Cave Prep!

It rained and rained as I sat on the Dart on the way to Ayton's Cave yesterday...

Text messages flew back and forth as I tried to see if I was the only one maintaining my blind optimism that the Cave would be dry...

John met me along the way and we drove to the parking spot. By the time we got there it had stopped raining... Success!

The walk in is getting easier and easier, maybe it has to do with the fact that I'm pretty psyched on projects in the Cave so I'm usually pretty hyper on the way!!

We arrived at the Cave and as usual, threw the bags down and checked the key holds on each line - it was dry... It's always dry... unless it's soaking, I convince myself, it's dry.

It wasn't dry!

Well, parts of it were - Caroline's Traverse was dry, but all the key holds on Loco were damp and seeping a lot.

To warm up I sent Caroline's Traverse twice and John did a cool back and forth traverse on the line, reversing the moves - I'm pretty psyched to try work that out.

Matt arrived along and the session had a good amount of energy about it. We were all working on separate stuff - I was working Loco (7a), Matt was working The Funk (7b+) and John was working out a project of his.

Tom appeared around the corner and had with him just the answer to the wet holds that were spitting me off Loco Total on each of my attempts...

A bog roll!

Tissues were applied to all the holds on Loco and it soon became clear as the tissue dampened, just how much preparation was going to have to go into drying the line if any major attempt was to be made on it.

Chalk, tissue, brush, chalk, tissue, brush, chalk, tis...

Ok, time to try this thing!!

It must have been my third attempt that I got to the final move, I wasn't pumped, and I was - in my head - about to send the line... until my foot slipped and I swung out, holding onto the matched pinch trying to re-establish my feet on the rock, but was unable...

I can't remember if I had to let go, or I just let go - but in the minutes after I came off the end, I thought - why! didn't I just do it!!!

Tissue, chalk, brush, tissue, chalk, brush....

I was too eager and made some silly slips at the start of the problem.

I sat down and took a rest while the tissue soaked up the damp.

Tom was on Afterthought (6b), Matt was still working on The Funk (7b+) and John was still projecting away...

There was a lull in the action and I grabbed the chance to place a boulder pad over the exposed rock on the ground and take a proper attempt on Loco.

John offered to take the tissues from the holds as I climbed and it may have made all the difference. I tried to climb quickly and efficiently, however I wasn't too happy with how I placed my right heel before the link up between Loco Total and Caroline's Traverse.

As Barry had said the previous session - if you don't hit a hold exactly right, just keep moving.

I remembered what he'd said and just kept moving!!

Got to the rest point in the corner and John told me that my feet looked dry. After shaking my arms out and recovering (though I didn't really have any pump going) I blasted through the final moves and it all came together.

I was chuffed!!

I love that line, it's so much fun to climb and I can't wait to get back on it again.

Paul Brennen arrived along just after the send and we worked on Afterthought.

Such a fun evening's climbing! :)

The Moving Crux!

Well, I had session 5 on Loco Total today and after taking a pretty big gamble yesterday and resting for the day I felt fresh as a daisy this morning and set off to be at the Cave for low tide, 1pm.

Matt joined me soon thereafter and I did Caroline's Traverse first go and felt absolutely on form. I felt strong and focused - a rare combination for me!

Ron arrived along with his dog Meg and flew through Caroline's Traverse as well.

I spent a while working the rest points of my project for the day, Loco Total (7a) and when I hopped on the line first go I blasted through the opening half and it felt easy, my foot slipped off a seeping hold (the only really wet hold in the cave today)

Ron and Matt worked parts of the line getting moves figured out - I took a quick rest and got back on the line about 5-10 mins later.

I made it to the same point as my best effort in the last session and my arms ran out of steam...

Ron got on the line from the start and strung the whole thing together until the rest point - he milked the rest in the corner of Caroline's Traverse and completely recovered. As he moved out of the rest point his foot slipped and he was spat off the line -

I was in disbelief that this could happen!

My go, and I finally made it above mentioned rest point that had eluded me so many times before. I moved into the knee bar position and as I shook my hands out my foot popped and I was spat off!!!

UGH!!!

Heartbreaking!

Ron had been extremely calm about coming off at the end of the problem and I wondered why he wasn't more frustrated! When I got spat off I realised - it's the shock of 'what just happened?'

