British Lead Climbing Championships

On the 6/10/2012 I travelled up to Edinburgh for the British Lead Climbing Championships or BLCC'S,  the competition was to be held at Ratho's EICA and before I continue I would like to thank all of the event sponsors for the T-shirts and all of the volunteers for their assistance as they are the people who really make the competitions happen. 

So I wake up at about 7:15 with the noise of my alarm and I fall out of the bed into the shower . I venture down the stairs to welcome the lovely smell of sausage and bacon. I was still totally perplexed at why 3 of the competitors were walking to the competition from the hotel for a warm up. So I have my breakfast to set me up for the day.

My First Route

It was a blue reachy style climb with some real brutal sloppers on it although this wasn't any excuse, so I warmed up by doing 3 big wall leads this meant my fingers where even warmer than they already where because my mam had put 1 hand warmer in each of my winter gloves.

I go up to the wall and I take all of my warm clothing off and i am left with my GB vest and shorts and not forgeting La Sportiva Solution shoes provided by Lyon Outdoor.

I leave the ground feeling very confident although I always keep a cool head or it usally goes wrong for me. I start climbing and then my fingers start to go numb and I climb through it and I try then start to feel my fingers peeling I go to rock over for a fairly big jug but half way through reaching for the next hold for some reason I fall of I dont know if it was a foot slip or a hand pop but either way it was due to not being warm enough.

pic of first route

My Second Route

Its was a completly different orange route that was better if you had smaller fingers because there was a lot of small finger pockets and higher feet, my hands are getting colder as I climb higher and higher but I keep trying and trying, I thought I was coming off but I was not falling off  I had to get to the top to guarentee a place in the final so I pushed on and I pushed on and topped it out. 

Isolation

I went into isolation behind William Bosi we chucked our stuff down and sat around like I usally do occasionally going for a climb around the bouldering wall. So any way I still had the hand warmers in my pockets because they actually last forever.

Final

I left to come out and I was phycsed after finding out that my routes where on the old competiton wall. So I have slow jog over to the bottom after seeing the last lips clip swing I thought that the other competitor out before the had topped so the pressure was on. I cranked and cranked through serveral technical sections and then I fell of 3 holds from the top. I was guttered I thought I had just missed out on first place by 3 holds although when I came down everyone was congratulating me although there was still 2 climbers to go who had a really good chance of winning although for some reason both couldn't find a way to get over one of the techinical bits falling of quite low down at what you could call a mini crux.

pic of final route 

The Podium

I was now un officially BLCC winner of the youth C catorgory as people have 30 minutes to appeal although i dont think any appeals where neccesary. 

30 minutes later I was then told that appeal time had closed then I was officially BLCC youth C champion *YAY*

podium :)

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