Thursday, April 28, 2016

Ninja Warrior Sweden: Season 2

Last week they aired the final episode of the second season of Ninja Warrior Sverige (Sweden) and while no one finished André Sihms and David Johansson got the furthest, falling at the same spot on the ultimate cliffhanger.  Congrats to them and all my fellow competitors as it was a lot of fun.  
As for my performance, I did manage to be among the 25 competitors that made it to the finals but I consider anything short of finishing the whole course a disappointment.  Those that saw the final episode witnessed me punting on an "easy" obstacle and while I have plenty of excuses for my failure it simply comes down to a lack of preparation and execution.

I do admit that I was in worse shape than last year but the nice thing about being a climber is that my base fitness level would have been more than enough to complete every obstacle pretty easily if I didn't do anything stupid.  The real crux was more a matter of focus as I was there alone with Björke and wrangling a one year old doesn't really give you much time to concentrate (or sleep for that matter).  So it goes.  In season 1 I walked away feeling cheated and this year I left feeling like a big disappointment.  The plus side is that I'll be better prepared for next year and I'll certainly put in some time learning to use those little trampolines.

Here are the Youtube clips of my "semi-final" run and a very short "finals-stage 1"


You can catch a glimpse of Björke at the beginning and end of the clip.  I'd like to think that his crying was just his way of yelling support for his dad....



It would have payed to familiarize myself with those little trampolines.  I knew I had a bad hop from the get go and had to change trajectory mid air.  Unfortunately this forced me to grab the net low with straight arms which is not the way to do it.  I guess I was stressing over the time but I should have taken a couple moments to do it right.  Sucks to fail on something you've never had a problem with before.  

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Dartmoor First Ascents: The Great White Slope

Last year I removed a moss carpet from a boulder in Lustleigh to reveal a massive sloper.  The feature alone made this rather short boulder suddenly very appealing and I added it straight on my to-do list.  The sloper ended up being worse than it looked and I needed to wait for cold temps but to be honest I wasn't expecting this problem to be that hard.  It ended up putting up a serious fight and is full on from beginning to end.  In fact, just getting establish proved difficult and I had one whole session where I was never even able to attempt the first slap.  I even put a rope on to try the upper moves and I can honestly say this is the shortest boulder I have ever done that for.

It took three more sessions and so much skin to crack this one and in the end I barely scraped up it.  I'd be curious to hear how it goes for other folks as maybe this one just played to my weaknesses.  But better get after it soon as I'm not how much longer we'll have favorable conditions.....

Here's a little video that only captures a small part of the struggle.  Enjoy.

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Five Tips for a Climbing in Fontainebleau

As anyone that has been to Font can tell you, it's a magical place and the best bouldering in the world (I stand behind that statement). I think this was my 10th trip to Font and while I'm far from fully versed on all-things-Font, I feel I've learned a thing or two over the years and thought I'd share a few tips for anyone planning a trip to the magical forest. So in no particular order here are my top 5 tips to optimize your trip to Font.

Bring an umbrella. The weather in Font can be notoriously bad and if your trip coincides with a rainy spell you'll want to utilize every weather window available. That means you'll be among the hoards of desperate climbers flocking to the rocks when the rain stops and subsequently running for cover when the showers return. A good umbrella and/or small tarp will be your new best friend as they will keep you dry during short showers or day ending rains. It can also be wise to use the tarp and fashion a little roof in anticipation of the rain and it can even be used to keep the top-out of your project from being saturate. It is worth noting that you can't count on hunkering under a roof as they can be overcrowded and substantial rains will have streams of water gradually encroaching on your cover until there is no more shelter.  It is no fun to pack wet gear into your car and even worse if you're camping with a crashpad doubling as your bed. Hopefully you'll have good weather but if you draw the short straw then do yourself a favor and get an umbrella.
It could be worse, at least they have an umbrella.

Learn how to poop in the woods. Don't you just love it when you are exploring around the boulders and encounter a minefield of human feces. Yeah, neither do I so please be considerate and learn how to poop in the woods. If you don't know let me break it down for you. Take a long walk far away from trafficked areas (not just behind the first boulder or tree) and find a suitable place to dig a sufficient sized hole. Ideally you wouldn't leave behind toilet paper by using what nature provides (moss, smooth sticks, rocks, etc) or packing it out but the bare minimum is to bury it with the poop. After you do your business someone should be able to walk by without even knowing what just transpired there. Seriously, why is this hard for so many people. The ground is not that hard and a stick can easily be used. I could go on ranting but I'll leave it by saying there is never an excuse for leaving your shit for someone to step in and your toilet paper to be blown to the wind. If you have to poop in the woods learn to do it properly and everyone will have a better time in Fontainebleau.

