Youth Open Liverpool March 2016 (Issy)

Topping Qualifier 2

I had never been to Awesome Walls Liverpool, so I was interested to see what kind of routes we would have. Our first qualifier looked crimpy and technical, but definitely do-able. I was one of three to top the route. Our second qualifier was on the main overhang. It was one of the steepest walls I had ever been on; at some points in the route I was almost horizontal! It was one of the most fun routes I had climbed- relatively easy and juggy with some interesting bridging moves. This time, I was one of 5 to top the route, and I qualified for the finals in joint 1st place.

The Final Route

Our final route again was up the main overhang. It was long and sustained, with a huge last move. When I came out to climb, I climbed the majority of the route easily. I climbed to the last move, and the last hold seemed miles away, so I decided to clip from the second last hold. I was the only person to top the route, and so happy to top all the routes in the competition! Because of this I placed 1st.
Also on Saturday we received our new team kit from Berghaus. I am absolutely thrilled with it! It is extremely warm, and I loved climbing in it! Huge thanks to Berghaus for providing the kit, and to Rob Adie and Tony Smith for organising.

Final Route 2

Final Route 3

On the podium!

Youth Open Leeds November 2015 (Issy)

In November we traveled to the Leeds wall for the first competition of the year- my second year in Youth B. Our first qualifier was crimpy and vertical, and I was one of two people to top it. However, I found the second qualifier much more difficult. It began with a vertical finger crack- a feature I had never climbed on before! The crack sapped my energy, and I was wrong handed on the next few moves meaning that I had to downclimb. I managed a few more moves, and ended up 4th place on the route. I was frustrated with the mistakes I made, but I still managed to qualify for the finals in second place. 

The final route was crimpy and overhanging, so I moved quickly up the steep section. I eventually fell off a big move; I had put my foot too high  and I was disappointed with where I fell as I thought I could have got much higher. Three of us fell at the same move, meaning that I was in =2nd place. Overall I came second due to countback from the qualifiers. Thanks to the Leeds wall for a great competition. 

Final 2

Final 1

Junior Lead Cup 2015 (Issy)

As I came 3rd in the Youth Open in December, 2nd in the Scottish Championships and 1st in the BLCCs, I won the Junior Lead Cup for 2015! 

The podium!

BLCCs 2015 (Issy)

Qualifier 1

The BLCCs was held at Awesome Walls, Sheffield again this year, but this year I was competing in my first year of youth B, so I expected more challenging routes this year! Our first qualifier was technical and crimpy, but I climbed it easily and topped it along with 7 other people. Our second qualifier looked more challenging, as more people were falling off, particularly near the top as it was a long route, however I was one of 4 people to top this route also. I therefore qualified for the finals in joint 1st place.

Qualifier 2

Our final route looked much harder than our qualifiers- thankfully! It was overhanging and fairly powerful, with some poor slopers at the lip of the roof. When I came out to climb, I read through the sequence one last time. I climbed up most of the route easily, until I was approaching the roof section. My foot suddenly popped on a crimpy move- which was very unlike me! I cut loose on the crimps, and managed to get my feet back on, however I was very frustrated as this had sapped my energy. I made it onto the second sloper, and fell going for the first jug on the roof section. I was a little dissapointed, as I knew that if my foot hadn't popped I could have climbed further, however I thought my performance had been decent. When I had untied my knot, Pippa told me that I had the highest score! I couldn't believe it! But with three people left to climb, I was very nervous. Catrin, Abbie and Gwyneth all fell below me however, meaning that I had won! I was British Lead Climbing Champion for youth B, and so happy! I really enjoyed the competition, and the routes were great! Huge thanks to Awesome Walls and the BMC for organising such a fab competition!

On the podium!

