Chilling in France

In our spare time we are wizards!

Thanks Mum for the Weasley sweaters!

Climbing in France (Finley)

I am on holiday in France enjoying running and cycling with my family. I have also done 3 sessions at Escalade Adventure. My first session I was pretty pleased with myself because I did some pretty good onsights. Most of the onsights were on the comp wall and I impressed the gnarly dudes. The second day I did 4x4s. After most of them I was pretty tired. In between 4x4s I attempted 2 7as. I found that the grades at Escalade Adventure were much harder than at other climbing walls, so I was happy with my efforts on the 7as. On the third day I onsighted a 6b+ and heard one of the gnarly French men say: 'chapeau', meaning 'respect/hats off'!



Overall I had a great time and wish to go back again some time in the future. 

Climbing in France (Issy)

During the Summer, as well as doing lots of running and cycling, me and Finley trained at the Escalade Adventure climbing wall in Caen, France. I did some great routes up the steeply inclined comp wall, and both me and my brother found that the grades were harder than in England- but it didn't stop us onsighting lots of climbs! We also had fun making up boulders and dangling from the roof of the boulder cave! Although we only went three times, I did some good training. It was a really fun experience and I hope to go back next holiday.

Summer Open Youth Boulder Event July 2014 (Issy)

I competed in the July Open Youth boulder event at the Arch climbing centre in London. It was my first bouldering competition.

I topped 7/8 boulders, flashing 6 and completing the 7th on my 3rd attempt. This meant that I qualified for the finals in 2nd position behind Emily Philips. In the final, I completed 1/3 boulders on my 1st attempt. The final boulders were a lot harder than the qualifiers and I found them very challenging.

I came 4th overall, however I am happy with my result as this was my first bouldering competition.

Youth Open Lead Event July 2014 (Issy)

Me on qualifier 2

I competed in the July Youth Open lead event 2014. In the event we were given two qualifiers- one of which I topped (along with 4 others) and the other I fell off low down due to a route-reading error. This meant that I qualified for the finals in 6th position. The other finalists were: Emily Philips, Kitty Morrison, Pippa Watkin, Holly Toothill and Abbie Rivett.

After isolation, I was 1st out for the final route. I topped the route, along with Emily, Kitty and Pippa. This meant that I came 4th due to countback.
The final results were: 1st- Emily, 2nd- Kitty and 3rd- Pippa.

Climbing at Malham Cove July 2014 (Issy)

Me climbing 'Rated PG', 7a+ at Malham

I went outdoor climbing at Malham Cove for the first time. It was only my seccond time climbing outdoors, and was a great experience! The slippery, polished footholds ensured that foot placement had to be precise at all times! I climbed at Malham for 2 days, and over that time I climbed 4 routes:

• 'Rose Coronary', 7a (1st RP)
• 'Consenting Adults', 7a (RP)
• 'Rated PG', 7a+ (RP)
• 'Begozi and the Ledge Lizards', 6a+ (Onsight)

Outdoor Climbing at Malham Cove (Finley)

I drove to Malham on a hot, sunny day, and arrived at Malham campsite. On the day that we arrived we walked down to Malham cove to check out what it looked like. I already knew that there was a route called 'Raindogs' graded 8a that I wanted to have a go on. On the first day of climbing it was rainy but still I went out and did:

• 'Rose Coronary'- 7a  lead (redpoint)
  
• 'Begozi and the Ledge Lizards'- 6b+ lead (onsight) 

I tried 'Consenting Adults'- 7a and decided that I would try it again tomorrow. The seccond sunny day I tried again 'Consenting Adults'. It took me a long time to do it and finally I managed it. I was very happy! I also tried 'Rated PG'- 7a+ and finally had a go on 'Raindogs', which is now my project. 

I had a very fun time!