Smalldale sport, and training.
As promised, the start of more regular updates, with a focus on my fledging training to focus on improving my climbing level and overall fitness. The first area of my fitness I'm working on is that of power endurance, i.e. how long I can hold on for before my muscles get pumped.
This started with a trip to Smalldale in the High Peak on Saturday 28th, where myself and my fellow climber Tom were planning on working some challenging routes in the 6c-7b range. We didn't really know what we were in for, other than that the crag was bolted limestone - what we found were powerful and technical routes that really brought the gaps in my climbing to the forefront. After a somewhat long-winded 6a warm up, we moved on to an impressive looking aréte route 'First Offence', with a grade of 6c+ - This posed a real challenge for me, with several powerful moves that I found difficult to link, and an overall intensity that sapped my strength. After linking the moves individually, I'll be returning soon to claim the redpoint. Following this, Tom worked an intense and crimpy 7b route with the apt title, 'Virtual Insanity'. Within five or six attempts, he had climbed the route in two parts, but by this point couldn't muster the strength to bring it all together in the redpoint attempt - again, one for next time. Great climbing all round!
After the way I'd struggled with endurance on the sport routes, and from recent experiences with trad routes, I've decided to focus my training on power endurance and lowering my recovery time. Today's climbing was a four hour session in the rock gym - the first two hours were spent on the bouldering problems, making use of the big overhangs to really work my upper body and core. I worked problems at V4-V6, climbing them, then downclimbing and shaking my hands out on the beginning holds without touching the ground, then climbing the route again. Following the bouldering I did a quick session on the fingerboard, and then got on the big walls to get some real endurance going, a few quick 6b/c ascents followed by some eliminate jamming routes on the moulded walls.
Really great training, and should lead to some great results! In other news, my new mountain bike is very nearly built, so I'll soon be hitting up the peak district trails hardtail style... Stay tuned!
Mischa.
This started with a trip to Smalldale in the High Peak on Saturday 28th, where myself and my fellow climber Tom were planning on working some challenging routes in the 6c-7b range. We didn't really know what we were in for, other than that the crag was bolted limestone - what we found were powerful and technical routes that really brought the gaps in my climbing to the forefront. After a somewhat long-winded 6a warm up, we moved on to an impressive looking aréte route 'First Offence', with a grade of 6c+ - This posed a real challenge for me, with several powerful moves that I found difficult to link, and an overall intensity that sapped my strength. After linking the moves individually, I'll be returning soon to claim the redpoint. Following this, Tom worked an intense and crimpy 7b route with the apt title, 'Virtual Insanity'. Within five or six attempts, he had climbed the route in two parts, but by this point couldn't muster the strength to bring it all together in the redpoint attempt - again, one for next time. Great climbing all round!
After the way I'd struggled with endurance on the sport routes, and from recent experiences with trad routes, I've decided to focus my training on power endurance and lowering my recovery time. Today's climbing was a four hour session in the rock gym - the first two hours were spent on the bouldering problems, making use of the big overhangs to really work my upper body and core. I worked problems at V4-V6, climbing them, then downclimbing and shaking my hands out on the beginning holds without touching the ground, then climbing the route again. Following the bouldering I did a quick session on the fingerboard, and then got on the big walls to get some real endurance going, a few quick 6b/c ascents followed by some eliminate jamming routes on the moulded walls.
Really great training, and should lead to some great results! In other news, my new mountain bike is very nearly built, so I'll soon be hitting up the peak district trails hardtail style... Stay tuned!
Mischa.
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