Coop comp

It was weird on Thursday to strip the coop bare; that place has been a tangle of holds for as long as I've known it, and to see the bare walls underneath was... strange.

Coming back this morning, with a comparatively sparse collection of 30 problems, all new, all fresh, was also a bit of a shock.

It was a fun comp; it felt much more playful and friendly than other comps, mostly because it seemed like we were just all climbing together instead of really competing. I sent all the problems up to number 23, so unless there's someone I don't know about that should net me second place.

Back we go tomorrow night to make a more concerted effort at the last 7 problems...

Back to the Edge

It turns out that if I were a woman, and had made it into finals, I would have been able to send at least one of the three problems.

The three finals problems (men and women) are still up, so after warming up on random other problems another climber and I began to tackle the women's finals problems (roughly V6--V8). One of them was quite fun, with a big first move and delicate, crimpy holds throughout, but in that time I was not able to piece it together.

The other one, I sent on my third try.

The routes have cool features; one of them is apparently modeled on the nose of a commercial airplane. The other one is a weird blocky square thing, with a hollow interior. Made for a fun move on the finish of the one finals problem I did send.

Post-comp climb.

It's interesting to note that the crowd seems to have changed.

We came back to Cliffhanger for the first time (as a group) in quite a while, and while we mostly had fun, we all noted how the crowd felt different than when we regularly came. It's a little unclear why; maybe the strong climbers have moved on. Maybe we were there on an off night. Maybe we are the strong climbers.

It makes me glad that I have a pass at the Edge, now. The crowd there feels much more welcoming and social, and much more like a crowd that will help push me and make me a better climber. We had fun at cliffhanger, but I just couldn't make myself try as hard as I need to to improve.

The days, they blur.

The Edge, or was it the coop?

An arête climb, green, overhanging on pinches. Surprisingly delicate, and only once it was done did I realize how good it was. It was crowded, mostly new people trying this 'climbing' thing out for the first time.

Blur.

Another arête climb, delicate in its own way, though far more burly a finish. Balance, then strength.

We return to the problem of a few days prior, with the swing. I feel tired, sore, but keep working. Again, I fall, my strength and fingers fading, when suddenly I find myself, hands wrapped around a hold, foot gently up to the left, and

Catch. Shift. Match.

Done.

Day Five

Coquitlam.

It was an Edge invasion; protesting the lack of new climbs in well over a month, a crew of Edge climbers decided to check out the new climbs out in Coquitlam en masse.

Like a kid in a candy store, I tried to sample whatever I could. They had some new round volume forms, one of which was a hold on 10 (10!) routes, including the finish of one V7. While fun, it made for a lot of scraped forearms for everyone there, all of us trying to hug the same holds in the same way.

It was a good day; I felt competitive with those around me, and while clearly not sending everything left-right-center, I made a good showing.

Day Four

The Edge.

Feeling somewhat weak, no new climbs, so I join Chris in making up a few. By that I mean that he made up two problems, I made up one, although it never found a finish.

First problem: Low start, big move up and match on a decent hold. Move up to a good hold, match, bring the left foot high, and grab out right for an awkward hold. Commit, cross into much better hold. That's the crux. Move feet up, grab a big pinch, and heel hook high up. A few quick moves and it's done. V5 or so.

Second problem: Similar start, higher left hand. Move left up to not-so-great crimpy pinch, and right hand out right. Very cool foot swap to lift heel hook higher, and then huuuuuge cross with left hand.

Let go with the feet.

Swing.

Stop swinging, or at least try to.

Stabilized, miraculously, move up through an increasingly burly sequence of moves eventually up and left onto a hold that looks great... but isn't. An awkward heel hook should lead up to the finish, but neither of us sent it.

Probably V7, and very, very cool.

Day three

Coop again.

There is a new climb; small holds back in the cave. Back to a rail, match, move feet out and grab a hold with a weird thumb-catch. Stuck, can't move out to the overhang. Fall.

Try again. Realize that the thumb-catch is a red-herring, and that the hold is best used as a pinch. Try to heel-hook the rail, fall.

Try again. Ignore the rail, and move straight out onto the face; feet cut, into a 90 degree "iron cross". Lift the feet to the rail, which is now solid. Grab small hold on face. Can't figure out feet; fall.

Try again. The thumb catch, it seems, makes for a great heel hook; one can simply rest on it and shake out. Swap feet, crank into corner, strain for the penultimate hold... and fall.

Next time.

Day two

Went to the coop today, after having heard that there were a bunch of new climbs. At least a few of the problems were set by Daniel (thin silver, opposite right to opposite left, and thin white in the cave), both of which were fun in an I-need-to-contort-myself-strangely way. Probably V5 and V4, respectively.

There were other good climbs too; a strange V3-ish pink climb to the left of the clock, with 'no feet', I admit that I would like to be able to campus it, but we'll see if that goes.

The hardest of the bunch seems to be the thin silver climb over the door set by Charlie; even allowing the pillar at the finish, it's a tricky end. It's probably V5 or V6 with a cruxy finish, I suppose.

I didn't really take much of a look at any of the old climbs that had been there before; as usual, when I see new climbs I get a little excited and distracted, so I'll have to take more of a look next time.

Day one

Walking in, most of the problems were familiar; the only new problems were on the main lead wall, and in the cave, but it was too cold back there to really try them out, so after warming up I sat down by the whale belly to try things out with a few other climbers.

We mostly worked on a somewhat stiff V6 (White tape) which felt very do-able, and had some interesting moves; it felt a lot like a solid outdoors problem. I chose not to push myself too hard on it, but I'm pretty sure that it will go in another session.

The other problem in the area that I looked at was a made-up one by J, with some rather brutal heel-hooks to be begin,  but I didn't get too far into it; he himself has not sent it, the last move still undone.

Feeling tired, I tried a few of the new problems on the lead wall, but made little progress. We'll see how they go when I'm more fresh.