Brittish Junior Climbing Team

Two weeks ago I travelled down to Liverpool for the British Team Trials, and finished in 5Th position. When I came home from school today I had got a letter from the BMC telling me that I had successfully got onto the team. (YEA HAA!!)

Tooling Series Final 2009

Saturday was a 6.30 start, we travelled down to Fort William for the final of the tooling series.

This round was a bit of a serious competition between me and my mate Dylan Mackenzie, because the winner of this round would win the series trophy!! We had like 4 hours to try and complete the Qualifying round routes, so me and my dad raced round most of the routes, trying our best to Finnish but of course we ran out of time!

The final route was going up the articulated wall which was overhanging, I was out climbing second and I took 7 minutes to get to the top (I was SO pumped!). then Dylan got to the top, so we had to have a supper final which was also on the overhanging was but on the mens final route. I was out of isolation first and managed to get just under half way and popped off going for a long move to a crappy hold. Dylan got to the hold just below me!!

Thanks so much everyone that run this fantastic event and the sponsors Lyon Equipment. I hope there is one next year!!

Here is a link to a video posted on Scottish tooling website:

Team Trials

Friday morning I travelled down to Liverpool for the British Team trials. We stayed the night in a hotel, woke up at about 7 o'clock looking forward to the breakfast to find it does not open until 8 (girr!). I got to the wall at 8 o'clock, really psyched for the comp I got my number and looked at my routes, My first route did not look too bad but my second qualifier looked really hard. After about one hour of warming up I got on my first route, I really liked it it was not too hard about 6c/ 6c+, But my second was really hard, about 3 clips up the wall there was three slopers that were close together, you had to rock over onto the first one then get your hands sorted then go out to a small crimp out left, that was probably the best move in the comp!! then I managed to climb up to the second last clip, I climbed passed it first then had to climb down the hard move then clip it (that got me really pumped) then finally only managed to touch the next hold. I was told after the route was graded 7c! After attempting the two qualifying routes I was in 2nd place going into the final.
I went into isolation at 4 o'clock then came out to read the route around 5, My final route was on the massive overhanging wall, After reading the route I went back into isolation for another hour, then was really psyched for the final. I came out and started to climb my route, I managed to get just off half way up the route then I should have moved my foot up and caught the under cut, but I didn't move my foot up then I popped off!
I finished 5th over all, and had a really good day :)

Glenmore lodge Dry- tooling round 4

Last Saturday I travelled to Glenmore Lodge for round four this years tooling series. Last year I went to this round as well and it was amazing with the weather being really snowy and cold, but this year it was totally different because about 20 minutes into the competition it started to chuck it down with rain, by the end I was drenched and could not feel my fingers. Athough it was Tipping it down I still really enjoyed the routes.

After about one and a half hours of climbing in the rain we had a final which was thankfully inside, but the one problem I had was that my gloves were soken wet and my hands kept sliding out of them anyway I still went into the final and came second by about one point!!

I am now totally phyced for the final at the Ice Facter in two weeks.

I was given a video of the finals taken by Craig Harper, once I have worked out how to upload it I will put a link here:

Extream-dream Dry- Tooling Round

Saturday was round Three of this winters tooling league. Extream- dreams tooling round is always the best with funky logs and boards that you have to plant the axes into. We had 11 amazing/ funky routes to do and then the final on the 13 meter roof. One of my favorite routes were in the boulder cave, it included of three logs one of them about one meter long, that you had to slide down (as it was slanted) then figure of four onto a smaller one, swing to another log then slam the axe into the finishing plank of wood that was bolted to the wall. In the qualifying round I got 110 points along with another two Juniors.

There was 5 of us in the final on the roof and I was climbing last, after watching the others on the roof I was really phyced up, After getting half way over the roof I was happy then I managed to get to the last clip and I was pretty pumped, after clipping the last clip before the lower off I was trying to get my axe out and I droped it, but I managed to do a funky move and got the lower off with one axe and then won!!

More results can be found here:

Sports Climbing

This afternoon I went to Moy Rock, my local crag, met up with a few friends and done some climbing!!

After doing a few warm-up routes, A friend suggested that I should try these 2 routes:

1. Little Teaser (20m) 6b+ **
   
2. The Ticks Eat All the Midges 7a+ **

But instead of climbing The Ticks Eat All The Midges I went up the wrong line and climbed Cloak and Dagger 7a ** which I thought was pretty good but really pumpy trying to climb over the small roof to the lower off.

Photo taken by Stevie Hammond

Scottish Tooling Series Round 1

Round 1 of the Scottish Tooling Series was held on Saturday at Advertical World. This year is the second year that the Scottish Tooling Series.

Saturday, the competition started at 10.45 and we Had 4 hours to complete 18 boulder problems/ routes.

In the Qualifying round I got 153 points out of 180. The final we had 1 route and I managed to get to the top !!!!

I liked the competition routes, but I think that they would have been a little bit better if some of the routes were harder with sketchy holds.

Some more information can be found here for the Scottish tooling series: STS


Here are some pictures: (thanks to the Scottish tooling series website)