Scottish Champs

This year the Scottish championships was at Ratho again. The day was awesome with some fantastic routes, thanks to all the route setters.

In the qualifying round I was joint first with Dylan Mackenzie, so in the final I really needed to climb well to beat him.

There was four of us in the final and the final route was really crimpy and my kind of style. I was 3rd out of isolation to climb, and i looked up to see the last swinging clip to get an idea of where the last climber got to. Once I climbed past the swinging clip I was happy, but fell off one clip above that. Then Dylan was last out to climb and he slipped off a few holds below me.

I was happy with my win!

EYS Edinburgh 2011

Saturday was the first round of the European Youth Series, it was held in Edinburgh. On Friday night I was told I was climbing 28Th. I was happy about that because it gave me plenty time to get warmed up and could watch some of the good competitors in youth A. As I was warming up I pulled a muscle in my back which did not affect my climbing but was sore.

The first climb was on the old competition wall (the white one), and i managed to get 23rd position as it was a hard move onto the second volume. The second climb was up the center of the new completion wall (the big orange one). It was a supper pumpy route and i got flash pump then fell off, but manged to get 24th position.

I got 24th position in Youth A Lead this year, I am kinda happy but i could have done better. for my next competition i am going to work on my endurance so i don't get flash pumped again.

British Team Trials

At the start of December was the British team trials in Liverpool. So that involved me travelling 9 hours down to Liverpool. I was feeling fit for this comp because i was pretty phyched and had done weeks of training. Also this comp would help decide for the 2011 British Junior Team.

I had two qualifying routes to climb and then a final all to do in one day, all grade about 7c+. I have moved up a age group and now in youth A so the competition is harder. The team trials are also a open youth competition, so on the day i need to have my competition head on.

My first qualifying climb was a sustained pumpy route, over the overhanging section. I was pleased with my self, when i came off I felt I had climbed well. My second climb was on a vertical wall, which made the route pretty easy (7A ish) I topped out in that climb.

I had managed to climb well enough to get put into the final. The isolation zone was the boulder wall under the main climbing area, it was pretty big but was very over crowded and hard to warm up in. I was in isolation for like 3 hours before I got called out to climb.

My final route was a steep route up the corner of the main wall, it was very twisty and awkward to climb. I finished in 5Th place.

On the following Monday we were all told if we had made it onto the British team or not. I made it onto the team.

2010 BLCCS

Last weekend I competed in the British Lead Climbing Championships at EICA Ratho. The few days before the competition I was feeling strong and phyched for the comp, but the morning of the comp when I was warming up I was phyched but not feeling my strongest.

I got warmed up and started to climb my first climb, I was just over half way up the route and I got a sudden flash pump, I fought on and managed to climb into a good no hands rest. I managed to recover a bit before climbing through a crimpy section before getting to the last hold but couldn't hold on any longer to clip.

After feeling down about the first route I phyched my self up for the second climb and got the same flash pump about half way up the new competition wall, I tried to fight on but could not clip the clip on the steep overhanging section and jumped and touched the next hold. After this climb I was sure I wasn't going to climb in the finals, but I was shocked to look at my score to be placed 6th going into the finals in last place.

In isolation I proper phyched my self up to climb. I ran out to the route preview and read over the route several times. I knew being first out to climb was good having the route fresh in my mind. I went out to climb and did not get that horrible flash pump again, I managed to get about half way up my final route went to the next hold and missed it and fell. I was devastated with my self because most of the moves were easy and I should have managed them.

I finished the competition in 5th position not too pleased with my self!

Here is a fantastic video that Ruaridh Mackenzie put together!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IIduJgxyrk&feature=player_embedded

World Youth Climbing Championships

A few weeks ago I competed in The World Youth Climbing Championships. This was my first world competition, and I was really nervous. It was a four day event, qualifiers day one and day two, semi and final on day three and speed on day four.

I woke up the morning of my first qualifier, got to the wall and watched the demonstrator. After watching the demonstrator fall several times I knew the route would be hard. I was climbing 40th and last out of the British team. I was watching the other competitors in my category and they were struggling. When I sat down on the seat watching the climber before me I started to get really nervous. After fighting my way up the climb I managed to finish day one 30th, I was pleased with my self.

Day two was an early start for me as I was climbing 6th. After the demo I started to warm up, I found it hard to warm because it was early and it was cold. This route looked hard with a long move at the 6th clip. I started to climb and managed to get passed the long move and proceeded another several moves up the route and after a bad foot placement  was off. I was not too pleased with my self after this climb! I went on to finish in 43rd position.

The next day was the final and it was spectacular to watch, Sebastian Halenke top out in the final route and go on to win the World Youth Climbing Championships for the second year running!

Vienna EYS

After the EYS in Imst and finding out what it was like I was physed for Vienna. I was training since after Imst till the week before the Vienna comp and was feeling strong. What I picked up from Imst was I needed to warm up in plenty time and power through the moves.
When I got to the wall the morning of the comp, The wall looked amazing, I really liked it. I was really phyced for the comp! I was climbing near the end of my first route, but near the start of my second. I was watching people for about an hour then I started to warm up, I still felt strong.

I sat down on the chair and tied in, I was not that nervous.

