Cold Fusion Blog

With high pressure set over Scotland. I planned a day off work to make a Sat/Mon attempt on my Anvil project. Deadlines at work had been grinding me down so I was looking forward to chilling out in the sun.

Saturday 28th April. With a decent warm-up for once in the sun I felt good on the project. Suspecting I could do the jockey seat link I pulled on and slapped at the quartz edge, swinging I popped off at the last milli-second. I doing so I managed to rip four deep flappers in my little finger as I skidded over the sharp quartz. A bit of finger mummification managed to keep the gory bits in place for another go. I couldn’t bear the pain of more dogging and ripping my finger again so decided to start redpointing. This I found more settling, break the three year cycle of dogging and making some progress. On redpoint I managed to catch the sloper twice, once lifting my foot. On my final go I felt good. Lifted my foot and slapped at the crux hold. Funny that Dave read my body language. In that second before I slapped the hold negativity crept into my mind. Thoughts of pain and failure from previous efforts. Its weird how a place and position can hold such a strong association and how fast this can alter mood. Dave suggested that that it was down to expectations. If we find ourself exceeding those expectations then we can become lost. This is why I prefer to back link my routes to reinforce positive engrams with each movement. I hope I wont fall into this trap again.

Sunday 30th April. With another outstanding forecast I was really keen to improve on Saturdays effort. First I tried a back link from the crux to the top. After holding the crux swing I continued but fell off the top crux, showing how hard the route might actually be. Spent some time on this move and sussed out a better way to hold the crimp with a thumb wrap, leading to a more controlled swing. Managed 7 redpoints in total today, 2 failed, 4 got crimp, 1 slapped hold - but couldn’t hold final arch of swing - very, very close! Temperature starting to become an issue. Weekday traffic meant a really late start and didn’t start redpointing until 4pm in the sun. Will try and make an early start for the coming weekend.

Dave seemed to be suffering on his project too. Having made good progress early in the month he was now fighting to gain the same high point. The full tactical assault was on using various sequences, speed and psyche to adopt a winning method. Given this much effort I’m sure the route with yeild soon.

Saturday 20th April. The weather was back to the west coast norm today with a forecast of heavy showers. It didn’t turn out to be as bad as I expected when we arrived at the Anvil. The crag wasn’t too wet but closer inspection revealed a lot of surface dampness. Dave’s project was too wet to climb, so instead he tried another one of my projects into the direct start to Body Blow. This he managed to climb to half way so it looks like my project could be F8b and the continuation into Body Blow a potential F9a/+!

The dampness didn’t effect my project too much, it just being dry enough to climb. I managed the crux, then concentrated on the jockey seat link managing to slap the hold once. Slight progress but not the link I had hoped for.

Saturday 14th. A change in spring weather away from the cooler temperatures was welcomed by many across the country. However, training mid week at 11pm in my T-shirt I started to doubt how good conditions at the Anvil would be. On Saturday I returned for another go on my project along a psyched west coast team.

Conditions at the crag we’re as I had feared, positively pleasant! A stark contrast from the shivering belay duty the week before. It was great to see so many ropes and chalked holds at the anvil. Everyone was enjoying the sun and I even seen a bottle of sun block out. Every sport climber know the rule that “If belayers aren’t winging about the cold, its too hot to climb”. I was happy to enjoy a little sun too, but knew this would make life hell on the project. Still, I was interested to see if I could do the crux again and that last weeks effort was no cold weather fluke.

First hit of the crux sloper from the jockey seat, but not enough. (MacLeod Col) .

As a warm up I worked through all the moves on the route, something I was now close to contemplating as a whole. Next session I was surprised to do the crux first go. I kept going afterward but was surprised to fail on the top crux. This might be a redpoint crux yet. On subsequent sessions I concentrated on linking from the floor and from my jockey seat. In a total of 15 goes over the afternoon I only managed to catch the crux sloper (very badly) twice. Even from two moves in my fingers were feeling damp on the hold. I wish I’d tried the higher link a few more times for practice rather than coming away with this pathetic amount of progress. Still, considering the conditions, maybe it wasn’t too bad.

Dave seemed to be having more luck with conditions on his cave project, making it to the final move. It was pretty inspiring to see him climbing the entire Anvil line via a fine fusion of power and technique. I still remember my first look at that roof, thinking it would take us decades to work it out. Now, it seems like all the lines could be complete before the decade is out. Hopefully I’ll be back soon feeling stronger and cooler to complete my contribution.

Saturday 7th and Monday 9th April. Given the choice of a couple of days off work I wasn’t going to say no. With Monday booked off I took the chance to live like a full timer and get two visits to the west coast.

My optimism was high after a particularly good training session from Thursday night. Interestingly the magic numbers 1-4-7 have seriously slipped by me since late January. Despite persistent efforts I quickly went down hill and was unable to repeat the feat. That is until now. Wednesday nights training session wasn’t happening due to work stresses, leading to a 13 hour sleep to recover. Revitalised Thursday night was on. Warming up I felt very strong and suspected 1-4-7 could well happen. However, it was still pretty special to latch rung 7 again feeling a lot more skippy than I have in the past few months. Somewhat confused, I’m still trying to attribute this improvement to one of the following factors:

• Better diet - eating healthier for a week,
• Finger boarding - all two sessions, and,
• More sleep - all thirteen blissful hours.

Its quite likely that all three were beneficial.

Niall ‘Monkey’ McNair Bat hanging at Dumbuck, a man in full control of his feet.

