The in-between season

I’ve been working on movement, learning how to stand on two feet again. Trying not to pull myself off the footholds and applying technique on the vertical walls and slabs. Learning how to balance, how to trust my feet, how to use the right muscles for each movement, playing with movement. It was a battle to start with, but so satisfying when things started to come together. It’s also helped my steep wall climbing. There’s always so much more to learn.

During the winter, local competition season, I’ve also been playing with nutrition. That is eating snacks/drinking chocolate milkshake more during climbing. Then eating as much as possible between competition rounds, whilst trying to avoid feeling stuffed, rather than just the normal meals. I have to work hard to remember to snack when I’m active as I find I don’t feel hungry until it’s too late. I’m the opposite at work, where I struggle not to dip into the biscuit/cake pile. My job is a sedentary.

The extra eating in competitions seems to have helped give me an extra edge. It’s easier to have something left in the tank at the end of the day when you’ve put more in to start with! This may seem obvious, but I didn’t think I was running out of fuel previously on the usual 3 meals and occasional snacks. I thought I was just getting generally tired from the exertion. Experimentation proved fruitful.

I tried to apply this at the Superbloc competition at London Excel. However, I couldn’t seem to stay hydrated. The atmosphere was oppressive and I felt weary. I climbed OK and battled hard. I came close to some tops, but didn’t manage to finish anything, even though I felt I could. I came close to making the final 6 (one attempt on bonus), but ended up joint 8th in good company. I took quite a while to recover, after coming down with a cold.

The time for CWIF came round so quickly that it took me by surprise. I chose to do the morning session as it is good practice for me to try and pull hard early in the morning. I didn’t get up really early as I valued my sleep more than having my body ready to get going (studies suggest that the optimum time to exercise is around 6hrs after getting up). I had a shaky start, but got going before dropping too many problems (aided by chocolate milk and fruity snack bars). I qualified for the semi-final in 11th (breakfast and lunch before, chocolate milk during, full chicken and rice meal after), just scraped the final in 6th and pulled out a podium 3rd. I tried really hard and felt pretty good (understatement). I celebrated by going out for dinner.

We trained with the Swiss team two days later. Everything caught up with me and I had a ‘higher gravity day’. However, it was short lived. The good CWIF result has made me feel stronger mentally. It’s given me a ‘can do’ attitude and I can’t get enough of this climbing thing. Long may it continue!

Fontainebleau holiday bliss at Isatis

Spring evenings at Curbar – Dan’s Wall

Rock

After the 2014 World Cups, I got into the Peak Limestone. I discovered the delight of Rubicon first thing in the morning; the peaceful, cool next to the water before the heat of the day. The hook of moves at Blackwell Dale and other roadside caves; cool, dank holes next to roads! Here’s one I topped - Paint it Black (7c).

Paint it Black - Sean's Roof from Peter Jeffery on Vimeo.

Then, suddenly, my projects were wet and it was time to start training for the 2015 season.

I entered some local competitions as they are always fun. At Leeds Depot, Battle of Britain, I was ahead in the final and got a bit too focused on the last hold of the last problem. I didn’t set up properly, my elbows winged as I hesitated and I missed the hold and with it first place. At the Nottingham Depot I was beginning to let negative thoughts creep into my head during the final. I was tired and not able to give the big moves the strength required. I wondered if I’d developed a mind-set that stopped me performing to the best of my ability when it mattered to me the most. Ultimately I was starting to overthink situations. I came 2nd in both competitions which I’m pleased with, but for me it’s more about how I competed with the problems, so not so happy!

The next competition was the legendary Plywood Masters at Boulder UK. I love this place, with the funky moves normally set in the low room upstairs for the final. However, they changed it up and set the finals downstairs. The air was thick with chalk and I was struggling to breath, but enjoying the problems. The distractions of change and conditions helped. I just climbed. I made a couple of mistakes, but I was pleased with how I climbed. I managed to win – chuffed.

From Europe to North America

After the promise of Grindelwald, the World Cup round in Innsbruck, Austria was the biggest climbing spectacle I have ever witnessed. Shauna won her second gold and the atmosphere, crowd and climbing was amazing. This was in strict contrast to my climbing performance. I climbed like a new born foal trying to work out how to stand up on shaky legs that had never been asked to be stood on before and achieved my worst result to date.

I had to leave all this behind me and move forward, as ever, to the next competition in Toronto (Hamilton), Canada. I felt good despite the heat. I really like the venue for this competition as the form of the wall is quite suited to the creation of interesting problems . Also, it is quite intimate with the crowd, making for a good atmosphere.

