Fabela Pa la enmienda 9a

So with loads of motivation for 2012, I managed to make an ascent of my fifth 9a, fabela pa la enmienda.

This one is special to me as it climbs all the way out of the cave at Santa Linya. I remember first visiting the cave on a trip when I was 17 and swinging around on the 8a´s there thinking how impossible and intimidating the place was. Ít´s cool to look back and be able to see the improvement, something that is often very hard to see and something that as climbers we are always looking for.

Check out the interview about the route at UKclimbing:

http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=66228

Thanks need to go out to Lynne for the epic belays and to EDELRID, whose support is much appreciated.

Winter Wonderland

Eli on Pegue Nocturno 8a

Porky!!!

Niels cruising Spanglish at the futbolin-Santa Linya

Gerard hanging out at the rest on fabelita 8c.

Well Catalonia is the place to be in winter. Cold, crisp, blue sky days are what it's all about. Xmas and new year have come and gone but the winter season out here is still in full swing. The psyche is high and all that christmas grub seems to have finally been burnt off!
Now I'm psyched to climb all the way out of the Santa Linya cave, yesterday I fell off the top of Fabela pa la enmienda 9a, an awesome 50m route out the middle of the cave, getting some air miles on the clock as the bolts are super spaced, as you only clip 5 bolts in the second half of the route:)

This year I am psyched to do more exploring, get out and try some hard routes in new places, bolt more and climb more onsight! Maybe even a multipitch or two!

Gypsy Blood

Gypsy Blood,
is the new route I have just finished bolting and cleaning today in Santa Linya!
Wow, the work that goes into bolting these routes is beasting, thank god I´ve finished it, so now I can spend rest days actually resting instead of fighting with a 50 degree, 30 metre overhanging wall.
Obviously the name is about Lynne and myself, lifestyle choices and a bit of family history in there too!
Although, It should be known that I haven´t had to turn to collecting scrap metal to fund my climbing passion, YET!

I haven´t tried the moves on the sharp end but obviously felt the holds and stuff whilst hanging on the static rope, it´s so hard to say how hard it will be and i´m really psyched to jump on it and check out how hard it actually is. The cool thing about the route is that there is virtually no resting point so will be super resistant, continuous climbing. Just how I like it.

Well we´ll see, ill get a photo tommorrow.

Psyched ;)

Turning point

Well, I´ve been trying my project, as usual. This project seems different to the others I´ve had before, after coming agonisingly close to doing it in the spring ( falling at the top 6 times) I thought that with cooler temps and a focused run at it I would be able to polish it off quickly. However, so far I haven´t managed it. Even though strangely all the sections feel better than ever the damn thing still holds out against me.

The main crux of the route is a slap to a mono, this move is just so fricking hard to get right! I t´s not just about strength it´s about timing, about commiting everything and not giving in to the natural "oh my god I´m slapping to a mono and my finger´s going to rip off" fears.

The annoying thing is I´ve been through this move before and also I´ve done from one move before the mono to the chains three times! Redpointing- it´s mental!

It is SUCH a learning process and is definately the hardest thing I have ever tried. After getting close but not doing it I now realise that I need to up my game to get this route done. With this route in mind and Tudor bompa´s periodisation manual in my hand I have reached what I think is a turning point in my climbing. Climbing over the last 2 and a half years has been going to the crag and me throwing myself at the hardest routes I could get on, well i´ve enjoyed it and I´ve learnt lots on the way, but I think it´s time for a bout of training aswell.

Yesterday I started: boulder warm up, 2 x 8a laps, then 2 go´s on my project , then up fabela 8c+ then back to the casa where I did sets of ten and 20 pull ups on a small edge on the fingerboard ( 100 in total) then went to work, finished at ten got home ad then did a fingerboard session.

Still psyched today even though I can´t lift my arms above my head;)

Oh yeh and today as it was pissing it down I have been bolting a new line in Santa linya cave! It´s incredible the amount of work that goes into bolting these routes and I have a new found respect for all the guys out here who bolt routes (out of their own pocket). So far it seems really hard, you never know though until you start trying the moves, but I woudn´t be suprised if the cave had another 9th grade route notched on its scoreboard.

No pics at the mo because my camera battery charger is capput! :(

The Monkey King- Indian Ondra

I first saw this video some time ago, it was shown to me by good friend Alan Cassidy , not quite sure how he found it but what an amazing find!

WARNING

This video contains moves that even Ondra can´t pull off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BPN3gLVDsOY

Someone give the guy some climbing shoes, just imagine what he could do!!haha

Desplomat- 2011 Les Avellanes

Pablito, busting out a backflip.

Dyno!!!!

Xavi, swimming in climbing shoes.

Sunday was spent chilling out in the sunshine flying off the wall into the pool!

What more could you want?

The final of the boulder comp on Saturday night was really good fun, amazing problems, with a late finish even by Spanish standards we finished at 3:30 am! The party went on to the 9 the next morning.

Diego Marsella having a think about the moves on one of the problems in the final.

Alex taking down one of the final problems.

Chris mantelling out the volume on prob 5.

Me catching the swinging balls, awesome problem.

Great atmosphere for the final.

The one and only Andoni Perez, comentator extrordinaire.

Mid comp refreshments.

Lynne crushing the blocs.

Desplomat at the weekend was a great success. Loads of people turned up for the boulder comp, which had a really great and friendly atmosphere. The problems were super interesting and well set, it definately felt a bit unusual for me and was great training (battering) doing dynos and loads of funky moves that you don´t normally do when your tied onto the end of a rope.

The Desplomat event was all about raising awareness about the climbing areas around Santa Linya to show how important it is to local climbers and from the rest of the world. As you may know the climbing situation in Santa Linya has been a bit difficult in the recent past. I think that this event will have helped hugely in showing the local government and other people just how important the climbing in this area really is and help to keep areas like Santa Linya open.

Congratualtions to all the guys from Les Avellanes for putting together such a great event and also a big thankyou to Victor Fernandez, the ringleader of the whole thing.

Last but by no means least I´d like to say a massive thankyou to my new Sponsor : freshstartliving.com

They are a super innovative company that truly appreciate the dedication and sacrifices that have to be made by top level climbers.
With their support I feel a new confidence and motivation that I can achieve my climbing ambitions.

Proj mode

Me, being a pikey!!! Foam mats for the board I want to build.....

Sweating at the casa

The new chicken coop, first free range egg was layed yesterday!

Vicious guard dog attacking the obviously dangerous orange squeeky ball.

Back at the casa, got all the School/work shite organised and now to think and engage myself into Project mode, Catxasa is awaiting my attention.......

Desplomat bouldering event is also going to be really cool, they have errected an awesome wall over the swimming pool in Santa linya and there are loads of steep funky looking bouldering walls too. Cant wait it´s going to be a really great event.

The last couple of days out here have actually been a bit cooler and it has sent my psyche levels soaring.

Jumping back into project mode on Catxasa 9a+, I had to remind myself of a few subtle foot and hand movements but all in all it went well. That was until my foot popped which saw me helicopter spinning sideways, my leg getting caught by the rope and me flipping upside down. All very dramatic indeed but actually nothing happened, I had a brief moment of turding myself and letting out a scream like a 6 year old girl only too have the softest of soft falls and lower to the ground feeling a bit stupid. Oh well atleast there was only Lynne there laughing at me and not a packed crag!

Oh what fun are the mind games of redpointing!