Hmmmm.

I've decided I really don't like this "being injured" business.

Aside from the obvious issues of being unable to climb properly, unable to push myself, unable to do many of the more physical facets of climbing, unable to train when the weather is poor, of being
hampered in my desires and plans, of struggling to stay fit and physically active, and of not having the FUN that a climbing lifestyle entails... Aside from all that, it is more detrimental than I thought.

Firstly, I feel increasingly distant from the climbing scene and climbing community (I have less to discuss and share as usual and less lure to being involved) and sometimes from some climbing friends and acquaintances too, whose company I'm not sharing because I can't share what we most have in common. It seems strange how quickly one can go from feeling involved to feeling almost forgotten.

Secondly, I find it frustrating just how much a proper injury hampers you. I still keep up with the climbing media, obviously, I read and watch and learn and feel inspiration. But it is all for nothing if you can't actually do it. All discourse on training and progression and psychology and inspiration....it is all irrelevant if you literally cannot get on rock and pull hard.

Thirdly, not climbing is not good for my well-being. It is an activity and lifestyle I find enriching on many levels, from the pleasure of movement to the personal progress of tackling challenges, to the richness of being involved in an intense activity outdoors. Without partaking in it....I feel somewhat diminished.

ON THE PLUS SIDE however, at least the weather is variable enough (it seems the same pattern as last year - very good late spring, poor and showery early summer....will it have the same glorious dry autumn?? I hope!!) that the all-important exploratory away trips would have been a bit tricky anyway. It is as good a time to rest as any (i.e. not really a good time, but a better time now than back in May when Scotland was on the cards). And I've got other stuff to do and some friends around and stuff....it's okay I guess.

Strengths and strengths.

A curious revelation occured to me earlier this year (when I had any strength to speak of....or at least when my body could take using it :S).

I've always thought that my strength - stylistic strength that is - in climbing was simple: crimpy walls and slabs with sharp positive holds and stiff pulls between them. Sort of slatey quarried-grity culm-coasty stuff, which is what I've tended to do best in on trad. Perish the thought of steep, bulging, roofy stuff, let alone that combined with slopers and friction (although the latters being a pure physiological issue of sweaty hands). Too intimidating, too immediately pumpy, too committing, too blind, too easy to slither off.

Now, bouldering (I like it! When I can actually do it...). My stylistic strength there?? Hmmm, well judging by my hardest problems: Steep, bulging, roofy stuff, combined with slopers and friction (and a fair bit of areteness thrown in too). I guess burly bulging rounded ribs would probably be where it's at for me. As for crimpy walls - ouch!! Just can't seem to crimp hard enough, I tend to lag behind by a grade or so in the genre I *thought* was my strength.

Weakness is strength? Strength is weakness?*

Well, it's not that obtuse: Overall climbing / mental strengths of onsighting trad vs. purely physical strengths of worked boulder problems. Hanging on a trad route on bulging slopey ground is well harsh - blasting through it above a mat is quite different. Alas little mystery there! Chalk and cheese. Mmmm cheese... ...mmmm chalk!!

And little to learn from this for the future either. I always try to progress and improve my confidence, however gradually, anyway, and that includes pushing my naturally lagging stylistic weaknesses. As for bouldering....hmmm. Get uninjured....get strong! LOL.

[* - from a novel I'm reading - anyone reading the same one, tell me about it!]

Motivation and purpose 3

3. Current climbing purpose.

...continued. So what now?? Injured. Need time to recover. Can't push myself on hard projects. Can't train. Can't travel to boulder nor sport climb (and travelling for trad is not so inspiring, we have enough of that in this country). What can I do??

The answer is obvious: EASY TRAD of course :).

Well, maybe not too easy, but relatively gentle enough that although I might lengthen my elbow's healing process, I am hopefully not tweaking it or re-damaging it....climbing at less than 50% of my physical potential. This may not be the best approach for my elbow but it is a good approach for my sanity (the recent turbulent and mixed weather has already shown that taking a couple of trad trips previouslywhen the weather was good, with the intention of resting well now, was justified).

Okay so climbing is not supposed to be as much of a focus for me this year....but I still love it and still need some inspirations to follow and still need a vague purpose of sorts.

That purpose is now to explore (yup, you guessed it) in this country, climbing some more....errr "interesting" trad with a focus on adventure and committment rather than technical difficulty. I have this great idea that if I climb some proper choss, then I can't pull hard enough to damage my elbow cos I'd just pull holds off...:). That and just exploring slightly off-beat areas too. Adventurous trips away when possible, plenty of rest and active rest in-between.

On the subject of which - ticklist soon!

Motivation and purpose 2

2. True climbing purpose.

....continued. Is working "hard" projects for me?? It has an appeal as something different and something fresh, but is it true to me, is it where my deepest inspirations lie??

