So I have just returned from what was yet another successful climbin trip in Spain. The Costa Blanca has inspired me for another season on rock. Since my last blog post, I climbed a few more hard routes and even got my very first "First Ascent"! When I left you last, I had tried "El club de la Lucha" (8b+) and was going back for the send on the following day. On arriving at the crag, I warmed up by doing the first 5 moves of the route (just climbing up and down), then went straight for it. Initially I wasn't... Continue reading

So another week has passed in Costa Blanca and the weather has managed to maintain up until now, however the rain only lasted a very brief time and is now off again and the forecast is due to be sun, sun and more sun! Nat has gone back to Austria already, but not before a brief stop in France meeting up with friends, visiting her old workplace for Entreprises and stopping off in Mallau to watch the Boulder World Cup. She had a great trip out here and now she is looking forward to the rest of her work placement in... Continue reading

So it is the end of our first week here in Costa Blanca! Nat has been cruising everything and has only just started to check out some harder stuff now. Unfortunately she is not staying for much longer, only 1 day of climbing left :( I however have plenty of time and am hoping to get much more ticked before I go home on the 18th April... I was keen to see how Nat would get on with something much harder than what she has ever tried before. Nat doesn't push herself that much, she will go for things when she... Continue reading

My first trip to the Costay Blancay (Costa Blanca for those not familiar with Bo' Selecta). If I'm honest, I was not sure what to expect... I have heard a lot of good things about this place, but also a lot of not so good things :(  The unfortunate truth about flying to Alicante is the permanently etched image of Benidorm and British tourists on hen and stag parties... Not my idea of a holiday truth be told. When I arrived at the airport at 9am, the plan was to go sort out the hire car, drive to accommodation, sort out... Continue reading

EICA GCC TCA Alien Rock Avertical World Stirling Spiders Wow! The 3rd and final round of the YCS has come and gone already... Time surely does fly. This years Youth Climbing Series in Scotland has certainly been a rollercoaster of emotions for a lot of kids! I can talk from experience in the South Scotland as I have been coaching many of the kids entering these competitions and all I can say is that all these kids deserve medals for the dedication, training and continual pressure they put themselves under.  As much as the YCS is meant to be a relaxed... Continue reading

Yo Guys Last Saturday was the first round of the YCS for many regions round the country including both North and South Scotland. In the North it was held at Inverness Leisure Centre and in the South it was at Stirling's "The Peak"!A host of competitors and coaches checking out myself and Jonny's creations (Photo By Rachel Carr)   This year was set to be the biggest one yet with 75 kids participating in total! This is massive for our regional rounds and it really shows just how Climbing as a sport is growing year after year. Rock Climbing is now... Continue reading

“Fear leads to anger… Anger leads to hate… Hate leads to suffering…”   Yoda   One of my favourite quotes of all time! And it is so very relevant in the world of climbing… Fear of a route or situation holds us back, which if we are competitive in any way, will anger us. The anger we feel leads to hating that climb or situation. The hatred of those climbs or situations forces us to avoid them at all costs which leads to suffering in the way of being held back in our strife for better performance as we are not... Continue reading

A topic with thousands of different avenues, paths and directions. What does fear actually mean in climbing? Does it help or hinder us? What are the different types of fear? As a climbing coach I am covering the dillema of fear with climbers of all ages and abilities basically every day of the week. There is too much out there to put into one small blog, but at least I can make a start at it. Falling The biggest barrier I have found facing 95% of the climbers I coach is the fear of falling. For everyone the challenge to overcome... Continue reading

2013 is only less than a month in and already it is proving to be much busier than I expected. Not a bad thing really, I am having to come to terms with the fact that I eventually had to start working full-time :P The great thing is that I am doing a job that I absolutely love, something which I was terrified would never happen. When I first left school I had no idea what I was going to do. A Year of doing not much but climbing taught me my life would have to be involved in the sport... Continue reading

Things have been pretty fast paced since New Year, although not a bad thing (being busy is never a bad thing), it's all quite tiring and when it catches up with you the feeling of exhaustion is hard to shake off. I am currently sitting in my living room with aching triceps, biceps and finger tips, every click of the keyboard seems to send a shiver up my arm and my eyes are literally aching to close with every minute that goes by.   Climb Newcastle Boot Demo Last night I was in Newcastle working an Evolv Boot Demo at the Bouldering... Continue reading