World Cup Hall, Austria

Here are some sideways videos of me on the blocs in Hall for you to watch whilst stretching your neck.

The first bloc was frustrating being easy to the last move. A pop on a slab where I could get the height but not the trajectory. I dropped two other blocs, topped 2 and got all the bonus holds to come 31st. I was a bit disappointed as I felt I should have got further on a couple of the blocs.

Central Tokyo

Just playing with the lights in the dark

Better late than never. Some more photos.

We liked the plastic food in the windows showing you what you can get. Fish, unless its me trying to buy raw fish. Then its deep fried pork. Good job I was really enjoying the deep fried pork.

We also like the skyscrapers - especially the one with the free lift to the 46th floor.

World Cup Kazo, Japan

Kazo was good. With a huge cherry tree and a handy shops. The street was lined with IFSC WC flags and streamers with disc pictures of climbers stuck to them, prepared by local school children.

Lots of fish flying (carp) for the the comp and childrens day on May the fish-th. I found a good big fish, little fish, cardboard box scenario.

The comp - it all felt so hard... and it was. A hard set of quali blocs. I flashed the first and got a second bonus to qualify joint 20th. In by the skin of ma teeth. I felt I climbed slightly better in the semi, apart from on the first block where I felt like a sack of spuds. I came 18th - my best result to date.

Leaving Kazo was the hardest journey as the map was in kanji only. Spot that town you want to go to? Easy if you know its the chest of drawers followed by the fat man with three legs rather than some now useless latin characters. Engineering logic took over that its still the same map. Alternatively buy the cheapest fare and adjust on arrival. All the systems are so very well thought out.

Quest for Pump

I tried to find the PUMP climbing wall in Akabane, Tokyo. Unfortunately I chose the wrong direction out of the station and we saw lots of residential Akabane instead. It was interesting. Many vending machines later we found the bridge across the river. The climbing wall was just the other side on my little map.

It turned out to be a very big bridge across a hugely wide river. Oh for a bit of scale on the map/leaving the station at an exit with a location board. Doh. We had to leave the climbing and return to Kazo for the technical meeting.

Nikko, Japan

I managed to fairly easily navigate my way into Tokyo and out the other side to visit Nikko. A tourist town with temples, shrines, a pagoda and a whole lot of stunning scenery and wildlife.

Glad I didn't meet any of these in the flesh


An elaborate drinking fountain.

More guards

Lots of bright shiny gold gateways

And intricate gateways

Carvings of a dragon

A shrine at the top of a hill, after lots and lots of steps.... I've still no idea what anything says

Five storey pagoda

Unfortunately we ran out of time to see the lakes and the wild monkeys. I wanted to see the monkeys... I could hear them. I was hoping to learn some new techniques ready for the comp!

:-)

Alter Rock

I recovered slowly from CWIF to have a good session on Wednesday. I did some routes on Friday night - getting pumped/improving my power endurance whilst trying to find a leading head ready for Skymasters. A big session for me.

Refuelling after routing, last thing on Friday, I bumped into Rob Napier who had been setting a comp at Alter Rock in Derby. I didn't know about the comp previously, but looked it up on t'internet and was there the next morning bright and early (well, 10am). 20 blocs and 4 leads/4 top ropes depending on your ability.

The comp was great. Well supported by sponsors, well set up, food and good prizes (including Rab jackets, Orange house weekend, DMM kit, Evolve/Merrell shoes), but unfortunately not much competition. The event was well attended by lots of strong youths. However there were only 3 adults - 2 men and myself. We teamed up for the leading. A truly sociable day out.

I got all but 2 blocs. One of the ones I dropped was a £50 prize bloc which I was close to getting and should have got, grr. Thank you for a good day out climbing.

CWIF

Just over a week before CWIF I was feeling really good. Ready for the marathon bouldering day. Then the lurgy hit yet again. I cannot believe the number of bad colds I've had this winter. This one took me out for the week. I folded in half coughing if I tried to do anything. It had to be man flu!

By the end of the week, I was just coughing periodically and I could breath, so figured I was well enough to do the CWIF. I had a short session at the Foundry on the Friday night just to get moving again.

The qualifiers (cough) went (cough) well. I qualified 7th behind Mina, Leah, 2 French and 2 Dutch. I hadn't climbed tactically. I wanted to use the comp to climb all blocs as well as possible rather than just try and qualify.

The semis - arghhhhh. I hit the proverbial wall. I had nothing left. The few holds I got to felt good enough, the moves mostly looked like ones I should be able to do, but my arms were not responding to my head. I was so disappointed. And the blocs looked great.

Thankfully the rest of the team powered on through with Leah and Mina coming 2nd and 3rd. An awesome effort by all.