Tired but enlightened by their experience, Ben and Pete learned a lot from focussing on redpoint tactics and movement skills on the rock  - I am sure both will continue to push their grades with their newfound confidence.

In the few days we had before our first coaching group, I had been working on building up some mileage on the classic 7a’s and 7b’s at Malham. I did some classics such as “Consenting Adults” 7a and “Rose Coronary” 7a, and onsighted a 7b called “Something Stupid”. My sights were set on “Raindogs” 8a, a route which has been on my ticklist since I was very young indeed! I had tried the route two years ago but only made it up to the second clip, finding the moves very powerful and hard, perhaps due to climbing in the baking sun! This time I went for a retro-flash attempt and made it halfway before falling. I worked the moves to the top and felt confident that I had a good sequence, the hard part would be linking these together! My first red point (second attempt) went pretty well, I made it to the second-last clip, powering out at an undercut move which takes you onto the final crimpy section below the chains. I was psyched and thought it could go potentially on my third try, I had new beta which would make that move easier and didn’t feel very pumped up until that point.

 My next go I got to the last hold before the chains, finding it awkward and strenuous to move my feet up after having climbed the rest of the route and feeling slightly jaded! I reworked the sequence ready for the next day’s attempt. I knew I had a perfect sequence (or did I?) and went for it the next morning. I had the last hold and eyed up the chains, pulling as hard as I could…two fingers wrapped around the screwgate…before slipping out promptly. I was very frustrated as I had felt composed up until that move, I think I hesitated a little too much rather than just going for it! The next two attempts were a similar story, perhaps getting even closer to grabbing the screwgate! I also found a hold which made the last move feel slightly less dynamic, so I was happy to have picked up on that after falling off in frustration and refusing to go back on the wall! I decided to leave it for a day and when I next got on the route, I knew I had no excuse not to be able to do it- I had a perfected sequence and the only thing that could potentially hold me back  was doubt, or a polish-induced foot-slip! I felt reasonably relaxed as I began to climb the first section, and chilled out at the first and only rest. I continued, climbing quickly in order to preserve energy and keep up a rhythm. Nearing the chains I felt much more in control and even the holds seemed more welcoming than normal. I used the tiny intermediate and balanced myself to go for the chain…and latched it! I had climbed my first 8a in Britain and my 6th so far this year. 

After my success on Raindogs, I decided to work the moves on Predator 8b. I really enjoyed the first section, thinking it was about 7b/+ and tried the crux section a few times, finding the holds fairly positive but the feet very perplexing! Eventually my skin was wearing thin so I decided to come down and try again another time. I had a second attempt and made it up to the crux without falling, trying the moves numerous times to work out the best sequence. I think the route will take a good few attempts and more working but I am psyched to return to it in the next few sessions! I am currently working on “Overnite Sensation” 8a+, a short and powerful route with a cruxy boulder start. I really like the climbing despite the first sharp holds which are very painful to hold and throw for! Tomorrow I really want to try and get it ticked, it will take lots of determination and aggression but I think I am getting into the zone of Malham’s tricky style – powerful techy moves with bad footholds and lots of core strength! 

Robbie has also had a very successful first few sessions, ticking “Overnite sensation” 8a+, “Predator” 8b and “Austrian Oak” 8b, each within four tries! He has now set his sights on “Unjustified” 8b+/c and looks set to keep on crushing. He has put together a great video of me on “Raindogs” and is currently sat beside me making one of him on “Overnite”…watch this space!

Today we said goodbye to our friend, photographer and chauffeur (:p) Will Carroll, who has been a fantastic help with setting up ropes and taking amazing photos as always! We already miss him and have stockpiled on food until we can catch a lift off someone else into Settle…

With four more days of climbing until our next coaching session, keep reading for more updates from the Cove!

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