Adam Ondra nearly stroked my dog !

He must be really focused to ignore a dog as cute as Alfie !

Well it's been a while and quite a bit has happened really.

I've been mad busy with work, DIY, family and planning for the move to Spain. Mrs Biscuit has been very generous with her time though and let me out to play a good few times.

I even managed a day out in Yorkshire. Ended up at Malham ( predictably ) and had a terrible time there as usual. I couldn't even get up Puddlejumper, Consenting, Another dead end job and Hartley Hare on a top rope. Didn't do any leading ( definite head problem here ) and couldn't put any sequences together. I felt like i was climbing through treacle.

Caff on something 8b hard !

However all was not lost. Much inspiration was garnered from the people who were there. I was climbing with a group including Adam Hocking and James McHaffie, but also present were: Tim Emmet, Dave Pickford, Jordan & Naomi Buys and some bloke called Adam Ondra. It was just sooo good to see these guys performing. Ondra was great to see, but what a focused character he is. When he wasn't climbing he took himself off on his own and brooded. He didn't manage Overshadow that day but got it 2 days later. His physical ability is obviously matched with a laser like mental focus too. A truly special athlete.

My favourite though was Tim Emmet, who laughed his way up Unjustified while working it. He even found 2 hands off rests. He has such enthusiasm and obviously loves what he does.

Tim Emmet 'belaying' Dave Pickford

That day was the final nail in the coffin for my route ambitions in the UK though :0(

Due to work and travelling around to say goodbye to people i have got 1 free weekend day between now and the move. There is not much chance of me getting Comedy done in 1 visit (when i say not much i obviously mean none) so i have to be realistic. Without something to aim at it all feels a bit pointless, so i shall do some routes for fun but concentrate on bouldering.

This will mean i can work on the technique tips i got from John Kettle, monitor my finger a bit better, crack off those classics i want to do, get strong ( and better technique ) and then get fit in Spain for the 8a. I will still have 5 mths to get fit for it and i should be plenty strong enough. So a plan of sorts has come together.

I've finally started to pull hard again on my finger and whilst it remains a bit sore it is certainly not having any negative effects so far. I've been putting my new found enthusiasm for motivation into practice at the Bowderstone and the Crack now feels simple. Familiarity obviously helps, i've done it a few times now, but i am at least feeling brave enough to use momentum when i'm scared rather than reverting back to my standard static antics. It's really making a difference.


I had a dabble at Crack Superdirect and surprised myself by making quick progress. I then got stuck at the last hard move - that'll be the crux then. I was dynoing for the big pocket but was about as accurate as a muck spreader. I came back for a re-match a couple of days later but was still too tired to be honest. I really need to pay attention to recovery. I'm 35 now and don't bounce back like i used to. I keep breaking my promise to myself to get more sleep. It'll go next time and then it's time to start working Picnic again and Statstick.