My First Solo Session - Llangorse - 4th December 2020
As this is the first session that I'm blogging, I'll be talking about each route by the colour of the holds and the wall that they're on. Also the pictures above show all of the routes for this setting. I've marked these with lines for the starting hand position and dots for the starting feet position, all colour coded to the colour holds in question.
NB. I mention the "Eisteddfod routes" at Llangorse, these are the holds that are white, red and green like the Eisteddfor logo.
Currently already completed before this session:-
Eisteddfod on the Corner
Purple on the Slab
Eisteddfod and Grey in the Alcove
Pink, Blue, Red and Green on the Main Wall
Eisteddfod in the Cwtch
Black in the Cwtch
Blue on Wall of Death
Yellow on Comp Wall
Progress:-
Yellow on Main Wall by Alcove to getting onto the giant hold.
Black on Main Wall to 3rd to last hold
White on Main Wall to 3rd hold
Pink on Wall of Death to half way
Black on Wall of Death to flattened Top Hat
Yellow on Entry to Gaston move
Blue from Entry to Comp Wall up to the bumps
So today is my first solo session and it’s much needed! With everything this year, Covid and the isolation, my mental health has taken a hit, so it was definitely time for me to have some downtime and I would say quiet time, but the tunes at Llangorse make it far from quiet even on your own! I’m still feeling a little achey from the upping session earlier in the week and learning to billet, but still want a good session to feel like I’ve accomplished something! So with the sounds of The Wombats and The Cranberries filling the room, time to get climbing! Nice little warm up on the Eisteddfod route on the Corner (partially to warm up, partially to test if my trousers rip or not) and we’re good to go! Smashed the blue route on the Main wall (yes I’ve completed it before, not the point) followed in quick succession with the Eisteddfod in the Cwtch, and then my recreation of a surprising on site flash of the Yellow muscle climb on the Comp Wall.
Unfortunately by this point I was absolutely pumped and attempted the Purple route on the Overhang (videoed) but failed dramatically! At least it was a good place to build off, making it up to the horrible craters, but I was kinda hoping to top out. Maybe next time. Stupidly, I then tried the Yellow route on Entry and managed to get up to the Gaston move but still can’t quite hold it! Time for a little rest and a brownie!
So break over and little warm up by the heater and back to it! The Blue route on Entry to the Comp wall keeps calling me out and I’m determined to send it but not sure it’ll be today! First attempt did not end well as I forgot everything I know about bouldering (which isn’t a lot!) but on the second attempt I finally made it past the bumps!! Just one more move to send it and I tail spinned off the wall in a way a shot down fighter pilot would be proud off! Next up was the Undercroft! I have very mixed emotions about the undercroft, mainly due to my height and how cramped up you have to start when underneath. I’ve had a look at some of these a few sessions ago but haven’t actually tried any so thought it was only right with my failing arms to attempt some of them. Surprisingly I flashed the white route which wasn’t too difficult, a nice back and forth route. Then, feeling way too confident, I attempted the yellow, and like a child lost in a shopping centre in a foreign country, I had no idea where I was or where to begin! Tentatively I stepped up to the Wall of Death (aptly named after the death of Bianca [post in its own right being a belter of a story!]). So me and Sam had a look at this wall a couple sessions ago and couldn’t get passed the flattened top hat, we couldn't find any way of coming onto it comfortably. Enter Kieran’s weird brain “why don’t you just jump and skip it”. Cause that always ended well! Well this time, the estranged mind of Kieran actually worked, sort of. Skipping the top hat and going straight up to the next hold let me pull up to a standing position to top out, I just can’t quite put it all together yet, but I’m absolutely determined to hit it fresh next time!!
And so for my final and most unorthodox climb of the session, came the blue on the triangular Cwtch wall. Now I know I did it backwards and ended up facing the wrong way while holding the top, but I was so glad I flashed it, however cack-handed!!
So session over and feel so much better in my head space, definitely needed a session to just switch off from everything and reboot and the progression on some of my nemesises (what is the plural of nemesis? Nemesises, nemesi, jokes, it’s nemsuare). Definitely felt like a good session! New completions:-
Blue on the Cwtch Wall,
White in the Undercroft
Progressions:-
Blue on Comp Wall past the bumps,
Purple on Comp Wall to the craters,
Black on Wall of Death individual moves completed, just to put the moves together.