Scottish Youth Climbing Championships 2015 (Issy)

Qualifier 2

Ratho hosted the SYCCs this year, and I anticipated freezing temperatures! I arrived at the wall on the morning of the comp with plenty of time to warm up, and read my first route. It looked powerful and pumpy, however I thought I could top it. When I came to climbing the route, approaching the final crux I wasn't pumped at all. I climbed across the small roof section, and was approaching the last hold! I thought I was going to top the route, however my foot violently popped off a foothold and I came off suddenly! I was annoyed with myself, however I was still happy as I was in 2nd place after the route. I think this climb was probably one of my only competition performances which I had been truly happy with- I didn't make any silly route reading errors or let my nerves affect my performance for once!
I thought the second route was an easier climb up until the point where I fell off, however I came off as I hadn't route read correctly and just did not know what to do. I was nearly last on the first route, which meant that I was near the beginning of the second route. Due to the fact that there was no break before the qualifiers, I was hugely unprepared for the route. I didn't realise how soon I was to be climbing, and did the fastest warm up ever- just after warming down after my first qualifier! Therefore, when I approached the crux, I had no idea how to do the move. I attempted it it with my foot far to low- in retrospect it was an obvious mistake. however I qualified for finals in 2nd place, despite my mistake on Q2.

The Final Route

When we were called out for observation, I saw that our final route was girls C qualifier 2, and junior girls qualifier 1. I thought the route looked highly top-able, if a bit pumpy. I came out to climb, and went through the sequence again. It was fairly straightforward. I climbed up to the roof easily, and was not pumped at all as I climbed through the roof, and I found that all the holds were positive. I topped the climb easily, and found out that Pippa had also topped the route. Kitty was to climb last, and she topped it also. This meant that countback was used to split us. I was hugely disappointed! I was hoping for a challenging final route, but ours was far too easy.
Nevertheless, I was happy with second place. The comp was really fun, and I am looking forward to the BLCCs coming up!

Topping the final!

Junior British Bouldering Championships 2015 (Issy)

I went in to this competition without any expectations- mainly because I considered myself to be a lead climber, not a boulderer. However I was really happy with my result! I surprised myself, and climbed well, and the comp was great fun! As per usual, I climbed much better on the qualifying blocs than the finals. They were technical, and really fun to climb! I topped 5 blocs in 6 attempts (out of 8), and this put me into the finals in 4th position. I was really happy to make finals, particularly as I am in the bottom of B, and will be back in B again next year! However the final blocs were much more challenging, and I topped 1 in 1 attempt (out of 3). Overall I placed 5th, and I was really pleased as making finals in itself was a huge achievement! I hope to do more boulder comps next year, it was a great experience!

World Youth Championships Arco 2015 (Issy)

In August I traveled to Italy to compete in the World Youth Climbing Championships! I was excited as this was the biggest competition I had ever taken part in in my life, and I wanted to see the standard of the best climbers in the world!

Qualifier 2
Photo by Nick Pope

We spent 10 days staying in Arco, and before the comp we visited two crags, and climbed at an amazing wall in Bolzano. I much preferred the first crag we visited, despite there being a general preference towards the second. The climbs were pumpy, but also quite technical, and really fun to climb! I attempted to onsight a 7b, however I fell off right at the top (much to my frustration!) when I couldn't find the hand hold. It was a great climb however, even though I was highly disappointed I didn't do it- it was the hardest climb I had ever tried to onsight outdoors! The climbing wall in Bolzano was one of the best I have ever seen! The routes were very long and steep, and there was a huge variety of climbs! I had fun climbing some easier but pumpy routes as some last-minute preparation for the worlds. The final crag we visited was after the comp was over. I didn't enjoy this crag as much, as it was a style I had never encountered before. Some of the routes were 40m long! I had a go on a long and pumpy 7a+, and found the climbing style very strange. However, it was interesting nonetheless, and I had a good time!
My experience at the competition was good, however I still felt I could have climbed much better. the first route was steep at the top, and technical nearer the bottom. I read the route, and warmed up thoroughly. There was not much space to warm up however- it was packed with people! I climbed past the first crux easily, but then got myself into an awkward position on the footholds instead of the handholds I was supposed to be on. I cam off awkwardly slapping for a sloper, and I was very disappointed as I could have climbed so much higher had I followed the sequence I had planned. The second qualifier was overhanging, with better holds, and I thought that I would be able to make up a lot of placings on this route. However, I climbed badly, putting in a very bad performance and falling off an easy move about 1/3 of the way up. I immediately recognized my mistakes, and was devastated! Due to this climb, I places 38th overall. This was still a good result, however I was disappointed not to make semis. I had a great time in Arco however, and thanks to the team management for a great trip!

