Chris Climbing

It's been a while since I've posted anything on here, I might go into the "why" in a later post, but in short I became soft, physically and mentally. Part of the process in returning to form has been Trail Running, something I've always shied away from. For years I'd tried to start and never pushed past the initial discomfort, particularly in my knees, which manifested the more self fulfilling of my excuses, that running was bad for me. But this time, mainly thanks to my amazing wife Lisa (more on her awesomeness below), with her support and motivation to try harder I pushed through the unpleasantness of my body adapting, also with the help of some great audio books and podcasts (boredom was my other main excuse not to run). This process started in December 2018 and after just a few weeks the benefits had started to show, weight loss, increased energy & better fitness for rock climbing. Another surprise was the extra dimension of enjoyment that Trail R

hero [ heer -oh ] "A person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life" Over 4 years on from the epic rescue on the Peñon d'Ifach of a Base Jumper & now great friend Hana, I wanted to reflect on my experience and respond to the label of a "Hero" Sunday 3rd April 2011 However you wrap it up, climbing is a selfish pursuit. It is justly a respectable physical & mental discipline with many examples of admirable achievement, maybe even honourable but never noble. It may lead to mastering qualities of self that can be later applied to acts of nobility, but ultimately the action of climbing itself only serves the climber. So there I was, eye to eye with a complete stranger, who's current predicament had more in common with a Hollywood action film than real life. I could see her canopy was impossibly snagged on a ledge that bore no definition but had somehow caught her an

12hr Climbing Rally - Leiva - 2012 The 2nd round of the Spanish cup this year was held on the walls of Leiva in the Sierra Espuña, Nr Murcia. This was the first time a 12hr Rally had been run at Leiva and saw 16 teams take part. Leiva is nested in magnificent scenery, its south facing wall rises vertically over the valley that gives it its name, emerging from the pine wood forest as an Island of rock. It is cut perfectly with 200m of height and more than 2 km long. The quality of the climbing matches the stunning natural environment of this Natural Park. Once the 40 min walk in has been completed you can't help but be impressed by it's beauty and notably remote sensation. Above, video of the Leiva Rally With very little time to prepare for this Rally our strategy was way off. We did enough routes 8 (only 7 counted as we finished the last one 30 seconds over time!) but went a bit too light in route selection and played things too safe! The day started well

The 11 th Peñon 12hr rally was approaching fast, it was to be my third time competing in this event, I knew what was in store, what torture lay ahead, could I sleep? No chance. My mind continually raced, visualising each climb we'd planned, each pitch and each move! Over and over.... Too many unknowns, so many variables out of my control and so much time and opportunity for things to go very well or very bad. Will it be too hot? Will we get the route we need to climb first? Will we find a good pace to climb at, or will we go too fast too soon and burn out? Or too slow and not climb enough ground? So many variables....The anticipation of the ordeal to come had filled my whole being with an anxiety that destroyed any hope of sleep & rest! 6am , the fog of semi-sleep began to lift, kit in the car, coffee in hand, on the Road. Passing two early morning car crashes, was this an omen? Body chilling as thoughts sparked strong mental images of 40m falls, trad gear ripping, hi

12hr Climbing Rallies – Spanish Cup 2012. The 3 rd season of the 12hr Climbing Rallies Spanish cup is now under way, it comprises of 4 rounds in the following big wall locations in Spain; Peñon d'Ifach, Leiva, Riglos and Terradets. In each venue the set up is the same, there are up to 30 teams battling it out in this gruelling endurance challenge, with 12 hours of climbing to complete as many climbs as possible on multi-pitch ground. The designated routes are given points based on their length, difficulty and seriousness. Competitors attempt to climb strategically to gain as many points as possible in the time they have. The rankings for the Spanish cup are decided on each teams best 3 out of the 4 results from the league rounds. Rules The rules are simple, each climbing team must: wear a helmet & use double ropes never climb simultaneously both climbers must reach the top of their route before the 12hrs is up for it to count only overtake

To quote Isaac Newton (no relation) " What goes up must come down! " This law of Physics is something as climbers we are all too aware of, we continue to invest huge amounts of time and energy into resisting gravity whilst travelling over vertical or overhanging surfaces. Only to then submit to falling off or lowering back down to the ground once at an arbitrary point has been reached. On the face of it a seemingly futile and worthless exercise but the source of so much emotion, passion & obsession. Up's & Down's in climbing can come in many shapes and sizes; Fit/Unfit, Injury/Peak Performance, Tired/Fresh, Good Conditions/Not so Good Conditions, Head Strong/Messy Jelly Head etc It's our ability to deal with the attachment to perceived success that determines how well we cope with the "down" times. Understanding what we have really achieved in an ascent is key and the answer never truly lies in a conceptual number (grade) or the conqueri