double champions at Gravical 2012!!!
Back on a high from the SEA Games in November last year, i was off to a decent start to 2012. Felicia and i both managed 1st placing in the Womens and Mens Open Category at Gravical 2012 respectively. With all the routes vetted by quest route setters Tonde Katiyo and Florian Escoffier, you can be pretty sure that there are no loop holes in the routes that were set. Anyone can claim themself to be a route setter but to truly be a good one, an important ability is to be able to envision if or not the route is possible or whether if a particular move can be done. Needless to say, one must be able to climb and test the moves!
Having spent so much time on plastic in the last couple of months, i had to get outdoors and booked myself an air ticket back to Yangshuo in early March. With 2 of my friends(Audrey and PM) coming along and 3 ex students(Charmaine, Eunice and JunXiang) from TPJC, this trip promised to be real fun!
Having spent so much time on plastic in the last couple of months, i had to get outdoors and booked myself an air ticket back to Yangshuo in early March. With 2 of my friends(Audrey and PM) coming along and 3 ex students(Charmaine, Eunice and JunXiang) from TPJC, this trip promised to be real fun!
check out the wet streaks on the wall at Lei Pi Shan!! most of the climbs were dripping!Yangshuo was meant as a short getaway for me and at the same time finish up some outstanding climbs that were left undone. Unfortunately, i came back from the trip feeling as tired as before and above all, got nothing much done. The initial plan was to quickly send the route Thunder within the 1st two days and then get onto either 9 Deep 1 Shallow or Blue Magic (all of which are about 8b/+). You can read more about my experience on Thunder in this previous post here.
Torrential rain prior to our arrival made most climbs really really wet. Some of them were literally dripping with water. We could only climb at Lei Pi Shan on the 1st day due to the weather and Thunder was dripping with water. Even the 1st pitch rated at 7b+ was dripping. Though the weather improved throughout our stay, it was wishful thinking on my part that the entire route will dry quicky and i didn't even have a slight chance of getting onto the climb on this trip. The girls didn't have it any better as Lei Pi Shan is probably one of the worse place to begin your virgin rock trip as most routes are 7A and up.
Guilin mee fen, the usual S$2 breakfast
It was disappointing but as nothing could be done about the weather and the climbs, i ended up at Wine Bottle Crag and The Egg the next 2 days, doing climbs nothing harder than 7b/+. For climbers looking to boulder on a rope, you have to get onto Mr Greenwood, rated 7b!!! (though i reckon it feels more like 7b+). This climb is only about 8-9m but the action is relentless from ground up but more importantly, it climbs well! I remember hopping onto it during my first trip here a couple of years back and the only recollection of the route i have was that the route is HARD and i didn't send it on the day itself back then.
This time around i tried to 'flash' it but to no avail. This route is still a tough nut to crack, even though i believe myself to be much fitter than back then. I send it on my 2nd go though, making it look like a 6C (according to Charmaine) as i knew how best to hold the terrible holds on the face climb.
JunXiang, meanwhile was on a high having just send a 7a nearby and seeing me on this 7b/+, was keen to have a go on it on toprope. Unfortunately he suffered a recurrence of his shoulder subluxation (partial dislocation) even before the 1st bolt and that was the end of his day. He had to take 2 rest days eventually.
This time around i tried to 'flash' it but to no avail. This route is still a tough nut to crack, even though i believe myself to be much fitter than back then. I send it on my 2nd go though, making it look like a 6C (according to Charmaine) as i knew how best to hold the terrible holds on the face climb.
JunXiang, meanwhile was on a high having just send a 7a nearby and seeing me on this 7b/+, was keen to have a go on it on toprope. Unfortunately he suffered a recurrence of his shoulder subluxation (partial dislocation) even before the 1st bolt and that was the end of his day. He had to take 2 rest days eventually.
rest days spent either at the cafe or just walking/biking aroundThe next couple of days were spent at White Mountain and Lei Pi Shan where I decided to get onto Blue Magic to work out the moves and gave it my 1st redpoint burn after sufficient rest. The redpoint attempt, though feeble, allowed me to discover better sequences and hidden holds.
the majestic White Mountain, this left section houses most of the 8Bs and 8Cs and a possible 9A
fish steamboat at one of the popular restaurants in Yangshuo!
Unlike Thunder, which is almost 35m long and requires at least 14 quickdraws, Blue Magic is only about 9m, requiring about 6 draws. It is super bouldery with a decent rest right in the middle section. Good conditions are definitely important as the 2 main cruxes consist of slopey holds and bad pinches. The 1st crux felt the hardest, consisting of getting into a powerful side pull/undercling position and throwing with your right hand into a decent hold with really bad feet, on almost 40 degree inclination. The 2nd crux though a lot less powerful, requires one to pinch a really bad sloper with the left hand and hit a reasonable crimp with the right on flat terrain with good footholds.
In the meantime, all of us were watching this young local, Qiu Er, who was working on Spicy Noodle 8C+. In case you guys are unaware, Spicy Noodle is the first 8C+ put up by Chris Sharma a few years back. I was really impressed as Qiu Er climbs really really well plus we managed to catch him onsighting Single Life, 8A at Lei Pi Shan (the extension is called Lighting) just a few days back. At only 18 years of age, the future generation of China sure looks bright! Watching him on Spicy Noodle had me salivating as the moves looked really good. This is one climb i will check out soon.
fish steamboat at one of the popular restaurants in Yangshuo!We had a rest day and came back to White Mountain again - it was still drizzling a bit but we can't complain too much. At least it wasn't pouring.
