Kalymnos 2012

After finally coming to the end of 6 years at uni, I booked a holiday to Kalymnos with a group of friends. The place is amazing, and for anyone psyched for routes it has to be an essential tick. As it happens, anyone psyched for great food, beaches, snorkeling, sun and relaxing would also have a great time in Kalymnos.

photo Laurie Kearsey

It was an amazing place for combining all of the above and the perfect way to relax before starting work. Although it’s known for its steep tufa-packed terrain there was actually a good variety of all angles. However, as I’ve always been a fan of monkeying around on overhangs I was most inspired to get some roof action.  

We went in early summer, which was ideal for the beach but was a bit of a killer when it came to walk-ins and climbing. Psyche levels were high though, so we got up early. I seem to remember 6 or 7am starts, as we tried to get to the crags and into the shade before we literally melted (being British). With so much rock there were plenty of options for climbing in the shade.

photo Michael Bamford

Most days consisted of an early start, climbing until mid-afternoon, then a sweaty trek down to the ice-cream shop where we hung out until we found enough energy to wander home, grab the snorkels and head to the beach. Heaven.

Feeling a bit out of practice on real rock I eventually plucked up the courage to get on something a bit trickier starting with King Tufa Pumped (7b+). After red-pointing this route I was well and truly psyched for tufas and the next stop was Grande Grotta.

King Tufa Pumped (photo Michael Bamford)

 Grande Grotta is featured on most of the postcards and this place didn’t disappoint. My highlight from the cave has to be Zawindul Syndicate (7c/+). The climbing on this route is so different to anything I have done before. Really gymnastic climbing, you find yourself using all body parts possible to negotiate the giant tufas (which also give some essential hands-free rests). I worked the moves and then came back on our penultimate day for a successful red-point.

Zawindul Syndicate (photo Michael Bamford)

Zawindul Syndicate (photo Michael Bamford)

 

Kalymnos seems to offer a perfect combination of great climbing, sun and sea and I definitely hope to return. This set me up for a move to Liverpool where I started work as a doctor in August. The first few months have been a bit of a rollercoaster but I will blog more soon about how climbing has been keeping me sane.

Grande Grotta (photo Michael Bamford)

photo Laurie Kearsey

Big Changes

The past few months have been busy! Some big changes have already happened and more are on the horizon.

First of all, and one of the biggest changes for my climbing in the last year was deciding not to re-try for the British Bouldering team. I really enjoyed being a part of the team and loved having the opportunity to compete. Ultimately though, I felt I didn’t have the time or drive to train in a way that would mean progressing further with the world cups. It was a tricky decision but has been the right one and has meant my climbing has changed quite a lot.

With less pressure (mainly from myself) to train for comps I took a total break from training plans and just went wherever climbing psyche took me. My ever-present route psyche won out for a while and bouldering went on the back burner. This culminated in doing my first 7c in the UK at raven tor (obscene toilet) and psyche levels were high.

With a brief return to comps in March I competed in BUCS (British Universities and Colleges Sport) competition for the last time. I came 3^rd contributing to a 3^rd place for Sheffield uni overall. Another fun comp and I was happy with the results.

One of the biggest changes coming up is finishing uni. After 6 years studying in Sheffield I have really been focussing on work this year and preparation for starting real work in August. With a job lined up in Liverpool I am now into my last few months of living in Sheffield which is a strange feeling. I’m psyched to check out some of the North Wales rock though!

And finally, after my last set of exams I managed to go on a last-minute trip to France and Spain for some climbing and (attempted) surfing. First stop climbing-wise was Riglos. An impressive crag but we were unprepared for the giant multipitch routes so would have to visit again to make the most of it.

Riglos

 

We also visited the amazing Rodellar with its stunning lines and seriously steep routes. This was my first trip there but I would definitely love to go back. It’s a beautiful area and we were there at quite a quiet time. We only had a few days climbing so ended up climbing 4 days on, which I never usually do. I spent a lot of the 3^rd day trying via viciosa, a bouldery 7c+. Although I was shattered, that night I couldn’t stop running through all the moves in my head and I knew I had to try it again before we left. 

The next morning my mind was psyched and ready but I had no idea how much my body had left to give. After an achy warm up and putting the clips in I was ready to go. It was a serious fight to hang on but amazingly the moves stuck and I got to the top! It was a great way to finish our time in Rodellar and so satisfying getting to the top of something after such a fight. I hope I get to go back soon! 

El Delphin (If only my pictures did the scenery justice!)