Training Log Archive: iansmith

Event: Billygoat 41
 

Basecamp! I was quite tired yesterday for whatever reason, so I took a rest day. Today, I stopped by Basecamp in the afternoon. I started on the autobelays and up- and down- climbed six pitches, ranging from 5.7 to 5.10c (ostensibly; I think it's 5.10a).

I then switched to bouldering, where I warmed up on all the oranges (4), sent my usual set of four greens and added the new honey-pot K (5), and sent a new blue guy (Z) for a total of 10 pitches. I climbed a few of them multiple times, for ~20 completed boulder problems. I was only able to send K on one of my three complete attempts, but it still counts.

I made a couple momentary friends - two other guys bouldering were about my skill level, and we discussed strats.

I also ran into the same guy from May 4 who clips into autobelays and just stands on the ground for minutes at a time. He seems a bit of a pariah; he did the same thing on the autobelays today. He's clearly competent, able to send an ungraded (5.10b?) yellow that has frustrated me, but he doesn't seem to care about social niceties, convention, and the climbing ethos. Another climber asked him not to be clipped into the autobelay if he's not actively climbing, and was met with hostility and challenge - "are you offering advice or what? No? Okay then." I complimented the guy who spoke up and voiced my confusion about the pariah's behaviour.

Later, the pariah went up to the bouldering area, where about 15 climbers were milling about. Bouldering is first-come, first-served, but there is convention - you attempt a route, then step away from the wall to give other people a turn. I usually step back for at least 10-15s even if I'm not planning on resting to make sure that no one wants to step up before continuing. Pariah guy treated the bouldering area as if he were the only one there, wandering around, completely indifferent to other people. He seemed an angry, angsty teenager or early 20-something. As the wall wasn't fantastically busy, it was only a small inconvenience, but he effectively took up as much time and space as two or three climbers with his ambulatory ways. He was stronger than I, but unspectacular - doing nothing harder than a blue. What was confusing to me was his route prioritization - he would wander from greens and blues to yellows and oranges without any clear direction or purpose. Most climbers warm up on easy stuff before tackling routes at or near their difficulty. He's defiance of convention was irritating, but there were very few times that he explicitly got in my way or anyone else's, so I didn't say anything.

I was very pleased to send the blue guy; I had previously struggled to get off the ground, but I finish after a few attempts and was congratulated by my peer who was working the same problem. Only one green still is elusive (L, black holds), by far the most difficult.

Commute.

Commute.

Morning session at Basecamp. I was slow to get out of bed. All routes today; no bouldering. I made a new friend with Diana; we belayed each other a couple times. I dramatically broke a hold with my foot while downclimbing a 5.8 autobelay; the staff had it replaced in short order. In addition to my autobelay usual suspects (yellow 5.8, purple 5.9, black 5.7, white 5.8, orange 5.10b), I climbed an interesting slab 5.10b and a 5.10a while Diana belayed me.

Day 6
Routes: 7

5 autobelay routes, 5 boulder routes (3 greens, 2 orange) before closing time.

Commute.

Squash with Katie at Hart! This was her first time playing squash, but evidently her ping pong skills translate. She learned extraordinarily quickly, and many of my tricks were ineffective almost immediately. After going over forehand, backhand, and the rules, we rallied for a time using the bouncy blue ball. When her mastery proved excessive for the blue ball, I broke out the yellow ball for some more intense sparring. Finally, we played two games: the first with conventional rules, and the second in which only she served. My serves give me a competitive edge, as I've practiced them to the point where there is a high probability she can't return them at all. I won the first game 11-3, and the second 11-5. I was not holding back at all; she is formidable.

It is only a matter of time before I am bested, despite having played squash intermittently for a year. Great fun was had, and Katie was surprised both how laborious and how satisfying squash can be. We borrowed Petr's equipment for the session.

Commute.

A quick session before Basecamp closed; I only did a handful of pitches and routes.
Day: 4
Routes: 3
Bouldering problems: 5