So like him, I just moved on and gathered my energy for the next attempt...

The breaks between my attempts were about 20mins - half an hour, I literally could not recover quicker than that...

Ron had his next go and again he rested in the corner after fluidly moving through the now wired opening sequence. He chalked his shoes up to make sure they didn't slip and blasted through the end of Loco Total.

For Ron, the line was sent!

It's amazing how much energy I gain from seeing a successful send - I was ready to give Loco Total another go and I felt like I sailed through it and again, made it the resting point.

I stayed there for what felt like 2-3 mins (might have been shorter though)

Deep breath and I began the final moves...

I had thought before that the gymnastic moves in the middle of the line were the crux but today it moved! The final move of Loco Total is surely the hardest after 6 or 7 meters of climbing - I matched the final pinch and went to put my heel up on the extremely featured end and all systems failed.

I was on the last move, and I exploded off the line.

With nothing left in the tank I had one last half hearted go and it was time to call it a day.

Progress is progress and it will be sent next session!

Myself Ron and Matt went to the Arch for a quick climb about after and met up with Eamon who threw popcorn at me for falling off the final move on Loco.

Brilliant day!

'Get a Stop Watch and Learn to Love it!'

Just read this post from 'The Power Company' blog - worth a read!!

http://www.powercompanyclimbing.com/2011/07/reader-question-stopwatch-and-why-it.html

Cave Life

Kev working Man Eater (7b+)

Got in from Ayton's Cave last night at about 11.30pm after an ok session on Loco Total...

It beat me again, but conditions were awful - the holds never dried and though I got a move further on the line, dry features and holds would have been a nice bonus!

Getting to the Cave last night was great craic - we arrived too early and the tide was in so we couldn't walk around - Naomi and Paul didn't have pads so they just climbed up and over a fairly high bit of cliff, but Kev and I didn't like the look of it with so much weight on our backs so Kev rolled up the ends of his tracksuit bottoms and strolled through the water in his runners...

The sun was shining and it didn't look like he got THAT wet... I thought it looked like fun...

I followed him around the corner through the water and it turns out - it was fun, but I have had soggy squelchy runners ever since... not a good move!!

Naomi, me, Tim, Chris, Kev, Paul, Tom, Ron, John and Claire were all there and though it wasn't the most productive session ever - with wet holds everywhere - it was great craic!

Tim even abandoned his climbing shoes for his swimming trunks mid way through the session and braved the evening waves of Howth for a quick swim... Needless to say he was on his own!

...

I'm convinced Loco Total will go next session. (hope I don't have to eat my words!)

Getting around the corner now feels solid after the link up between Loco Total and Caroline's Traverse... I knew what I was doing last night.

If it hadn't been for a foot slip from a slippy foot hold on one of my efforts I believe I had more in the tank to continue on further - but the end move is going to be tough, so after I was finished last night and too tired to climb anymore I practiced Kev's knee bar rest in the corner of Caroline's Traverse just before the final few moves.

That's going to be crucial!

Great night in what has to be Dublin's Premiere Bouldering Facility!!

Naomi Working Caroline's Traverse (6b) nearly in the dark!!

Loco Total: Session 3

Final attempt, session 3

Thanks to Barry for the Video!

A 'Nearly There' Session!

The view from Howth out to Bray

After such a beautiful day yesterday, I was pretty happy out this weekend for bouldering fun, Portrane and Ayton's Cave were on the cards today, and Ayton's Cave won out in the end -

I was psyched to go, and John had said he was going too, so generously - Portrane was put on hold and Barry picked me up from Cherrywood and we drove out to Howth.

This weekend's weather has been nothing short of spectacular by Irish standards... 20 degree heat and clear blue skies - but the Cave makes no sense!

I was there last Wednesday and it was hailstoning/raining the whole time - totally dry cave... Today after 3 days of no rain what so ever - some of the holds were damp - none we actually wet - but the dampness was a constant concern...

