Grenoblog 5 - Coupe de France à Valence!

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 to take a night off on Monday to recover from my craggy adventures of the Sunday, and settled into my 4th week of work chez Entre-Prises. On the Tuesday evening I had a training session at Espace Vertical 3 in the centre of Grenoble with Fréd and Léo from Team EP France. It was my first visit to this centre and I was impressed by the routesetting and the walls in general - they weren't very multi-faceted but were great for training continuous movements and endurance. After accidentally walking into the men's toilets and promptly running back out again, I started to warm up and we managed to rattle through around 8 routes each starting from 6a and up to 8a+. I was pleased to flash a 7c and 7c+ (although I tried not to watch Léo I inevitably saw some moves when shouting ALLEZ ALLEZ!! as is custom in France and nowadays every wall in the world it seems!) It was the first time I'd really pushed myself on some hard indoor routes in Grenoble, and thanks to Fréd and Léo's insistence that I needed to fall off something horrifically hard, I decided to try an 8a+ which looked rather tricky! We read the route together (always more of a challenge in French but good practice for chumming up to foreigners in comps!) and it appeared to have a weird crux fairly low down which turned out to be a bit of a nightmare! The rest of the route was still taxing but much less contorted than the crux, so after having a few attempts at the moves and failing I continued to try the rest of the route. We were knackered after a long day at work and an intense session...but I felt satisfied that I'd put in a good effort in the run up to the big event.

Wednesday was a day of rest climbing-wise, and after work I met up with Lucy from Edinburgh and a friend of hers for dinner and then a cinema session, where we saw the latest film of the French classic Astérix et Obélix. Lots of friendly jibes at the Brits which went down well and some funny Franco/Anglo accents which made it fairly easy to understand. The calibre of the jokes was along the lines of "What do you call a handsome British guy? A tourist!" :P On the Thursday I decided to rest and climb the next morning at Ablok for a final boulder session before the competition. I bumped into one of my new French friends Léa and we climbed a bit together (unfortunately not for long as I had already been there for a while before she arrived and was exhausted!) We agreed to meet up the next day and go to the cinema (yes, again!) to see a chick-flick called Elle s'appelle Ruby. All rested and raring to go, I returned to my house to settle down before the rude awakening at 5:25am...

"Tu as vu déhors?" Yoann, my housemate asked me as I walked out of my room. I looked outside and there was a thick covering of...wait for it...SNOW! Perhaps the most exciting news from the last week is that it SNOWED (I know how much everyone loves snow announcements, whatever age you may be!) and the irresistable prospect of building a bonhomme de neige suddenly distracted me from any pre-comp nerves. There was, however, a slight concern that we wouldn't make it/would be late for the competition. I was due to be out 7th on my first route, and it would be a shame to have a rushed warm-up in such cold weather! Yoann, Élodie (Yoann's girlfriend) and I marched out into the snow at 6:00am and jumped into the car. As we tried to clear the windows of snow, a massive barrier of thick, white snow fell into the car on Yoann's side, which prompted an uncalled-for snowball fight inside the car - a good(ish) warm up I must say! The snow was getting heavier and we couldn't see the roads - a bit scary, but Yoann assured me that I would be fine, as I had my doudoune (down jacket) and that would be sufficient in a snowstorm if we got caught! Hmmm...

