Rest time

So unfortunately I have been dosed another rest period away from climbing:( this time it is a back injury.
 I'd had the occasional sore lower back from time to time but always put it down to swinging around in huge steep caves and having sore, tired muscles. That was until when working on our house I lifted up a rather large boulder and felt something pull in my lower back, thinking it was just a tweaked muscle I went back to climbing a few days later trying seleccio natural 9a I could still climb but falling off and the pressure of my harness on my lower back was horrible! This continued for two months until I thought I need to go and see someone about this. I thought maybe I just needed a massage to work out the knot in my back. I saw a physio and then an osteopath and with no resolve, I went to the osteopath for 2 weeks until she said I better get an MRI done to see what exactly was wrong. So went for the MRI and it turns out I have a herniated disc or disc bulge. SO basically need to take it very steady and no climbing at the mo...going to get started with some physio and work towards getting fit and healthy again. It has really brought home that you have to look after yourself well and also has really made me look to and appreciate that I want to climb for a LONG time and that to be able to do that I need to respect stretching and general care and not just about trying as hard as I can every time I go to the crag.
A positive in all this rest time is that I'm working on my general flexibility and especially upperbody  working to see if I can straighten out my right arm fully for the first time in the last four years!!!!! Reading Jerry's book is definitely keeping the psyche up...

On a positive note our house is coming along and am very psyched about getting climbers to come and stay..... I also went out with a friend who lives near by to check out new walls 20 mins from the house that are pretty awesome, long, good rock and north facing which is perfect for when the weather heats up!!!

New year in the sunshine!

To bring in the  new year we headed down to Oliva near Gandia, with Gaz and Kate to check out the local crags there and get a bit of warm, sunny weather! Had a great week checking out Bovedon and climbing and bolting at Gaz's own super crag, en La Vall de la gallinera.

The view from below the mega steep prow project.

The view from Gaz's crag! Here I bolted a roof project, which I tried and will prob be 8b or maybe a bit harder called "Do the Andrada". Really cool spot perched up above a beautiful valley am definately psyched to go back and play on some of the projcets there!
Since then I've been climbing in margalef, trying some easier stuff because I've got a bad back:( and am currently seeing an osteopath about it, didn't really realise how frustrating and difficult back pain could be, i'ts also definately brought home that I need to get more flexible and that flexibility and posture play a huge part in both performance and preventing injuries.

POW!!!!!

Happy after doing Rocaina dura 8b+ on the new part of Espadelles Margalef

Los reyes de Margalef!!! haha

Sunny Catalan Weather ;) Harry snow wrapped

Now back in Catalunya I'm so psyched to explore and climb at my new locals, Margalef and Siurana, also been out and found a load of sandstone boulders (roofs and everything) walking distance from my house!!! Just need a new back!

Catalunya Days

So those crisp winter days are upon us, fresh cold air and mint conditions on the rock. The last couple of weeks have been awesome, I have spent some really great days at Santa Linya cave sessioning Seleccio Natural with good friend Joe Kinder.
The route itself is majestic one of the best, untravelled to say the least,  Joe and I have had some frustrating hold snapping incidences, and have definately left the route harder than before.

Lowering off Seleccio Natural

 Trying a hard route with Joe is great fun, he brings so much energy to the crag it's crazy, when he's not trying to send the route he's investigating and bolting a new extension. It's been really cool to compare and learn from different climbing styles and approaches, enjoying the same route is something new to me and is something I've been missing out on. Don't get me wrong trying projects on your own and working out your own ways feels so wholesome but having a laugh, belaying each other on the same project is really cool, I feel the most relaxed I have ever felt whilst projecting a route. Psyched to get out there tomorrow and give it a go!

Joe chatting beta

Chris and Primo

Primo

Colette

Primo on fabela 8c+

Another perfect Catalunya winter, wouldn't want to be anywhere else!!

The other current project Lynne and I have is a house!!! We have got a place 30 min from Margalef and 30 min from Siurana!!! Basically more climbing than you can shake a stick at so really psyched to put some work in and get it the way that we want it...

SHERPA

Worked after 8a+ onsight

So big thanks to my newest sponsor SHERPA Adventure Gear, with their amazing clothes I'm going to keep nice and toasty at the crag this winter!!!
All sport climbers know that there is nothing more important than a big warm down jacket at the crag, whether for belaying or chilling with your mates between redpoints it is crucial in being able to keep warm and keep your energy levels up instead of just shivering to death. You might be thinking i'm crazy because I live in Spain and people don't think it gets cold here but they are WRONG!!! It gets feckin freezin but it normally coincides with the good conditions so being able to deal with the cold is essential for making the most of the good friction. The Sherpa khumbuche jacket the perfect crag downy, I had it on today at the cave and it was awesome.

