Strength or fitness - which is most important

Douggie on the start of Poema de Roca

This time last year i was getting ready to go to Kalymnos. I had spent literally hours of my life going round and round in circles doing circuits on a Bendcrete board at Cockermouth and getting to Kendal wall as much as i could. The result was a 7a+ of a long, steep route in the Grande Grotte that i was really chuffed with.

This year before coming to Spain i bouldered almost exclusively with a few trips to Penrith wall - all of 8 metres high. The result was a 7A+ that i was really chuffed with.

I wasn't expecting to have any fitness at all when i got here and when i first went out that was the case. More than anything i was scared to death above a bolt and still in bouldering mode. I was grabbing every hold as hard as i could, through fear and my body being so used to grabbing everything 100%. Un-surprisingly i was pumping out very quickly and sitting on a lot of bolts.

Fast forward a couple of months and i have just climbed Poema de Roca.

http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/c.php?i=112605

Neil on the rest just before the crux

It's route that relies on economic climbing and recovery en-route, with 3 hands off rests and 2 partial shakes. It's notoriously pumpy and i was saving it for an on-sight attempt at the end of the year. Circumstances ended up with me standing at the bottom of it yesterday and giving it a go 2 months early. I wasn't too shocked to find myself dangling off the rope at the 4th bolt on my first go. I was quite shocked to completely cruise it 2nd go. I got to the top feeling fresh and it went like clockwork.

I was pondering what had improved so much to make it go so well. I've come to the conclusion it was a combination of being stronger and lots of volume. The amount of easy climbing i've done in the last couple of months has been greater in total than the last 2 years. I am reading routes well, spotting cruxes and sequences and, most importantly, i now have the move 'library' and strength to pull the moves off.

I think strength endurance, or fitness, is the icing on the cake. Volume of easy climbing and bouldering strength and know how seem to be the most important factors for me anyway.

I am going to carry on with the volume, with on-sighting as a priority, until Xmas and then i am going to redpoint the next few months with an idea of hitting 7b+ ( maybe 7c ) by April ish.

Life is good

A 6a + at Yugoslavia

Easy bimble into a 6B. That was a shock.

Well things finally seem to be coming together. Like buses i was waiting for ages and now two have come along at once. My friends in El Chorro want to climb every Monday and our Spanish friend Sylvia has finally come back from her travels and also wants to climb as much as possible.

A pic of Sylvia for Mario's benefit

So i have been out climbing sport 3 times in the last 10 days and it feels great. One false start at a recently developed crag in Chorro ( think grades at least 1 full grade lower than they really are, long run outs above bolts while you do the crux and a 40 min walk in up a steep hill in the blazing sun). I guess this is often the result of ideas formed in the pub the night before with a hand drawn topo copied from another hand drawn topo.

Besides that it has been just what i came here for: Quality routes, great weather, road side crags, no queues for the starred routes, great people and beautiful places. Awesome.

Cut a long story short 6b+'s are going down easy and i on-sighted a 6c yesterday at Villanueva Del Cauche. It went like a dream with everything feeling how i expected and i got to the top feeling fresh.

Last year in Kalymnos i was wobbling up 6c's and i had spent a lot of time working PE. This year i have done none but am a lot stronger. Every move feels easier and i am not getting pumped. I am also able to attack cruxes more positively as i know i am strong enough to pull them off.

Me dancing on a rock.

I was visualising a route but Sylvia thought it was hilarious.

Although my climbing hasn't been regular since i got here i am in a rhythm with my climbing and am not feeling nervous about going above bolts like i was before. I am hoping it can only get better.

Sophie belayed by Auntie Rachel

I want to on-sight 3 more 6b+'s, 3 more 6c's and RP a 7a this month. Fingers crossed.

Appearances can be deceptive

I was bouldering at my usual spot beneath Mt Chamoz the other day when i bumped into my chubby stoned friend. He had brought his son along this time, Antonio. Antonio is 13, spotty, skinny and looks like he needs another couple of years growing for his body to catch up with his arms and legs. Gangly youth would be the best description. He proceeded to very quietly take me round some of the most heinous slab problems i have ever had the misfortune to try and get up. Think 7A-7B slopers with tiny, very polished, footholds. His sense of balance, timing and movement were great to watch and learn from. I had an ultimately frustrating time but made sure i burnt him off on a 6C+ overhanging jug fest at the end. Can't have young 'uns getting too cocky now can we ?

Two days later i went back to more familiar territory; thuggy over-hanging stuff at El Torcalito. Whilst there i was watching a guy working a traverse problem on the crimpy wall. It looked good and it must be hard. Why must it be ? Well he was power screaming like a lady tennis player, dripping with sweat and was built like Chris Sharma. I wombled over and he started to show me how it went. I must admit to being a bit surprised ( and secretly smug ) when i flashed it. Not that it was a great display of climbing by me it just wasn't very hard. Turns out he wasn't much of a climber, just looked like he was.