I battled and did a lot of climbing, possibly a little too much, and came tantalisingly close to two tops among other things. However, I did not hold either top hold and came away with almost nothing to show for all my climbing. I finished the qualification by almost holding a final hold and crashing down into the chalky mat in a heap. I took my shoes off, packed up my kit and congratulated Sol Sa who had climbed just after me, as I knew she had climbed ever so well (5 tops). As I walked away from the scene I felt my eyes well up, the emotion of the competition surfacing. Shauna and Nathan collected me from the back of the tiered seating. A few words, good team support, and the moment passed. It was time to find out how we had all got on, watch some of the remaining competitors, prepare for the following day when Shauna would climb again. Onwards and upwards.

We had a little bit of time around the competitions to have a look around. We returned to Niagara Falls in Canada so that Nathan Phillips could experience the wonder, and Nathan Phillips Square for obvious reasons. Shortly after the Toronto competition we flew to Colorado and spent a few days in Boulder whilst gaining some adjustment to the altitude. We visited Mount Evans on the way to Vail (the next competition venue) and I felt on top of the world.

In the beautiful setting of Vail, we entered the next round of the World Cup. I battled hard, but couldn’t run sideways in enough balance, forgot to jump a couple of times, then finally got to grips with the fourth qualification problem. Phew. I came away to praise for my efforts on this problem, but overall, not too happy with my performance. I felt like I hadn’t trained enough and wasn’t powerful enough to be competitive. There were a lot of impressively strong, talented, powerful girls competing. Small mistakes count for a lot at this level of competition. I need to get it right and have more conviction. I came 33rd in Toronto and 31st in Vail.

Thanks to EddieFowkePhotography for the climbing World Cup photos: If you haven’t already purchased your copy of The Circuit issue 1 get it now from http://www.thecircuitclimbing.com/Buy (worldwide excluding North America) or http://store.madrockclimbing.com/thecircuit.aspx (North America)

We had a day to play before leaving the mountains and went to Independence Pass. We managed to do a little bit of climbing on rock between hail/snow/rain storms. I’d love to explore this area more at some point and climb in the stunning looking ice caves.

The drive back to Denver ready for the long haul home was epic. I battled with poor visibility as we experienced snow on the mountain passes, followed by heavy rain and spray on the lower ground (and a really worrying moment when we lost power and thought we’d broken down until Shauna noticed that the automatic had been knocked into neutral, phew).

One weekend off back in the UK, during which I climbed with the Hillingdon Mountaineering Club on a fun bouldering weekend in the Peak, then it was competition time again.

The British Bouldering Championships was missing the defending champion, but there was still plenty of good competition to be had. I thoroughly enjoyed the problems and pulled hard to gain 4th over three rounds, just short of the podium. I made some mistakes in the final, with a slip near the top of one problem, some rushing, and getting too tired during the final problem to finish it off (tickling the last hold). So close, and lucky that my mistakes, this time, did not cost me so dearly having already made the top 6. Congratulations to the new champion Michaela Tracy and 3rd time champion Dave Barrans.

I wore a new style of shoe for the British Bouldering Championships: the Boreal Dharma. I was so impressed with how good these shoes were after wearing them climbing twice, that I was really keen to use them in during the competition. Thank you Boreal.

Many thanks to Carol Hayes for the Photos from the final of the British Championships 2014.

The Big Weekend

Where to start after such a big weekend. Dive right in I reckon!

GOLD!

Shauna Coxsey won her first gold medal, the first GB female gold medal in bouldering. It was an awe inspiring final. I'm not sure how Shauna held it together so calmly afterwards, especially when the national anthem was played. I think she was maybe already starting to focus on next weekend's World Cup!

We were competing in Grindelwald, Switzerland. A stunning town that nestles below the Eiger. The competition field was the biggest ever (although this record will be beaten come next weekend and the Innsbruck round of the 2014 World Cup series).

Matt Cousins entered his first World Cup ever, and came a solid 49th with 2 problems topped. Dave Barrans, a GB veteran on the World Cup scene, just pipped Matt and was close to gaining the tops required to make the semi-finals. However he 'dropped' a further two problems (dropped = close to topping!).

Michaela, Mina and I all came in the top 30 so gain ranking points. Michaela also 'dropped' a top that would have likely seen her into the semi-finals, but left her in 23rd after an appeal by team NED moved her down from 21st. Mina topped an impressive 4 out of the 5 qualification problems in her group to leave her in 21st due to the number of attempts. So close to the top 20 and semi-final.

