Episode 07: Bouldering is like gymnastics

Three days off due to constant rain and my slightly sliced index so our need to climb was boiling up.

The usual weather cast for Sunday: rain in the wee hours, light rain during the rest of the day, but we still crossed our fingers and made the trip to Marion des Roches. I started with Pierrot (7B). It took me about 30 minutes to finish all the moves except for the crux. After 15 tries of pulling more than two-thirds of my body weight with a heel hook, I gave it a rest.

La Fissure du Clodo (7A) and Mise en Boîte assis (7A+) were within our reach but the rock was a bit wet. La Fissure de Mise en Boîte assis (7A) was a piece of cake (near flash). The only reason to give it a 7A would be the rather expo ending: you need cojones to do that last hand/foot switch.

Bi-Steack (7A) ruined my palms and fingers. A sitstart with enormous inverse holds and you pull your way out of the roof. If your technique is as shitty as mine was during my first tries, you will pull like an ox without paying attention to your foot position and will peel off your hands. Then you get a shitty, sand-papery three-finger and a pitiful right-hand crimp and dyno to a huge hold (see the video below). I don't particularly appreciate this type of climbing but never shy away from it. I sent the second part on my first try (compression-style!) yet wasn't anywhere near pulling off the dyno. I was using my toe and heel hooks but nothing would work. Then I went full-on and did the move with a straight approach in only four tries. The hold may not seem that far in the video but believe me, it is. Anyway, after more than 20 attempts, my fingers were too stressed.

Speaking of not shying away from boulders I don't like, I have observed two distinct mentalities in climbing:

1. "You need to work on your weaknesses"
2. "You need to work on your strengths"

This dichotomy might remind some of you ("some" presupposes that more than one person reads this blog) of a similar paradigm: gymnastics. Some go for the all-around medal and some try to win specific events. I have chosen the first approach but sometimes, it's demoralising thinking I could have already sent an 8A (a trav or a slab) if I had chosen to focus on a single project and discipline. On the other hand, being able to send 7As and 7Bs in most or all styles (vertical, slab, underhang, trav, roofs, dynos, compression, crack) is very rewarding. Yet, that "what if..." thought keeps buzzing around in the back of my mind.

Other than that, the more I delve into bouldering, the more I realise even amateur (but serious) climbers behave a lot like professional athletes. Unlike other sports, it is difficult to work out regularly without getting bitten by the "Citius, Altius, Fortius" bug. This might be because of the grading system. I imagine that in tennis, for instance, you don't get the constant feeling of stagnation because you can't quantify your performances that easily. But in climbing, there's always a harder problem to climb.

We finished the day on Sans Pompe (7A+). We almost flashed it but fell two moves before the end. We gave it another four or five tries but the momentum was gone. We kept our Don Quijote attitude but nothing.

The weather cast for the next day was even worse. Rain in the morning and then again around 6 p.m. The main climbing season being almost over (constant rain will settle in about a month), we don't waste any sessions. So back to Marion des Roches for revenge. I couldn't find a better beta for the crux in Pierrot and the various cracks were very wet so we had to find something better. Bi-Steack wasn't a success but I was able to send Natacha (7A+), rather a 7A. As you can see, all it takes is a good toe hook. Unless you find that perfect toe hook, it becomes a 7B and demands a powerful shoulder locking.

I finished my day in Aurore (6C). This beautiful line is also the first part of Zénith (7C) that I find tempting.

Rain came back again so another 2-3 days of rest...