The weather was actually good enough to go climbing today after the spell of Northern summer that we have been experiencing since I got back from my brothers wedding. Given this unseasonable spell and wishing to take full advantage of it, it was off to Rubicon with the Flipper to see what was what.
Ran into the Lagerstarfish at the crag and had a chat with him - got a recommendation for a 6b to look at sometime soon and after the usual sitting about and cogitating it was onto the "easy" traverse to warm up. It actually felt OK today which was nice - the last time I was on it I just got beasted and it felt hard as nails but even with a better feel to it, it is still nowhere near the 5 (or 5+) grade it gets given as far as I am concerned. Sat about some more and got chatting to a guy I met at Owler Tor a few months back - turns out his name is Chris which he probably told me last time but since he couldn't remember my name either I refuse to feel bad about it. More dossing ensued while we watched three guys make Rubicon Wall look piss and then it was off to have a look at A Miller's Tale.
It is just one of those problems where you look at it and think it will be interesting. Felt the starting holds and tried a few different ways of starting it before settling on a method that allowed me to be pretty static and then it was a matter of sticking my right foot on the huge but a bit polished foothold and trusting it. The first couple of times I slid off the side of it experiencing a rather painful knee\limestone interface in the process but once I had gained a bit of trust in it then it was just a matter of trusting it some more. Semi static move to the good sidepull, compress across the shoulders to stay on and then drop a huge flag out to the right with the left foot - just one of those moves where the more you do it the better it gets - it's truly beautiful. Once you have done this and you realise you are still on the wall then go with the left hand to the slot as static as possible which if you have done everything right should feel relatively easy (well easy as it can anyway).
It is at this point where the hard work kicks in - it feels (to me anyway) that the obvious move is to go again with the left hand which contradicts the "accepted science" behind climbing movement and the fact that I am blowing the foothold when I hit it backs this up. The solution? Ignore "accepted science"! Compress some more on that sidepull and pull that bit harder on the "good" crimp you hit with the left - sometimes you have to ignore the science and just go with what feels right. Plaster that foot back on and get stable then strike the next crimp with the right hand and that was about as far as it went tonight - I held the crimp with the right once and it feels pretty good but probably more important is that I feel the problem will go.
Roll on Friday when round two commences - as for the fact that I seem to be enjoying the perversity that is polished Peak Limestone? Just treat it like "accepted science"...
Ran into the Lagerstarfish at the crag and had a chat with him - got a recommendation for a 6b to look at sometime soon and after the usual sitting about and cogitating it was onto the "easy" traverse to warm up. It actually felt OK today which was nice - the last time I was on it I just got beasted and it felt hard as nails but even with a better feel to it, it is still nowhere near the 5 (or 5+) grade it gets given as far as I am concerned. Sat about some more and got chatting to a guy I met at Owler Tor a few months back - turns out his name is Chris which he probably told me last time but since he couldn't remember my name either I refuse to feel bad about it. More dossing ensued while we watched three guys make Rubicon Wall look piss and then it was off to have a look at A Miller's Tale.
It is just one of those problems where you look at it and think it will be interesting. Felt the starting holds and tried a few different ways of starting it before settling on a method that allowed me to be pretty static and then it was a matter of sticking my right foot on the huge but a bit polished foothold and trusting it. The first couple of times I slid off the side of it experiencing a rather painful knee\limestone interface in the process but once I had gained a bit of trust in it then it was just a matter of trusting it some more. Semi static move to the good sidepull, compress across the shoulders to stay on and then drop a huge flag out to the right with the left foot - just one of those moves where the more you do it the better it gets - it's truly beautiful. Once you have done this and you realise you are still on the wall then go with the left hand to the slot as static as possible which if you have done everything right should feel relatively easy (well easy as it can anyway).
It is at this point where the hard work kicks in - it feels (to me anyway) that the obvious move is to go again with the left hand which contradicts the "accepted science" behind climbing movement and the fact that I am blowing the foothold when I hit it backs this up. The solution? Ignore "accepted science"! Compress some more on that sidepull and pull that bit harder on the "good" crimp you hit with the left - sometimes you have to ignore the science and just go with what feels right. Plaster that foot back on and get stable then strike the next crimp with the right hand and that was about as far as it went tonight - I held the crimp with the right once and it feels pretty good but probably more important is that I feel the problem will go.
Roll on Friday when round two commences - as for the fact that I seem to be enjoying the perversity that is polished Peak Limestone? Just treat it like "accepted science"...
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