stuff
i
ask nic-technical problem page
Q when does bouldering stop being bouldering and
start being soloing A when you whistle on the way down
Q how can I make a boulder like the barn one A be prepared to explain the banging sounds coming from
your bedroom and the sudden arrival of lots of new friends through the door-you will also need a few tons
of wood-screws-holds-dangerous tools to play with and bouncy floors-it won’t be cheap though so be
prepared to live on value beans for the next few months-
next month I am going to review some new climbing shoes from la sportiva (actually they are from simons) as I need new ones-I don’t like the “your such a girly” jibes from the others here at ndcc,
just because when I was asked the other day what rock shoes I wore....... and I replied yellow ones
i want one
la sportiva katana-about sixty quid from good stockists-I got mine from the barn-they also
make a very nice matching chalk bag-I’ve had enough of the comments so I decided not to!
so who was the bright spark that said “get a smaller size”..... I did-and now a session at the wall is comparable to childbirth- I really did give up some basics so I could get up harder
routes, such as comfort, walking like a normal person and blood circulation to my feet-but..
and there is a but-I can now feel impossibly small edges and I can smear for england-hmm,
it seems as though the pain and pleasure balance is now complete-I also really like the
multi directional velcro options that adjust the fit in different ways-the rubber as usual is top
bannana and because they are leather they shouldn’t smell like the bottom of a dead lake by
easter and get banished to the roofrack on the drive home-they are also really light and as
they were built in italy, they are typically superb quality like all la sportiva stuff usually is-
here is a fun aerodynamic test that we devised to demonstrate lightness and directional
velocity-we needed a suitable target (glances around the room)-fab has just arrived so with
a swift overarm launch (relying on technique over strength) I managed to bean his royal
hairness pretty much right between the eyes at a distance of about thirty five metres in one
shot-that’s a right footed katana from la sportiva but please don’t try this test at home....
Q so what you are you mostly eating
A this months pick of the snacks.....deli wraps
what has this got to do with climbing?.....nothing, and strangely everything- it’s my page so
there- we have got bored with horror bags and tuna light lunch so these flour fun bags
came along at the right time- just chuck whatever concoction of foodstuff you fancy into the
wrap and fold them carefully at the edges and hey presto- lunchtime tortilla treats-
just one cautionary word- try not to look at people when they talk to you while clutching at
one of these things- it usually results in the eater becoming the wearer of the contents of
the wrap as they can be a tad temperamental
Q how do you deal with wobbly moments
A buy a really good sports bra
Q no no, fear of plunging into the abyss of doom!
A ahh!....the other week we were at smallacombe-mca had just floated up “death jug mantle”
V1 5c from the perverse (javu said it not me) sitting start-I thought maybe not and went for the
easier option-so it turned out to be a bit high for me so...daren spotted from below and mca
sat on the ledge midway with a dangling ‘foot’ hold just in case- the second ascent was easy
after that- so the answer is get really good spotters and don’t just rely on the mat (which will
always shrink to gnome size when you get over head height and be very missable if you fall)
it’s a wrap!
thats me- smallacombe rocks slab route VO 4a- not thinking of falling!
that’s daren that is
Q eek! I have just killed one of my wild
country tech friend trigger wires a bit,
how can I bring it back to life?
A phew..it’s not just me then- well, wild
country said that their trigger wire kit
was only for more recent cams and old
ones should be fired out of a cannon-
luckily the kit now contains instructions
on how to repair the older type, just make sure that they are worth repairing
and are not going to fail in the event of
a dirty great lead fall- if you have any
doubts with dodgy cams.........cannon!
above- here is one that I killed earlier after a very
pumped lead that resulted in me pulling the trigger
a tad too enthusiastically- I had no idea that it was
a bit dead until mca seconding me shouted up “oi
what have you done to this then?” topping out he
dangled the mangled metalwork in front of my nose
and shook his head..well I know my place!
left- two days after ordering from those very nice
people at needlesports it dropped on my doormat
(and it only cost ten pounds for two trigger kits)
bargain eh...easy to fit and our number 3.5 is back
in the building and earning it’s keep...thank you
wild country-
very slight cosmetic damage and only one owner