New shoes

I can't believe I have gone through the toe on one of my shoes!!!!! I think it was all the climbing I did in Font. Mum is going to order a new pair of Katanas and I think I will try and get lace ups to keep them tighter for longer. I hope they come before next Saturday.

Avertical Wall, Dundee

Today I went to Dundee to Avertical wall. Next week is the last round of the YCS for Scotland and it takes place at Dundee. I like Avertical wall, especially the bouldering (that’s a surprise). After warming up I started with a couple of top ropes and then moved on to a purple lead 6b, it was pretty straight forward apart from getting over the ledge and also the clips are really stiff so I found it difficult to clip. I also completed a few more leads including a red which was quite nice and also a turquoise that I put a top rope up to complete. I moved to the back of the hall and tried a black 6b that was quite tricky but I managed to flash it. Unfortunately I found a lot of the routes were set for much taller climbers, so it gave me an excuse to go and boulder. I love the archway and I had a go on the steep board and tried some dynos. I enjoyed climbing at Dundee.

BRYCS

Yesterday I was at Ratho for my usual BRYCS coaching. I started by playing tunnel tig with my friends and running about to warm up then we did a really long traverse along the main lead wall. I stretched while Neil McGeek told us what we were going to do today. I was going to be doing top-roping and looking at technique. Neil took us to the slab wall to do technique, I climbed up with no hands! This made me think about the weight being above my feet before moving. We then moved onto harder climbs so I did the olive 6b and the yellow 6b+ which I found REALLY reachy. I was finally warmed up! I was ready to try my project route. It was blue 7a. I climbed up and fell off at the huge move at the top so I kept trying that move and finally got it! Neil thought there was no point in doing the last 2 moves so I came down and had a rest, I was really determind to complete it next time. I managed to get to the same point again and went for the big move. I managed to catch the hold with one arm, I pulled myself up with that arm and managed to complete the climb! I was really glad that I got it! That is the 3rd 7a that I have now completed! After a rest and a few other climbs, Neil said why don’t you try this yellow, I looked at it and thought crimpy, technique and 6c . Sounds like my kind of climb!!! I tried it and fell of half way and cut my knee on the bolt! AWWW! My foot slipped off and there was a bolt under it. It was time to cool down. I did some easy bouldering ,traversing and stretching then went home. I really really enjoyed this session! Neil always makes me want to climb hard. I think we are all going to miss him at Ratho.

Back at Ratho

I can’t believe I have not written my blog for the past two weeks since I got back from Font. It took us so long to get back from France, we left the gite at 10 in the morning and didn’t get back home until 3am Sunday morning. We didn’t go climbing on Sunday because it was Easter Sunday but went to Ratho on Monday. I felt quite tired so I did my bouldering session and then we did some fun stuff. Since then I have been following my training programme and trying to work hard on routes and not bouldering all the time.
I am really excited about tomorrow because McGeek is taking us bouldering outside, probably in Northumbria somewhere, it all depends on the weather. I am also hoping one of the other parents is going to give Olivia and I a lift because mum and dad are running the Chris Hoy half marathon and can’t take us.

Day 4 in Fontainebleau

Today we went to a place near Noisy. It was really good as well as all the other places we have been to. Although every ones fingers were red raw and some were even cut we still had an amazing time!! To warm up we did this really hard crimpy slab, after two goes I got up it as well as Becky. It was very hard and was even harder if you had finger tape on. I didn't feel very warmed up so I tried another slab but I think I warmed up my throat more than my body because 3/4 of the way up there were two lizards, I screamed when I saw them because they gave me such a fright but I went to the top anyway and climbed as fast as I could on the way down!!! I was very warmed up after that so I asked Neil for something harder so he took me to this reachy, overhanging, juggy problem. It was a kind of traverse then it went up at the end. Since it was April Fools day, the night before Viv and I planned some tricks that we were going to play on Neil for a joke. The first one was putting flour in his chalk bag, it was really funny when he put his hand in and found out it was flour!!!!! The second one was when he was showing us a boulder problem we put big sticks and two pine cones in his chalk bag, he got a fright! The third and final one was placing a very heavy rock at the bottom of his climbing bag so he would be carrying extra weight when he lifted it up!!!!!!!!!!
After all the pranks I got back to climbing and Neil set me another challenge, it was another reachy problem! We did it with some German women. We used their mats. I had my first go and got to the same place as they did. My second go I got to the same place again, came off and went over on my ankle because the rocks underneath the crash mat were uneven.
I watched Neil do a boulder then had to go home. My ankle was really painful!

Day 3 in Fontainebleau

Today we went to Franchard Isatis and Franchard Cuisiniere, they were only a 10 minute walk in between and were both amazing!!! I completed 5 red problems and nearly did a white problem (the hardest level). After about 2 hours it started lightly raining so we walked down the road to Cuisiniere. After warming up on a few slabs and trying a few red problems I asked Neil, can I try something harder so he showed me and Viv this overhanging, reachy and awesome problem!!! I chose a sequence and brushed the holds, I even climbed round the back of the boulder and looked at the top from above! I was ready to try it! I had my first go and fell off just after the middle bit, it involved lots of heel hooks and big reaches. After I knew I could do the start of it I tried it from standing start but I noticed there was a huge dyno to the next hold so I tried different places to put my feet and finally got it from standing start. My fingers were really red and nearly bleeding! Neil said I could try to join it all up if my fingers were ok but they weren’t , I still tried it though but unfortunately fell off at the huge dyno. After that problem I just did reds and blues because my fingers were really sore.