Mitterdorf EYC 2015 (Issy)

Mitterdorf was perhaps my worst comp yet. I climbed badly on both qualifiers- falling off much lower than I would have liked. It was painful to accept that I had just had a bad comp, however I had to move on and maintain my motivation for the worlds! I was placed 38th after the competition, but I came away from the competition determined to work my weaknesses! The comp was still a good experience, as the indoor wall was amazing! Training there after the comp was awesome- it was one of the biggest indoor walls I had ever seen! I am now excited for the worlds in August, in Arco, Italy!

Qualifier 2
Photo by Nick Pope

European Youth Championships Ratho 2015 (Issy)

Qualifier 1
Photo by Nick Pope

The European Youth Championships were held at EICA Ratho this year, good for the British as we didn't have to travel miles this time! I felt less nervous going into this competition as I had competed there before, so I had an idea of what to expect. Our first qualifier was a vertical and slabby route which was graded 7c. I read the route, and felt fairly confident that I could top it, so when it was my turn to climb I climbed steadily and didn't have any issues. I was approaching the last quickdraw when I timed out yet again! I was devastated as I thought I could have topped it without any difficulty- I wasn't too pumped at this stage. This left me frustrated as I knew I could have done better, however I began to read my next route, a crimpy overhanging climb up the main wall. The route was fairly straightforward, however I made a route-reading error and came off trying to reach for a hold when I should have just moved my foot. Due to this performance I moved down to 28th place overall. I was very disappointed with this as I was only two places off making semis! I knew I could have climbed a lot better, however I took away from the comp more experience, and recognized more aspects of my climbing to improve. Overall it was a fun comp, and I really enjoyed the routes, despite timing out!

EYC Imst May 2015 (Issy)

Qualifier 1

My second EYC was also in May, in Imst, Austria. I was much less nervous for this comp, as I had participated in one before, however this was my first time competing at the Imst wall so I was unsure of what to expect. I was second up on qualifier 1, which had a technical start yet powerful finish, and finished just onto the roof. I watched the demo, then had little time before it was my turn to climb. The first sequence was much easier than I expected, however I took lots of rests to calm my nerves and ensure I climbed smoothly. This meant that I was not too pumped and I thought I climbed well, however  I fell off when the belayer pulled in the rope really tight on a big move. When I lowered off I was told I timed out, which is why the belayer took in the rope. I was devastated, as the three moves that didn't count when I timed out cost me a lot of places!

Qualifier 2

Route 2 was a more powerful route which I thought I could do well on. However, I did not warm down after Qualifier 1 meaning I got flash pump and fell of about 1/2 of the way up! I was annoyed with myself, however next time I will warm down and do a proper warm up between climbs! I finished 34th overall which was not ideal, mainly due to the fact that I timed out. I am psyched for Edinburgh however, as I have taken away some important lessons from this experience!

EYC Dornbirn May 2015 (Issy)

In May I competed in my first EYC in Dornbirn, Austria. I was nervous as this was my first ever European comp, however I was excited to represent GB! On the day of the comp, we arrived at the wall to watch our route demos. The wall was overhanging and very impressive! It was one of the highest walls I had ever seen/climbed on and I was excited to have the opportunity to climb on it! Youth B girls qualifier 1 was technical and vertical, with small crimps. The climb itself was not too hard, however I felt I did not climb my best due to my nerves. I reached the second last clip, however fell early at the top crux section. The last few moves were hard, and only two girls in our category topped the route.
I then focused on qualifier 2, which boys B had just climbed. It was on the overhanging main comp wall and was a much more powerful route. I climbed slightly better on this route as I was less nervous- despite getting only two thirds of the way up this route I was happier with my performance. This put me in 20th position, which I was happy with as my aim for the comp was to achieve a top 20 placing. Overall it was a fun experience, and hopefully I will be less nervous for the next EYC in Imst!

