I’ve found a ledge on my stairs when I can hang around, hopefully strengthening my arms and fingers.
Harry took some shots of me:
and…
Heh, heh, I feel a bit foolish doing it but I really want to build up my arm and finger strength.
I arrived at the Castle, slightly hungover, at 10am (opening time) and climbed until 1.30pm and now feel somewhat tired. It was a good session.
I paid £1 to join the ‘Boulder Ladder’ which gives you a sheet with 20 bouldering problems. You are awarded points for finishing a climb: 10 for a first attempt, 7 on a second and 3 for a third. The idea is to tot the score up at the end of the session and then try to beat that next time. All the results go into a hat and the best improver (i.e. the person with the best improvement between two sessions) wins a prize. Does that make sense?
Anyway, it was fun to do and the routes are all well marked, it was good to have a set of specific tasks to complete, each increasing in complexity. The first four or so i completed on the first attempt, I managed to complete a couple on the second and one on the third attempt. The rest I couldn’t manage, some looking completely impossible!
I missed not being with a friend, it really makes all the difference. I started up a conversation with a woman watching her husband and 8 year old boy. We chatted for a while and I wished Harry was with me.
After the session I had a fry up in a cafe and read the papers in the park.
We might be going down to Mile End tomorrow (Sunday) and then I’m back at the Castle next Wednesday, hurrah!
My son, Harry, is six and a half years old. He’s a very active boy and loves all sport.
Though somehow, sport seems an inadequate word, limiting in some way. What Harry loves (as far as I can tell) is the action, the speed, the thrill of it all.
So, I decided to include in my climbing adventure, a passion we can share, something we can do together, learn together and enjoy together.
We began by looking Parkour videos on You Tube. Harry could hardly contain himself with excitement and the moment the clips finished he was bouncing around the house, hanging off banisters, leaping over furniture and attempting wall runs. To say he was gripped was an understatement.
In December 2007 I took him down to Kelsey Kerridge climbing wall in Cambridge. We had the gym to ourselves and within minutes Harry was clambering up the walls, his body strong and flexible, fearless but with an innate sense of how high he wanted to go.
After a while we were joined by some adult climbers and I took Harry aside for a talk. I explained the dangers of standing underneath a climber on a wall and asked him to pay attention to what other people were doing.
We spent a joyful hour on the wall before retiring to Nandos for chicken and chips. ‘Did you enjoy that?’ I asked Harry as he shovelled food in to his mouth. He nodded vigorously. ‘Want to go again?’ I asked, another nod, followed by ‘Can we go tomorrow?’
Climbing comes naturally to kids, their bodies are perfect for it, they have an unimpaired sense of adventure and lust for life.
Today’s video: Here’s a great clip of Lauren Lee climbing Captain Fantastic in Virgin River Gorge
With steaming coffee and crumbly biscuits to hand, Jo and I sat down one Sunday morning to watch ace climbing DVD Best of the West.
The film focuses on a trip made by Chris Sharma and friends to the rocks at Hueco, which I think is in New Mexico. There is some very impressive climbing here with lots of yelling and exclamations of pain, frustration and glory.
Sharma is an amazing climber and thrilling to watch. I can only wonder at how he can hold on to the roof of a cave and move forward so quickly, you can really feel the strain and stretching of his muscles, the wear and tear on his fingers.
Best of the West has forcibly bought home to me the importance of building up my finger strength. If I had walked past many of the walls in the movie I doubt I would have guessed them at all climbable. The film shows that the shallowest of indents on a rock can be used as a hold…it’s all a matter of finger strength, at least that is my guess.
My only quibble with the film is the lack of female climbers. Well, there is one, Anna Burgos, who appears for around 20 seconds making her way up a wall. Why no more? Was she shy? Did she not climb well that day?
I’d recommend this film, not only is it great spectacle but there is a lot to pick up and learn. Check out this clip:
I started climbing in October 2007…and how I wish I had started twenty years ago!
Anyhow, never mind that. The fact is i’m 43 and have just taken up climbing…and loving it. The purpose of this blog is to chart my grownig love affair with climbing, my experiences, the development of my ability to climb with grace and power…the highs and lows.
I’m too sleepy to do much more tonight (I was at Mile End this morning with George), so here is a video clip instead.
