Kalymnos 2013

Kalymnos is unbeatable in a lot of ways. The combination of amazing climbing with great scenery and a holiday feel are second to none. As my second trip there I knew what to expect and wasn’t disappointed. 

photo: Mat Welsh

We went in the last week of April and during the first half of the trip the weather was breezy, sunny and perfect! Unfortunately, it then got very HOT and we eventually realized that early starts were the only way forward.

The route highlight of the trip for me was Houftasaurus (7b). Despite the deceiving name (Houfta means jug in Greek) this tricky route began with some powerful moves into a technical wall at the top. It’s found in ‘Jurassic park’ sector which is a bit of a trek beyond Grande Grotta but worth the detour. After a real fight and plenty of head games I managed a red-point ascent. On the same day my friend Mat also ticked Carnivore (7c) and there’s nothing like a team send to boost psyche levels!

A trip to Kalymnos wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Grande Grotta. After onsighting DNA I was psyched to try something longer and harder. What I didn’t quite expect but ended up with was a 2 hour upside-down epic on ‘Priapos’. I set off but fell at the crux about a third of the way up. Continuing through the tufa jungle my energy totally ran out about an hour in. Most of me desperately wanted to just lower off but I’m glad I kept going and another hour later (seriously) I clipped the chains. I would be keen to try it again if I go back but I feel like I could do with some all round body-conditioning/fitness before I try to tackle the tufa forests again!

Priapos, 7c photo: Mat Welsh

Grande Grotta was also an opportunity to test out the new Scarpa Instinct VS which were not only ideal for the steep terrain but also perfect for wrapping my toes and heels around the tufas. Not to mention that they were still comfortable after 2 hours of climbing. They will definitely be my shoes of choice for anything steep!

Grande Grotta photo: Mat Welsh

My last day climbing in Kalymnos was odd.  We were up at Olympic Wall sector in the sun and I decided to try and onsight one last route, a nice looking 7a on the main wall. For some reason my mind got stuck in a negative spiral that I just couldn’t shake off. Despite this, I actually got to the top in a flood of disbelief and disappointment at how my mental strength had crumbled.

I left perplexed by the impact of mental attitude on climbing performance and wondering how I could get myself out of this hole if I find myself in it again. If I work out any tricks I will of course post them but for now I have chosen to see the route as a positive light, that despite my negative thoughts…I still got to the top.

photo: Mat Welsh

Costa Blanca 2013

Costa Blanca is another climbing destination that has a proper holiday feel. February was a good time to go and although there was a bit of rain it didn’t matter at all if you liked steep routes. The off-season rates made a sea-view apartment an option too which definitely made up for the occasional rain shower. There is a large variety of grades and styles, perfect for a group of climbers of mixed abilities but we were drawn to the steep routes and spent a lot of time in ‘hidden valley’ sector of Sella. We also spent a frustrating amount of time driving up precarious dirt tracks searching for crags. Although the little hire car coped, a 4x4 would have made the journeys a lot more relaxing!

Winter Sun

 

I spent a lot of time trying a route called ‘Celia’. A long, steep 7c+. With limited fitness this was probably not very sensible but it was a great route and once I had tried it I just kept going back!  I was pretty gutted to leave without ticking this route but in some ways I feel like failing on it has probably done more for my climbing than succeeding. My main two lessons were pretty obvious:

1)    I need to practice climbing at my limit

2)    I can’t expect to do harder routes without putting the hours in

 

Keeping warm in between attempts

Climbing at your limit is totally different mentally to climbing well within your limits. I found Dave Macleod’s comment on maintaining good technique at the crux useful. The day I left disappointed from the crag was not actually the last day of the holiday when I knew I hadn’t done the route but the previous day when I had given up mid-move on the crux. The crux move for me was a lunge up to a side-pull crimp which I have to hold at almost full stretch while I sort my feet out. That day, for some reason something clicked in my brain mid-move and I knew I had given up before I even touched that crimp. For me, the most devastating thing about climbing is when you don’t succeed because you know you didn’t try hard enough (and you always know). But…trying hard doesn’t always come naturally and like every aspect of climbing of course it is a skill that can be practiced and developed. So this has made me realise that I really need to practice trying hard and practice climbing out of my comfort zone. 

This trip has also motivated me to start a training plan and set some specific goals again, something that I haven’t done since leaving the British Bouldering team. The plan is realistic and very flexible and therefore I believe is the first training plan I have actually ever stuck to! With a trip to Kalymnos on the horizon it isn’t hard to find the motivation to stick to it either. 

photo: Ryan Beggs

Feeling Normal Again

Applying for medical school, interviewers sometimes ask about how you deal with stress (usually a fairly meaningless question for 17 year olds). The standard answer of being organised, prioritising tasks and keeping perspective all come to mind, and then of course you slip in how multiple extracurricular activities help you to relax.

Last August, having made the leap from being a student to becoming a doctor, I would say I finally understood the real value of having such an absorbing hobby. I have such a distinct memory of my first climb after starting work. It was in my 3^rd week of the job, in the last stretch of 12 days straight. I had survived my first weekend on-call and was exhausted but decided a climb might be better than sleep. Bouldering around, thinking of nothing but the climbs in front of me, I suddenly realised that I actually felt like my normal self again. During a time when everything was new and intense, feeling ‘normal’ was a huge relief.

As it happens, the job has calmed down considerably and with the intensity of the first few months in the past, my climbing psyche is officially back. After leaving the British team, my climbing ambitions all went on the back burner and uni became my main focus. However, over the past few months it’s become obvious that I still have a lot of ambitions in climbing and I’m keen to push my limits. Perfect timing for a climbing trip to Costa Blanca…