Altar Ego

Headed down to cloghogue for what felt like a stolen session for some reason. Pretty shit conditions, mild and occasionally sunny with little wind and the ground was often glenmac boggy. Pottered on stuff, want to try steep sit start to the arete (between slopey arete starting boulder and the river). Some lovely fine grained granite in places. Finished ourselves on the campus problem. Davo was moving through the starting holds and touching the top. I can't hold the starting position but could do slight jump start and then hold the top from there. Strange pain in the shin bones of my arms when i boned the crimps too much. Top out looks nasty. Enjoyed short steep problem on the back of this boulder also. Good day out.

IBL was on today in DCU, i was close to going but weather saved my soul.

media matters

Font

Font started and ended with stressful journeys, but i enjoyed touching on 160 kph in our hugely upgraded car when we finally broke free of Paris' treacle like traffic. The mobile home was very modren but 6 of us in that small living space for 4 days was perhaps the limit of what i could have handled. Drank too much the second night, a schoolgirl error, still think it was probably worth it.

The climbing was good as ever though i found very few of the problems i worked really stoked my psych. The harder problems tend to be crimpy on marble which is not what font is about for me. I need to be better prepared next time with an idea of the problems i'd like to try. Tried all the Roches usuals and was pretty uninspired. Remparts offered some lovely pure lines but spotted nothing to work. Second day Gorges au chats seemed to have some great problems but was hungover. Elephant also looked great at times but highball and i was totally underwhelmed by the lines inspiring others. Wet third day. On the last day in Apremont found a lovely problem (bleau.info call it 7a) which embodied all the tricksy wonder of font slopers, Ciel something. Also tried another starred prob, egoiste which i felt ultimately quite comfortable on but didn't feel compelled to finish. I was afterwards somewhat envious of the blue team on their ragtaggle route through the circuit. On reflection I don't think i was grade whoring, or certainly not as much as when i had never got a 7a, I just like to be consumed by a problem. Had usual grade sandbagging debate with fairy godmother sparkle and tim and found it exhausting. I think it would be interesting to have a bleau.info style grading system on the shortspan for any problems people care to submit. I think the most we can hope for is internal consistency. Actually yearned a bit for glendo while away which is a little fucked. My skin was thin after last glendo outing which was also schoolgirl.

Smacks was staying a nice gite worth remembering for next time. Longer trip would be highly preferable. Neil did a good deal on the pads and is "always" full so if we wanted to stay there we'd need to book early. always ask for an upgrade.

Starring topcunt, sparkle, the tour nurse, our tour bus driver, varicose, yopolio and a guest appearance by shitblock, bless her shitty cotton socks.

Bingo Wings

Lovely day in glendo with Bray and an unconvicted sex offender. Wore through my tip trying superstars, very frustrating, kept hitting top hold and just not holding it, felt as comfortable on the lower section as one can on something so awkward. With tip bleeding headed up to the Fin and failed angrily somewhat due to two taped up fingers. Got barry's problem on big jim to end the day on a slight up which i haven't got in a long time. Got something of a cheap ego massage by bouldering with some beginner's from RCSI, nice lads, ped has probably added to his entourage of slightly wide-eyed, slightly scared followers.

This reads like it was a shit day, it was a very good day and i'm psyched for Font. i hope my tips heal.

Loners die on misty mountains

Circumstance ruled out a lamp session so i ran up three rock to clean up my skin. Got from bottom to last bend, my lungs being a bit fucked. Pottered around until the clouds came down and clagged everything out, found my usual 3 rock zen mind state unbothered by the trials scramblers hairdrying by.

Cooped on tuesday, dec made me look like a punter.

A rest me.

CLimbed after 4 days off and really noticed the difference. Finished monkey problem at last. also pretty much cruised the problem to the rail on the shallow board. Held the breast on lardon for the first time. Got across the curved wall on my old project, should probably make an effort to finish that before the board gets changed. Will not climb from sunday this week, intend to overdo it until then.

Lamper session

Mint cold day got me psyched about lamp session after the success of the one and only one we did last spring. Tim along, in at the boulders @7.30, very cold, badly wanted gloves for the cycle. Little sketched warming up and failed on coupla things early on, either arms tired or weird light angles to blame. Quickly got stuck into superstars, hit final hold three times, still sketched by dark, should have finished it otherwise i think. Up to fin, after a little messin around worked out the key is to go in very tight twist knees to left and lay back off LH a lot and unscrew to reach RH hold, leaving left foot on and maybe just popping right foot off at end of reach. Managed to hold and move through but the light angles made it difficult to see feet and then to find angles for foot hold and i came off, skin spent. Cruxes of both feeling solid though. Headed out entranced by the lovely romantic moon light and nearly crashed bikes into some deer. Mountain Rescue having love-in in the cottage.

Moon man

Was all set for a rest day but the weather earlier had me textin bray to be ready with bikes in car at 4.15, worked a treat, at ruins by 5.10 despite banana stop. Guy manning barrier even on a monday. Midge were out in force. Of note was hitting final hold of superstars, should have held it. only got that high once but felt very comfortable several times, skin on left hold remarkably never really an issue. must remember to stay low on left hold before reaching for the rh hold. very pleased if a little annoyed i didn't just close it out. rails ss felt real smooth. headed cross river and big jim was just turning mint in the cooling air. did the eliminate corner, felt lovely. andys felt sore on lh. lovely evening, cycled out in the dark, bright enought to climb until half 7. possibly first good friction session of season, still awaiting first scalp of note.

Am currently 75kg. Was 72.5kg in March. Aim to be back to that for Font.

Mall man syndrome

Went to mall hill after o/ding on glendo. Went up to flickin the bean which caused me more difficulty than i remember. Lovely slab below below that. Sharp steep arete felt real hard. Spent decent time on gone fission, love it, still don't feel i've straight lined that to my satisfaction. Trees growing fast, mall hill the only venue with a best before date, the first plantings have become pretty much impenetrable. Rock felt strangely dirty, checked dead beat to clarify, it is not as impeccable as it was, maybe it was just the day that was in it. Didn't go into forest without spotter, headed to arete right of beauvais, getting sandbagged on what the guide calls a 6b. Not sure if there's some sort of eliminate thing going on. River very low. got eyeballed by two landrovers on forest track, worried vaguely about getting cheney'd.

cooped twice more, friday evenin was a bit lame, satruday felt better, got back to red on monkey, finish not a formality. deliberately trying crimpy stuff, got further on woodie prob howard showed me. me and bray knocked in the last of the nuts, dusty work. weather cleared to be a lovely day, hopefully will do same tomorrow, get some outdoor fix. best prob thread makes me think i should visit the mournes.