Bittersweet results in the EYCs, but so psyched for the summer

I've been really psyched with how the EYC comps are going this year. Everyone on the team is psyched, both for comps and rock. There’s been some great results for everyone, everyone is getting better and we’re going to see some more great results before long.

Then some de-psyching news for me, at the end here, but I still hope I’m getting closer to a final after my first three EYC rounds in Youth A.

I’ve moved up this year from B. It’s been a bit nervy cos, looking at the Youth A climbers last year, when I was in Youth B, they were beasts – so strong. Quite a few are 9a climbers. It’s a tough and competitive group. I didn’t know how I was going to do. 

First comp was Ratho. I was up second on what looked like a really fun route on the old comp wall. The start went well until I reached a tricky clip in the roof, which took me a while to sort and really tired me out. It finished off quite a few climbers. Should a clip be a mini-crux? I fought through a few more moves, but came off through tiredness, disappointed but psyched for my second route. This looked like it really suited me, being steep and on positive holds on the hanger wall. I felt like I was moving really well until I started having to fight a really tight rope with a not-very-alert belayer. Should I call a technical? I carried on into the roof but I went from feeling fresh to boxed within a few moves and came off.

 Resting on the second route at Ratho

 Picture: Nick Colton

I came 13^th, my best result in my first Youth A after being 11^th in Youth B last year in Bulgaria. The whole team did really well, with six in the finals.

Next up for me was Voiron in France, this was a really cool comp. I was really psyched for my first route and managed to get level with the last draw before the chains with a bit of fight. After this last clip though I fell of a hard roll-over into a gaston. After this move there was a good hold to shake, and it was ok to the top. Everyone who did the move I fell on topped! Annoying.

The next route was a slab to a really funky roof section. I managed to get there feeling fresh after a quick shake out. I headed into the roof. It was completely different to how I imagined it and took me a while to work out. I fell of a few moves over the lip but I felt like I climbed well. Here is the video.

I finished 16^th overall. Although this was not as good as Ratho I was pleased because there were a lot more hard competitors and I felt like I climbed much better!  Molly put in a really good effort to come 5th and Luke and Jonny came frustratingly close to the finals. Another good comp for team GB!

Then it was Linz in Austria. I knew it was going to be a long day as I was climbing midway through the group of 51 on my first route, which meant I would be near the end on my second! The first route went well. I got to the rest and composed myself and set up for what appeared to be the crux sequence. There was a long move to a pinch and then a tricky clip. Then a move to a side pull, then an undercut where I came off. Just after me someone found a way to match the pinch to make the undercut easier. I should have seen it, so that left me frustrated.

I came down at 10.30am and had to wait until 5pm to do my second route. It really felt a very long time. I wasn’t pleased with this climb. I got a sudden pump and fell off a tricky cross over into a roof.

Overall I was placed 12^th and was pretty pleased and thought I am getting closer and can really feel my comp climbing improving. Well that was what I thought until I found out my score was wrong. It was too high. Someone had typed in a wrong number. No-one noticed on the day and I didn’t notice until the day before the BBCs the next weekend. I asked the BMC to try to get me marked down because I don’t really want to benefit, but at the BBCs Tim Hatch and Nick Colton said nothing could be done. I was de-psyched by this. I thought I was 12^th and I was probably about 16^th. Need to climb harder! It messed my head and didn’t help my BBCs performance that day; I came 13^th.

Anyway, back in Linz, Jim put in a really good effort to top his second route, which was amazing to watch. Also Jonny S did really well making the final and finishing 8^th. A lot of people got PBs in terms of position and everyone else was close. Another good weekend for team GB. Molly bounced straight back after missing the final for the only time in four EYCs this year and is going to crush in Imst.

Big thanks from Molly and me to Rob and Liam, our cool coaches.

I’m off to Ceuse for two weeks with Will Smith and  Jonny White. Back for the Youth Open at Ratho at the end of July and the next EYC in Imst in early August.

 Psyched for the summer! 

Three Yorkshire 8s in two days

On June 1st, Will Smith and I drove up to Yorkshire to spend a few days at Malham and Kilnsey. I was psyched to get on some of the classics. We arrived at Kilnsey with a bit of light left to climb. I did the warm up of the crag, Directissima, a polished 6c. Then I decided to have an onsight attempt on Comedy (7c), but came off at the crux after slapping to a chalked up ‘non-hold’ – close but no cigar. I managed it second go, just before the light went. Will had a play on Full Tilt (8b) as the dark came in.


The next day we went to Malham to get on Raindogs, which is a very classic power endurance 8a. It’s known for being very polished and having no hard moves, but no easy ones either. The conditions were a bit greasy. I tried this route briefly last year and came close, so I managed to remember the very cool sequence on good crimps quite quickly. My first redpoint attempt of the day saw me get to the 2nd last move. Next go, I thought… Maybe not. I had a few more frustratingly close goes, but then managed to do it.  This is definitely my favourite route, and the polish makes it better! Will came very close.


The same day we headed to a very cold Kilnsey, where I had a go on Urgent Action, a Euro-style 8a+ and one of the Yorkshire ‘Big Three’. It was so cold (it was Jubilee weekend weather) that I had to come down. I had another go later in the evening where I managed to work out all the moves. They’re all very long moves between jugs. After a sustained lower section you get to a good rest, which is followed by a short powerful section, and then the crux, a long deadpoint from a jug to a perfect hold. After a few more moves you get to probably the redpoint crux, a big go-again off an undercut, then a sketchy slab section to the chain.


