Friday 27 June 2014

May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favour?

Two weeks ago was the European Youth Speed Climbing Championships in Ratho. So in preparation for the event I had an easy week with only one easy session at the wall. The day of qualification arrived and I started warming up, building the psych, adrenaline and excitement. Then disaster struck.

While practising some dynamic moves to get my body into the swing of all things speed I pulled my tricep. Panicing I tried to ignore it and did some sprinting hoping it would lay off... Still nothing, I got a massage and had it taped up which seemed to improve it ever so slightly. I tried to have my first practice run on the wall and realised I couldn't climb at all.

And that was it! The end of my last competition as a junior on the GB Team.

After a week of good physio and being very careful doing the best I could to help it recover I felt maybe I would actually be ready and fit to compete in the British Bouldering Championships. So the day came around that I looked forward to more than any other day of the year and I really believed I was fit!
After warming up I was ready to go out and climb, being ranked 6th at the start I was up to climb 3rd. So I had an early start!
Problem 1 - A techy slab involving a slightly balance orientated sequence that I just wasn't prepared for on the day. My head wasn't in gear I was afraid of pushing my shoulder and just wasn't ready to commit. So sadly no top for, me just a bonus.
Problem 2 - Thuggish climbing on volumes revolving catching small holds on the corners to try and progress higher up. Still afraid to really push I just couldn't get up it, I wasn't able to catch the holds and was basically just flailing around the wall...
Pressing out the first move of Problem 3
Photo - Phil Waterhouse
Problem 3 - Had a very powerful shouldery move to start which on my first go I managed to power through it! But fluffed the end by forgetting to use an obvious hold. Three attempts later I got past that dreaded first move and finally topped the climb.
Problem 4 - A straight forward power problem up volumes and a steep wall. Being unable to figure out the start for a few attempts I finally got past it and was up there ready to throw for the last hold and I just powered out... After that I got no further....
Problem 5 - A vertical wall involving a jump right to a volume then carefully balancing across to the bonus hold and a careful reach to the awful last hold. Luckily by this time I was in gear and ready for it. My style. After 3 attempts I finally held that last hold, dropping it the turn before!

Problem 1
Photo - Phil Waterhouse
I managed to scrape into the semi finals in joint 9th, a pleasant surprise as I really thought I hadn't made the cut.
The next day I woke up, feeling sore, weak and slowly dying from Hay Fever. But I couldn't focus on the factors that just held me back. I had to be ready, motivated and psyched to send!
Problem 1 - Another slab! With an awkward start, that luckily for me I figured out this time. But perhaps a few too many attempts...
Getting up there on Problem 1
Photo - Alex Messenger
Problem 2 - Flexible and powerful climbing around volumes that I just couldn't quite nack! I felt so close, but the answer to the end sequence just eluded me...
Problem 3 - Aggressive climbing up an overhang on poor volumes that honestly I think I was just too weak for.
Problem 4 - Well. This didn't go well. And I think it showed, I couldn't even pull off the floor and after what felt like a lifetime of embarrassing my self in front of everyone I couldn't take it any more and finished for thirty seconds still to go...

In the end I finished 14th place, not as good as my result last year but having had time to contemplate the event and my performance I'm still quite pleased. The odds where not in my favour all weekend and I tried my hardest to fight through them and didn't perform too bad.
And to top it off now I'm competing in the senior event I will always have the next year unlike competing in junior events where you will be moving age groups ever 2 years, a very unforgiving environment. I will not miss competing as a junior. I had a rough time going through it dealing with psychological set backs as well as physical in most events and then never having a second chance because I became too old for that age category.

It may take me five, ten, fifteen or even twenty years. But I am always going to be chasing my life goal of becoming the British Bouldering Champion.

Full report and results from the BMC here.

Replays of all rounds below.


A few days after the event I received the package I've been anxiously waiting for this year. The Evolv Nexxo. I've been a fan of Evolv since I first pulled on a pair of Shamans back in January 2012. I've gone through a few shoe brands since I started climbing such as Boreal and 5.10 and although at the time I felt their shoes suited me well none ever gave me the feeling I got when I first pulled on an Evolv shoe. I do not believe there is a "best" shoe in the world but for me nothing could top Evolv, I find I get a lot out of the rubber and the shape of the shoes suits my foot shape perfectly. I've always been able to pull on a brand new pair and they just feel right from day 1. Linked in with the Love Bump and Knuckle Box I feel Evolv has found the balance between very high performance climbing and comfort. And I believe they are key factors. Because you won't be pushing your hardest if you are in pain due to tight, agonising shoes.
I initial impressions of the Nexxo's are great and I feel Evolv has done it again creating a high performance shoe that doesn't lack comfort/ I'm looking forward to many sessions to come climbing in them.



Thanks Beyond Hope Climbing yet again for your fantastic support!

Friday 6 June 2014

IFSC Boulder World Cup, Innsbruck

I've always said that in life if you aren't doing things that make you happy then quite frankly what is the point? No matter what I do in my life I will always follow the path that puts a smile on my face. These where two main factors in my decision to attend another World Cup this year. Practically I couldn't afford it and financially it wasn't a wise decision, but for all I know I could severely injure myself any moment and never climb again. Even with the unlikely event of that happening I wasn't prepared to take the risk, so why not live in the moment?

