Cold Fusion Blog

Saturday 21st June. I’d hoped to get stuck into some training this week but the familiar pattern of daily exhasution creeped over me. I’d planned to train on Thursday but a 15 minute nap turned into a 4 hour sleep. I chose to avoid another 11pm training session and decided some lifestyle changes definitely need to be made before I psycologically past the point of no return. After last weeks success I decided to take a break from the limestone and visit some crags in Scotland. So a rough plan was made to visit the Tunnel Wall in Glencoe to work on stamina before heading to Ceuse.

The Tunnel Wall, Glen Coe (Richie Betts).

In the end we had a team of six climbers, Fiona and Robbie from Edinburgh and Riche, Andy and Nick from Inverness. It was great to see everyone hyped with ropes and chalk all over the Tunnel Wall. Having travelled more over the years the wall didn’t look or feel as intimidating as it had done to me in the past. My plan for the day was to try and do Fated Path F7c+ a route I’d heard many people speak about but I’d never got around to trying myself. Having done no real stamina training in the last few weeks I wasn’t expecting much from the day other than todo some links and get very, very pumped.

I dodged up Fated Path slowly working out all the moves. The first crux at bolt three moving right was harder than I expected off some small sharp edges. Moving right the holds were all positive but with no rest until a bucket under bolt six. I had expect to find a crux off two pinches at this point that folks spoke off but instead found some very small crimps moving into the first break. Moving on the moves to the second break all felt fine. The rest here however was poor, two good crimps needed to be used to avoid using the sloping break. The next crux had me stumped. The holds were very small quarter joint crimps. VERY small to be using 20m up the wall after a poor rest. I worked out a better sequence after 5 minutes but wasn’t convinced I get passed it. Moving on the climbing didn’t get any easier and I needed another 15 minutes to work out a decent sequence through to the lower off. After taking so long to work it out I was amazed at the number of onsights the route has received. Although each crux was hard I suppose the wall wasn’t that steep and those with stamina might actually be able to rest pretty well.

Robbie trying Fated Path F7c+, Glen Coe.

In the meantime Nick inched higher on Admission F7c+ (It looked hard low down), Robbie made a quick ascent of Railway Children F7c and everyone else worked away on Uncertain Emotions F7b+. I thought I better get climbing to get warmed up again from the cold wind.

Causually I got geared up with no expectations. Looking up at the 30m wall I didn’t expect to get very far before lactic acid paralysis struck. I inched up slowly to the third bolt trying to warm my fingers. I already felt the pump starting. I scrapped through the small crimps off the first crux before scurrying along the handrail towards the second. The crimps weren’t very forgiving to rest on so I pushed on through the next crux to the good jug. My arms felt like jelly for the first few seconds before I felt like I was getting something back. After a few minutes rest I lanuched through the next crux, the small edges feeling surprisingly good. As I rested I looked up towards the crux thinking I definitely wanted to get there just to be in with a chance. After a few minutes rest I was off again motoring towards the second break. The jelly arms stuck again and I really didn’t think I get anything back. However as the clock ticked on I was still hanging in there. The hot rock lizard mode took over, switching hands shaking above, then below trying to flush the muscles, breathing hard to oxygenate blood. Judging thats as much I was going to get back I rattled on. Grabbing the first very small edge my forearm immediately jellied, somehow I rocked over grabed the small ear with my right, stood up I threw and caught the jug.

Serious bit of elbow work as my heart pumps battery acid (Richie Betts).

The rope felt heavy and I fumbled around trying to clip it. The batwings were out again and I fought to get it back. In my mind was the fact that I didn’t want to and probably couldn’t do all this again, so I was resolute to rest as long as it took to get me between the remaining rests. To minimise pressure on my arms I tried to drag the skin on my fingers into the side of the holds. I mused over a visit to church the next day if I could somehow pull this off. I wasn’t quite sure who or what had control over the situation but I was still stuck 25m up this wall and after more than 30 min I wasn’t going to give up. I contined pressing into the groove, another crimp, the horriffic sloper, pocket and undercut. I battled to get my feet untanged as my elbow popped out. I slapped at the next jug and luckily held it. As fingers uncurled rolling off the jug I tried to clip the rope but was too pumped to feel the caribiner and dropped the rope. Again somehow I avoided the flash pump boundary and got something back before clipping. Rested after another few minutes I battled on to the next handlebar. Staring at the lower off I promised myself not to make a mistake and finish it. A few minutes later I was there at the top of the tunnel wall having succeeded to climb the route first redpoint with an absolutely appauling level of stamina. Somehow the massive effort over 45 minutes felt like a real personal achievement. I’d battled the whole dam way and for once won!

Tuesday 10th June. After taking a day off work I was hoping to feel psyched to train to get Full Tilt done but it never happened. A combination of heat, humidity, deteriorating shoes and diminishing returns ended a couple of sessions before they’d properly begun. Still on Tuesday morning I felt psyched leaving the house for Kilnsey with Michael, like a proper full timer. On arrival at Kilnsey it was feeling warm with the crag just out of the sun. I ended up hanging back until 5pm before I started warming while Michael tried other things.