The next morning I tried to get warm by climbing up to the second clip on the route a few times, and then I was ready for the first redpoint. First time, I fell just before the rest. I tweaked my sequence, had another redpoint and did it! Psyched! First British 8a+!


After a quick rest, I then decided to try The Thumb, an 8a which shares the second crux of Urgent Action. After working out all the moves I did it first redpoint. Two 8s in a day!


I then had a quick go at Mandela, 8a+, which takes a sick traversing line across the huge roof at Kilnsey. It was a bit scary but I’m psyched to go and finish it off soon


The next day, Will got Urgent Action, his first British 8a+; he made it look easy. I warmed up by redpointing, Pantomime, a 7b+ and then I had a flash attempt at The Bulge, 8a, managing to get to the crux. I then worked out all the moves and had a redpoint attempt where I came off a few moves from the belay. Close - another one to finish off next time!


I was really happy to do three 8s in two days and to work some other classics with Will. Now it’s time for a few days rest and I am off to an EYC in France this weekend!

Hopefully getting more people climbing via CBBC show

I was given the challenge with Molly of teaching Richard Wisker from CBBC's Friday Download how to climb for his show. Filming at the Westway with him and his team was an amazing experience. Friday Download gets young celebs (Richard was in Tracy Beaker Returns and The Bill) trying new things and Richard hadn't done any climbing at all. He was pretty nervous to start.

We showed him how to tie in and pull on and some basic moves. We got him to make sure he used his feet, which he seemed to be a natural at. We explained how belaying works and how to use all the gear. Richard managed to top rope one of the steeper walls using poor slopers and crimps. He had to do it several times for the cameras, which was a really good effort.

Then Molly and I did some climbing using a helmet camera, which was much harder than expected. They said ‘do some jumps’ so we did some cool dynos. (It's not exactly Hard Grit!) Then we had to film some interviews. It was a long and tiring day, but a load of fun and the CBBC people were cool. I hope to do something like this again.

No idea when it goes out - soon, I think. I will post the date when I know it. Be great if it gets people to try climbing.

If you haven't heard of Richard, here he is http://richardwiskerofficial.co.uk/site/

Me, Richard and Molly

Learning to use a headcam

First 8b, in the amazing Gorge du Loup

Went to the South of France  – the Alpes-Maritimes inland from Nice – with Ben and a crew from the Westway. My last proper sport trips were a year ago, when I did my first 8a redpoints. Got on the team since and been focused on that, and now I really wanted to see if I could make progress on rock. Very excited, but I had been ill for a month so I planned a slow start to see how I was.

So we went to Mesa Verde in the Gorge du Loup thinking I’d have a try at the three-star 8a classic in the Gorge, Arrowhead. After a few easy routes to get into it, I worked all the moves then had a couple of close redpoint goes, but it got dark though I was psyched to come back.

Across the Gorge is Déversé – hardest crag in the area with at least three 9as. We went there next day. I wanted to try Déversé Satanique, a three-star 8a+. I worked out all the moves and after a few redpoints I came painfully close to getting it but a broken hold didn’t help.

The next day was a planned easy day. I got psyched for another try and headed back in the evening. I worked the moves to see if the broken hold would affect my sequence. It was getting dark and wet, so my last go ended when I slipped off a wet hold at the top. After a rest day, I went back and got it first attempt of the day, first 8a+.

Next target was an 8b, SatanX, that starts up the amazing steep line of Déversé Satanique and breaks out onto the blank headwall of an 8c, Hot Chili X. After working the moves comfortably, I knew it was on. Had two redpoints that day, getting to the last draw, where I pumped out clipping a desperate clip.

Returned the next day, decided to miss that clip, and sent the route. First 8b. Then went for my first 7c onsight and got it, Mecanik Destructif. Then went back and did Arrowhead to finish off.

So the tick list was:

Satan X, 8b

Déversé Satanique, 8a+

Arrowhead, 8a

Petit Poucet, 7c+

Mecanik Destructif, 7c onsight

Same Player, Shoot Again, 7c

Thanks to Ben and Peter and everyone else on the trip.

Link to video of the 8a+ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrpqDSaWqDc

Two pics of the 8b

Winning the 2012 Leader Ladder Junior Elite category

Zippy and Tom Randall set some thought-provoking routes at Reading, which is such a friendly wall, for this comp. There were some strong competitors, not least Jim Pope. Got up everything up to 7c first time, but so did Billy and Jim. It was all down to the 8a and 8b.

The 8a had a technical start and ended with powerful climbing on good holds. First two times I got though the start but fell off, once because I had the sequence wrong, next time because I didn’t engage on a fingerlock hard enough. Got it third go.

Next up was the 8b which went up a cool prow into a roof. On my second go I got to the last hard move and collected all three bonus points, and the title. Pope was second, Billy third.

Really well-organised comp, and friendly lot at Reading. New wall, already with a good squad and  a good vibe. Psyched to go back.

Technical start on the 8a

Celebrating with Pope

Reading routes with the legend