Don't go to Bas Cuvier on a weekend. It can be nice to bump into other climbers at the boulders but it can be a bit much when you have to take a number just to try a problem. Under normal conditions you can expect the popular areas ( Bas Cuvier, Sabot, Isatis, etc..) to be busy but during European holidays and weekends they can feel just like Disneyland as you'll spend most of your day waiting in lines to get on the more popular rides. Fortunately there are multitudes of less popular areas that are equally as good and offer the perfect place to spend your weekends. And if you simply must try one of the uber classics in the middle of Bas Cuvier go early in the morning and you'll have the place to yourself, or wait until the evening we things tend to die down.
Henrik trying an awesome problem that we stumbled upon while exploring the boulders around Rocher d'Avon one Saturday.  No crowds to deal with, just sweet sweet sandstone. 

Forget your tick-list. Font is the one place I've been that genuinely has loads of amazing problems across the entire grade spectrum and I pity those that are slaves to their predesignated tick-lists. With so many stunning problems the idea of spending several days trying to do a single one just seems crazy to me. Yes, you should seek out those classics that will challenge you but I've seen folks so hellbent on sending a V-blahblah project that their whole trip is spent climbing on a handful of problems. What makes Font special is the ability to run around and do so many great problems one after the other and if it's your first trip to Font you'd be cheating yourself by even going to the same area over and over. So dump the tick-list and try to visit as many of the more than 100 areas as you can. And if you really want to appreciate Font I highly recommend doing some curcuits. You'll do tons of great problems, see the whole area and become a better climber. 
Henrik and Lina learning the subtleties of climbing in Font.  Both these problems are on red circuits, awesome, and unlikely to stroke the ego of number-chasers.  

Drink wine and eat cheese. While you might be in Font to climb on rocks don't forget that you are in France and should take advantage of being a tourist. A day trip (or two?) to Paris is probably in order and there is no better way to start your day than picking up some fresh bread from your local boulangerie. Personally, my wine and cheese consumption goes through the roof but there are lots of ways to embrace your inner Frenchman/woman. Just don't take it too far because despite what your mom says you can't quite pull off the pencil mustache and beret. 

Now get out there and start planning you next trip.....  

Thursday, April 7, 2016

Fontainebleau: Bouldering Fun for Everyone

We've just returned from a short trip to Fontainebleau and while the weather was pretty bad during our stay we still managed to get out a bit and have a good time.  Man I love Font and I can't wait to go back.  The place is generally given the distinction as the best bouldering in the world and I wholeheartedly agree.  The setting is awesome and it is hard to beat for quantity, quality and accessibility but what really sets Font apart is its appeal to the entire spectrum of climbers.  Not only is Font great for beginners and crushers but the awesome sandstone features make the ideal playground for kids.  Truly great bouldering for everyone.  

Just a typical day in the forest.  Font is hard to beat if you got kids in tow as the approaches are casual and most areas are extremely kid friendly.  And of course the bouldering offers something for mom, dad, big sister and even the little man.

Lina climbs a sweet slab in Canche aux Merciers while Björke tick-marks some footholds.  

Martin working L'Étoile Filante at Dame Jouanne.  Just another problem problem that would be considered amazing in most places but in Font it is only "pretty good".  It's certainly worth checking out after you've done the dozen or so better problems in the area.....  

Rêve de Pierre was a sweet looking problem in Rocher Canon that Henrik and I checked out during a short break in the rain.  While this problem was fun there is a skull crushing block at the top that should be avoided at all costs.  It isn't too hard to avoid but it makes top a bit harder.  I really feel that someone should pry off that thing before it kills someone.  

Lina about to fire one of the problems on Éléphant's fantastic black circuit.  Unfortunately Éléphant is a bit rundown as the rock is softer than most other areas around Font and heavy traffic has pretty much destroyed some problems.  

I'm a big fan of doing circuits while in Font and if you find yourself in Roche aux Sabots the red circuit is awesome.  But if you want to complete the circuit you'll have to get past L'Angle à Jean-Luc (red 25), which is notorious for leaving folks one problem short.

La Lune was an old project for Lina and while she did get the "jug" this trip it still remains a project.  Guess we'll have to go back....

If you like dynos they you'll love Font as there are plenty of them.  Here Henrik fires Le Danseur at Rocher d'Avon. 

Many of the climbs in Font are so good I can't help but want to repeat them.  I had done La Memel a number of years ago but it was just as good a second time.  Here is Henrik gunning for it.

Many people like Font for the good landings and the low to moderate height of problems but there are no shortage of highballs if you like things spicy.  Tom trying to find the balance on the beautiful L'Ultime Secret at Isatis.   

And of course there are the sloper, oh so many slopers.  Elsa learning the subtleties of a particularly sweet sloper in Isatis.