too much thinking time (From ice to Iceberg)

I guess it is actually a bit odd the level of significance that climbing up a boulder a specific way becomes. A strange hobby; bouldering, in fact climbing in general is fairly inane. Now that i think about it what is the point of any sport or hobby? skiing, football, cycling, train spotting. Not too sure i care as long as it's fun.

Difficult easy mantle made harder by trying to avoid headbutting the camera and smile.

thanks Richard

It's also funny how things turn out some times: one evening Pete and I agreed to take a look at my project if it didn't rain during the night. Later, after answering that the flashes were flash photos i was surprised by thunder and enough rain for a stream to form along the path from Isatis to the car park. So no project. But the following morning the sky was clear and a quick check revealed all of the boulders washed clean of their coating of Easter punter chalk, and dry. And grippy, game on .... no luck for me that day though.

for Allyn

I see why i was told i jump like a pregnant woman

It wasn't until my penultimate day in font that i realised what a burden of expectation my project had become, how much i wanted to stick that final hold. Stupidly right from the start i had assumed i would climb this line - not an un-reasonable assumption as i had done the stand and could regularly do the traverse in to the stand BUT I kept failing on the last move; slipping heal, slipping fingers or, worse, split tips. The problem was starting to slip through my fingers and on to the list of notable failures. A list of climbs that particularly get under my skin, climbs that I could have done but haven't. Brad Pitt and Musashi top the list, luckily they ARE the list.

So on my last full day in the Forest my belief that i would tick the problem was lacking, but I felt I had to try. Best to ignore the cakes and beer that had been creeping in to my diet over the last days of my holiday. Best to ignore feeling tired and achey. On the upside I had two handfulls of skin (the 8 day old crimp slice and 12 day old ripped tip had sort of scarred over).

After a warm up I started up (along!) the line and suddenly found myself looking at the finishing hold.
been here before.
slap.
as usual too low.

Second go felt ok but as I tried to gain extra height my heel slid off as usual.

Next go felt harder.
tired probably.
and the moves didn't feel quite right.
then my hand stuck the finishing sloper. It is a better hold higher up but i didn't have hold of that part, so now my heel is on a sloper that never sticks, my left hand is on a sloper and so is my right. As i feel my fingers slipping I struggle to place my left toe but succede. And that was that! my highest number tick and biggest bouldering buzz. Now if i would have had to walk away without the tick?

good fun