The banging dance tunes on the radio at 6:00am received a mixed response from my brain - one half ready to go and climb but the other still in bed about 100 miles away. The familiar Polygone climbing centre awaited us as we bolted it out of the car towards the....cold climbing wall! It was just as cold inside, but my mind was telling me "What are you complaining about...this is HOME! This is just like RATHO!" I mustered up the courage to look at my routes and start "warming up" in the fridge of a warm up room. Don't get me wrong, but breezeblock - complete with gap-ridden doors - isn't the best of insulators! My first route looked very long and intimidating, until Yoann pointed out that it finished halfway up - phew! It was at this point that I met the one and only Sheila McCarron - a fellow Scotswoman who until this point I had only known through Facebook and internet chatrooms (it's a long story, I won't go into it!) It was great to hear another Scottish voice and to finally meet the face behind the name and the voice (of Bercy, as the World Championship announcer!) I also met her wonderful kids Julianne and Sophie - both exceptional climbers who were also competitors in this weekend's event. I warmed up and as soon as I got to the tie-in point I had a sudden realisation that I'd forgotten what it felt like to be on a wall competing, I hadn't done a lead competition in almost two years! I started to doubt myself, but as soon as I stepped on the wall it all started coming back to me. It's a strange feeling - to be so pent up with nervous and excited energy and then to be able to simmer down to a reasonably calm level whilst climbing. It's something that definitely comes with experience, but I also think  it comes easier to some than others. Being able to block out a massive crowd and music and a throbbing head full of thoughts certainly isn't easy. I felt calm on my route, and as almost everyone before me had topped I was reassured that there were no sneaky traps along the way. It was also comforting to know that I was climbing on a beautifully crafted Entre-Prises wall, which was embellished with Entre-Prises patented Imprint panelling and constructed in 2001. Ahem, moving on! I topped out and went off into the crowd. Thankfully Yoann and Sheila made me aware of the fact that I needed to collect a slip of paper from the judge to give to my next route judge, I also didn't realise I was running pretty much straight onto the next route in around 20 mins or so (don't do this at home kids -or abroad for that matter- always check the format of the competition! ;) ) 

First route gurn! Photo: Sheila McCarron

My second route was much longer and steeper but the holds seemed positive. Only one person had topped before me and it looked fairly tricky at the top. I pulled on and made it to the last few holds, I rested for a while and pushed on, matching the volume and getting resin-rash on my arms and then throwing for the jug - I made it!  I was relieved to have completed the first two qualifiers - along with 13 other girls from the 45 I went into the semi's in equal 1st. A long wait ensued and I started eating my entire bodyweight in food, much to the amusement of Élodie, who remarked that I had "brought the fridge along in my bag". Normally I don't eat much in competitions, but I was hungry! I belayed Yoann on his routes, he topped his first and put in a fine effort on the second. For a specialist speed climber, he did great in transferring his skills onto the difficulty wall. I know I wouldn't transfer so easily into the speed events, that's for sure! In the meantime I met Charles from Planetgrimpe.com, another friend on Facebook who I had never spoken to in person until now. I have done lots of translations in the past few years for PG and it's always good fun to translate interviews with some of the world's top climbers. 

Second qualifier! Photo: Sheila McCarron

The semis arrived and they were - bizarrely - in flash format. Normally I have climbed in semis which are onsight, so it was a nice change for once to be able to watch people! Nobody had topped yet and I was out 15th - the first of the 1st ex-aequo girls to climb as I don't have a French placement or ranking. I warmed up alongside young Julianne who was due to be climbing at a similar time in the youth event. I walked out of the freezing warm-up area and tied-in. There was a long, dodgy clip just under the roof which I attempted to hit and grab but felt a bit like a kitten failing epically to paw a ball of string, so I changed my tactics and decided to be bold and run it out another move! Oooh, scary! It was at this point when I stood on the Entre-Prises logo (a fully-permitted feature on one of the inserts, I hasten to add!) as there were no other footholds. I felt a bit guilty for having literally stepped on the company's name (and was duly (albeit jokingly!) reprimanded by Fréd today!) but it was, I feel, a necessary evil. I was resting in a corner and decided it was time to emerge - a few powerful moves later and I was onto the vertical headwall - complete with filthy crimps and very high-placed footholds. Il faut serrer! I pulled hard and made an awkward balancey move to an intermediate feature on the panel, and then bumped up again in a heartbeat to latch the second hold...and again...I caught the last hold. It was all very delicate - I wasn't exhausted but it was a tenuous section for the fingers and feet. I lowered down and Sheila came up to me and said "That was beautiful!" I don't think I've ever been told that one of my climbs was beautiful before, but it was certainly a good feeling to be the first to top and to have so much support from others. My belayer asked me which region I come from - I replied "Scotland" initially but then remembered that I do indeed have a "region" in France. After all, I was climbing for the ALE Escalade club in Échirolles, just on the outskirts of Grenoble. He said "C'est facile pour toi, hein?" It wasn't easy but I was glad to have overcome a tricky bit. It was strange to be competing abroad but also on 'home turf' in a weird sort of situation. It felt good though, I didn't feel all too foreign, and was introduced to everyone and their pals by Sheila and Yoann. Some familiar faces from youth competitions, and some stars from the senior competitions - I met Cecile Avezou and saw Alex Chabot!