John had the answer when he arrived, tissues plaster on to the holds amazingly well and soak up all the dampness, getting into every little groove - it's the way forward and far more effective than towels or cloths -

Barry blasted through Caroline's Traverse but I had trouble remembering the sequence and it took me a few attempts to figure it out - I wasn't too concerned though - my mind was on linking the moves of Loco Total -

The start moves held me back at first, but Barry put it all in context for me when he made the point that sometimes I'm not going to hit a hold perfectly - but I just need to keep going and get the move done!!

I took that on board and the whole thing came together for me today - I made it almost to Caroline's Traverse where the two lines join about 3 times and on my final attempt I linked it all up but I fell off the move coming around the corner of Caroline's Traverse - just after the join up... just before the rest!!

I was totally psyched to have made progress, but gutted to have fallen off at that point!

I was deliriously pumped and all systems failed at once!

I lay in a heap on the ground, unable to move!!

Barry on Maneater (7b+)

Barry made progress on Maneater and he looked solid on it - As I watched him work the problem time and time again, it occured to me that it wasn't that much different to Loco Total - the holds are just smaller, and the heel hooks are more tenuous and higher... the idea's the same though!!!

The guys arrived and John looked like someone had pressed the 'fast-forward' button as he climbed Carolines Traverse!

He went on to work the moves of a potential new line and the sequence through 'Maneater' looked like an absolute breeze - amazing to watch...

I nearly did Loco Total (7a) today, Barry nearly did Maneater (7b+) and John nearly sent his Project (hard!)... Nearly nearly nearly!!

Epic evening's climbing!!!

The wrath of the midge

'Glenmalure it is' read the text I received this morning -

Met Paul Hynds and Barry about an hour later and we headed to 'Ballinafunshogue Boulder' - Barry talked it up in the car and I thought - how good can this boulder actually be?!

When we arrived, and only seconds from the car, I was met with the sight of an epic block that looked like it might have been plucked from Fairhead - There is a picture of the boulder in the guide, however it's difficult to decipher the sheer scale of the block from it... so here it is - in context!

Three mega problems -

Big Boots (5+)

The Scratcher ss (6c)

Kinky Reggae (6c)

Big Boots (5+) is the weirdest problem I ever did - so utterly imbalanced and on the edge and yet is probably correct in it's grade despite spitting us all off a good few times!!

Barry did it with a crank from his left hand on this little hold and then a rock over - I did it with my right hand on that hold and turned my left hand to a mantle and rocked over from there -

Paul on 'Big Boots' (5+) ... The weirdest problem ever!

We moved on around the corner to The Scratcher (6c) and Barry sent the stand start first go - the sitter was over grown mostly with ferns. Paul looked comfortable and sent it a few attempts later, however the mechanics of it didn't come naturally to me and I was left a bit stumped as to what the big issue was!!

Barry took a go at Kinky Reggae (6c) and pieced together the moves nicely - He took a quick rest and I hopped back on The Scratcher - Barry gave me a little extra beta about foot placement in the opening sequence and it worked - sent the problem and was chuffed!

Second attempt at Kinky Reggae and Barry sent the line. Having watched him on it, I couldn't wait to give it a go - it's epic!

The moves are at ranges I'm not used to - especially this reach far out left to a gaston- type crimp I couldn't really see - the move from there is super tenuous - especially in today's heat and though I stuck it a few times, moving my right foot up to the next hold was too much of an ask and I came peeling off over and over again -

Barry doled out beta for the next 2 hours or so while myself and Paul worked the problem, but the same move over and over again left my shoulder in ribbons - and Barry suggested I try the end moves.

What a head trip! - I didn't think of the fall while doing the moves the first time, I pulled on, moved up left and crossed through, but was at a loss as to what to do next and came careering off the top and made a good chunk of the hill fall away as I fell down onto the boulder pads below!!

Hit by an insane rush of adrenaline I couldn't wait to get back on it - however, though it didn't occur to me when I was trying it for the second time, that fall must have been playing on my mind cause there was instant regression and I was happy enough to walk away!

What an epic boulder in the prettiest of settings, a couple of yards from the car!!

It should be noted that the wrath of the Wicklow midge was up full throttle today... We had taken measures against them using Barry's repellent, however the stuff was only applied to my face neck and arms ... The first thing I did after I put on my boots... rolled up the ends of my trousers... Those airborn irritants may have destroyed my ankles, but they didn't take anything from this perfect day.