Roc Trip Europe and The North Face Boulderactive 2013

It has been a busy 2 weeks at Kinetics since i got back from Europe on the 2nd of this month. We have had some staff leaving due to the start of school. Finally have a little time to sit down and do a short post on my trip to Europe last month!

Check out the right of the campus board!

I flew directly to Frankfurt, Germany for an exhibition and had the opportunity to visit some local climbing gyms. Check out these 2 pictures of BoulderWelt! Nice, clean, big and most importantly, plenty of routes which are changed regularly.  Check out the right side of the campus board! The owner told me they had a really tough time building that training system!

Huge area for climbing with tonnes of easy routes!

The central part of my plan for this Europe trip was to head down south to Ceuse in France and try to send Bah Bah Black Sheep, a 15m long 8c/+ which i have spent many weeks on in the summer of 2009. I dropped by Magic Wood to climb for 2 days as it was en route to Ceuse.

At Magic Wood!

Magic Wood is probably the only bouldering area climbable in summer in Switzerland as it is much higher in altitude. At about 1400m above sea level, the afternoons can get pretty hot but the nights are cold and everyone wears down. Good conditions for hard sends are hard to come by unless you rise early or climb with headlights at night.

Darkness Cave

My personal take on the grading in Magic Wood is that the harder climbs are quite stiff. I wasn't exactly out of shape but the 8a or harder climbs at Magic Wood felt much harder compared to Cresciano and Chironico. Perhaps it was a combination of my not-so-smart climbing, attempting these conditions dependent blocs in the mid day heat. 

I did some of the easier climbs and roamed around a bit to have a look at the classics like New Base Line, Never Ending Story, Supernova, Electroboogie etc. before deciding to have go on The right hand of Darkness V11/8a. This climb is located in the Darkness cave along with plenty of other climbs like Rememberance of things past 8b+, In search of time lost 8c. Dark Sakai and From darkness to Sunshine. 

coffee is cheap in Europe!

I had to leave empty handed without the send in the bag. There was 1 move which i couldn't do and on top of that, i split 2 of my finger tips which hurt like a bitch! Until the next time and in better conditions for sure!

The good thing about Magic Wood is that there are so many quality climbs located so near to each other compared to many other crags BUT the landing is often not fantastic. A good spotter and plenty of pads will come in handy for sure!

fruit pizza at La Freissinouse

Moving on to France, i caught up with Paul at Les Guerins campsite. According to him, the weather hasn't been fantastic and is set to continue. What a bummer....

Out of the 8 climbing days i had there, 4 were raining and we had to run down in the drizzling rain. The rain was so heavy on some days that many climbs were not dry by the next day, something i have never experienced before in my previous 2 trips there.

Massif de Ceuse

The crux of Bah Bah was wet and i wasted 6 climbing days on it, trying to climb on the wet holds. Needless to say, i did not once make it anywhere near my previous high point back in 2009. I changed tack and gave a not-so fantastic flash go on Sueurs Froides 8a+ after sussing out the beta from someone who was 1.9m tall. Not a very smart move. The crux of the climb was this big move to a bomber jug. Good thing i checked out the ending prior to my 2nd try as it was still possible to fall at the top! Send it on my 2nd try.

Taking a short break after the 1 hr hike up

I spend the last few days checking out some other climbs which i might want to get onto for my next trip and one of them was Dure Limites, this 8c which the 12 year old climbing phenom, Ashima sent on her 2nd go. YES SECOND GO aka TWO TRIES. Boy this climb is HARD. Definitely not a holiday 8c and apparently even Sasha had a hard time on it especially at the top. (Note to all: There are no holiday grades in Ceuse!!!) 

Lunch - potatoes, green beans, mushrooms and lardons!

I did have a good time visiting the supermarkets and gorging myself on French cheese and pastry during my time in France!

Ashima!

My plan for this trip to Europe was not to stay at Ceuse for the entire duration but to visit a few other crags, one of which was Le Gorge du Loup, whereby the famous Kinematix 9a and PuntX 9a (only 14m long) is located. Apparently this place requires a down jacket because it is located in a gorge and the wind can get really strong even in the summer. BUTTTTtttttt, there was no wind on my first day there and it was hot!