The answer: I think not. I won't dismiss it, as I like trying new aspects of climbing (within limits of common sense of course....headpointing?? *spits* - no way!). After doing very well with trad in the last couple of years, I always intended to focus more on bouldering, sport, and DWS. And seriously working projects is just an extension of that. So I'm likely to do it to some degree, but I doubt it will be much of a focus for me. Maybe in the distant future when I'm an old man and truly run out of trad and time and being able to afford fuel...

So what is the answer?? What is my climbing purpose?? I've had a good and successful focus in the last few years with trad, but that was mostly in the "see what I can do" and "finally reach the potential I've been striving for for years" vein. There must be more to it than that, something more....wide-reaching??

And there is. My true climbing purpose, and, as far as I can currently tell, my only real, driving ambition in life is:

Explore - travel to new and different places to climb in them.

This is something I realised after getting back from a South Africa climbing trip a few years back, and it still holds true today. A purpose that encompasses everything I'm inspired by with climbing: different rock types, different venues, beautiful lines, choice of routes and venues, variety in styles (this goal encompasses trad, sport, and bouldering), variety of aesthetics and situations, and absorption in being there doing something I love. It also encompasses seeing new cultures and new places, but with a focus too it rather than in an arbitrary touristy sort of way (and, as much of a comfort-zone dweller as I am, I DO like visiting new places abroad). And, too, it encompasses being with friends and companions, because often that's how trips away work, you do them with people you like and trust rather than climbing strangers.

I think being able to do that, and doing it, is all I really want in life. Even just travelling to new climbing areas in this country is important, as well as abroad.

As for the concept of working projects, well, like the concept of travelling to boulder or sport climb at least, it got put on hold, because then I, of course, I got injured....

Motivation and purpose 1

1. A speculative climbing purpose.

Rewind a bit selecta.... Earlier this year. Getting strong. Getting more into bouldering. Getting injured but still psyched. Getting involved with a fresh focus. Getting over to Font. Getting some ideas from dedicated and determined climbers - in particular http://www.unclesomebody.com/blog/, which has some of the best explorations of personal climbing philosophy (because it IS a personal journey) I've read and should be printed as a book.

All of this got me thinking: A fresh focus....why not make it totally fresh and totally focused?? Actually put some serious effort into bouldering (and maybe sport climbing), and in particular some serious effort into working projects - projects beyond what I can currently do, projects which will push me onwards (to where? To nowhere except along the path of progression).

Although I have pushed myself in bouldering, and worked some projects, I haven't done so on a long term basis. My previous hardest problems had taken me a few hours over a couple of days (often due to skin), my recent hardest problems had taken a couple of hours or less. Which is pretty quick really. No multiple sessions over many weeks. No specific training/practising. No careful skin/rest/recovery schedules. No relentless involvement with the minutae of moves beyond my limits.

So maybe this was something to try, something different, learn something new, see what I was capable of, open up new inspirations etc etc. New inspiration like, for example, this - very cool but beyond my current limits, like plenty of harder bouldering I've seen around.

Okay, beyond my current limits but also beyond current feasible travelling. To fully work something I would need to be near it, so I looked closer to home for challenges in that category - "inspiring but too hard" - and found a few. Projects I could try, work, train for, go back to time and time again and push myself further.

But I also found myself thinking....is this really for me??....is this what I personally want out of climbing??...

Appreciation.

Reminiscing over the Scotland trips... I like exploring around to new and different climbing areas (more on THAT later). I've always been inspired by Scottish outcrops ever since seeing the first pictures of Reiff, Torridon, North West Gneiss, Aberdeen sea-cliffs etc etc. And in fact become even more inspired in recent years when I've explored plenty elsewhere and started to yearn for somewhere fresh and full of choice of climbs.

I had the same prominent yearning this year - get up there, explore, climb. I often have such strong desires for new places, but also often don't think they'll actually happen due to the usual logistical hurdles: travelling, timing, weather, partners, etc. Maybe that's my pessimism and lack of organisation, but some of those factors are genuine, particularly weather for Scotland. So I didn't have the highest hopes of actually getting a decent climbing trip up there.

But now I've been! To just the right areas! Twice!

I was a bit shocked at the end of the second trip - that I'd fulfilled a Scottish desire not once but twice. It took a while to sink in that I'd actually got up there, the drive was okay, the weather was good, there were people to climb with. I'm rather chuffed with that, appreciative of the opportunity and the people involved with both trips, and more confident about future trips (my homepage is still http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/uk_forecast_weather.html , of course ;)).

Natural lull.

*Snort*

So this weekend the longest day of the year came and went, heralding the start of summer with an impressive display of wind and rain and general unsuitability for climbing or indeed much outdoor appreciation.

Such unsuitability suits me fine. It's over 2 weeks since getting back from Scotland, and aside from a couple of very gentle evenings seconding easy routes on grit, I'm giving my elbow a good rest (along with massage and a bit of swimming). Come next weekend, that will be 3 weeks of rest, and although I'm missing proper climbing, I'm fairly happy with time off at this time.

Hmmm, time off proper blog updates too, lol. I might post more soon.