Better late than never

Ive finally figured out to post a link!!! Thanks again to Joe and Colette for the video of Ciudad del Dios in the Santa Linya cave.

http://www.dpmclimbing.com/climbing-videos/watch/tom-bolger-climbing-ciudad-del-dios-9a

Only 2 weeks to go here before heading off for the summer, 2 months for climbing, climbing and trying to stop Harry scaring people.

Summers Coming

First of all I would like to say thank you to EDELRID who have taken me on as part of the team. I've had all my new kit sent out and its amazing.

Its got pretty hot here in the last couple of weeks and we have had to venture to some crags that are in the shade but close enough to be able to get to work on time. We went to Sector Regina at Terradets, world class tuffa climbing thats well worth the walk-in. We have also had a couple of days at the lesser travelled sector at Terradets called La Pizarra, where we have been doing a bit of cleaning and climbing. Although the crag is roadside the routes are amazing but very 'old skool' ie HARD!!!

Joe Kinder and Colette were staying with us for a few weeks which was really motivating, we did a load of climbing and lots of drinking, Joey also filmed me on Ciudad del Dios which was really fun.

We are now on the countdown to the school finishing.......only 4 weeks to holidays!

Casa Santa Linya, life in Spain.

Well, so far this year Lynne and I have had loads of friends staying at the house which has been awesome,too many names to mention them all.

I think it's always great for the motivation to have psyched people around you I feel it really helps to get you psyched to try hard.

Here are a few photos of recent activities here in Catalunya.












Alex (the hulk) Barrows walking to the gorge at Mont rebei, with myself and Ross Kirkland.















Elly (the dutchess) chilling on the sofa.






















The team having a late night workout on La Rambla.






















Ummmmm??Which way to the car?

Well, anyway I've been trying Catxasa loads and have fallen at the top 4 times now. Hopefully the weather will cool a little bit, I will rapidly grow some new skin and be feeling good for tomorrows redpoint.

Siurana Real Rock fun in the sun!!!!!!

Well, Sunday saw Lynne and I team up with Neil McGeachy (geek) and take team Scotland for a day out in the mega sport climbing venue of Siurana. A big shout has to go out to Team Scotland, who were all awesome. I must say that I'm really impressed with the kids that are coming through from Scotland, they've got great determination and truck loads of energy to boot!!

The sun was out and it was really hot but that didn't stop anyone all of the kids crushing atleast 7 routes in the day!!

I think what Geek is doing with the MCofS is really great for furthering Scottish climbing, they are getting kids out onto the rock were they are gaining invaluable climbing experience from a really young age. Which, when you look to Mr Ondra, is definately needed by todays elite!

Montsant Magic

Yesterday ,with my project under my belt, I decided to go and do some onsighting-destination Montsant. I had only ever been to Montsant once before, 3 years ago, but had seen the stunning line of L mens 8b+. I remember standing at the bottom of it too intimidated to get on it.

Well 3 years on and there I was tying in, getting psyched up for the onsight go.

This time I had decided that I was going to approach it differently, in the past I have approached routes onsight too psyched up, jittery, full of nerves and have blown them on some subtle foot move or pumped out over gripping.

The route went really well, I had to battle and there was definately a couple of moves were it felt really close, but I managed to stay relaxed and keep my head together right until the chains, keep those thoughts of "I'm going to do it" at bay.

Soo pleased to do this route am really psyched to get back into onsighting.

All aboard the sending train!!

So, after warming up at the football pitch waiting for the horrible fog to leave the cave . We arrived with an hour to spare before having to get off to work. On arrival Alex Barrows started what was to be a crazy day of sending with a fine ascent of Rollito sharma 8b+ ( his first of the grade)!! Two Japanese guys managed to simultaneously crank out a red point of there 7b project on the last day of there trip receiving an awesome applaud from the busy crag. The atmosphere was great. Up next was me, I managed to do Ciudad del dios 9a/+!!! Next, Danilo busted out Rollito Extension and just as I was running around stuffing my things into my bag trying to leave for work Rob Lamey fought his way up Ruta del sol 8b. Possibly the best 20 minutes of sending ever?

Ciudad del dios is the first route that has made me question whether I could really do it or not. I knew I could do all the moves and I could do it in two sections , putting it all together however just seemed both mentally and physically too much.

The first section of the route is a five bolt 8c+ which is really bouldery, with two main deadpoint moves. The second part is longer and requires you to switch over quickly into endurance mode. I found this transfer from really bouldery to resistance climbing mentally very taxing. I knew that to do the route I had to remain calm, something that seems so easy to do until you are actually there.

Well, climbing is so hard to determine what you did differently, what let you snake your way up when every other time you got spanked and shut down. Is it physical? Some of it must be. Is it mental? Definately, when I was actually climbing the route I felt more relaxed than ever before, I felt confident and without any nerves of falling or about doing the route. The demons that so frequently dash all redpoint hopes just weren't there. Maybe for me a once in a year moment of mental focus like this is how Ondra or Sharma rock up to the crag every other climbing day ?

The cave

Well here we are living in Santa Linya!! Walking from our house to the crag, the cave!

Climbing in Santa linya is probably one of the most surreal places, when your in the village you feel like you are on the edge of the world this is a place where donkeys and packs of wild dogs rule the rutted and mostly dirt streets and where the average age is at a youthly 72.

On arrival at the cave, however, you will probably be greeted by an array of very expensive vans, large groups of people speaking in more languages than you thought existed and nearly all of them queueing up to get on some 9b or another.

Every winter the cave fills up and we spectate watching the climbing elite come from all corners of the world to test themselves on the amazing hard routes that are to be had. Just over the last few weeks there has been an impressive show from team Japan each of the four members climbing 8c+. I think that you can learn so much just from watching the different climbing styles and different approaches to routes. The Japanese guys try to onsight everything even if it is at there redpoint limit. This positive mentality and approach is maybe something we could all bring to our climbing. When was the last time you thought oh yeh this route is as hard as the hardest route I've ever done , I'll just get on it and onsight it?

Well anyway as for me, I have been trying a route called Ciudad del dios 9a/+, having fallen near the top and struggling with flappers and heel slips and numb hands and any other excuse I could think of for falling rather than I just fell, I decided to have a shot on blomu 8c+.

Blomu is an awesome route it breaks dow into three parts 7c, 8b, 8c+ the first is quite short and burly the second is crimpy with two dynamic throws and the third part consists of delicate heel hooks, tenuous body tension foot swaps and a pretty spicy run out, the whole thing is a truly brilliant route. Very psyched to do it but it just isn't my project, which, I am more motivated than ever to get back on, hopefully I can squeeze a couple more cositas out of the tank to top off what has been my best year of climbing to date.