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! :(