RE7088

Let's put this out there: as I head towards the end of formal education, it is my hope and objective that RE7088 Rock Climbing carries on for the enjoyment and benefit of future REP generations.

[For the record, RE7088 was named for our sports module classification (from the year 1 days) and also for the double figure-eight knot. It's not RE7008 please coz that would be tantamount to free soloing, which I do not encourage.]

Well it's not quite the end yet, but the opening of a new semester has brought some closures and some beginnings, so it's a fair juncture to sit down and reflect. There are too many things that I've learnt and that I'm thankful for - here's my side of the story.

As it goes, I came back from Imperial and wanted to hop on the Hangouts train. But you can't just climb/learn about climbing in the RPR and <insert lots of other excuses>, so I let it hang. You could say I had a tonne of kindling ready, but was just lacking the spark. So actually, the initiator wasn't me (the welcome night trivia was wrong haha). I kid, though it's still true that everyone who has gone through this "module" has this one person to thank - the first to ask for a climbing session back in Dec 2015 (ask if you wanna know who!). Because she asked, I ran that session and the rest is history.

Tbh, I really really couldn't understand why anyone would come back for more, following the first sessions. As a more experienced climber I derive enjoyment from things like being able to apply technique and dancing my way through a route. Therefore, I at that point was feeling a sort of disconnection with these people who were somehow enjoying bashing their way up the wall in their sports shoes. It was both amazing and mind-boggling that people were going back all sore with raw hands and yet, they wanted to climb some more! This feeling persisted until I finally realised that I'd forgotten the excitement of a beginner. Climbing can be punishing, both physically and mentally, and it changes you over the years. I genuinely felt like some kind of pure, innocent joy was let back into my life, just by running these sessions and being around people so new and yet so determined.

From then, I resolved to stay in this for as long as people remained interested. So I got thinking, and I've thought millions of these thoughts ever since. I know why I climb, and what I enjoy about it. The perennial question is how to project these feelings into actions that in turn foster the same fire in others. As per the usual wading-into-the-unknown protocol, I never planned very far ahead [training plans aren't really my thing and it's reflective], but along the way we moved from sports shoes to climbing shoes, and a few overarching themes started to emerge.

Firstly, it's fun to watch people spider to the top, but it's even better if they fall off before getting there. Climbing is an individual sport no doubt, but because it is so, the climber stands to benefit from the full might of the watching crowd. I.e. no jeers from the opposing side and no limelight-hogging team members. It's just you against an inanimate challenge so everyone's on your side, and they remain on your side even when you fall. When everyone's on the same side, we sit on the mat and chat after suffering temporary defeat at the hands of the wall. We chat about how to put the wall in its place, and then we chat about school, and then life... But wait, who's "we" in the first place? Anyone under the sun (and in the subset of REP in this case) qualifies to be part of "we". Climbing unites, and when R1-R6 shows up in one session, I think that's an example of inter-batch bonding right there :)

14th August 2016

Now it's very difficult to separate the topic of falling from that of failure. In any challenge worth attempting there is always ample opportunity to fail, and more often than not it happens. Sometimes we get past a problem in a single day, other times it takes weeks, and sometimes we never get the satisfaction of conquering a problem before it gets taken down. Doesn't that sound strangely like another game we all play, which goes by the name of Life? By coming down to climb, people show their willingness to face their challenges head-on (I disapprove of a day spent climbing ladders), and to take the pain comes with it. If you do this enough it carries over into real life and becomes a characteristic that tides you through hard times #truestory. It also helps that REP people generally aren't a sluggish bunch - I've witnessed a >30 minute fight to the top against an increasingly recalcitrant body. In short, sweet success only comes after a great deal of effort, and the sooner one is willing to fight for it, the sooner it'll come.

So that's just the general stuff. Ultimately, running this sort of thing as the most experienced person meant that I initially had to take on responsibility for shaping the experiences of others. Fairly daunting, but also extremely rewarding. The following paragraphs comprise recollections from my point of view, my theories and policies, and other detailed mish-mash.

I wasn't gonna make people face their battles without equipping them with the skills to fight. In my book, technique is king [I know enough to teach]; muscling only gets you up to juggy newbie routes and I can't steel your fingers overnight. Yes, strength definitely helps. But my theory is that you can always learn complex moves on easy tiles, and in the future translate them onto complex routes where they belong. First step is to use my own body as a figure for demonstration while narrating using the laws of physics (e.g. giant barndoors are all caused by simple moments). Second step is to awaken all those sleeping muscles that only weird people like climbers use, and which no amount of pullups will help to uncover, by putting people on the wall. I remember from long ago, giant crabs or spiders sidling across a few meters of wall before peeling off. After a while, the movements got neater, more fluid, and more sustained - signs that my crabs were evolving into climbers.

In essence, it is always important for people to do it and feel it for themselves (also why Hangouts: Climbing Theory 101 would never have worked). But sometimes intrinsic motivation only gets us so far - we all need nice friends to push us off the plank into uncharted waters. I have had experience climbing alone before, and I was always aware that I could never climb as hard as when I climb with my friends [coz I'm personally not at a high enough level to do so, but that's another story]. Such lonely times have allowed me to understand the importance of leveraging on the power of group motivation.