Just goes to show you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. I only found out just how good Antonio was when he took his shoes off at the end of the session. I could see his toes through the bottom of them. I've no idea why he bothered wearing them, there was hardly any rubber left. That lad could do well. I'm taking a couple of pairs of my old shoes next time i go up. If he's the same size he can have them as long as he lets me into the secret of levitation he obviously has.

New video of old stuff

Finally got round to up loading a vid to vimeo as we've now got proper internet.

It's of my last week in the Lakes and shows Langdale + the Bowderstone.

Langdale Boulders and Bowderstone from andrew mcvittie on Vimeo.

I've still got another to finish editing from St Bees as well, i need to get my finger out.

High mountain bouldering

Imagine a place with over 600 boulder problems. Now imagine it's set half way up the highest mountain in the area, which is 1800 metres a.s.l. Now imagine there is a car park right in front of it so you don't even have to walk up the mountain to get to it. Now imagine me, there having fun while you are getting rained on in England.

In case you are having trouble imagining here are some pics.

Problem number 1

There are loads of amazing slab problems- including the hands free one on the bottom pic.

I tried this a couple of times but it finishes up the flake i've got my left hand on in the last photo. It's about 5 metres high and i can't scope the top out so i wimped out and will wait for a spotter.

El Torcalita & Spanish ethics

Is a bouldering area just outside Malaga. It's described as steep and thuggy and it does what it says in the tin. There are 2 small caves, one of which has routes coming out of it, and the other has been dug down to provide more height and steepness.

I was remarking to the guy you can see in the pic above that the one vertical wall was chipped all over the place. He replied it was, some by him, and that it was 'only for training' so it didn't matter. I guess they have that much climbable rock it doesn't matter as much to them.

This is a pic of the dug out cave. The coloured section of the photo shows a newly constructed tufa. It was still wet, as i found out when i stuck my finger in it and got shouted at. How to make new friends eh ?

Lower down there are stuck on pebbles, old wall holds and all sorts of shennanigans going on. Again they see it as a training area so you can always eliminate the fake stuff to make it harder as you progress i guess.

I had a really nice evening climbing with the 3 guys there and got invited back again next week - nice of them as i didn't realise it was their crag ;0) I have to take my harness and do the 7a+ mad steep route in the right cave supposedly.

Showing off my 'farmers tan'. Brown arms and calves, white everywhere else.

WHAT A SHIT HEAP !

No not my van, that's Santiago btw my trusty Spanish banger, but all the turds that were all around the parking spot. FFS why do people do it. I can vouch for the fact that all the Spanish houses i've been in have flushing toilets. There is even a garage with toilets where you come off the main road for this place so why do they crap in the car park ? I find this at a lot of Spanish crags and the worst thing is having to pull shitty toilet paper out of Alfie's mouth as he loves the stuff.

On a happier note i am off on the hunt tomorrow morning to find some other boulders i have been told about. Supposed to be over 600 problems at this spot. Just got to find it. That'll mean i have places to go. Torcalits is awesome for fitness with lots of traverses, up and down probs and good for burl. the other spot should sort out technique and variety. Now i just need to get a partner or 3.

This weekend should bear fruit in that direction as i put a plan in action. Failing that i'll bug the guys at Torcalita.

By 'eck it's hot

With afternoon temps hitting 46 celsius early ( ish ) visits to the crag were in order and even Alfie had to wear his sun hat.

While Mario was over a great time was had visiting a couple of local crags and getting some mileage in. This is my local crag - Villanueva de Cauche, or Sector Yugoslavia. About 50 odd routes all told from 5 to 8b. Plenty to be going at and despite what it says in rock fax even in August it was climbable into the afternoon.

The upper cave shown hereis being developed as a dry tooling area. There doesn't seem to be the same ethic stance here - more of which later actually. However there is an awesome looking 5 pitch HVS/E1 round the corner, but that was too sunny to try this time.

At one point it got so hot Mario had to borrow Alfie's hat.

I started the week in an awful way with no head for roped climbing at all and certainly no route reading ability. A few months of bouldering working hard, steep lines left me very un prepared for on-sighting steep slabs and vertical lines. Quite obvious really but it came as a shock to me how poor i was. I hit rock bottom having to cry take on a 5+ and that gave me the impetus to get my arse in gear. By the end i was much happier above bolts but still very hesitant. I wasn't getting pumped but taking ages to make decisions. Anyway a very quick 6c redpoint ( 1 top rope the day before and then led first time the next day ) gave me some confidence and some 6b+ on-sights followed.

I started to get a bit poorly after that with a chesty cough and feeling weak. Air con is the culprit and it took a week to feel well again.

Still need to find some partners.