I topped the same problems as Michaela, with one additional attempt to leave me in 29th. This may be far from my best result on paper, but I'm really pleased with it as, compared to last season, it's a really good start against a big field with depth of talent. It's also only the second time that I've gained points in the first European comp of the season.

I felt more nervous than usual when leaving the UK, but I busied myself with packing. This included neat little parcels of rice and couscous to save buying more than required when away! We stayed in self catering apartments, which is great when preparing for a comp as we can eat what we need to. Much better than excessive restaurant meals (especially as I'm really bad at stopping eating when I've had enough).

Warming up in isolation was not fun. It was initially, but I quickly overheated in the cosy enclosed boulder room we had to warm up in. I went back to the slightly cooler hall, populated by those competitors yet to warm up, and laid down until I felt a more sensible temperature. I didn't think that a return to the boulder room was a good idea for me, so I finished preparing for the competition on a 6ft high, and similar width, free standing board in the hall with one or two moves at a time.

I was just getting my head set for the competition when the lady calling the competitors into 'holding' asked me if it was hard competing with people so much younger than me (the start list has birth years on it)! I laughed and asked her if she thought I was old, before giving a more considered answer. The competition is getting harder, but not due to my age as yet. It's due to the evolution of the sport.

I felt relaxed in holding and was once again surprised and amused to hear one of Rage Against the Machine's more explicit numbers being played full volume, full content. The same tune that was playing when I started climbing in my first ever World Cup in Brno in 2007. What's the chance of that?

I flashed the first block with a nice shoulder move. I didn't realise how important it was for me to do this until after the comp. I was focused for the next problem - running/stepping right on a slab. I couldn't get enough momentum to latch the bonus. I fought on the next two problems, got another bonus and came close to a third on steep terrain that I couldn't quite get into.

The fifth block was a jump to the left, with a big barn door swing and foot plant for the bonus catch. I didn't see the move for a while on my first go, but came close, then took a further two goes to get it. Two locks on small greasy crimps saw me to the top. Sweet.

Doo be doo, I won't do what you tell me. So much has happened since I last heard that song. I find it motivational! I think I've broken the mould a bit, suffered a bit, enjoyed a lot, and it's allowed me to continue to complete.

Balancing Boldness

The winter league season has been fun.  I did the full Climbing Station league in Loughborough and came 2nd. I found this a really challenging league. It was split into three categories; beginner, intermediate and open. I entered the open. All the problems in each round needed to be treated with respect as there were no ‘ladders’! There were a lot of technical vertical problems and some really bold dynamic moves. I struggled in the last two rounds and just made too many mistakes, coupled with not warming up sufficiently to be moving fluidly on the first few problems. Rooky errors, but all good practice on styles of climbing that I am growing to enjoy more than I used to.

I also competed in Blokfest, located predominantly in the south of the UK. I won the league by one point! The overall league standing were based on points only and did not take into account performance in the ‘finals’ that took place after each round. Michaela Tracy dominated the finals that were carried out in a World Cup format. The finals had super problems that were enjoyable, often flamboyant, and typically needing to be flashed. There was always balancing required, some big round volumes to hug, and big bold moves. All exactly what I wanted to be practicing and I was really happy with some of the moves I pulled off and committed to.

I also partially did the Foundry and Climbing Works leagues in Sheffield, typically finding the Foundry league more suited to my strengths. This stood me in good stead for the Foundry Bouldering Open where I came 3rd behind Shauna Coxsey and Michaela Tracy, with only one attempt on tops splitting us. I messed up the beta on the balance problem by choosing to be bold and bouncy instead of balancing on my first attempt. I had the presence of mind to adjust my approach and get to the top which I was pleased about. Sometimes I think I’m starting to get the hang of this competition climbing and I really loved this comp!

All this practice brought me to the team GB selection day at the end of February. It comprised two rounds of World Cup format competition at the Castle in London. The first round was predominantly balances and insecure holds. Unfortunately I just wasn’t moving well and just kept having poor body positions that inhibited progress. I missed the subtlety. Arggggh. I was really disappointed with myself, but took a deep breath and lots of sustenance on board and steeled myself for the next round.

The second round was more basic and very physical. I particularly enjoyed wrestling with a volume conundrum. I was pleased to perform much better in the afternoon. I feel that I benefitted a lot from the whole day, finding some specific things that I can go away and get to grips with. It was also a hard and good workout. I need more of these to continue to advance my quest to conquer each boulder problem I’m faced with, because that’s my kind of fun!