Those who have come for sessions before will know exactly how I run them, and this shall be my attempt in explaining the backing concepts (for which I've cooked up names for easy reference). In roped climbing, the belayer has the last say on whether the climber gets to come back down. Obviously they fully deserve to upon completion of a route, but what if they fall off halfway? I say a belayer who lowers his/her climber just because the climber is tired/scared/pumped/etc is letting them down in more ways than one. Most times on the way to achieving greater things, people just need other people not to give up on them. Two rules: (1) If they don't ask to lower, don't (2) If they ask to lower, don't. This summarises acutely my policy of Never-Gonna-Let-You-Down as long as you're fit to continue. There are exceptions and ways to tell when a climber is truly spent (which I've told selected people and which I won't reveal here ;)), but most of the time the very least a belayer can do is to allow their climber their struggle to the end. Another underlying concept-theory is that of the Motivational Multiplier. How this works is sort of a theory within a theory. People have preconceived notions on how others around them are expected to perform, and this very same expectation can actually provide an excellent springboard to start off the Multiplier. Dungeddit? K diagram.

Looks somewhat like laser emission ;)

To give an example, think of me doing a 6a (a route grade) versus someone new doing the same 6a. When I attempt (and make it look easy), the thought driven by prior knowledge of my background would run something like "she can do it" because I am expected to perform at that level. Then when a certain other girl comes and finishes the route, suddenly everyone (especially guys) starts to think "I think I can do it". It's ok to struggle and fall along a route, because it makes one seem more human. And it also reminds everyone else watching that while it is not easy, it can be done. Although things are now switching up a bit, most people who have participated all started on the same level: new. At this level where everything is bright and shiny, it just takes that one person to attempt something "difficult" and open up that gap from which motivation pours. This carries on onto the next 6a, and maybe the next 6b, and so on... and most importantly it impacts all the people surrounding you. This is the most powerful aspect of the Multiplier: it is a cascade effect that every single person has the ability to evoke. You just have to be willing to try.

The Never-Gonna-Let-You-Down and the Motivational Multiplier combine into a very potent extrinsic driver that pays inspiration forward and keeps people coming back. My part in this is to add oil and keep stoking the fire so that its effects take care of themselves. #HighChallengeHighSupport + verbal affirmations, so I'm confident I'm not doing this wrong :)

Aside from fanning the flames, an added challenge on my end was that in order to advise, I suddenly had to learn to climb in bodies vastly different from my own (I think I was the most average-sized and -shaped one around). Dealing with this kinda resembles moving a marionette in my mind, and tailoring the beta along the way according to real-time visual data. Creepy huh, but since I don't know any consciousness-projecting jutsu, creepy method it is.

Another amusing thing I get is that some people, upon finishing a hard route and landing back on earth, think that they did it only because I (or whoever else was belaying) "pulled them up". Please la, it's not like I can lift your bodyweight over my head. If you don't push yourself to keep inching up, no amount of pulling on the belayer's end will help you get further. We're there simply to provide ground support and to tighten up the slack in between (and also to keep you from dying). So yes, it's all (mostly) you :) In truth, the same concept applies to RE7088 itself. As long as you invest your interest, I will invest my time and best abilities in helping you improve. Throughout this time, people have expressed their interest in really interesting ways. Showing up and paying for (expensive) gym entry is an indisputable sign, and just as much so is personally dropping a note(s) when other aspects of life get in the way. I have taken a lesson on sincerity and genuineness, and also felt the significant appreciation that can stem from such a small gesture. This I will do well to remember for life.

[Not forgetting the attendance list for the last big session: as exciting as watching a stock market right to the very last minute. As one famous person once said (screamed at us actually), life's full of uncertainties and sometimes we just have to accept them.]

I seem to have reached an apropos juncture to give special mention to Extra Training, my core group of strong people. Haha revelation! Certain people have had "special attention", or should I say: more pain more gain? Pain of parting with money for gear, pain of seasoning personal climbing shoes, pain of not being able to climb enough. I can't read your minds, so I will speak of the gains observable to me: your ROCKET progress since the start (practically only since the start of summer at that). I vaguely remember what it was like being new to climbing, and I know I certainly didn't get to climbing 6b within the equivalent of a quarter year. Although I'm probably fated never be a really strong or good climber, and I've been flunking badly at competitions, I sort of feel like I achieved something through your strength in this summer. It is a great feeling :) What is it about you guys really, that is able to make me feel so much? Maybe it's coz you're my homegrown group of climbing kakis :D Maybe it's our culture of suan-based support, random conversations, and other hilarious interactions from every time we climbed for 8 hours. Maybe it's simply coz y'all were always there but now I'm waiting for (2/3 of) y'all to come back. I really can't put a finger to it. So it's your fault that this post is taking so long to write HAHA; I just can't find good enough words. Damage report: emptiness.