In the evening the wind picked up and the route began to feel sticker as I’d hoped. After a quick bolt to bolt I went for a redpoint. After so much time on the route I’d definitely found my pace sprinting between brief stops. Pulling through on the crux everything felt positive with plenty to spare before taking the kneebar rest. Pulling out I’d never felt as fresh into the crux. Slapping at the sloper finger tips stuck, just, requiring a final udge home. Confident this was it I went to pull through only to hit the wilt of doom before hitting the final jug. So close… On the next redpoint I got wrong handed on the final clip and wasted vital seconds getting back into sequence. It cost me that go. The next redpoint ended in the same place. With another training day before a return weekend visit I was confident I’d finish the job.

Saturday 14 – Sunday 15th June. Thursdays training at 11.30pm just didn’t happen. I waited too long for conditions to improve and feel asleep again. I’m really starting to feel a drop in PE and stamina from these missing training sessions that will cost me redpoints on the crag. Keen to resolve the problem and get my training back under control I went ahead and bought an AC unit off ebay. Hopefully this will help improve matters.

It was back to Kilnsey again for the weekend this time with Niall. Conditions felt brilliant with an October like air temperature. Skipping his usual neck straining warm up Niall cracked on and bagged Full Tilt and Urgent action after a quick dog up both routes. Inspired I got redpointing but just couldn’t stick that last move after two redpoints. The tape over a flapper from Tuesday was slipping each time making it a two rather than three finger move. I took myself off for a walk to reflect on what action to take, to have another go or rest for two attempts the next day. By the time I was back at the crag I still hadn’t decided. In the end I though one more try and I’d be too tired to try the next day, a good way of escaping the pressure.

After the now usual time stalling chat at the base of the crag I pulled on and began. Moving through the crux I felt tired but held it. Moving onto the jugs arms felt pumped. Annoyed I cursed my lack of fitness that how the f&*k I was ever going to climb this dam route when I was always so unfit. Wobbling to the final clip and into the knee bar I felt like I’d climbed 30m rather than 10m. With arms and legs burning I looked at the draw and wanted to grab it. My glassed scraped some grit into my eye and it seemed as good an excuse as any. But I held on. The press right had felt easier. I stabbed and twisted my greasy taped finger into the hold, got setup for the throw and stuck it square on. Wasting no time I pulled through to stare at the final hold thinking failure but fingers slotted in perfectly and I was finally done. I revelled briefly in the success I wait so long to achieve. It felt good!

We finished the day by eating pasta and noodles under the crag and drinking red wine (Niall was well prepared) before taking ourself’s off to the pub for that long awaited redpoint beer.

On Sunday Niall dispatched Grooved Arete and Subculture quickly style before final declaring he was knackered. Meanwhile I had a dog up True North again to asses how much training needed to be done.

The last few days on Full Tilt have been an interesting journey. Its nice to complete routes feeling trained up and fresh. This is when they should go but more than often don’t. Normally as tiredness kicks in a bigger push of determination does the job. By this time technique is refined and muscle capillaries are fully dilated. Every once in a while the subconscious comes into play to carrying a drained body and battered psyche past the finishing line. Like a magic trick the one last go when climbing contains the true prestige. I’d rather be climbing my routes as of the first instance, but its the last that seems to draw me to climbing the most: what can be achieved by pushing through the grey area between success and failure.

May 31st-June 1st. My training this week didn’t quite go to plan. I found the numbers falling again on Tuesday, probably due to tiring myself out running on Monday night. Frustratingly my finger strength and weight were worse, while my PE held and stamina improved. On Thursday my shoulder still nipped, with a weekend trip to Kilnsey planned I decided to take some rest.

Niall finishing Full Tilt.

Leaving Edinburgh it was great to have a full car for a change, I looked forward to catching up with Iain, Neil and Sam again. Arriving at Kilnsey on Saturday the weather was a tad humid. Since we didn’t have to rush home I patiently waited for the crowds to leave and the tempts to drop. Conditions improved by 5pm and felt ideal for redpointing. After warming up on Full Tilt I went for a redpoint. Feeling just as pumped at last weeks highpoint I soldiered on and surprised myself by pulling through the crux! However, on the next move I misplaced my foot and fell. With a building headache from the earlier sunny drive I lay passed out musing about feeling bad and that I’d probably do it now. Next redpoint around 8.30 I pulled through the crux (after cutting loose low down) fluffed the clip, then kept going to touch the second last hold (Septembers high point). After a bad nights sleep in the car (headache) I soldiered out another two redpoints on Sunday that didn’t make the same high point. To finish I tried the next crux above the belay finding a better foot sequence to avoid the previous weeks crazy bardoor. Linking this a couple of times it felt better for me using low feet than the high left foot and reach method. Over on South buttress Niall was playing broody with five ducklings that fell from the ledge above Directisma. Despite their twenty five meter plummet the wee things seemed fine after an initial winding.

Niall’s brood confined to short nest for misbehavoir.

This weekend I was surprised at my progress given so little training, it seems I must have done something right! I know my PE and stamina are not quite as good as last year so perhaps finger strength has got me by so far. I’ll keep the work up across the board in the coming week and within the limits of my shoulders. I’ve also discovered a new redpoint window at Kilnsey past 7pm when the crag and road is quieter and conditions are cooler. I’ll be up for more of this in the next few months.