James Pearson
Since coming back home from England, I have just been training training
training! Good for me because I'm feeling strong and fit, but bad for
you because its even more boring for you to read about it, than it is
for me to write about it, than it is to actually do it! So today I
thought I would write a little about the other little adventurous
journey I have been taking - that of becoming a better free-skier :)
I began skiing a few years ago ...
It seems somewhat ironic that it was a return trip to England of all
places that enabled my first real outdoor climbing experience in over a
month. My move to Innsbruck was motivated by the idea of climbing every
day on glorious, difficult routes and boulder problems, and up until
October that was precisely what I had done. Then however, came
something I hadn’t bargained for (don’t ask me how something
so obvious could have slipped ...
Yesterday (well a few weeks ago now but it was yesterday when I began to
write) I turned 24.In recent years, birthdays have become less and less
important and I have gotten used to letting them slip by without a song
or a dance. Up until a few days ago I had assumed this year would be
the same, but assumptions have a developed a recent habit of biting me
firmly in the ass, and my 24th year would turn out to be anything but
mundane!Im sure most o ...
The last few weeks have been a bit of a blur, with a lot going on in a
relatively short period of time.I left Innsbruck for a hectic week of
sponsor related activities, but not before having one final day trying
my project in the Zillertal. Armed with a hand-warmer in my chalkbag, I
hoped that I might be able to find just enough to get me through the top
crux. Unfortunately the rock was colder than I had ever felt before,
and even the comforting ...
Route climbing seems to becoming more and more out of focus, which is a
shame as it was originally the main reason I came to Austria. The main
reason is its getting too cold, and even if you can find people as crazy
as you who want to do routes in this weather, when you get on the rock
your fingers become almost instantly numb. After warming up, things
improve a little but there comes a point in difficulty that just seems
impossible to overcome ...
Over the last week or so I have got to see a selection of
Austria’s hardest and finest boulder problems and been lucky
enough to climb a few of them, even getting in a first ascent for an
added little bonus.
Sundance Sit is quite simply stunning. By far the best boulder I have
seen in Austria and definitely up there with the best I have climbed
– anywhere!
I first tried the problem at the end of a ...
Despite the cold and the damp, Keith, Emi and I made the short treck to
the Zillartal in the hope of finding dry rock. The higher we climbed,
the whiter the ground became and my hopes started to fade. Emi on the
other hand was confident that we would find something climbable, and
since he was the only local among us, I gave him all my faith.The
initial choice came down to 2 options, the Sundergrund or the
Zillergrund. The former was the safer ...
The cold weather has arrived making route climbing even more difficult
than I was finding it before. Whilst single moves on the harder routes
are now feeling a little easier because of the better friction, I have
been really struggling with numb fingers when trying to string more than
a few of these moves together.I have been getting out quite a bit with
Gerhard and Emi to places like Schwarze Wand and Dolby Surround, and
whilst managing to get ...
Time flies when you’re having fun, drags by when you’re
waiting for the call, and merges together into one fuzzy haze when
you’re busy buys busy – well what do you expect, it is
relative after all!If would hardly believe almost a month has passed
since my last post if the proof wasn’t there in black and white. I
feel a little ashamed for not writing even a single syllable this whole
time and am currently trying to w ...
For the remainder of the trip the blue skies graced us only briefly with
their presence. Most mornings were damp from thunderstorms during the
previous night, some of which were so bad that Em declared she thought
she was going to die, when one of the bolts exploded a little too close
for comfort. This left the rock a little out of prime condition until
mid to late afternoon, but no-one complained too much as it was the
perfect excuse for a lay ...
10 days in heaven pass all too quickly and as I write this post I am sat
in the departure lounge of Palma International waiting for my flight to
the UK. Time in Mallorca is always good, but this trip has been extra
memorable and I really am sorry to leave.I arrived in the evening on the
12th and coincidentally bumped into Alex Honnold, outside the airport
exit, who also happened to be waiting on a lift from Cedar. Alex
informed me the last time ...
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