Le Gorge du Loup is famous because of the crag 'pupuce surplomb'. There are about 70 routes from 6a to 9a and more than 50 of the climbs are above 8a. The cliff here is overhanging and the style athletic.

I hopped onto the mega classic 8a/+ Deverse Satanique and gave it a good onsight burn before falling at the 2nd last runner.

Le Gorge du Loup

There are no extremely hard moves but the route was SUPER PUMPY and i was so exhausted that i couldn't even raise my hands for at least 10 minutes after the fall. Most of the climbing is on tufas which resembles a shark's fin.

Although i got it in the bag on my 2nd go, it was a close call. I did not feel fully rested even after an hour and a half and almost fell off while clipping the anchors on my 2nd try. Deverse Satanique will rank as one of the best 8a/+ i have ever done!

I had my sights on a 8b+ beside it, Hot Chili Beans Volcano after watching some locals work the moves. The climb begins bouldery and links up to the ending of Deverse which is about 15m-16m. Totally my style!

Unfortunately the next morning it RAINED and i bailed. Took a long and slow drive back to Germany to return the car and fly back to Singapore, which concluded my Europe trip for the summer of 2013.

Yuji and I at the competition!

Boulderactive this year was held at Suntec and all in all the competition felt a lot more smaller scale compared to previous years (the wall was also much smaller). I touched down in Singapore on Friday and had my qualifying round the next day. Having climbed on a rope for the last few weeks, i know i was neither competition fit nor boulder fit so i will be happy to make it into the finals. Imagine my surprise when i actually qualified first. Routes were not hard but some were a lil more technical. In fact, the last climb required not much pulling and would probably be not more than a 6b in fontainbleau.

Having met my goal of qualifying, i wanted to just enjoy the climbs in the Finals with no expectations. I personally found the 1st two routes really hard, in particularly the 2nd one. 

I was really huffing and puffing after the 1st climb and that is usually not the case in the Finals of local bouldering competitions. In the end i think i received a 7th placing (out of 8) even though i was one of the few extremely closed to sending the 3rd climb. Finishing it would have elevated me to 2nd. That is the nature of competitions =D.

It is time for a good break from hard climbing and get my elbow to recover fully from this nagging tendonitis.

What is your Goal?

Recently renewed my sponsorship with Outdoor Venture for the The North Face Singapore branding in Singapore. It has been 2 years plus since i came on board as one of their local ambassadors in Singapore and they have not disappoint in providing quality equipment for outdoor usage. You can check out the profile of the other athletes here.

me at the contract signing!

Took the opportunity to grab a pair of Men's Double Track Guide (TNF Red!) shoe and a Base camp duffel XS in red as well! I have owned another TNF duffel in another size (Small - blue) for the last 2 years and this bag is super durable and literally bombproof. Made of ballistics nylon, you will be hard pressed to cut/ damage it on purpose so that you have an excuse just to get a new bag! It comes in many different sizes to suit your needs and multiple colors for you to choose from.

new shoes and red XS duffel

My new shoes will be put in to good use when i negotiate the 1 hour trail up and down Ceuse in a couple of months! At only 650g, let's hope it can take a pounding.

It has been almost 5.5 months since the onset of lateral epicondylitis in my left hand (aka tennis elbow). The recovery is painfully SLOW. This has been one of, if not the longest recovery period i have ever had to endure. Seeing a Sports doctor and a physiotherapist at Changi Sport Clinic about 2 months back helped me to better understand how the injury came about and what i can do to recover faster and prevent a recurrence of it.

injuries are a pain in the arse!

I am probably about 90%-95% fully recovered and reckon that it will take at least 1 more month before it heals entirely. As such, i will be skipping NTU's Pumpfest 2013 early next month. Although i have started to crank down hard in the gym, the last thing i want is to suffer a recurrence of the injury during a competition. Looking on the bright side, injuries can also help you understand your body better, especially your capabilities and limitations.

With the temporary pause in coaching due to school exams, i made full use of the downtime to attend some sports seminars which help me reminisce what i learned and applied to my own training about 10 years ago. Allow me to summarize below.