I got straight back onto Blue Magic after some warming up and fell off at the last move! That was surprisingly as i was struggling at the 1st crux due to the humidity and the slopers felt almost next to impossible to crank off from. Plus the rest points in the middle were soaked. I was pretty doubtful the climb will go under such conditions even on my next attempt.
True enough, i flailed all over the 1st crux and fell off. The last go of the day was deja vu, though i felt much better on this attempt, i was still peeling off right at the last move. The weather needs to be drier for this climb to go. Not wanting to leave my draws up on the route in case of bad weather the next day, i unwillingly took off my runners.
Meanwhile, JunXiang having rested sufficiently, was on a roll, sending Yangshuo hotel 7b in a few goes. He would probably have done it on his 2nd try had he not screwed up the start, which required climbers to scramble up a mini roof to the 1st bolt.
Though i woke up feeling pretty crappy the next day, we headed to White Mountain anyway. Thank goodness the decision to take down my draws the previous day was spot on as Blue Magic was soaking wet from rain the previous night. It's not funny having to climb on wet rock to remove runners let alone one that is bouldery. You bet that will be one hell of an experience that no one will forget in a hurry.
I got straight back onto Blue Magic after some warming up and fell off at the last move! That was surprisingly as i was struggling at the 1st crux due to the humidity and the slopers felt almost next to impossible to crank off from. Plus the rest points in the middle were soaked. I was pretty doubtful the climb will go under such conditions even on my next attempt.
True enough, i flailed all over the 1st crux and fell off. The last go of the day was deja vu, though i felt much better on this attempt, i was still peeling off right at the last move. The weather needs to be drier for this climb to go. Not wanting to leave my draws up on the route in case of bad weather the next day, i unwillingly took off my runners.
Meanwhile, JunXiang having rested sufficiently, was on a roll, sending Yangshuo hotel 7b in a few goes. He would probably have done it on his 2nd try had he not screwed up the start, which required climbers to scramble up a mini roof to the 1st bolt.
Though i woke up feeling pretty crappy the next day, we headed to White Mountain anyway. Thank goodness the decision to take down my draws the previous day was spot on as Blue Magic was soaking wet from rain the previous night. It's not funny having to climb on wet rock to remove runners let alone one that is bouldery. You bet that will be one hell of an experience that no one will forget in a hurry.
a happy JunXiang after sending his 2nd 7B on his 2nd try in as many daysRealizing i was down with a slight fever, i spent most of the day sleeping on the canvas under the crag. In the meantime, Eunice completed a 6b+ while Charmaine managed to redpoint a 6a+ nearby. Both of them could have completed more climbs(and harder ones!) had they pushed themselves.
JunXiang, however was in his world of his own. Having warmed up on a Merry Christmas 6C (onsight), he then proceed to give a good flash attempt on China White 7b. Although he fell off at the top, it was a pretty decent effort. He followed up with the send on his 2nd go after a short rest. For someone who has been climbing for just slightly over a year, his tick list on his first outdoor trip is nothing short of amazing; not forgetting he suffered a recurrence of his shoulder popping.
1. China White 7B, 2nd try
2. Yangshuo Hotel 7B, 4th try
3. Chuck If Ya Want to 7A, 2nd try
4. Empty Jug 6C+, 2nd try
5. Merry Christmas 6C, Onsight
JunXiang, however was in his world of his own. Having warmed up on a Merry Christmas 6C (onsight), he then proceed to give a good flash attempt on China White 7b. Although he fell off at the top, it was a pretty decent effort. He followed up with the send on his 2nd go after a short rest. For someone who has been climbing for just slightly over a year, his tick list on his first outdoor trip is nothing short of amazing; not forgetting he suffered a recurrence of his shoulder popping.
1. China White 7B, 2nd try
2. Yangshuo Hotel 7B, 4th try
3. Chuck If Ya Want to 7A, 2nd try
4. Empty Jug 6C+, 2nd try
5. Merry Christmas 6C, Onsight
Not too bad a tick list for his 1st rock trip don't you think?
the Yangshuo gang sans Audrey and PM
In my opinion, the routes that he completed were not even pushing him to his limits. Had he been given the luxury of more time to project a route, he might have been able to climb a 7C. Although i enjoy seeing my students do well in competitions, i derive more satisfaction from watching them push themselves while climbing outdoors.
I have had the opportunity to witness many young Singaporeans cranking down really hard on plastic only to fail miserably on outdoor rock. In fact, JX doesn't even boulder as hard as some of his peers in Singapore. What stands him out is that he understands how to climb efficiently but more importantly, he is one of the most disciplined climbers i have ever met.
I have had the opportunity to witness many young Singaporeans cranking down really hard on plastic only to fail miserably on outdoor rock. In fact, JX doesn't even boulder as hard as some of his peers in Singapore. What stands him out is that he understands how to climb efficiently but more importantly, he is one of the most disciplined climbers i have ever met.
That day at White Mountain was pretty much our last climbing day. Though we had planned on heading to Lei Pi Shan the next day prior to leaving for GZ, we ended up slacking in the hotel as JX and Eunice fell ill whilst i was still feeling a bit weak from yesterday. The trip back Singapore was dreadful knowing i have plenty of work to clear leading up to Boulderactive 2012.
Time to start planning for Hueco Tanks in Nov/Dec this year!
