March | 2014 | Charlotte Warner

Bmc ycs 2014 Round 2 was yesterday at Plymouth.

When I turned up I was surprised at how long the lead walls were, I didn’t worry too much though as I know endurance is my strength. The hard looking boulder problems were worrying me as only this week had I started training strength and power!

Girls were up first on the routes, I topped all 3, as did another competitor. I was frustrated about this as I know routes are my strong point and in a way I wished they were harder. It was now all down to the boulder problems.

I was up first on my first problem; a tricky slab with tiny hands and feet. I started up it and used my legs as much as I could, I just flashed it.. After my hamstrings were so painful!

My second problem was set by Alex Waterhouse and everyone in our category pretty much got to the same place; unable to roll over to a sloper- it was so powerful! However, Alex was telling us we’d got the beta all wrong but he wouldn’t tell us the right beta. After we all had our attempts alex showed us all how to do it with a heel hook around the arête.

The third problem was good, I just couldn’t stick a move to a slopey pinch.However I’m glad with how I performed in the boulders because I know they are my weakness and I am going to start training power and strength more in the near future!

On the third route!

When I arrived in El Chorro I was excited to get out and climb, the scenery was amazing and so inspirational.

The view!

On the first day we headed to Poema de Roca and I tried the classic 7a of El Chorro which the sector is also named after. This didn’t go too well and making the transition between plastic and rock was more difficult than I had first expected. I stuck at it and kept trying the crux but my head was holding me back, the fear of taking big falls and potentially landing on some big tufa’s was quite frightening which prevented me from making much progress on this route. Ellis onsighted this (just!) and we then headed up to try an 8b which Ellis wanted to do.

Poema de Roca!

The following day we spent the morning at Las Encantadas and I onsighted a nice 6c called Promgrama Genocida, which was cool. Ellis finished off Trango 8b and we then headed back to Poema de Roca later in the afternoon where I got to work on trying one of my goals for this trip which was to climb another 7c. I chose to try Talbania which is a long steep juggy route which is just what I was training for. This was a great 7c to try as it also had an 8a extension which Ellis had almost onsighted, so would be perfect for me to have a go at. I went up Talbania and figured all the moves out quickly and then I left the draws in to finish it off on another day.

Proud to represent Tenaya in El Chorro!

The next was freezing cold and it was so windy so I didn’t climb but I did sit in a hanging belay position whilst Ellis made a quick ascent of Padre Orillos 8a+ which was super inspiring to watch!

The next climbing day I warmed up on a couple of 6b’s and then got back on Talbania… I was feeling good and felt strong the whole way up the route; I had done it! I had completed my goal of the trip which was do my second 7c! Ellis then onsighted El Ave Fenix, which his first 8a onsight!

The rest of the trip I was quite tired but I did manage a few 6b’s and 6c’s.