I climbed well on my first route managed to finish 19th well chuffed! but I still had one climb to go, My aim for the second route was to finish in the top 25.


My second route was on small crimps on a slab not really my type of route, I had to start warming up straight away because I was near the start of the list.

I was so happy with my self when I came down off the route and managed to finish 17th on that climb.

The next day was the finals it was spectacular to watch the boys in my group climb, and I wished I had got into the final because the final route looked fun!

I finished 23 over all out of the competition I am really pleased with my self!

Scottish Youth Climbing Championships

Saturday the 15Th of May was the Scottish Climbing championships, which was at EICA ratho. I had been training soo hard for my European competition on the 4Th, and was climbing so strong at the Scottish. I was totally phyced and was climbing really good:). I managed to top all three of my boulder problems, and all three of the qualifying routes. I was joint first with Dylan Mackenzie going into the final. So if I wanted to win I had to climb strong and get to the top! We were in isolation and as we were joint first we had to play rock paper scissors to see who would be out first to climb, I lost the game so I had to leave isolation and climb. I was walking up to the start of the route and looked at it again, I put both hands on the starting hold then started to climb. I took my other foot off the ground and the first hold moved.I came off and was shacking cos Igot a fright.I started to climb again and managed to do some funky moves and get 3/4 of the way up,I was not even pumped when I came off, it was that I missed the last good jug to chalk up and I went for the hold on the roof and my hands just slipped off. Dylan was out next and he managed to climb really strong and get a few moves below me.

For years me and Dylan have been so close at competitions and he always seemed to beat me, but after training lots I managed to become Scottish champion:) woo hoo.

Sheffield Team Training

At the weekend I travelled down to Sheffield along with Nikki & Ellen Macaskill to attend a junior British team training event which was held at the Foundry wall in Sheffield, the day was suppost to be used as a training day for the team but was also going to be used as a selection day for who was going to be going to the EYS competitions in Imst and Wien (both in Austria).



We were told at the start of the day that we had 5 routes to complete before 5pm and that if we were wanting to go to any of the EYS comps we had to top at least 3 of the routes which all started at 7b.



Myself and Dylan were the only ones to top three of the routes, I got just over half way up the final two 7b+ routes so I will just have to wait till the team managers make a selection and let me know:)

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:

EYS

This weekend was the British round of the EYS and I was one of the GB team members to compete in the event. This was my first EYS competition and I was really excited, I was totally psyched.

The Friday night we were told our starting place for the first route, and I was climber 120 and was climbing 16th on the first route.


Me on my first route.

I felt really strong when I was on my first route and was really happy that I got to the second last clip.

A pic of me climbing my second route.

My second route was really hard and had a few long moves at the start, which made me use most of my energy.

After this weekend I am now placed 33rd in europe in youth B boys!!!!

BLCC 2009

Last Saturday was the BLCCs, which was held at Ratho climbing wall Edinburgh. I was in the Junior category (U16), We had to climb two routes graded between 6c+ and about 7c.
My first route was about 7b (I think) I managed to get 3/4 of the way up until a really long stretchy move spat me off.

My second route was about 7c I managed to climb about 25 moves up and was trying to clip one of the quickdraws off a small slopper/ crimp then my right arm got flash pumped.

Over all I came 20th, I would have liked to finish in a better position.

The Scottish Final

On Saturday was the Scottish final, which was held in Extreme-Dream Aviemore, The temperature was really hot, about 25-30'C. In the morning we had to complete 15 boulder/ top rope problems, then go into the semi/Finals in the afternoon. Four of the top rope warm up routes were out side on a transportable wall, which was really good as we were in the sun.

In the morning I got 1492 points out of 1500, which made me manage to climb in the semi finals. The semi final route was on the roof, which I think was graded about 7a. Only three people out of my group got through to the final in the afternoon, which was also on the roof. I managed to get the end of the roof which was 7c and so did Paul Williamson. So we had to have a super final on the same route, keeping climbing it over and over again until one of us came off, we both had two goes at it, I managed to get to the 2nd last clip on my 2nd attempt, and Paul got to the end.

EYC Selection Day

On Friday after school I travelled down to Edinburgh and camped at Ratho camp site, for the European Youth Series Selection Day on Saturday. We had to be at Ratho by 8.00am for a warm up and to be given your number (I was number 51). We were giving a route demo for the first two routes but not a route demo for the final, the route demoing started at 9.45am and climbing at 10am, I was climbing 6th in my group. Our first route was a 7a which went up the new comp wall it was really pumpy but I managed to get to the top.


Our second route was 7a+ to the right of the comp wall but only went 3/4 of the way up, I managed to get to the last clip came off on a small crimp going to a under cut. After completing the two routed it put me into 7th place meaning that I could climb in the finals. Two hours later we got out of isolation and got 5min to read the route then back into isolation. I was out 4th to climb.


Our final route was about 7b+ , I managed to get about half way up the route because I was hanging on a small crimp and had to make a small dyno move to get to the next hold but I only managed to slap the hold not hold it. After climbing in the final I finished in 6th place which means that I have a chance that I might be picked for the European Youth Climbing Championships in September.

The full results can be found here: http://www.thebmc.co.uk/bmcNews/media/u_content/File/competitions/EYS_Selection_Day_Results.pdf