Saturday 7 June 2008

Riding the rollercoaster

Some company watching the action on Echo Wall today.

The project is still giving with one hand and taking away with the other. Today I failed again to link the lower overhang up to the roof. Three tries and my fingertips were through. One up for echo wall. But my homemade kneebarring pad worked a treat! One up Dave. The rest of the points were from Echo Wall. The crux felt nails today, I got the big link from the roof again but only on my last go. Also I bodyweight tested a runner placement I found below the final crux – the rock broke and the runner is no more. Damn shame! That top crux is scaring me now. A nut with 0% chance of holding and a poor skyhook are your only chance of survival in a fall from here. Fitness seems to be getting me through this move more often, but I’m not accounting for how different it’s going to feel on the lead there. I can’t deal with that thought yet (shiver runs down spine…).

The forecast looks dire for Echo Wall this week; cold and windy, so it’s a good week for more endurance training. A good week for ticking low lying routes ; )

6 comments:

  1. Anonymous08 June, 2008

    Hi Dave, I'm also trying to get some stamina for my project, though its not cutting edge. I have a pullup bar arrangement in the garage and some free weights, however about 2 minutes from my front door there is a very long (250 yards) traverse that is quite pumpy.

    What would be better, using the bar and weights or going accross the traverse?

    Cheers and good luck on the Ben!

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  2. Anonymous09 June, 2008

    "ticking low lying routes" --ha! clever and subtle, that. The parallels between your current efforts and those right now undertaken on (and off) the holds of Rhapsody are hard to miss. Like the counterpoint of a good drama, the process is laid bare (via the blogosphere) for we in the audience to follow. Yet how quiet you've remained about that other affair. Professional courtesy? Or the pull of Echo Wall?

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  3. JS - the traverse sounds much better! Endurance means volume of moves.

    Anonymous - I can't tell Sonnie's story, only mine. He does in very entertainingly anyway on his own blog - you should read it, its good! I have been reading about him trying Rhapsody just like you, and can only wish him good friction (as I did several posts back).

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  4. Anonymous09 June, 2008

    Cheers. On the traverse there is a line og good jugs running all the way across, and footholds that are good for rockshoes (wearing rockshoes the whole traverse is trivial) but marginal for trainers, so wearing trainers you have to suport a lot of your weight on your arms and it's quite hard.

    Should I use the jugs and do the traverse in trainers, or wear rockshoes and elliminate the jugs (would leave crimps and pockets)?

    Cheers.

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  5. After hearing of your completion of Rhapsody some time back, and now Sonnies, I am ever more enthused at seeing you both at the Squamish film festival in July. Can't wait! :)

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  6. Anonymous15 June, 2008

    js, dude pay dave macleod some money for online coaching if you want it!!
    fred

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