Hot cross training

So my winter training is well under way now, most of my nights are filled with varying types of training and my days are filled with aching muscles. ( a good ache )

 After speaking with different people about what's the best training winter, I decided to try a variety of things, the main one being cross training. http://youtu.be/ytYh1N6niLQ

  

Example:

5 circuits-

20 slashers 

1 min over head slosh pipe

5 laps Farmers walk

10 squats with slosh pipe

10 shoulder to shoulder with sand bag 

10 halos with kettle bell. 

31 minutes dead it took me

Climbing the Blackpool Towers.

Last nights training session took me to the climbing towers in Blackpool, for more info go to blackpool climbing site.
  tonight's session was just me and Andy, we started of with a quick warm up, the usual stretches and a bit of cardio to get the blood flowing, then onto the wall.
Andy led the first route like he does, making it look easy and flowing from one move to the next with amazing strength, i seconded up and for the first time made it to the top of the 25m route, needless to say i was quite happy as my last attempt had only seen me to halfway.

Andy then did a back to back lead and i followed up with my first lead on this impending and very high structure, i managed to get halfway before over gripping and forgetting to breath properly took its toll and i got to around half height before muscle pump kicked in.

once we had finished on the routes we got stuck into the circuits, i did 3 minutes sets and Andy did 4 minutes, which we did four times then had a rest and then repeated.

by the time we had finished my arms were throbbing. great training tho  feels great.

SPA WEEKEND in the northeast.

This weekend I did my SPA climbing assessment with roxcool climbing up in the northeast. 

Our first day was at almscliff doing personal climbing skills and at Macmillan climbing centre in Middlesbrough. 

The second day which consisted of group work was at scuggdale in the morning and then gisebough viaduct to do the assisted abseil in the afternoon. I would highly recommend roxcool for any climbing qualifications you are considering as they were terrific the whole weekend. 

I passed with flying colours and now can't wait to get to work. 

Jims new shoes.

This week one of my friends asked me if I could take him out climbing, he'd seen all the pics I've been posting over the years and finally decided to give it ago.

The first evening we went up to wind gather rocks above kettleshulme in Derbyshire. We started off with a good warm up then went down the right hand end quarry to look at Kim's footwork. 

 

 I gave Jim a pair of climbing shoes which He found straight away to be so much more responsive and a lot more grip on the rock, we went through a few simple rules of footwork, as footwork is the key and vital to progressing in climbing and you need to start how you mean to go on. Once we had done some exercises on footwork and centre of gravity we moved onto some climbing techniques.

The next evening we headed up to stanage to try out jims new toolbox of skills. We started with flying buttress hvd ****. I led up it and Jim seconded. He got slowed down at the top of the first slab entering the upper slab through the bookcase corner. I just had to remind a few key points of what we had learnt the previous evening and he was soon up and enjoying the view from the top of flying buttress and revelling in his first four star climb. 

 Our next rout was holly bush crack vdiff ****, once Jim started climbing you could see he was feeling a lot more comfortable on the rock, this climb was solid climbing all the way to the top and Jim really enjoyed this route and thought it was the better of the two routes.

On the way home we stopped of at the old hall pub in hope for a pint and to have a chat about the climbs and what Jim enjoyed and wants to take a closer look at next session. 

The works vandalism.

I went down to the works on Sunday after hearing the news on my return to the uk from Spain.
I couldn't believe that someone or people would go to such lengths to vandalise such an important venue.
This venue was purposely developed for drytooling and has no other use, there were no routes already there and in no way encroached on any existing routes or venues.
It is a small dank hole the ground that keeps drytoolers of the mountains and in a controlled and well equipped area purposely developed for us.
A very sad incident indeed.
http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=547700&v=1#x7322355

Millstone crack addict

Sunday we headed over to millstone edge in the Peak District and we went up to the north bay, which is one of the less visited parts of millstone edge. Me and Ed had our sights set on a climb called Estremo hvs 5a, a twisting fat fist jamming crack, which led to a crusty layback and out the top onto flakey rock. Fun fun fun I here you cry.
Ed set off first in his ultimate wisdom of not warming up and got ten feet off the ground before placing some questionable gear and backing off and coming down.
Ed knows how I hate this way of climbing so I was best pleased to be setting off up this route to first of all have to take out what he had placed and replace it, especially when there's two great chock stones in the crack which he somehow missed. I got to the top of the crack and as I placed my foot on the last thin green ledge to reach for the final jug, boom I went and was on my gear ( which I was glad I replaced). A moments lack of concentration and I was gone.
I pulled myself back into the crack and carried on into the corner to place my gear and get myself ready for the layback above me.
Once happy with the gear I pulled round onto the face and found that the layback was two full on layback move on to a big ledge with nothing but smears for you're feet. Really enjoyable an committing moves. Once at the top I set up anchors and brought ed up and he fell on the upper part on the crack. I also found treasure at the top of the route to. It was at the top of perplexity. A good day out.

First day back and a first accent

Saturday was finally the day that i got to actually lead something at the quarry I've been developing over the past few months, as I've been going there on my own cleaning and climbing the routes by abseil and on a ropeman.
I was mega psyched to finally get on the rock and lead the routes I've been cleaning and getting ready for so long. Especially one of the routes I knew hadn't been climbed before, so that would mean my first first accent. Whoop whoop.

The first route we did was around the vs mark, I'm not sure for definite as I've not got the guide with me at the minute.
It's a great climb with loads of gear after the start moves which are unprotected but big ledges and a good stretched move, followed by nice climbing to a large flake which is negotiated very differently to what you would expect as for the lac of foot holds on the opposite wall. All of the top outs at the quarry are sketchy at best as the grass and foliage has taken back the crag. So it makes for interesting finishes.

Next after warming up and in the ZONE I wanted to do the new climb. I'd abseiled down it a few day earlier to clean it as it was covered in ivy and you could really see any detail on the climb. Once I'd abed down it and started to rip all the ivy off it a nice route started to emerge. Once tied on I set off and as I went i was clearing the soil and grit which lay on the holds from all the ivy I had ripped off. The climb consists of two small ledges spaced apart to give you a nice balancey mantle shelf move so you can reach the next ledge and move onto the second small ledge using two small sandy krimps. Once stood on the second ledge you place you're first geared and the three pieces of gear you can place are one number 1 nut then micro wires.which are all on the edge of the crack. Once you have placed the gear you are onto the final slab and the crux moves which are also the last set of moves to. With the top moves you have to get it in the right sequence and you're away any other and you make it really hard for yourself as I saw with ed seconding as he fell on it.
I was mega happy to do the route and named it Little monster and gave it E1 5c due to the unprotected start thin gear, crux moves right at the top and Krimpy climbing.