Freedom

The last month I feel like a lot has changed but also nothing……Lockdown is slowly lifting and is giving us more freedoms and the weather is improving. I have been out climbing and have seen some people that I haven’t seen for over six months but there are still so many little things I long to do. If nothing else, the last year will have made me appreciate the joy of sitting in a cafe with my friends.

During March I have been learning new skills and improving on old ones. I really enjoy the process of being a beginner. Taking something you either don’t know how to do or have very little experience in and improving on it. The first skill was jamming. I tend to avoid crack climbing because I find jamming alien and painful. It’s something that I know I can do but, if there is a tiny crimp near by…… Opening up my mind to the process of jamming a crack has lead to some excellent days out and reminded me that climbing isn’t always about performance. Taking something that you think won’t work and slowly realising that it will, is what developing a new skill is all about. I mean, butterfly jams, that’ll never work, but somehow it does.

Do you put enough emphasis on the value of learning new skills in a low pressure environment?

We regularly talk about getting mileage and the 10000 hours need to cement a new skill but how often do we actually do it? The value of just moving on rock and familiarising ourselves with the friction and holds should not be underestimated. Particularly after a year of lockdowns and a winter at home. Soloing on the grit has given me the time on rock that I felt like I needed.

Limestone sport climbing seasons has also begun. There isn’t much call for jamming on peak limestone but the general movement and footwork is certainly needed. These skills are transferable even if the style of climbing is so different. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could get up some routes despite the lack of recent sport climbing days.

April appears to have begun with cold winds and snow but I’m looking forward to the next stage of opening up and to work restarting.

Hopefully see you all soon.

Becca LoundsApril 5, 2021