Saturday 4 July 2009

A NOT SO GOOD DAY OUT

Luckily bouldering is something I really love, otherwise today would have been a bad day: conditions at the Amiata top were very poor, hottish and humid. With one percent point more, it would have been unclimbable.
Anyway, I finally tried my infamous project, the one my friends have tried and almost done, and it felt absolutely impossible so I'm pretty sad and disappointed. I unlocked the first move, a long pull from a vertical hold with bad feet, and with one heel it became a steady move, so steady that now I can really chose how to take the second hold, but then there's darkness. I haven't understood how to take that second hold with my right hand, and then the cross move with the left hand is a cloud of doubt and weakness. I really wonder how my friends have done it, even if it's useless because we have completely different heights.
Then I moved two meters on the right to try another excellent problem, with exactly the same sequence, and that means that my right index finger has been bashed for three hours on the two problems.
Well despite my efforts I couldn't do the second one, that should be around 7b+ or 7c.
Anyway those two problems, despite being very beautiful, really pissed me off, and not because I couldn't do them, but because they really are a pain in the ass to try. They have small boulders all under them, so you need at least four pads and a spot, and for the second problem still it's not enough to make it safe. I got really nervous because every time you fall the pads slide on the boulders and you have to put them back in place, and that's very annoying also because they move and slide also when you step on them to try the higher moves.
Well, thinking back about it, it's been really a bad day out, my trousers got soaked by humidity while I was just climbing, crucial footholds crumbled and fingers got enormous flappers. One good thing is that I worked really hard one holds that I don't love nor practice: monos and two fingers pockets.
I still have my other project, that I can try on my own with just three pads, but that's a small consolation.
So, I'll try to keep my cool and don't get fooled by this bad day and fall into a spiral of depression and overtraining.
Monday I could start the weights phase or go toproping. We will see but sadly now nothing is appealing. I'm really sad, fuck everything.

3 comments:

GCW said...

Days like that are sent to test us. If all days were excellent, we would fail to appreciate them. We need to experience the shit days to truly value the days of YYFY.
And you are not alone, we all have those days- especially at present when the UK is hotter than Ron Jeremy hard at work in a sauna. Your crush will come......

Richie Crouch said...

I hope this news will gladden you Lore...

Me, andi E and my friend Mark are coming to Magic in August (10th->24th) for a week or more via font :)

We are psyched out of our minds and you must come North! Don't worry about having shit days... I haven't climbed anything above 7C in a over a month now and keep failing to finish things clearly below my limit - very much like yourself it seems :)

The strength will still be there in a month even without training, I think you just need more time on the rock in better conditions...

Your problems will feel like the most basic of paths in cold and dry weather. It is just a shame we cannot have the Magic Wood cold glacial-melt breeze coming up through the rocks in all of our climbing venues! :)

Hope you are in good health and I will keep you updated on the Magic Plans.

lore said...

yes beast keep in touch and i'll try and score a couple of days up there!!!!!
boom!