Iceberg

I didn’t plan to do much, if any climbing today as it suddenly seems awfully soon that I have to be heading down to Italy and then up to Ticino for the granite blocs. So, with a lot to get sorted before I leave i’d decided to spend the day getting everything in order to allow for two full days climbing here in Bleau.
After a round of washing (marigolds compulsory), I went off in search of a new suit so as not to be the scruffy git tagging along with the Capgemini hierarchy this weekend. Steph had run me through a bit of the lingo that I might need help me achieve such a feat, and miraculously I pulled it off. I feel practically fluent now.
Next on the list was new tent and carry-mat which didn’t require quite the lingual feat I had performed at the tailors, although I did have to spend a while convincing the security guard at Decathlon that I hadn’t actually nicked anything, as I seemed to be setting off the alarms every time I tried to walk out!
A quick blast around Carrefour for some munchies and I realised I was left with a couple of hours daylight. Not wanting to waste them now they suddenly seem so precious, and knowing that the bloc would be in prime condition at this hour, I decided a quick trip to Isatis wouldn’t go amiss to have another short session on the Iceberg.
By 19:00 I was setting the mats out, and by 19:05 I was setting the camera out too, as on my first go I had made it straight through into the sit-start moves.
I could talk you through the other goes too, but I might as well let the video do the talking... check it out.



So, the three problems I have on my ‘last few days list’ have now incredibly become two, and I have yet another personal best to my name. It really shows what four weeks in the forest can do for your climbing – before I came out here my hardest tick to date was a 7a+ and my hardest tick in the forest (where it really counts), was 7a. In the space of four weeks i’ve bumped that first to 7a+, then 7b+ and now 7c (with a 7c+ in brackets, according to Bleau.info!).
I am aware however that the two big ones there are both on the same bloc, and I know that this problem is just perfectly tailored to my strengths. I am also aware that I seem to have missed the grade of 7b entirely. So my final two days here will be spent attempting to amend those stats, and with a bit of luck, my two remaining projects will be going down imminently. I’ll keep you posted.