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!