Chillax Left

... early this morning I met Eoin in Tallaght and we drove to Glendalough, stopping for coffee to help wake us up, we were looking for cold rock to climb and to hopefully escape the early morning midge assault ... our wishes came through. On the way in there was no breeze and water in the first lake was placid and still.  We took the bikes off the rack and cycled along the path through the mellow vibe of the morning, excited to get some sweet bouldering done.

Still Waters

It was 6 or 7 sessions since I got a project in Glendo, they don't come easy down there and not in the humidity anyway. I was hoping to finally do Chillax Left 7A, it would be my fourth session  on it. On the cycle in I saw the big, graceful Herring bird again, I always see him in the morning and I am trying to get a nice photo of him but he is camera shy and very elusive, every time I take the camera out he flies away down the valley ... I'll get him yet !! We warmed up quickly and without mats at the path area, I stashed the mats by Chillax a few days earlier so we weren't arsed going up, bringing them down and then lugging them up the hill again. The blood was starting to circulate and Eoin got Basecamp Traverse 6a, the pumpy little slopers traverse gave him a beat down on his last trip so it was a satisfaction send for him. Up the hill we went to Chillax Left ...

Me on Chillax Left 7A

... it's a class chunk of bouldery roof climbing and I was really enjoying the battle on it in the last few sessions.  I made a slight change to my beta which eliminated a move from my sequence and made it just easier enough for me to complete it. Matched on a crimp in the roof some tension moves on a smear and a heel hook lead to a throw backwards and compression on a sloper in the lip of the roof, you don,t want to hold this sloper for long so an immeadiate bump up to a better sloped open hand grip, from here I adjust my feet about keeping the tension, drop my right knee and do another more powerful bump to a higher sloper, my right heel swings up over the lip to hand height, I flag my left leg searching for a balance point and then fight hard to match my left hand on the lip first on a sloper and then more left to a crimp, I slap to a sloper with my right hand and go again with my right hand to a flatty and fighting hard to maintain grip and core tension I grab the jug and hold a huge swing whilst pulling my knees up to my chest to avoid a dab on the rock behind, from here it's an easy top out, a truly excellent problem and satisfying send for me, my first 7A in my local bouldering area where I was first inspired by the good granite of Glendo to become a bouldering fanatic ... sweet !! There is even more good weather on the way so can you guess where I am going on the weekend ? ... yup  Glendalough :) Happy climbing folks !!