Phase 1 of Extra Training is over. If anyone else is interested, show it ;)
 
Reaching the end now. The final, crucial lesson for me is that I have learnt to accept the best that I can do. I've never before been put in a situation where I'm so aware of almost every single limitation - commitments on my end and theirs, the Level 1 pool, the basic concept of time... As much as I'd like to have more sessions, be able to allocate more time to each person, and help each individual unleash their potential, I can't always get what I want. It makes me feel helpless to be this shackled and at the same time be so aware of all these shackles. Nonetheless, this is the key that guarantees my full presence in every single session. I treasure all the time I spend doing this so much more because I know that it won't last. I always want to do more, but sometimes it is not to be. Then, I let go and trust that it's ok. We're moving into new beginnings now, and when I see excitement in the eyes of others, I know we're in for good times.

This was an extremely difficult post to write - my most time-consuming and thought-provoking post to date. Far from blanking out, there were lots and lots of thoughts rushing from every direction possible, and so many things I want to share. But I guess no matter what I think, the impact counts infinitely more. I'll let others speak for themselves but on my part... I think I've done it! After 4 long years, I can finally say with confidence that I'm no longer the only rock climber in REP :)

<3

Stories of Summer: 3 Weeks, 3 Trips

My concise, condensed summer travel-highlight-log. If I don't remember it, it's not here!

KL, 22 - 24 July (Weekly Affair) 

• Destination Camp5! Largest climbing gym in SEA situated in Petaling Jaya's 1 Utama Shopping Centre.
• Highest effort put into bouldering in a very long while. Attempted to piece a 6C route on an awesome low roof.
• Shaved off more than a fair amount of skin. Hardly makes sense to describe raw fingers as feeling burnt, but that's really how it was. And before lunch on the first day at that.
• Shouldn't have bouldered so much.
• Corner routes!! Crack wall!!!! Nice to be able to find the flow through these, and then every move fits. Lost more skin from other limb parts.
• Weird toprope roof routes though, do they really expect us to campus?
• Too humji to lead anything more than one 5C route (excuse: raw fingers).
• Ate Cinnabon coz it was cheap and sugary.
• Watched Star Trek Beyond coz it was cheap. Spock and the Malay subtitles were hilarious ("Diam lah!").
• <Too busy climbing/too tired to take photos>

Bali, 30 July - 2 August (Sleepy Cats)

• First time having a fried chicken dish where everything could be eaten, save the beak. Bones felt like love letters.
• Villa was like a lush jungle chalet, complete with shower-side greenery and frequent visiting creepy crawlies.
• Set off for Lovina sunrise dolphin tour at 3.30am accompanied by a Cheshire Cat smile and a generous helping of stars.
• Sat shaking on a spiderboat (the outriggers looked like legs) due to the cold and fear of toppling over the short, narrow hull. The dolphins made everything worth though, and so many of them! Afterwards we discussed that they were probably scared and annoyed by the crowds chionging into their breathing space.
• Rafting was... ok. The most fun part was when I got flung into a 四脚朝天 position coz we were too engrossed in splashing the raft in front to notice the rock face speeding up behind.
• Watched 中国新歌声 on a tiny screen in the nights. Always funny, always more fun to watch with this bunch.
• Loved unleashing creativity in the Upside Down World. All those sticky/Sadako/falling photos!
• Didn't have much chance to feel hungry throughout the trip, car rides not being the best activity for expending energy+inherently small appetite. All that food wasted D: 
• Last dinner was on the beach. Having to discern the edible anatomy of a fish, post-sunset, by candlelight, made for an intense experience => what phone lights are for.
• Then it was time to go home, but Rinjani on neighbouring Lombok had other plans. I very much wanted to be annoyed at something, but it is very difficult to be annoyed at a volcano. The extended holiday hence became a weird cocktail of amusement and sianness. 

Taiwan, 4 - 9 August (姐妹们)

• Had to wake at 3am to catch transport for the 2nd time in days. Budget timing yea.
• Never expected to have to use so much climbing muscle in the first 2 days:
• Experienced varying levels of centrifugal force while getting dragged around at sea on inflatables of varying shapes - the banana boat was the LEAST 刺激 and I have no idea what the English names of the rest are. Always thrilling and terrifying to get lifted off during sharp bends, attached to the inflatable only by my locked grip on the holding thingy. Great one-hand-catch-dyno training!
• Went for a jeep ride with complete ignorance, zero expectations. Best description of this would be standing on a small roller coaster with my hands as my only safeguard, again. Was (a sadistic kind of) fun hanging on for dear life (no sea for cushion here) while trying to read the titles on each of the manoeuvres along the route. Chinese ain't that good, but "龙卷暴风" was pretty apparent. Ended with driving into a river and getting all soaked, again.
• Always a good idea to marginally over pack.
• The scenery in Kenting was AMAZING. Green rolling hills + Blue endless waters = best of both worlds.
• For those who know how little I eat, I'm not the worst with this bunch. Even after forgoing lunch and going 14 hours without food, we bailed out early at the 夜市 on the first day. All it took to fill us (6 girls then) was 2 串 of sotong, 3 hotdogs, and 2 large cups of 珍奶. After a few bouts of food wastage, we eventually identified 4 persons' worth as our ideal ordering capacity.
• NOTE: bad idea to go for any kind of ocean transport after lunch. Seated in a "viewing boat" submerged under the surface of Kenting's choppy sea, I found myself fighting seasickness while aiding those of my friends who succumbed. 50% casualty rate.
• Alishan was nice and cool, although a little underwhelming. This I attribute to high expectations, so I should prob treat every holiday destination as I did the jeep ride.
• While I like the feel of misty places, they make my specs seem perpetually dirty.
• Laughed my heart out watching variety shows on TV at night. Getting the saboteur card 4 times in a row: FUN ==> shag. 
• Did more shopping than I'd expected back in Kaohsiung. Pretty satisfied with what I've got now! Aside from the sister stuff, got myself a new pair of comfortable formal flats (which has since been praised :)), and TiinLab headphones. Considering that the latter cost less than half of their sg price, and that they feel like ear pillows, I'm glad my friends were willing to make those extra MRT trips with me to get them.
• Taiwanese people are extremely friendly and helpful, and they go out of their way to make clueless visitors feel at home. [although i've heard that they may scam angmohs] 
• Was having much trouble reading all the 繁体字 and asking for specific things in Mandarin. Like I couldn't even begin to read certain words, coz 有边读边 but wth is the 边 in the first place. Good thing my friends were all Higher Chinese students xD
• Had a great time! 10 years of friendship provides many happy times to treasure :)