Beginner climbers benefit a lot from repetition and observation or attending technique classes as climbing is NOT a functional/fundamental skill like walking. Sport Climbing is itself a highly specialized form and the movements are motor skills that can be learned and refined through hours of practice. A beginner climber should focus more on skills development as opposed to physical development as climbing is a sport that requires a high level of skill. Along the way, the climber will also be able to observe gradual improvements in his/her own physically abilities due to consistent practice.

improvements should be continuous and gradual! there is NO quick path to the top

Of course, once you attain a certain level of proficiently and partake in competitions, observation and repetition is not enough. To do well, one will need to understand and incorporate other factors into their regime such as sports nutrition, physical training principles, mental skills training etc. There are a tonne of useful scientific information related to training out there in magazines, books and online articles that may or may not be climbing related but can equally be applied to the sport of climbing. 

step-by-step you will reach your goal if you have a proper planning in place

Setting goals (Long-term, intermediate and short term) is also a critical process ALL top athletes have (regardless of what kind of sport). You have to be kidding yourself if your goal is to do well (according to one's standard) in a competition 2 months down the road with only 2 months of training! Look at all the winning Olympians, if not ALL of the Olympians. The build-up to their participation in the Olympics takes at least 4 years with the norm being at 8 years, if not more. I know of many young climbers who only start hitting the climbing walls/ hangboards/ campus rungs whenever a competition draws closer but slackens/ stops once the competition is over. This is NOT going to work at all and they will fail. Consistent improvement through training is the key to success in most, if not ALL sports.

Adam Ondra set himself the goal of onsighting a grade harder every year and he has been consistently hitting his intermediate goal since he started his own training more than 10 years ago. These are the results of his own training and serve as a motivation to achieving his long-term goal (which i have no idea what it is =D).

Here's a fine video from the Governator himself, Arnie, on Visualization and Goals

I have already achieved my long term goal in Sport Climbing, a goal which i set myself more than 10 years ago (and No, my goal was not to complete an 8C climb =D). All the best in your journey to achieving yours.

The North Face Cup 2013 @ BASE CAMP

Before I begin, this trip would not have been possible without Singapore Climbers Association’s sponsorship of the air ticket and The North Face (Singapore and Japan) for all my expenses in Japan.

Though fresh from winning the recent Lead Climbing competition at Onsight Climbing gym, I was not looking forward to my trip to Japan. I was still down with a severe case of elbow tendonitis from my trip to Switzerland in Dec 2012 and was basically treading the fine line of trying to stay reasonably fit whilst not worsening my elbow’s condition. In need of a well-deserved break, I am. It didn’t help that I knew Japan has many excellent climbers and I would have to be in tip top condition even to perform fairly.

Judith (Women’s Open Champion for 2012 at TNF Boulderactive) and I arrived on Thursday evening and were picked up by Yuji himself who gave us a quick tour of his gym before dropping us at the hotel nearby. 

Climb Park Base Camp at Saitama Prefecture!

Our 1st meal in Japan, Dan4 Dan4 noodle!

With the qualifying rounds on Saturday and semis and Finals on Sunday, all of us had a free day to ourselves on Friday. Kevin brought us around to do some sightseeing and shopping in Tokyo and we joined the guys from BigUp Productions and Sender Films (Brett and Nick) who were going around filming Daniel.

Took me a while to figure out how to use the spray function!

Sightseeing in Tokyo

nomz nomz

commuting in Tokyo

I headed down to Base Camp early on Saturday morning to get a hang of the format for the competition.  The Under 8, 10 and 12 categories started at about 9am followed by the Division 4, 3, 2 and finally 1. All the top climbers as well as overseas participants were grouped in the Division 1 category which is equivalent to the Open Cats in Singapore.

Check out the action!!!!

its warm inside...too many ppl!

So this was how it worked for all the categories. Qualifying and Semis were flashed format style with 8 routes to be completed in 1 hour. There were 2 bonuses per problem with no consideration for the number of attempts. 6 top qualifiers were chosen for the Finals and thereafter it was elimination format, meaning 2 climbers will be eliminated after every route. For the Finals, observation was 1 minute per route and climbing time was 2 minutes per climber so you can imagine the pace of the competition was relentless. That is certain great for the audience as it reduces the amount of time spent waiting.