On Saturday I headed back to Dumbie to try Sabotage again. My warm-ups did feel better than the previous week and my shoulder’s held up to the punishment. Again, I was getting irate when I couldn’t do the final move. After 30 minutes of trying I had to stop and ask myself the question“What the hell I’m I doing wrong”. Luckily, Tom Charles Edwards “Renowned Scottish climbing technical head doctor, was on hand to give me some advice. After a quick chat we figured out that my body position was too tight in and I was pushing my own feet off the foot holds. Once I tried hanging my body in a slacker position on the move I managed to do it again. Suddenly a bout of deja-vu struck – I’d had this problem last year too. Its amazing just how technical steep hard climbing can be. Reunited with the gen I ran out 4-5 reps from the start to the crux which was feeling much harder. With that I was knackered and headed home.

On Sunday I headed back to the Anvil with Dave Macleod. The weather this time was back to the west coast average. Pedaling out on the bikes through the drizzle was quite cold and mucky. We arrived at the crag to find our routes dry but damp from the wet air. The boulders underneath we’re also treacherously slippery. Dave Managed to fight of his aches to climb a new route, The Atlantic Strikes Back graded Anvil 7c. I was surprised to see him come off first go from a blast of drizzle to the face, he must be going soft from all those sunny routes abroad! I got going on my project and was surprised to be doing last weeks link 80% of the time, hitting the edge, lifting feet then slapping for the better hold. After a few goes I started to drag it, but the swing was still too violent to hold. After a quick dog, I figured out a smaller but more positive foothold to use. Confident this would work I managed to hold the swing second go!

Its strange that when all the moves are completed on a project how overall perception of difficulty can be lowered. Next session on trying a lower link, plus two easy-ish moves, I was eating my own words. The route felt desperate. Once I’ve completed the project, I’ll be keen to compare it with Dave’s route Body Blow. Despite the crap weather it was worth it to feel some improvement. I really hope I can continue this and complete the route as only six weeks of spring remain.

Saturday 29th March. With another good forecast the plan for Saturday was to take advantage of the extra light and sun to visit Dumbarton and the Anvil with Iain Moody and Ali Robb. I’d been waiting a long time to get back on Sabotage since Spain and other interruptions and was keen to see some progress. Warming up I was feeling fairly strong before my shoulder started to twang. This was probably from trying one arm pull ups on Thursday night, and I emphasis the try part as I could no longer do them! Things weren’t looking good but I decided to give the final Moves of Sabotage a try. To my raging dismay I could no longer do the final move! After ten or so tries I had to give up feeling very disappointed. By lunchtime it was time to move on to the Anvil.

Ali Robb climbing Friendly Fire F7a+ at the Anvil, Argyll.

Arriving back at the Anvil I was happy to wait until evening to get back on my roof project. Meanwhile Iain and Ali tried Shadowlands Michael’s excellent looking F7b+ form last year. Sadly it was still a little damp in the crack for either to be psyched for the lead. As evening rolled in I bit the bullet and found myself under the crux on my Anvil project again. Late last year I had been denied even hanging the crux hold having been able to hang it in the spring. My initial swing at the diagonal sloping crimp felt good and I was surprised to hang it after a few goes. The same problem in lifting my feet for the crux dyno remained. However, a mix off revelation and pure determination seen me slap at the hold at least in a few more goes. With that I was happy to leave for the night feeling that I had made some progress from an entire winters training.

The crux of my Anvil Project, like a much harder version off Slap Happy at Dumbie. (Ian Moody)

Now the spring season has arrived I question myself what can I do now to make the difference to climb these projects. Time ticks away each year and I find myself failing to succeed. I’ve now decided that core changes need to be made and some bad habits addressed. I’ve started finger boarding to kick my finger strength up, something I’ve never done before. I’ve also started watching my diet to lower my weight. I can no longer continue working in an office job all week feeding myself psychologically with unhealthy and unnecessary food.

Sunday 1st April. Its been a while since I was last out in the hills with Lindsey. The forecast for Sunday again looked stunning so I made no hesitation in planning another Munro walk. I was a little wary over our fitness so decided to choose the two accessible peaks of Beinn Dorain and Beinn an Dothaidh near Bridge of Orchy. I could see that Lindsey was settling back into the old role off chilling out whilst I drove. She was in for a surprise when I stopped the car, declared she was insured and that she should drive the rest of the way whilst I chilled out.

Looking somewhat worried whilst Lindsey drove.

Arriving at Bridge of Orchy gave flash backs of my last visit to Beinn an Dothaidh winter climbing some four years ago. Approaching the col between the two peaks gave and excellent view over the crags on either side, looking a little less inspiring without their white winter coats. Looking over the Beinn an Dothaidh crag I could see the winter new route I had climbed with Dave called Cool Riders, named after the horseback like belay seat below the roof.

On reaching the col we could see people dotted towards the summits of both peaks. Picking the harder looking Beinn Doraih first we ascended the steep slopes to the summit ridge. Unfortunately I chose the wrong path before the top and we ended up on a sheep trail across the steeper slopes. Finally, realising my error we walked directly for the skyline and found our way to the summit.

Enjoying the spring snow on Beinn Dorain, Ben Nevis visible in the distance.

Having carried only one pork pie each I was dubious about tackling Beinn an Dothaidh fearing Lindsey’s response would be a flat NO! I must have caught her on a better day and we soldiered onward to the summit of Beinn an Dothaidh in the evening light. With so little food to keep us going for six hours the climb felt a little exhausting. Bouncing back down through the bog we fantasied about what foods we could treat our selfs on our return.

Lovely evening light over Beinn an Dothain cliffs on our return.

In all a great day, it was great to see big smiles on so many peoples faces commenting on the great spring weather. At the same time I was a little sad about being so busy over winter and not getting out for a walk in the snow. Lindsey seemed to be taking it all less seriously. The classic moment being her confident stride left knee deep into a bog, after doing likewise with the right on the way up.