7/8

Additional: I'm not the best person to invite to catch sunsets. Must be 5 or 6 consecutive fails to date sorry friends.

Bali 1: no

Bali 2: nuuu

Kenting: NUUUUUUUU

And so ended an eventful summer, the final one. I think I won't be taking any grad trips, I've had enough fun with some treasured groups of friends to last a while :) Now it's back to the horrors of REALity and a butchered bank account *sobs*.

Stories of Summer: Facing Walls

Summer's been eventful so far. There's been the planned and the impromptu, the fun, the meaningful, and the tiring. The only thing there's been too little of is rest... which is also my excuse for not writing. I thought I'd start with something I really like doing, but which I've had mixed feelings about lately. Other reflections will come in due time (if ever), meanwhile they're just a bunch of thoughts floating around in a cloudy space.

Yes so, climbing.

Climbing 1.0, where I improve myself and try to be effective in competitions, hasn't been going so well. At best I'm a B+ climber in my category, which really means I'm not going anywhere. Sighs, everything comes back to bite - time sacrifices and the worsening wrist. But the worst part is that the fire sort of went out. I'm always nervous (to varying degrees) before comps, but never before have I felt sian. Not until PF last week anyway, and it just got worse after the climb. Every time I know that had I trained hard, the results would definitely have been better. But good enough to get into finals? I've never been confident of that. I dunno. Compound everything and I felt like simply stopping.

Climbing 2.0, where I lure non-climbing friends to try climbing, has been better. It's mainly been within REP so far, but objectives have been met :D When we began last Dec (at the suggestion/request of a friend), I thought it was going to be a fun one-time intro kinda thing. Who knew that these people wanted more! The enthusiastic ones have really amazed me, and the talent is real. But that's more of a really nice cherry on top. What I truly wanted was for people from different batches to interact and make friends. So it might be a really small group, but I think it's working. Recre climbing is more like 50% actual climbing and 50% sitting and talking anyway haha, and then going for meals at super odd times. Through this small venture of mine, I've also found something else that's fulfilling to me. Sometimes, when appropriate challenges are set for people, and they accomplish it after many failures with the support of people around them, their confidence and ability grows. I enjoy coercing people to reach their potential xD As long as my friends go home aching badly, but feeling happy about it, it's all good.

One thing I really like about climbing is that there is ample opportunity to feel happy for others. Positive feels ==> positive energy. After watching my friend stroll to the top of 6 routes in BA just now (and thereby finally promoting to inter), I felt a small flame ignite again.

Injury report

Right.

It's only 21 days into 2016 and I've sprained my ankle (major) for the second time. For my own future reference (although it's not likely I'm gonna forget anytime soon): I missed on a sideways dyno, fell, contacted the mat first with my right ankle which promptly decided to roll inwards. Under the pumping music I believe I was the only one to hear the sound that followed (crack-crush-crack) - a clear indication of damage. Aside from the lightning pain of course.

Then I did the usual foetal position grimacing in agony kind of thing on the mat that one normally does after the above occurrences. And was caught doing that on the live stream.

So even before I gingerly picked my way back to my bag after application of a cold, numbing spray onto the offending spot, there were some concerned messages from concerned people waiting to be read in my message box. I know it doesn't take injury to show this (and I could do without it, totally), but it still nice to know that I'm cared about :)

Yes, I was walking normally with pain, but I'm now not walking normally. Still with pain.

It's a 2 out of 2 for getting injured at Gravical so maybe I won't make it 3 or more...

On the other hand, cool routes, (slightly) overestimated target audience. But at least I got one cool video for my efforts haha!

Fontainebleau 2015

I enjoyed this trip so much that it was boosted right to the front of the blogging queue (sorry drafts). Bouldering! Outdoors! And the company was really really awesome :) Not everything was perfect (that's looking at you, weather), but it was such a great experience that all those grouses don't really matter anymore. I also think I did better than I ever expected of myself, so yea, I'm happy :)

Prelude
Down south from Paris lies a region called Fontainebleau, well-known as a bouldering haven. [For non-climbers, bouldering is a climbing discipline involving (relatively) short rocks i.e. boulders. No ropes/harnesses needed, just shoes, chalk, and crashpads for softer landing.]

