Found on the web: Image from Dave Flanagan's new guide to Bouldering in Ireland
Well the plan of action was to wake up super early on Sunday morning and head to Glendalough to have a focused morning's work on F@%k All Left, but the weather let us down over night and Tim text me at 6am on Sunday morning to concede defeat - 'rain stops play'
After a half hearted attempt to convince Tim that the forecast looked good, while deep down I knew he was right - everything would still be damp til about 12 - back to sleep I went.
8am came and I was awoken to the sound of another text which read of a fresh offer from Tim to head to Lough Bray. Jumped out of bed, out the door and off I went. I knew nothing about Lough Bray other than the fact that it was where the much hyped line called 'Away from the Numbers' was located.
The walk in was hilarious for me and my stupidly gammy ankles - it's steeply down hill, then steeply up hill again. A small cluster of boulders that host insanely good quality problems considering there are only about 10 lines in all. Absolute gem of a spot once I got there after falling no less than 6 times on my ass.
The rock is sharp and it was so very very cold - once I came off each problem and the pressure was released from my fingertips, it felt like a thousand needles piercing my hands at once, funny thing was, I couldn't wait to get back on and try again and again, each attempt at each problem using up my finger tips at an alarming rate.
The two best lines there are Rainbow (7a) which Tim made great progress on while I struggled with the sequence and the cold. Tim had ticked the problem before and looked like ticking it again, but there's a tricky heel placement and seeing as we were short on time we moved on from it. Beautiful traverse though.
I then found myself at a pretty highball problem called 'Away from the Numbers' (7a+) and thought to myself - 'this looks awesome!' As usual, it was difficult for me to deal with the cold, but I found the opening sequence came together quite well and I never really felt like it was beyond me. I got to the crimp in the middle of the problem, from which you have to throw around the corner to a crack and then work up to the top. I had the crimp and moved my right hand all the way over before attempting to place my heel, but I just couldn't feel my fingers anymore and had to drop off.
It was time to go, and if I'm honest, I'd have to say I had no problem with that cause we got a lot done (doing a few easier problems in between the two harder ones) in a short time and it was so cold!!
I came home yesterday barely able to walk, I was really exhausted - I have a feeling I was still feeling it after Thursdays intensive lamp session! 7 of my finger tips are all but wasted, with only my index finger on my right hand coming away intact - need to use that one more!! ;)
Unfortunately today things aren't so good. about 12 years ago or more, while training trampolining I landed short on a summersault that rotates backwards from your feet to your stomach, then summersaults backwards from your stomach to your feet. The first two skills in the routine below are what I'm talking about:
Though I didn't perform it as beautifully as Durand (trampoline legend that he is) I was attempting it with a full twist in the first and second summersault and fairly much landed on my chin with my feet beside my ears. I have suffered from a slip disc ever since. (honestly I don't know how I didn't break my neck!)
Well for some reason that disc flared up last night and I had to come home from work today and am currently lying on my couch hoping to bejaysus it goes away before this weekends Bouldering Meet.
Fingers crossed. :(
No comments:
Post a Comment