Today the sun is shining, my thoughts are all about up and coming climbing. I have to rest to allow my body to recover so that it can continue to do what I ask of it. I’m psyched to have been selected to once again represent my country in some World Cups. I’m also looking forward to getting back out on the rock as the weather improves.

Fontainebleau is calling. I think I’m going to go back to Drei Zinnen among other areas. I really enjoyed Bifurcation (7b(+)) last autumn and want to get back on the various variations of Close Contact between balancing and being bold. I’ve been reminiscing and planning. Here’s Bifurcation (we think)

Bifurcation - Drei Zinnen from Peter Jeffery on Vimeo.

Climbing Around

I decided to mix up my training this year, based on my strengths and weaknesses noted throughout the competition season. The plan is to climb a lot more, as my performance on the more technical problems was typically poor. I need to work on the subtleties of beta; the small adjustments of body position and grip that are often the difference between topping a problem or not. I will be working less with free weights and gym based training than I have been the last couple of years.

As part of this plan I have been travelling further afield to climbing walls, trying out new [maybe just to me] walls. I have sought out leagues and competitions as part of my training programme. This allows many training elements to be worked at once:

• climbing in a competition environment
• climbing in unfamiliar surroundings
• reading problems
• flash attempt climbing
• working different styles and techniques
• endurance
• power endurance
• shared experience learning
• having lots of fun climbing

I have been really impressed with the quality of the walls that I have visited so far. Everywhere I’ve been has offered good problems throughout a large range of grades – something for everyone is so important. I’ve found thriving climbing communities every which way I’ve turned, with friendly, motivated people that are a joy to climb with.

‘Ain’t’ climbing great!

I’ve also tried my hand at the tricksy job of setting problems. It is hopefully common knowledge that route setting is a hard job, both physically and with respect to getting problems ‘right’. It was even harder than I expected. Hats off once again to all the route setters out there doing an amazing job. Getting the difficulty of problems correct to suit the required situation is an art.

Thank you for the continual supply of new challenges.

 

ps  I’ve joined twitter at last to help with communication: @MerrickDiane

The End of the Worlds 2013

The last round of the competition in Munich was a fitting finale to the World Cup 2013.  The stunning setting, under the canopy of the 1972 Olympic Games stadium, saved the impressive and animated crowd from a drenching.  The main remaining competition for overall World Cup standings was between Shauna and Alex.  Shauna made it onto the podium in 3rd, behind Alex in 2nd, so Alex took 3rd place overall in the World Cup, and Shauna took 4th.

Dave made the semi-final and Gill and Leah just missed out by a whisker.  I was happier with my performance than of late, but had a couple of goes too many to work out the problems, so came 31st.  I was disappointed to finish the season outside of points again.  My overall ranking was 35th – a fair representation of my results for the season.

The qualification for my group was a hard with respect to the problems set.  To put things in perspective, World Cup winner Anna Stohr only topped 2 of the problems.  I topped one, the last one, in four attempts.  It took that many to get of the ground!  I was pleased to find a somewhat unorthodox solution on my second go, that I should have stuck to on my third go.  Not trusting myself, I tried something else first before committing to the solution that worked for me.  Most importantly I topped the problem, but I should trust my instinct more.

I feel that I may have topped the second problem if I had been more accurate with my footwork sooner.  I got into the groove with no time left on the clock to get to the top.  To get into the groove, a careful balance was required on a large volume.  I only stood on the very edge of the volume on my last attempt, all previous attempts I was just slapping my foot on anywhere.  This adjustment allowed me to progress. Tch, for taking so long remember how to balance, despite trying to practice on the first problem.

Thanks to Jane Newman for the photo of the first qualification problem in Munich.  I did not manage to get my toe on the volume to help me progress…  I enjoyed mantling for an obscene duration before standing on anything though!

The qualification problems in Eindhoven (European Championships), the following weekend, made the Munich ones relative warm-ups.  Four bonuses could have seen me through to the semi-final.  Gill Peet just missed out again in 21st place with four bonuses in a couple of attempts too many.  I gained 3 bonuses, leaving me in 29th.

Eddie Cooper captured this image of me, that sums up my performance – wrong handed and using my knees inappropriately.  I’ve got a knee bar between the volume and the undercut I needed to be holding (but my knee was in the way). It almost worked – so close to a top, yet so far.

I want to do more competitions, but that’s it for this year.