Just finished a good training session at the Boulder Rock Club today after taking a week to rest as a result of being in so much pain following the ABS Nationals Citizen Competition a week ago. I had a good time training on some of the problems that were new for me at the Boulder Rock Club as well as finishing some other problem I had been working on over the past few weeks. Two Sunday's ago I decided last minute that I thought my shoulder was feeling well enough for me to compete at CityRock for the citizens...

This past weekend I competed at the ABS 13 Adult National Championships in Colorado Springs. It’s been two years since I’ve competed at ABS Nationals. The day after sending my project, The Buttermilker, I decided to buy my plane ticket and register for the comp that was only two weeks away. During this time I trained weekdays at my home gym, Rock City, and trained in Bishop on the weekend in between. While in Bishop I attempted many hard boulder problems back to back to replicate a bouldering competition. Check out some of the sends that weekend on video...

Latching the ear, my body listed dangerously to the left, my foot miraculously finding its berth on the long, thin edge. With a split grip that was far from ideal, I struggled to readjust and salvage the attempt. It crossed my mind to abandon this go, but this was my first time sticking the crux move from the start and I was not going to give up without a fight. Swapping feet and latching the next crimp, then transitioning into the beginning sequence of Better Eat Your Wheaties, the send was anything but a given. It would be a...

ABS Nationals have come and gone, and have left me exhausted but incredibly psyched. The comp was one of the best Nationals I have been to. The venue and wall were better than I had expected, the field was very strong, the problems were well-set (and hard!), and my free time was spent in great company laughing with good friends. In the end, I came out in 2nd, and it was quite a fight. The weekend was a success on all fronts.

This was a trip I was really looking forward to. I was excited to be going somewhere new with stacks of routes to on-sight, instead of our recent red-pointing trips to Northern Spain. We had also been persuaded by Eddie and Mandy to join them in a 5 star hotel on the coast, and at £11 a night all in who could refuse?

As announced yesterday with the little teaser on the traditional climbing via the Pedruscall, the intentionwas to make the First Ascent, today, finally, after two weeks of opening of the line I could make the first ascent, thanks to my Aleix Vilardebó friend and his two companions, George and Mure. I think the right word to define the day, have been "intense"It was a very special day, from the time concretabamos today would be the day to attempt the chain I could not sleep, high stress, and three working days to reach the mental state with clear ideas, a...