Semi-final! Photo: Sheila McCarron

I knew for sure that i had made the finals and watched the rest of my group with interest. 6 other girls out of the 26 topped out too, and top 8 go would go through to the final. At this point I was happy to be able to say that I had made the final of a Coupe de France, but also wanted to do my best in the final. After some more food and trying to resist the temptation to wander around the gear and clothes stalls for fear of spending money, I entered isolation. It was bizarrely relaxed and light-hearted in isolation here compared to at British events, Julianne had made finals too so it was nice to have a friendly face around and I also got chatting to one or two of the women in my category. We went out to view the route, and I was pleased by the choice of line and the holds (Not EP though, disappointed!) and remembered having climbed on this part of the wall in the World Youth Championships in 2009. I tried to remember what to think of when on the wall, but then realised that really, the only thing you can think of is the next move! Not what the person before you might have done, not what you have done before and not someone else may do after you - it's all in the moment! I wasn't particularly nervous, I was very tired though. I was out second due to my non-ranking and was pleased to hear the Voice of Sheila calling out my name and describing me as a Scottish-Francophone ( a Scottish person who speaks French, or in my case, is trying my best to! :P ) I tried to focus on my pace, as I knew with the new ruling that if anyone reached the same point as me, it would go down to time taken to reach said point. This was the first time I had competed in a final with this new ruling in mind, and I really wasn't sure how it would pan out. I moved briskly through the bottom, paused briefly under the roof, then thought FAST! I started moving very quickly, and took quick shakeouts between moves. I clipped from a few strenuous positions but kept fighting. Something which I am prone to experiencing in competitions or on any route is summit fever - getting over-excited or maybe even slightly deranged near the top. I often have fairly low expectations on routes and sometimes when I surprise myself it turns into a bit of an "Ok, that isn't bad, I can't go much further" kind of game. I sometimes think I give up too easily, even when it feels like I am going for it it always feels like I could go 10% further. This time I kept going with a decent level of tenacity, I hugged the blobby volume (more resin-rash! Thankfully I had also taken my bracelets off for more friction!) and threw for a good crimp, then looked to the next big pinch - which seemed miles away, I threw for it and touched it, completely powered out! I had reached about the 6th hold from the top, which I was pleased with, but I also knew I could have paced myself a bit better. I watched as some of France's best female climbers very nearly topped out, inspiring me to push harder and maybe even take part in the next round in Chamonix in two weeks! Cecile Avezou was the well-deserved winner, followed by the young and supremely talented climbers Salomé Romain and Julia Chanourdie. I was placed 5th, narrowly avoiding 6th by having climbed to the same point just 8 or 9 seconds faster than Candice Gauthier - I really thought I had taken too long in the first rest! I was very happy with my result and grateful to be able to have taken part in such a prestigious event.

I met up with Julianne who had just climbed her junior route and eventually finished 3rd! A fantastic effort in her first Coupe de France, along with her younger sister Sophie who also made finals and finished in 8th place! At the end of the finals (and after goodness knows how many hours of awakeness) it was time to return home to Grenoble - we hoped, anyway. As long as the snow wasn't 10m deep we would be fine. We walked out and the snow had all disappeared, yet it was still freezing - cue the chorus of "brrrr's" resounding from Yoann, Élodie and me. "Brrrr! " appears to be a word/noise which transcends all language barriers - universal speak for "I'm rather chilly!". The drive back to Grenoble included multiple playings of Gangnam Style on the local radio - an amusing end to a fun-filled day of climbing. 

I've definitely caught the competition bug again, so here's to the next round in Chamonix in two weeks - if anyone has a spare room/couch/floor/kennel or rooftop going for a night, let me know...:P