For the Division 1 Men’s category, there were a total of about 39 participants in the qualifying round. 8 climbers were exempted from this round as they have already qualified for the Semis by virtue of them winning their respective division competition in other gyms a couple of weeks before. Routes were excellently set, testing climbers on a range of styles. I haven’t had such a good time climbing inside on plastic for a long time now. Problems were hard but not impossible. Easiest was probably about V7/ 7b with the hardest around V10/11. Even the slab problem was not easy as only 2 climbers finished it. Back home in Singapore, the difficulty for the Men’s Open finals will be around V7/8 at most and that would probably be the hardest problem.

my result. Wasn't fantastic but not too shabby either

At the end of the day, I completed 3 problems (I was close on 2 others) and was placed 29^th out of 39 climbers. The other 3 problems were not possible for me under the competition conditions, including the one on the slab. To qualify for the Semis, I would have to complete at least 5 boulders.

The girls were exempted from the qualifying round and proceeded straight to the Semis on Sunday, due to the lack of participants. Judith came in just after the halfway mark out of about 24 climbers.

lovely glow on the walls

Under 8 category climbers!

It was very impressive watching the Under 8 category climbers. Japan sure has a bright future ahead, considering that the difficulty of the problems in the finals for them were probably around V3/4. Now THAT was no stroll in the park at all. When the dust finally settled, Daniel Woods and Akiyo Noguchi were crowned male and female Champion respectively for the Division 1 Category.

Last night at Saitama-shi

We had the opportunity to try some of the routes the following day, and it was easy to conclude that Akiyo can probably out-boulder most of the top male climbers in Singapore. A pity we have only 4 hours at Base Camp as we had to leave for a 3 hour long drive to Jogasaki; climbing by the sea at the popular sea side cliff – volcanic rock! Imagine the amount of fun we will have had we stayed longer  at Base Camp as ALL the problems for the competition were left on the wall. That was like 60 problems with more than half harder than V4. I also had the opportunity to hop onto a 28+ move route graded 8a which was excellently set by Yuji himself. Flashing it would be close to impossible due to my current fitness level but I surprised myself by making it to the 3^rd last handhold.

en route to Jogasaki - Mt Fuji!

 We embarked on our trip to Jogasaki at about 3pm with about 5 cars in all and loads of filming equipment. I was looking forward to checking out the sea side cliff after seeing pictures of Obe-san climbing some route on Rock and Ice many years back. The blackish volcanic rock looked amazing in the photos. We had a lovely dinner at the resort by the beach and I had the opportunity to go to their onsen. Let’s just say that it was an unforgettable experience.

Post Onsen photo

dinner at Jogasaki - check out the spread!

 We woke early the next morning to head down to the crag as the weather forecast was not looking so promising in the late afternoon. It was an easy approach with a 15m abseil to the base of the cliff itself. Though there weren’t many routes there (about 30-40), there was plenty to climb for that day from 5s all the way to 8a+ and according to Yuji, the grades can be quite stiff.

main crag at Jogasaki

the harder stuffs are on the right...

remaining of some routes after the earthquake 2 years ago

By 3pm, I was pretty much wasted. Did a nice 6c/+ and a superb 7b that was long and sustaining with a spicy finish right at the anchors. Also had the opportunity to get onto a pretty stiff 8a that had a nice bouldery start and a super sustaining mid-section.  I gave it 2 goes anyway, knowing that a r/p was probably impossible. We left for Tokyo around 4pm as we will be flying back to Singapore the next day. A pity we couldn’t join the rest of them as they will be heading up to Shiobara for some outdoor bouldering!

* WARNING: the subsequent photos will get you salivating esp if you are a fan of raw fish*

breakfast at Tsukiji fish market

fresh uni

tuna

O-Toro

Fugu anyone?

plenty of octopus

I am truly grateful and impressed with the way everything was organized here. The Japanese have been great hosts! Its amazing also how the streets are so clean and there are NO trash bins around. Even in the climbing gyms, everything is so clean even though their climbers use quite a fair bit of chalk. The Japanese enjoy cleanliness and they make an effort to maintain it even if the place does not belong to them. Singapore climbers sure have a longgggggggggggg way to go.

A big thank you once again to Yuji-San and his team from The North Face Japan.