It's just a hop over to France from London so this was the best ever time to go to not tear a hole in my bank account. It was a bit of a hassle to fit this trip in between all our clashing schedules for Easter, but we somewhat succeeded in the end. Even before the trip, the weather forecast told of clouds and rain. And true, when we landed in port Calais, the sky was simply, continuously, grey. It was grey throughout the half-day we spent in Paris, and at one point, the Eiffel Tower was shrouded in fog so thick that only the bottom half was visible. [Sadly, the fog cleared and I didn't manage to get a picture of that unconventional look.] After flitting around the main tourist attractions of Paris, it was off to Font in our rented car.

The view from my backseat. 2 crashpads in the boot and one more squashed in front of our knees.

The places
The boulders are located in forests dotted around Font, so having a car was important. We went to Bas Cuvier (1.5 days), Franchard Isatis, and L'Elephant in chronological order. The former two had the usual forest floor, covered in mushy leaves esp after rain, but L'Elephant was different. I'd read that some areas were sandy, but I wasn't expecting the boulders of L'Elephant to be surrounded by Sentosa-esque soft white sand. [When searching for crashpad rentals online, I found comments on how the sand provides a good soft landing. Please, no, you still need crashpads. Read on to find out why I think that way.] It rained intermittently for the first few days, but we got a decent amount of sun so it wasn't so bad.

Bas Cuvier (29th and 30th March). The crowds made it seem like an outdoor boulder gym.

Franchard Isatis (31st March).

L'Elephant (1st April). Really like Sentosa right?

L'Elephant is named as such because there is a boulder there that really looks like an elephant. A gigantic one! [We didn't get to climb this particular boulder, but I've been told it's v difficult to get down off it...]

L'Elephant itself. With a Denise for scale.

THE CLIMBS!!!
I didn't keep track of the routes we did, but it was mostly blue routes (orange for the first 1.5 days and some red). [Looking at the Font grading system on wiki] Blue is... not a v zai level, but the climbs were a sufficient challenge for us.

"I have always dreamed of coming to Font." (Lee, 2015)

Routes in Font are v footwork intensive. On many routes one is free to choose from a selection of footholds, if one can locate them. It's better to climb in a group so ppl can point out out-of-sight footholds, whether you're on or off the wall. Having to step on ~1mm scuffs is no joke man, same goes for those polished nubs. Sometimes, there really are no obvious footholds - what to do? Smear. You really have to trust and step well if not you'll just slip and get a nice scrape right down the leg. My big toes were red and raw at the end of those days coz of all those minuscule footholds. Also, I don't think I've ever done so much heel hooking in an equivalent space of time.

In general, I think my footwork was not bad, and it really helped me keep up. One route was particularly symbolic - a red route that we were trying on the 3rd climbing day. Although I didn't manage to finish, I was quite satisfied with the level I reached. The bottom half of the rock was full of like "inverted nail marks" which I managed to utilise with minimal scrabbling so as not to wear down my poor shoes. In the end, I was bested by a slopy left pinch. More finger training then.

This is not that route, but this was footwork training. Notice the shoes are not my own (coz we were blur in the morning and forgot to bring our communal plastic bag of shoes). So when we found out at the place we had to borrow spare shoes from Dong who was there with ICMC. We went back to retrieve our shoes in the afternoon xD

Throughout those days I met a really wide range of handholds - like a exhibition of what I learnt the first day I walked into the SRC gym. There were jugs that felt as good as those made of plastic, lots and lots of crimps, and even monos. All these on curved, flowing features that would seem right at home in some serene chinese garden. Near the end of the first full climbing day, my right middle finger got irritated after 4 hard tries (2 with the wrong beta >.<) on a route with a right crimp on the crux. From then on, I decided to maximise my climbing mana through self-preservation. This meant avoiding right crimps/monos, or at least not wasting attempts on routes. But handholds weren't really a big problem for blue routes, at least not until the top...

This photo was taken to point out one particular bump to be aiming for (coz it's not clear from below). NTU+NUS just grinned anyway hahaha.

Outdoors, there is no final hold. A route hasn't been sent until one is standing on top of the boulder. As I now know, that final struggle can be a pain as the tops are mostly just one huge sloper to mantel up upon. [Mantling is an actual skill.] Whatever small edges on the top face were awesome help in hauling body weight up and over. But most of the time, even those were non-existent so us unskilled people had to flop in the most unglam manner and wriggle until our centre of gravity crossed into the safe zone. à la beached whales. These moments would've been quite funny to watch if there wasn't a need to worry about my friends falling off. Of course, the boulders have varying heights, and the higher they are, the worse the consequences of falling.

The first route we did on the final climbing day is a v good example. It was meant as a warmup blue route and it looked decent from the ground: a little high, but with a large sloping ledge to step on along with what seemed like many jugs. Epitome of misjudgment.

This route.

