Climbing….I’m fairly relaxed about climbing at the moment, following a good autumn doing lots of diverse trad climbing. I’m vaguely trying to get used to gritstone again, but mostly training indoors due to the haphazard weather.
Yesterday I had a long session down the Leeds Wall with various friends. I hadn’t been there for a year but I like to visit different walls throughout the winter to keep training fresh (i.e. new problems and routes to read). I have the following observations:
1. They still have those shit ugly swirly holds. I don’t what it is but they just feel rubbish to climb on. When stuff like Bleaustone and Pusher are readily available I don’t know why they keep that dated crap. Just leave them on the beginner’s top-rope routes or something.
2. Grades are all over the place - pretty piss on some of the outlying walls, and pretty stiff on the main steep wall.
3. On the subject of which, there’s a general lack of solid mid-grade routes on the outlying walls, although plenty on the main wall. The main wall seems to have the best route-setting too, pretty well balanced and “go-ey”.
4. Unfortunately I am too morally weak to climb well on the main steep wall. A weakness to recognise, tackle and overcome.
5. The bouldering is still better than the routes, i.e. more consistently good and good holds. As usual it is beefy and gives you a good workout. My fingers have their first post-wall burn of the winter. The new bouldering section has good angles and some nice problems on the vertical bits i.e. subtle and thin holds. However it’s not bloody high enough and the top 2′ of the wall is wasted. This can probably be overcome with devious problem setting.
Anyway I didn’t climb routes so well, despite starting off well, probably due to just getting past a cold so having shallower energy reserves. That and being a f-ing coward even indoors. Bouldering felt better despite being tired. Still, pulled hard and got pumped, that’s what it’s all about.
Spare pics:
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