Soo...... getting back some fitness! Two weeks ago I started climbing again on rock and made a trip to Tres Ponts with Lynne and met up with Gaz Parry. To be honest I felt absoloutely turd, I was climbing like a robot locking off every move, trembling at the knees scared about falling off and just generally crap, fumbling clips etc 7b felt like 8b and 7c like 8c. So after three routes I was destroyed both mentally and physically, I was chatting to Gaz about the importance of getting on rock and how plastic just doesn't prepare you for it, I ended up having to have a week off as my finger started to hurt a bit again:( Anyway after a week off I felt fresh again, my finger felt fine and I was psyched to get fit and feel fluid on rock again. We headed back out to tres ponts, I did a 7b to warm up and felt good! I was nicely suprised, feeling much more relaxed and actually enjoying the climb not gripped out of my mind. Next I had a look in the guide and picked out a 7c+ to try and onsight, so I grapped 16 draws thinking that would be more than enough and set off with my new beany on to shield me from the icey wind blowing across the crag. Well I got up into the crux puffing and panting and was thinking to myself the whole time this feels totally desperate for 7c+, shit I have got a lot of work to do to get back into shape!!! Anyway I fought my way up the route, not taking enough draws for the monster, I had to seperate the biners creating a heanous rope drag, I squeezed the rope into the anchor and sat back!! UUUFFFF I let out and muttered to myself something about fucking 7c+ desperate!

Got down and was psyched to get up the thing and thought it was an amazing route, truly 5 star but kept thinking it was desperate for 7c+ after checking the guide again I realised oops it was an 8a+!!! yayy confidence boost!

So that was three days ago, yesterday we went to the cave and I did a couple of 7cs and felt ok today I gave myself a huge kick up the arse and set off up Fabelita 8c just to go bolt to bolt for training and I did it!! I mean I have done this route before and know the moves well but I'm just so psyched to have got some fitness back in such a short time!! I finished off the day by doing the 7c 5 times. So psyched for this season going to have a couple of rest days and then maybe hit Oliana!!

Gaz and I getting ready for some 7b chimneying

tornado in cubells

Jack on 7c at tres ponts

In the cave with Harry, home sweet home!

Power to weight!!!

Incredible week for climbing! 8c+s, by a little girl which just boggles the mind. Having taught english for a few years and teaching loads of 11 year old kids I find this incredible not merely because physically 8c+ is f**king hard but because it is also so mentally and technically challenging and most 11 year olds iv'e met are still little, little kids fighting over using the other kids rubber, spilling bogies everywhere and laughing at everything that has the word bottom in it!

How can an 11 year old girl climb as hard as adults who have dedicated 10s of years to training or basically to the best female climbers in the world?

Pushy parents? Psyched Kid? Naturally amazing power to weight ratio? Environment (loads of psyched climbers)? Coaching?............ The list goes on.

Ondra flashing 9a! Awesome, amazing skills he definately makes you feel like you need to pull your finger out and try hard!! haha

Then you have the other side of the coin, Edu Marin's dad does his first 8b+ at 60..... incredible.

Climbing is amazing it is so complex, thats what keeps it fresh and always inspiring I suppose.

Psyche resurge

Unbelievabe psyche resurge today, went climbing in the wall, did some boulder problems for the first time in the last 2 months and my finger didn't hurt at all!!! I know now it's time to be responsible and not go mad on the rock and try some 9a+ but I must admit i'm fecking psyched. I totally believe that having a break sometimes is a good thing and I definately feel like I have a renewed energy.

Check out these routes which look absoloutely amazing and that are at my local crags!!!!

                                                          Nit de bruixes 9a+ Margalef

 

                                                   Fight or flight 9b Oliana

 

                                              And a video of me that always gets me psyched because it reminds me of good times, hanging out with good friends and trying hard in the cave.

finger issues, fitness training

Well, things don't always go the way you want them too! The summer break in the UK was meant to be for hard core training ready to come back and crush Catalunya's awesome crags, instead it turned into injury riddled rain dodging and feasting on really healthy food like fish and chips, haggis and litres of irn-bru.
Being back in the Spanish sunshine is amazing and great for the body and soul, my finger is healing up well after spending the last couple of months doing very easy climbing and making sure not to crimp anything. The last week I spent training in a cool little wall in les avellanes the village next to Santa Linya, I must admit, it feels weird training indoors when the sun is shining and the cave is just around the corner, but it is what needs to be done. I have been doing some fitness training, going running and the last week I was doing 100 move circuits and doing 1200 moves in total finished off with sets of pull-ups rounding upto 200. Its actually pretty cool just being able to train and then hang out in the sun.
With rain forecast for the next couple of days I'm going to head down to a friends climbing wall in Lleida to do a bit of training and then time to get on rock again.Psyched!
 Having this time away from being able to go and try my hardest on routes has made me realise just how much I enjoy it and how difficult I find it to be cooped up inside, how stunning the places where we go climbing actually are and how much I love the process of having a project in mind and running through the moves in your head last thing at night.

Harry hitting the booze

 

Bielsa

 

 

The new wall at Les Avellanes, work in progress.

Kiu

chilling in the campo

Camarasa coffee break

Dinner time

The best beer out there!