Next thing I know I'm at Heathrow Airport again, this time with Jon Partridge ready for my next world cup. Motivation was high, I'd been told many different things about Innsbruck but the one that stuck in my head was "It's one of the best events of the year." So I had built up an idea in my head of what was in store for me over the coming days. Mostly revolving around my childhood dream of a massive crowd in a beautiful city watching the best climbers in the world compete on the best quality problems in the world. But did it deliver?

In short, yes.

But a simple "yes" doesn't emphasise how phenomenal the whole experience really was. I have never experienced an atmosphere quite like it. Watching the finals in a square of about 4000 other people shouting and screaming was amazing, they had great music playing, lights, commentating, the whole sha-bang. It really was breathtaking.

But down to the climbing. Due to there being such a large crowd of 81 men we where split into two groups competing on comparable boulders. In my eyes this was the only downside to the event, because although they where comparable in style, they where not in difficulty... The bonus for me is I was lucky enough to be placed into the "easy" group.

Problem 1
Photo - Eddie Fowke
My first problem was a awkward traverse on a slightly overhanging wall off of volumes which made the wall seem more like a slab. My first attempt I got my feet into a bit of a tangle while stretching across the first volume. Once realising what I had done wrong I hopped back on and although reading the sequence slightly wrong and going a more powerful was around it I was suddenly matched on the last hold! A feeling I will never forget, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face!

The second problem was completely different, a steep overhang on small holds and a crux move revolving around a sloper. I had one attempt and at that point knew I was no way near strong enough to do it, I fell off with a slightly stained back from the powerful moves, collected my thoughts and tried again. Dropping off yet again realisation set in that not only could I not do it, I was severely hurting myself. I stood up and realised I couldn't breath and moving was agony. I called it at that point and went back to isolation trying to decide if it was worth continuing with the competition.

Problem 2
Photo - Eddie Fowke
Problem 2
Photo - Eddie Fowke


















After much debate I made the unwise decision to continue anyway and got onto the third boulder, a dyno to two slopey pinches, after fluffing the first go trying to avoid hurting myself further I realised I just needed to try harder and easilly sent it, catching the dyno, campusing to the next pinch and then pressing out to the final hold.

Problem four was again a dyno but from an awkward angle to a positive hold but again at an awkward angle. I had many goes and even now believe I could do it but sadly I was in too much pain to really commit to going all out on it...

Finally my last problem was a slab on tiny footholds and thumb catches. After dropping my first attempt due to not wanting to trust my feet on the small holds I hopped on again and made the awkward transition up off the little holds to a flat volume and then a big pull to the final hold, yet again finding myself at the top of another problem!

My overall score was 3 Tops in 6 and 3 Bonuses in 4. I'm ridiculously proud of this as it placed me into a respectable 45th place. Next time I'm hoping for more similar difficulty boulders for the groups as I do not believe this is an accurate representation of my ability on the World Stage.
Dave Barrans, John Ellison, James Kassay and Myself Supporting CAC!
Regardless of my thoughts they where indeed fantastic boulders and I again had the time of my life competing with the best yet again. I was lucky enough to be offered the help of the Austrian Team Physio with my back and after a short diagnostic he had worked out what I'd done. So moments later there was a "crack" and suddenly I could breath again and the pain subsided! A few short days later and I was fully recovered, I can't emphasise how much I appreciate his help.

The GB Team had good results all round with Shauna Coxsey winning her second consecutive gold, beating some very tough competition. Mina leslie-Wujastyk making semi finals and the men being in a very tough category, mostly coming down to attempts on whether or not people qualified!

GB Results

1st – Shauna Coxsey
16th – Mina Leslie-Wujastyk
37th  - Micheala Tracy
67th – Diane Merrick
41st – Dave Barrans
45th – Orrin Coley
65th – Jon Partridge



Final Results


1st – Shauna Coxsey and Killian Fischhuber
2nd  - Anna Stöhr and Adam Ondra
3rd  - Akiyo Noguchi and Rustam Gelmanov
4th  - Mélissa Le Nevé and Dmitrii Sharafutdinov
5th  - Marine Thévenet and GiGi Glarion-Mondet
6th  - Miho Nonaka and Michael Piccolruaz


Yet again it was an amazing experience to be up there, I don't see myself being able to attend anymore events this year. If the opportunity arises I will jump for it but sadly it is too expensive for me at the moment!


The Full results can be found here - IFSC Boulder World Cup Innsbruck Results

Also if you are feeling generous, why not go buy The Circuit World Cup and Performance Magazine? It funds Eddie who took these wonderful photos to travel and report on all the world cups.
And while you're at it, maybe go donate to Climbers Against Cancer!


Finally recently I have Reset the V7-V8+ boulder circuit at The Climbing Station and we did a short video to demonstrate a few! (Ignore the poor footwork, it was a long day...)

Stay Psyched!