Friday glee doesn't want to get my feet wet

[rydra_wong]

The Friday post of glee is where you get to tell us about your climbing-related happiness this week.

It can be a new achievement or adventure, or just that you climbed and had fun; it can be that your favourite climbing wall is expanding or that you bought new rock shoes or that you found a cool ice-climbing vid on YouTube. No glee is too small -- or too big. Members are encouraged to cheer each other on and share the squee.

N.B. Please feel free to post your glee on any day of the week; the Friday glee is just to get the ball rolling.

To enhance this week's glee: Neil Gresham climbs Hydrotherapy -- at 8a+ (5.13c, says the Rockfax conversion chart), this is one of the UK's hardest deep water solos. This is an odd, dream-like short film, something different from the usual run of climbing movies; I think I like it.

Comments

[rydra_wong]

I have glee because "Best Forgotten Art," one of my favourite climbing films, is going to be available on DVD again soonish!

[wpadmirer]

Cool!

[wpadmirer]

My glee is that my back is not as sore, so climbing will be done tonight!

I woke up 2 mornings ago with a severely strained back and could barely put on my socks and shoes. I was freaked out! I never have had back problems, and couldn't remember doing anything that would hurt it. Also, I'd been fine when I went to bed, so it came on during the night.

So I'm very, very happy that I'm not hurting and climbing can happen. YAY!

[rydra_wong]

Yay for back improvement! Mystery sleep injuries are always alarming.

Baby climber is a happy baby

[foxfirefey]

I did two V0s tonight! Woo woo!

Re: Baby climber is a happy baby

[rydra_wong]

\o/ \o/ \o/

Re: Baby climber is a happy baby

[wpadmirer]

Cool! YAY!

[helens78]

I actually signed up for a membership at the climbing gym I've been going to. I was hedging my bets with a punch card before this!

And today I climbed something like three or four routes I hadn't made it through before, made some progress on a couple of others, and generally had a blast. :D

[rydra_wong]

\o/ Yay membership and having a blast!

[hongi]

Soooo pumped for climbing today. Last week, I did the top half of a steep v4. I can already do the bottom. Now I need to link the two together! Yeeeaw. But I keep telling myself to take it slow...the route's still going to be there, but rather than throw myself at it, I should take it slow and train more shouldn't I?

Gah.

Question! Do you use a campus board? When do you know it's the right time to try it?

Yay V4 progress!

[rydra_wong]

Personally, I don't use a campus board, because I have cranky fingers already and my tendons would go pop!, and because I don't have enough power to campus without my feet on in the first place. *g*

In general, it's advised that people not consider using the campus board at all until they've been climbing for a few years, as you need to allow time for your tendons to catch up with your muscle strength, or you will damage them.

You need to be bouldering or route-climbing at a level where hardcore training of that kind of explosive strength will be useful to you (and more useful than spending the same amount of training time focusing on other aspects of your climbing), and also have the physical resilience to shock-load your joints like that without destroying your fingers, elbows and shoulders.

So, basically, approach with caution. It might be right for you, it might be not. It's probably best to get advice from experienced climbers or coaches who know where you're currently at as a climber.

But it's not essential to campus in order to climb at a high level.

Some articles:

http://www.upskillclimbing.com/2010/02/why-you-shouldnt-build-campus-board.html
http://www.planetmountain.com/english/News/shownews1.lasso?l=2&keyid=38060