The start wasn't that easy, nice handholds but no obvious footholds meant smearing up and perching on the ledge, and from there it just got scarier. Crawling up the ledge was fickle business. It turned out that there were not many nice things to hold, and the smooth ledge wasn't v promising either. All that time I was scared I would roll off the ledge and break smth... At a certain point, it became impossible to down-climb [in desperation, many things come to mind], or jump down [alr too high and it's not the top yet!], so the only way was up. It really felt like leading outdoors, having to pause to calm and steel myself and all that. When I got to the top I was really trembling, I think more so because of the fear than the effort, coz the route wasn't that difficult, just v scary. And I plastered myself to the rock for fear of toppling off the way I came. At least getting down the other side was easy.

With me for scale. Not daring to sit on the tip of the boulder for a photo after that ordeal.

Speaking of getting down, that can be annoying too. Some boulders have gently sloped faces on one side, so after climbing up the sheer side [lol, so apparently the essence of climbing is to make things difficult for ourselves], one can walk down the other way. On other boulders that are more rounded or cube-shaped, the usual way is to "butt" down the side gingerly, taking care not to slip and lurch headfirst off the rock.

My final climb in Font ended prematurely when I fell outside the crashpad, onto my back, and hit my head. The sand and my ponytail helped soften the blow and I'm just glad I wasn't far from the ground and nothing serious happened. The sequence in question involved a right heel hook at about waist-height before bumping the left hand to a higher hold. I missed the left hand catch and my right heel was hooked so beautifully that it was the last thing to fail. The hook wasn't particularly nice/deep and I was surprised it stuck so well. Aside from being surprised at my own footwork, I literally had some sense knocked into me. My spotter and I were so fixated on the next hold that we forgot I hadn't gotten there yet. Partly coz I'd attempted once before and got higher, so I never expected to fall like that. Anyways, SPOTTING IS IMPORTANT. If everyone looks out for each other we'll all be able to climb together safely :)

[It happens that my fall was captured on video. Even as I was rubbing away the headache, it looked so comical I might have laughed. But then, these things are only funny till smth bad happens. So to my friends who might be reading this, never underestimate the importance of spotting. At least the headache didn't stop me from watching Poh finish his 6c.]

Last few moments at L'Elephant.

Everything else
During our recent trip to Building One (another gym in London with cool dyno routes and more), I suddenly rmbed that I own a Canon Legria camcorder. I used to use it extensively (esp during the JC touch league), but after a while I kinda... forgot about it. So I made it a point to bring it along and use it on this trip, to immortalize awesome moments. It might be 5 years old but still it captures in HD (though it doesn't show on blogger) with satisfactory audio - pretty damn good. On hindsight, I was evidently not thinking enough and didn't borrow a tripod for it. It would have saved me the trouble of finding flat rocks to plant it on and using random stuff to prop it up. This and the cui battery life meant that I couldn't use it all the time too. Ah, but the things I've caught on video, all those funny things we did and said xD [I have since bought my own Gorillapod to go with it, and will be on the lookout for chances for use :)]

If there's any one general thing I've learnt from my exchange travels, it's that good company is the backbone of a great trip. [I consider myself quite lucky in this aspect.] This bunch (and the rest of the sg climbers here) is peculiarly like a mini UMC - people I'm comfortable climbing, talking cock, and having fun with. Friends, really. Same as back in NTU, a large part of why I climb is the people I get to spend time with.

I was the weakest member of the group (3 guys, an interwoman, and me). So I knew the worst that could happen would be them doing routes that I wouldn't be able to even start on. But I managed to keep up, doing the same routes that they did, and at times, doing better than some of the guys hahaha. In some routes, I struggled a bit with strength and took a few more attempts, but in others I had better footwork and was more stable. At least we all attempted the same routes (save for Poh) and I finished most of them. This is smth I'm really happy about :D

I'll miss this place. We climbed for about 3.5 consecutive days and that was pretty much the physical limit. Any more and I'd have been in too much pain (raw, scraped and aching) to want to climb, let alone climb well. I guess if we had gone for longer we'd have to factor in repair days. But it was not to be, at least for this time. The trip really flew by and in no time it was back to London and reality - proof of how much I enjoyed myself. And I dare say: best outdoor climbing trip I've been on so far.

And lastly... this.

Nuuuu a hole T.T

10 months ago, I was unable to fit my old pair into my luggage, so I don't have my designated outdoor shoes here with me :( On top of my regular gym climbs, this pair has braved the abrasiveness of natural rock 3 times to date and the left heel has become loose. They will turn 2 years old come August 24th (it's not difficult to trace back the date) and I've been v happy with them thus far.

How highly is my happiness valued? ;)

Lessons from Climbing

Today's session left me with quite a few thoughts, so I thought I'd share.

There is a technique in climbing known as the drop-knee. It involves "twisting" the leg so that the knee points downwards after a foot placement and does wonders in stabilisation, prior to making the next move. I have been taught this technique and have used it before. Yet, I don't know how to use it. What this means is that I have been taught a method which can possibly be used as a solution, but I make use of it only when someone has hinted or shown me the answer. In other words, I don't know how to apply what I've learnt.