Climbing Outdoors at Malham Cove May 2015 (Issy)

Bolt Revolt, 7a- Flash

Over the long weekend our parents drove me and my brother to Malham Cove to climb outdoors for the 3rd time. On the first day, I warmed up on Rose Coronary. Then I flashed Bolt Revolt, 7a, and attempted to flash Frankenstein, 7a+. I was gutted to drop the last move on my flash attempt, however I sent the route easily second go. I then attempted to onsight Sycophants, 7a however I struggled on a move off a crimpy undercut. The next day, I returned to warm up on Rose Coronary and send Sycophants. Then, I decided I wanted to try something harder. I worked all the moves on Chiselling the Dragon, 7c, but I decided not to have a redpoint attempt as it was nearing the end of the day and my skin was suffering! I am looking forward to returning to send Chiselling the Dragon!

Working the Moves on Chiselling the Dragon, 7c

GB Junior Lead Team Training in Austria April 2015 (Issy)

The Imst Outdoor Wall

In April I travelled to Austria for the GB Junior Lead Team training camp. On the first day, we left from Heathrow airport and met the rest of the team at Munich airport. From Munich, we travelled to Innsbruck which is where we were staying. On the second day we travelled to Imst to climb at both the indoor and outdoor walls. The indoor was very steep and I really enjoyed trying some harder routes! However the outdoor wall was the most impressive by far! It was much higher than anything I had ever climbed on before, and it was a great experience to be able to climb all the way through the roof and up the headwall! The routes at Imst were great, and I had a fun day!

Climbing at Tivoli Wall

On the third day, we visited the Tivoli wall, which was only a short walk from out hotel. This was my favourite wall! The angles were far more extreme than anything I had ever climbed on before! Each category was given a route, and were told to study the route and draw route plans. This was great practice for comps. Youth B and C girls were given a red 7c route which looked hard and steep but toppable. When it was my turn to climb, I climbed up most of the route without many issues, however eventually I pumped out and fell off a big move to the arete. Despite falling when my aim was to top the route, I was happy with my effort as I had reached the joint-highest point. For the rest of the day, I tried some more routes- overall it was a great day!
On Thursday we visited the outdoor wall in Arco, Italy. The wall was very impressive, and there were some very hard routes set! My greatest achievement of the day was flashing a hard and pumpy 7b as the wall was very overhanging! I also attempted a 7c and was happy to climb quite a way up the route! I pumped out on a big move about two thirds of the way up. I really enjoyed the climbing in Arco, and the ice cream was also very memorable!
Finally, on the last day of our trip we visited Tivoli wall again. I tried a couple of routes before it was time to leave. I had a great experience and would like to thank the Team Management for a great trip!

Climbing the 7c at Tivoli Wall

Climbing at Fontainbleau (Issy)

During the Easter holidays, we visited Fontainebleau for my brother's 10th birthday, whilst in France. We went to Bas Cuvier. I had a great time on the boulders- there were so many to try! I onsighted lots of problems, and tried some 6cs, but we found that the grades were very hard! I can't wait to return to try some more of the boulders- I had such a fun day!

GB Lead Team Assessment Weekend (Issy)

On the 7th March we woke up early and travelled to the Leeds wall for the GB Team assessment weekend. For the assessment, 5 routes had been set for each category, which could be attempted in any order. For youth B girls, the route grades were: 7b+, 7b+, 7c, 7c, 7c+. Although I didn't top any of my routes, I felt that I climbed well. I had never been to the Leeds wall before, so I was excited to climb on the steep comp wall! On Sunday the 8th we returned to the wall to try some of the routes again, before a gymnastics session at the Diamonds Gymnastic club. It was great fun! Overall, I had a great weekend, thanks to the Junior Lead Team management! 

GB Lead Climbing Team Inaugural Meeting Jan-Feb 2015 (Issy)

On Friday the 30th January my family and I traveled to Sheffield for my first GB team inaugural meeting. On Saturday morning we met at the Royal Victoria Holiday Inn for a meeting presented by Ian Dunn to discuss what it means to be in the team. We learnt who was who on the team management and had a look at the competitions we would be attending this year. Then, Nick Colton lead a presentation on child safeguarding before we drove to Awesome Walls Sheffield for some climbing and fitness testing. It was really fun to catch up and climb with some team mates before our testing!
On Sunday we met at Awesome Walls for our one-to-one meetings with the team managers, and our medicals. I am looking forward to competing in my first ever European competitions this year, and getting to know my team mates better!

