A long overdue update that ends up not dissimilar to previous updates?? I've been clawing my way back into climbing over the last couple of months. Easy trad, easy sport, initially easy bouldering, testing my injuries, seeing what they could cope with, testing my confidence and fitness, seeing that they were entirely absent, so working back into roped climbing especially slowly - the new Moelwynion guide has helped a lot with that.
Bouldering seemed to progress better, with my golfer's elbow and LCL strain coping well, and a recent background of board training giving me some strength regains. So naturally and inevitably, I started to try hard and push myself, and naturally and inevitably my recent tennis elbow flared up to the point of being notably injured and requiring a lot of care and restraint again.
So 2-3 weeks of respite and normality, then back to the usual bullshit. I'm starting to realise how crippling inevitable this is when you're too heavy, too old, and don't have the essential pre-climbing background of athletic/fitness activities - and don't have enough self-discipline to bumble along when you're fed up of bumbling along. At least I'm down to one inhibitive injury rather than two or three, but it's still as frustrating as ever. Of course I'm trying to find ways to work around this, and trying to find options to keep inspired and keep trying to regain back to a normal level...
Things that are OFF the cards: Classic mainstream crags where I've done all the easier routes and only have things that are too hard for me left / board training / excessive bouldering / redpointing / grit because it's too warm obviously.
Plan Bs...
- More sea-cliff mini-adventures: especially Porth Dafrach / Range / Llyn (just the gentle bits!) / Trinity House Walls / Thunderbird Zawn ...and a long weekend at Ynys Lochtan??
- More hidden gem cragging: especially smaller Duddon areas like Crag Band / Tongue House / Gaitkins / Little Stand / Brandy Crag / Buck Crag....and some more Moelwyns of course.
- More conjuring up similarly inspired climbing partners out of thin air 😂😆😐😞☹
- More indoor leading / falling practise
- More indoor stamina circuits
- Maybe a bit of Welsh slab / crack bouldering
- Maybe some steadier sport at venues I haven't climbed out yet...
- Stretching, because I've been neglecting that.
- Boring rehab, as always....
- Lancs quarries for local stuff of course!
Anyway have some photos of some trad and some videos of some bouldering:
