Nat's First Day Back...

Today was Nat's (Natalie Berry) first day back climbing after 8 whole weeks off due to surgery on a hernia! She has literally been, sleeping, eating, watching movies, more sleeping, eating copious amounts of chocolate and basically doing nothing for the past 8 weeks! Her first day back into training so she decides to take it easy. Her day went as follows:

1. Warm up (6c)
2. 4 x 4's set 1: 6c, 6c, 6c, 6c
3. 4 x 4's set 2: 6c, 6c, 6c, 6c
4. 4 x 4's set 3: 7a, 7a, 7a, 7a
5. 4 x 4's set 4: 6b+, 6c, 7a, 6c

Now I know what your all thinking... 8 weeks off nothing and suddenly this! Well I lied about this being her first day back... she did 10 minutes last night on her home wall. I suppose though that from being able to onsight 8a to doing laps on 7a, its not really that hard comparitively, probably felt to her what 5+ feels to the rest of the world?

Anyway, Nat wasn't the only one crushing, young Eleanor Hopkins was attempting a few projects before her 3 x 3 session, looking strong on a potential first 8a! The yellow on the new comp wall, originally graded 7c+ but everyone on it is convinced 8a! A technical start leads to a severe overhang with deep, powerful moves on positive holds with bad footholds! As the climb leads into the roof, you hit the crux, slapping into a gaston crimp on a semi-sphere volume. You then press out horizontally into two bad jugs before reaching the daunting roof, and into some jugs. However, the jugs are awkwardly placed with bad footing which means your always out of balance and can't get much rest...

Anyway, she was looking solid on that, cruising until the crux before the roof... I'm sure its only a matter of time. I got on it and managed to get well into the roof but failed due to a lack of courage as i missed a couple of clips...

After my project work I moved onto 3 x 3's! I managed to do 2 and a half on the ripple 7c, then the same again on the white 7b and then the same again on the yellow 7c! Not bad, although I did manage to complete all 3 of those 3 x 3's a few weeks ago, but I haven't done them recently due to comps and work etc...

Yeah... so training went well today, and after, we watched the art show that was taking place at ratho... ya know? Those people who've been wandering round ratho with drums, doing cartwheels whilst twirling ropes in the air and hanging behind you when your belaying trying to emulate your movements... those guys... Well turns out they were trying to do some sort of homage to diamonds or something, yeah.... it was a bit weird... but hey... buz, geek, callum and stuart got to dress up as cows whilst attempting to scale the old comp wall to the theme tune of the clangers...
that song makes geek a bit horny... Below is a picture of his preparation dance... part of his courtship of buzcow...

Now we see the geekcow encroaching on his mate... notice hand placement and tongue undulation... also his crouching poised position is typical of a mating stance...

It appears from this picture that the buzcow has accepted the geekcow's offer of courtship and is enjoying the ensuing pleasures... very much so...

ROBZ OUT