Round 1 of the Junior Boulder Cup (Issy)

Round 1 of the Junior Boulder Cup was held at The Climbing Unit, Derby. It was my first boulder comp as a youth B. I read through our 8 qualifiers, and I thought they looked technical but do-able. Overall, I flashed 5 boulders, but was unable to complete 3. My score was 5 boulders in 5 attempts, and 8 bonuses in 12 attempts. I was happy with my score, but it wasn't enough to qualify for the final. I thought I had climbed well as I found the problems quite reachy. The comp was great fun!

Junior British Lead Climbing Team Selection (Issy)

After the youth open, I was so happy to find that I have been selected for the 2015 Junior Lead Climbing Team! I am really excited to have the opportunity to compete internationally, and I am really looking forward to the coming year!

Junior Lead Cup Round 1 (Issy)

Qualifier 1

Round 1 of the Junior Lead Cup was held at Awesome Walls, Sheffield in November, and the event was also the GB team selection event for 2015. When I arrived I read through my qualifiers. Route 1 was technical and crimpy, whereas the holds on route 2 looked better but it was more overhanging. I was third to climb on route 1. I found the first couple of clips ok, but the climb was very technical from around the 3rd or 4th clip, where you had to stand in some tiny features in the wall. However I moved  through this section without any problems. It was higher up, around the 7th clip, that there was a hard rock over, and I fell off. I was annoyed with myself, as I immediately knew I should have moved my foot up. After qualifier 1, I was in joint 6th, so I just had to wait for qualifier 2.
I was near the end of the start list for my second route, so I was less nervous. The route looked much more powerful than our previous route, but there was a technical section just under half way up which caused a problem for a few people. When I began the route, the first section was relatively easy. I moved through the technical section, and up onto some nice crimps. Two clips from the top, there was a very pumpy clip which many people did not clip, but in order to move on you had to clip it from the set position. So, when I approached the clip I pulled up the rope immediately. At this point I was very pumped. I managed to rock over onto a huge sloper, and press off the sloper to slap the next hold. It was one of the highest scores, so I was into the final.

On the podium with Catrin and Kitty

We shared our final route with the youth As and Juniors, so it was a hard route. The first half was huge undercuts and some dynamic moves. When it was my turn to climb, I moved through the first few clips easily. Then the route got very steep around half way up. I made a dynamic and reachy move round a corner for a horrible hold with a small edge. I managed to hold the hold, but I couldn't move on from it. When I came down, I found that I had the highest score yet. I was in 1st place, with  three left still to climb. Abbie was next to climb, and she fell off on the move going towards the hold which I was able to hold. I had a podium place! Kitty climbed next, and she fell off in the same place as me, so she was ahead on countback from the qualifiers. Catrin climbed last, and she got a few holds further than us, meaning that she had won. I was so excited to come third in one of my first competitions as a B, as my aim for the competition was to get a podium place.

Me and Finley in our knitted deer hats! Thanks mum!

Welsh Climbing Championships 2014 (Issy)

The Welsh Climbing Championships was held at Boulders, Cardiff, and I competed as a B for this event. The format for the competition was 3 qualifiers, a semi final and a final. Me and Catrin topped all 3 qualifiers, which meant we were in joint first place for the semi finals.
Our route looked technical but do-able. I climbed to the last section with no problems, but the last two holds were awful. I was pumped, and dynoed for the last hold. I touched the bottom of it but did not get it. Catrin also fell off the last move, meaning that we were still tied in first.
There were 5 of us in the final. Our route was a black, and I thought that it looked easier than the semis but there was still a tricky section at the top. I topped the route, along with everyone else in the final. This meant that Catrin and I had to do a superfinal. I climbed second, and the route was fine until a rock-over to a big sloper. I got a hand on the sloper and tried to match it, but missed the thumb catch. The sloper was so bad I couldn't hold on and I slipped off. Catrin had climbed a clip further than me, meaning that I was second.
I was also very proud of my brother, who convincingly won the youth D category!

Me on qualifier 3

On the podium