4am alarm is set.

Fontainebleau in the morning.

I've been at work for 13 hours today. 12 hours yesterday and nearly the same the day before. I'm shattered.

Don't think it'll seem as though I'm on holidays until I've climbed a boulder or two and am sitting in the gite with a nice glass of cheap wine in my hand.

Zzz...

Pop.

My wrist has been hurting for a while now, so I've been strapping it every session.

I notice it mostly at the board, though sometimes it can hurt when I'm on rock too.

It feels like my hand is coming away from my forearm and that the bones in my wrist are going to pop out sideways. It's quite unnerving.

Tonight I warmed up as usual and went to try some slopey holds out before Font next week. I caught a right hand sloper at full stretch and my wrist went pop. I get pains like that all the time though and just thought to myself...'shake it off'

But it felt different, almost as though it had been about to go for about a month... and tonight it went.

Pop.

Well, it doesn't hurt at all now while sitting on the couch and I'll be just resting up before the trip on Thursday... Ice ice baby etc...

Mall Hi, Glendalo, Glenmalu, The Scalp.

Had a grand auld tour of indecision, rain, fog, mist and finally beaming sunshine as we drove around Wickow, ending up in The Scalp as a final resort.

The 'Dark Angle' side of the valley was in the shade and assumed wet (I checked Dark Angle and it was manky so we discarded the idea of climbing on that side)

The 'Crimp Narris' side of the valley was basked in sunshine and we kicked off our bouldering day on Gully's Problem (6b). I couldn't get it together on it today, and anyway - the side pull undercut was wet and horrid. Tom sent it in the end and myself and Dave were happy enough to walk away.

I had walked over to check out 'Crimp Narris' (7a) earlier and on my way back, I stumbled upon the cutest ever little kid goat lying in the sun. He was tiny and with his little legs splayed beneath him and not moving despite me kneeling beside him, tickling in behind his ears, I assumed he had fallen from one of the blocks beside him and was either injured or dying.

I called the guys over and Tom came down to have a look. He immediately spotted the problem... I'm a city girl and haven't got a clue. The goat was just chilling in the sunshine.

Caroline came over after and took some photos of the little fellow.

In the end he got to his feet and made is way over to the cave beside Crimp Narris and curled himself up under there. After finishing up on Gully's Problem, we headed over after him to climb Crimp Narris and he lay there and watched us.

We made our own problem up as we assumed the 7a pulled directly through the crimps and straight over the top. With several holds out to the right, Dave, Tom and I sent the problem and we reckoned our variation went at about 6b. Very good fun indeed.

Last on the list was Gin Tully, a lovely arete down by the roadside. The fence was all mangled along the way since the last time I was there though and it made it difficult to access the problem.

When we got there I couldn't really remember the beta that Shane had told me the last time I was there, but I was happy to send the line in the end. Perhaps not staying as right as I could have towards the end, but it felt every bit the grade it is, so I'm pretty satisfied I didn't cheat... too much!! ;)

Cool line anyway! Looking forward to going to it again and remain right right right (completely right!) as I exit!!

Went for cake in Enniskerry afterwards, undoing the good of any exercise during the day.

Ireland's latest board

In my humble little opinion, Co op boards are the way forward when it comes to training for bouldering. They're steep, generally quiet and I can go to the Rathmine's board whenever I like... cause I've my own key to the door of the place.

We own it, we run it, we even sometimes clean it and I love training there.

The more of these places that spring up around the country the better.

I've been told Ireland's newest Co op was 6 months in the planning and building and finally tonight it's opening. Fair dues to Barry and the gang - long may it last!!

Ireland's newest Co op: Cork

Just for good measure:

Co op Rathmines

And seeing as this is about Co ops:

The Arch

Bouldering Talk

Giving a Bouldering Talk tomorrow night:

Thursday 9th Feb

Teacher's Club, Parnell Sq West.

9.30pm

Would love to see you there!

Snap, Snap

So we're all following Trish then...

John announced I'd be leading the troop around the warm up circuit I usually do when Tim comes out bouldering.

It's great because there's 12 or 13 problems and even if I don't get anything else sent all day, at least I know, I've done lots and lots of bouldering!!

Funnily enough though, it didn't really seem to work out too well with 6 or 7 of us going around the circuit. Psyche ran out by 'The Rails' and we moved on to 'B.B.E.' and 'Superswingers'.

John Sending the sitter to B.B.E.

Seamus on B.B.E.

Tom on B.B.E.

In hindsight I should have grabbed my pad and finished the circuit, but I was excited to see the sitter to Superswingers being done. Dave was eager and my curiosity was fraught with apprehension as I sat and watched him, having heard stories in the past, of the ankle snapping nature of the line. Dave's feet were jammed into a crack and he quickly moved his hands to a sort of compression position and slipped off, unjamming his feet with lightening quick reaction.

He got back on the line and sent it second go. It was impressive to watch, no doubt. I tried the opening move, and can't say I didn't have the span... I just didn't have the mindset.

I'm fond of my ankles and was safe in the knowledge that this was not my sort of climbing. Who knows, maybe next year... but not right now. As I stepped away from the line, and as I walked across the boulder pads we all heard...

Snap, snap!

Tom jumped down onto the pads and grabbed his chalk bucket out from beneath them... As I stepped across the pads, I had managed to decapitate BOTH of his posh Lapis Brushes which were in the side pocket of his chalk bucket which had been left under the pads... They were no doubt purchased in Spain or France... A purple one and a yellow one...

May they rest in peace.

We moved on up to Chillax. I was feeling strong (if a little cold after sitting out the BBE session) and was psyched to re-send Chillax. Paul and Darragh arrived along midway through our session and the banter turned extreme as we all tore shreds off each other for the slightest mistakes...

No encouragement like it!!

Dave Giving John options on Chillax Left

I managed to send the line and John did the lower start and sent it. Dave demoed a more direct exit but his heel slipped as he was topping out and we were all of us, giving him a good dose of Irish Spotting. He plummeted to the ground and looked to grate his back of a block below.

'You looked solid man... didn't think you were coming off that at all'... and so on ;)

No harm done.

Seamus on Chillax

Tom worked away on the line and finally sent it for the first time. It so satisfying to watch people catch that jug and not dab... I don't think there was anyone not listening for a brush of the mats or a contact with a rock below and when all one hears is silence as the boulderer in question swings through the air... there's a slight pause in the noise and then everyone starts willing and driving the person to send the line!!

Savage effort.

Chuppa Chop was next on the list and John retro-flashed it. The crimp was greasy as it could be today and by the time Dave made what is surely a crucial suggestion about what to do with my feet, there was little skin left on my fingertips and I knew it was time to call it a day.

I'm psyched to get back and try that beta out though.

Eoin, Katie and John were walking out and I bailed with them, leaving Seamus, Dave and Tom to head up to the lines in behind Wonderland...

Which apparently are NOT highball!

Ehhh...

Retroness back in the carpark

Irish Bouldering Meet 2012