Two particular routes (or problems) I was attempting proved this. In both cases, I read the problem and planned the moves in my head, until I came to a particular sequence that, no matter how I imagined, seemed impossible to do. I knew I would be too short to do whatever I'd thought of, and I was right - kept falling at those points. Then, I happened to watch other girls climb the same problems, and in both of my "impossible" situations, they employed a drop-knee and completed the routes flawlessly. My thoughts spelled out at that point would have gone smth like "Oh WOW, nice move. Dammit I should've known." It's like the drop-knee wasn't in my library of solutions, so even though I was physically able to do it and complete the problem in the end, I couldn't have planned it out in the first place. Thinking back, I've used it countless times, but I realise it's because ppl specifically said that it needed to be used or because I've seen the beta.

This brought to light a huge flaw in my way of learning and depth of understanding. Engineering and climbing how different? There is a problem and you read it and decide what method of solution to apply, and more often than I should be comfortable with, I come back after discussions thinking "I should've thought of that." Application requires understanding and practice (without looking at the solutions) helps. Obviously an area I have to buck up on in both school and climbing.

Lesson #1 - Even though I can do smth, it's only when I can identify where and how to apply it that I've truly mastered it.

Today I made a new friend in the climbing gym. A and myself were trying the drop-knee problem again and again and she was attempting the same problem. Inevitably, we started giving each other pointers on footwork and body positioning. (She was the one who first did the drop-knee on that problem.) Eventually, we all managed to complete the route, but more important was the conversation that developed throughout all those tries. It started from the mutual intention to progress further on the route, then to the climbing background/how often do you climb, and by the end of the day, we were chatting like long-time friends as we walked to the bus stop together. Best thing was, we only exchanged names at that time.

That's smth I love about this sport, everyone and anyone can want to help each other. And that's great, because it's difficult to spot mistakes and alternatives when you're on the wall - it's a better view from the outside than when you're staring intensely at the next hold. Competitors or random strangers can become friends. Different school, different team, different nationality and all - hardly matters.

Lesson #2 - There is a common goal. If we don't have to or choose to compete, we can all get further together.

[I think applicability is limited in the rat race though.]

Lesson #3 - It can be really easy to make friends if we all know how to start communicating.

Speaking about competing, I think I will join the first comp available when I get back [heck whatever lessons I have on that Friday]. I need to start on a training plan though, right now I've just about gained back enough ability to enjoy climbing again. And I intend to simply enjoy for a while longer xD

But really, I'm glad that I've been improving. The boulder routes have been changed once since I started climbing at Westway, and this new set is awesome. So far, every time I visit I've been able to do some routes that I wasn't able to do the previous times - a sure sign of improvement! It's unlike a few weeks back, where every time I came I was unable to do any more than I'd previously done.

I think I still prefer to climb with others. [The only time I climbed in Derby I climbed alone and it was totally depressing, both in terms of my performance and the atmosphere.] Aside from the help and encouragement, and live demo, I can tag my performance to those of others. Someone whose standard I should match, someone whose skill level I should aim to reach in the near future, and someone whose rapid improvement I can be inspired from. But it's not a matter of competing against them. It's not about "losing" every time other ppl do better than me, but realising how I can use their examples and learn to do as well as them. There's like a continual competition with myself, always wanting to be better than I used to be.

Lesson #4 - External influences govern improvement to significant extents, but without my own drive, there will be no improvement at all.

K la, enlightened. Time to sleep.

Climbing Outdoors in the UK - ICMC Freshers Trip 2014

(Fri - Sun, 24th - 26th Oct)

If you've seen my bloody hand on FB/instagram, here's the reason. I spent the last weekend scrambling up and over grit stone in the Peak District with ICMC. I kinda jumped at the chance to climb natural rock again, and it was nth short of fun (though painful)! [Grit stone is what it sounds like - gritty, like super coarse sandpaper, and hence the subsequent damage. It's different from the limestone (I think?) in Batu/Krabi. Those weren't that rough but I haven't forgotten their sharp edges.]

Sun before we hardly saw it again

But superficial injury fortunately wasn't the main highlight of my experience, which was nth like any previous climbing trips I've been on. The weather was crazy. Mildly wet + cold + super windy = not v comfortable conditions for doing any sort of outdoor activity, but I guess that's part of the package - you climb outdoors in the cold, wet and windy, or not at all. I piled on layers to climb and my harness (sized for t-shirt and tights) had to be adjusted almost to the max. My feet didn't hurt when I wore my climbing shoes too! Then I tried to wiggle my toes and realised they had fallen asleep in the cold.

The climbs

The first boulder with some easy routes

On Sat we went to an area called Stanage, more specifically, The Plantation. First time bouldering outdoors! Although I spent half the day bouldering, and the other half hiding from the wind. We picked some easy routes for starters and managed to complete them (and take some photos on top of the boulder hahaha) and I felt quite warm and ready to climb some more. Then the weather decided to be nasty and deal us strong winds with intermittent rain. The cold makes it v difficult to start climbing coz the fingers get all numb and raw, but climbing is the only way to keep warm enough to continue. I have concluded that our low level of activity this day was coz bouldering meant we were always close to the ground. Higher chance of sitting and resting and in the end feeling too cold to get back on the rocks. But I still blame the weather :/

Completed my first ever natural boulder problem!

