I have been so busy lately that I didn't have time/forgot to blog/felt bitter after losing what I'd written twice after not saving it properly to write about my 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th weeks - so here is an update on my recent adventures in which I have been mostly climbing, competing, working and...laughing! A few weekends ago (it all rolls into one at the moment!) I was off to Chamonix to compete in my second Coupe de France round in Difficulty and last weekend I was a bit closer to home in Echirolles to compete in the Coupe de... Continue reading

I'm now officially over half way through my stay here in Grenoble - 5 weeks down, 5 to go! Last week was a short working week due to Toussaints/All Saints on the Thursday, so I had a 4 days off to fill with climbing! After the Coupe de France last weekend I was exhausted, and even a few days later I was still very tired. I decided not to climb for 3 days in order to recover - getting up at 5:30am and having a full-on day of competition with 4 different routes and getting back late had certainly taken its... Continue reading

How time flies when you're having fun! I am fast approaching the halfway point of my stay here in Grenoble and I still can't get my head around how much I've done and how much there is still left to cram into the next 6 weeks or so. Yesterday I took part in the first round of the Coupe de France, which took place in the Mineral Spirit Polygone hall in Valence. Quel beau mur d'Entre-Prises! ;) Firstly though, a brief description of the run-up to the competition since my outings at La Balme and Pierrot Beach last weekend. I decided... Continue reading

I seem to be spending my life in the Vercors these days, not that I'm complaining - it's easy to see why I could find myself going back there, and in the case of this last week, going there twice in one weekend! The cold, crisp mornings of the week before disappeared and the fresh cover of snow on top of the 3 Massifs rapidly melted away almost overnight as temperatures soared, just in time for my 3 day weekend on rock! The Vercors from Pierrot Beach I had another enjoyable week at work and trained on the Tuesday night at... Continue reading

I'm now into my 3rd week of 10 here in Grenoble, and so far the last week has definitely been the most full-on - I've barely had time to breathe! It's getting much colder here now and this morning we woke up to snow-topped mountains over in the Belledonne Massif and across the Chartreuse. This weekend I was in the Serre-Chevalier valley and around the Briançon area, and I am still in awe at the beauty of this area of France. On a separate note entirely, I have also just got back from the supermarket and I can announce that Brie... Continue reading