Not the same with high walling. You're kept on the move finding routes to do and when you're belaying/tied in you're committed to climb. Which was why I found the next day much more fruitful.

The first route I seconded (inside the cavity)

A senior told us that top-roping is frowned upon in the UK. Sometimes it's coz top-roping is a "safer option" that makes routes a lot less intimidating, and hence accessible to more people. The more people go on the rocks, the more it wears down. But mostly it's coz top-roping is seen as cheating, like not true completion of a route. Here, sport or trad climbing is the way to go.

If you look carefully, you can see 2 ropes

I spent the second day seconding [ha] in Burbage North. In some ways, it was top-roping except with the extra element of cleaning (taking off) trad gear the first climber placed for protection. Mostly, trad climbers do routes easier than what they can do indoors coz of the inherent danger. The routes I did were simple (in trad grade mostly V diff), but I still struggled coz of a few reasons: (1) The weather (2) most of the climbs were cracks which I haven't experienced much of i.e. spent a lot of time experimenting and feeling around (3) I sometimes quite chicken, so I spent a lot of time testing before committing. And I was on top-rope!

Nevertheless, it was a good day of inching up the rock, squeezing my hands/arms/whole body into cracks and whaling/belly-flopping over the top. Did a total of four routes that day, which doesn't sound a lot. But I was grouped with 2 seniors and on each route all of us would climb to the top before coiling the rope and walking down an easier path, which took time. Trad climbers use 2 "half" ropes in leading up, and they set up a top-rope system when they get to the top so two people get to second up after them. [Sounds pretty garbled, but I did my best to summarise haha.] I also learnt to lead belay with two ropes - there are differences to normal lead belaying.

All cracks. There is an extra rope here from a previous climb btw.

This was also the day I got most of my scrapes and cuts and bloody fingers. I spent a lot of time feeling inside cracks for purchase and pretty much sanded my fingers and knuckles down without realising it. When you're climbing you're psyched and don't feel the pain, and then get a shock at the top. I got my first bloody flapper here, and it wasn't a small amount of blood >.< I was reluctant to wipe it off on my clothes and I didn't want to leave bloodstains on the rope. So I tried to wipe it off on a rock before asking for a passing senior for tape. My hands are pretty sore now to be honest.

The worst is under the tape. Semi-healed as of 28/10

Everything else
We were packed into 3 mini-buses along with sooo much equipment to get to the peaks and stayed in a village hall while we were there, a short drive away from the crags. There was heating which was awesome and mats to put our sleeping bags on, but no showers (not needed anyway coz it was too cold to perspire).

Packed with mats. Warm up in the mini-bus climbing over stuff.

Hole in the wall for food.

 I don't think I slept properly at all those 2 nights. 2 cans of beer didn't help one bit.

Food was great! The seniors got up early (earlier than 6.30am) to make bfast on both days for everyone - effort (Y). Also got to try ICMC chilli, and help making it (there is a special ingredient)! Cooking for 45 ppl is crazy, but an efficient supply chain always helps. The uncooked food (almost all sains basic xD) came in piles and we literally spent a few hours chopping and cooking. I wasn't hungry anymore by the time I got to eat, but it was fun to help out :) Unfortunately, I didn't get to take part in the sock game (an ICMC tradition where 2 ppl try to pull each other's sock off while suspended from the ceiling in their harnesses) :( Idea for UMC to consider so I can play? Hahaha.

Ever seen this much garlic at once?

ICMC chilli! No, it's not the chilli we know, but it was nice :)

So ended my first outdoor climbing experience in the UK. The weather made such a huge impact and I wasn't expecting it to be this bad. I think it's still more comfortable to climb in the tropics, drenched in sweat over numb fingers and toes any day! Maybe if the wind just calmed down for a moment, it would have been really pleasant weather. But still, it was great fun :) Let's see if I have the time to join any more outdoor trips before I leave.

The peaks are brown now. It's definitely colder.

Climbing in Derby

(Sun, 6th July)

Visited the local climbing gym (http://alter-rock.co.uk/) alone on a fine Sunday afternoon. I willingly took a 30 min walk from home to get there, which my parents disapproved of. [yes, there was a faint air of lingering unsafeness, esp in the residential areas. It's not sg and it's not a pleasant feeling, which was why on the way back I took a different route]

On to the gym itself: architecture-wise, it smth different - the building is actually an old church. It still looks like an old church from the outside, but the inside's been converted. Most of it consists of highwalls, with a relatively small boulder area (about SRC-sized). Have harness no partner, so boulder it was. There are taped routes but honestly nth to rave about. 

My experience was mehh because of a few things: (1) the last time I'd climbed was 6 weeks previously and uh, I didn't feel v much like a climber at all (2) I paid an equivalent of S$27.50 for my first climb there (£5 lifetime membership and £8 entry fee) (3) climbing alone made me miss UMC a lot...

Nevertheless, it was a remedy for fingers that had been itching for so long. At any one time I also pretty much had half the place to myself. As per every first-climb-in-a-long-while, I went away with raw fingers and a sore back, but against all odds, I found myself still able to do 3 pull-ups (truly extremely surprised). I'll go back, not just coz I need to make the lifetime membership worth, but coz there is no choice other than to not climb at all.