Slackline

With my recent injury I haven't climbed in over a week. It's the first time since I've taken this kind of rest and it's been great.
Thursday I went to see Elixir, the actionsport filmfestival and saw some very inspiring movies. One of them was "I believe I can fly - Flight of the frenchies". This movie by Tancrède, Julien, Seb and Antoine combine slacklining, basejumping and parachuting.

I found that this movie truly captures the essence of extreme sports. You get a hint of what these people are after and feeling. There were points in the movie that I could feel the fear mixed with happiness and it made me burst out laughing. There's a great saying by Neale Donald Walsch "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone". I believe this fully.

So in order to survive this week of withdrawal from not climbing I went and got myself a slackline. After only an hour and a half of practising I could walk the line 7m. The balance-sense is truly one of the easiest senses to train. The attraction lies somewhere in the deep focus and the ability to actually walk a line that's suspended. Your sense of balance is working on overdrive and everything else shuts down. It's also a great way to hang out with friends and relax and I highly recommend it.

Slacklining in the afternoon sun.

This weekend I went and got myself a Metolious fingerboard. It's great to have around and I've made a training program for it but I wont be doing crimps on it, atleast not until my finger is fully healed. Tomorrow I plan to go the climbing gym and see how it goes. Im excited to say the least.

Backyard Problem

I've been playing around with a movie editor program called "Sony Vegas". Now, I'm neither a fan of Sony or Vegas but together they make an excellent movie editor! To get some editorial practise I decided to make some small video clips so I could practise transitions, cuting and so on. I decided to film them while I brush off the small rock face in the backyard. Next thing you know I'm building a boulder problem. It's still too wet to try it out but I got a good idea of how it's going to look. There's very small foot holds and the top edge left of the peak is out.

Spare time is truly the cradle of creativity.

The program itself is very easy to work with and I used a good video compresser MeGUI to compress the files. I'm excited to try it out for real but that will have to wait. Enjoy!

Junior Swedish Masters 2012 Lead Climbing

This weekend there was the Junior Swedish Masters at K2 in Telefonplan. I was there to check out Swedens upcomers and was really impressed. The place was filled with eager climbers and a lot of proud parents. Watching the smallest kids at around 6-7 years old climb is hilarious. They climb effortless and just reach, pull and could do that all day long. Some can barely reach the next hold but that's ok, they just pull up and monkey bar to the next hold.
The winners of the juniors however were the most impressive, born 93-94 and 95-96. These are going to be professional climbers in a couple of years no doubt about it. It's just a matter of time before the big sponsors pick them up. Their technique is immaculate and a joy to watch. See the full list of contestants here. The final results here.

So while I was watching JSM at K2 I had the chance to try their bouldering area out for the first time. I was impressed by the nice long overhangs they have there and even though I shouldn't I had to give it a try. I tried an easy route with big jugs, around 18 moves and allthough I couldn't get to the last hold it gave a nice pump each go.

I've patiently been waiting for spring and the weather to pick up. By the looks of it I'll have to wait a bit longer. Grey skies, snow and rain seems to be the theme of april this year. Right now it's 5 degrees outside and raining. Last year this very date it was 22 degrees and sunny. I don't even want to know what the weather is like on Vancouver Island right now. Ok I'll look... 12 degrees and cloudy. That doesnt make me feel better at all.

My training has been going so so. I'm really strong from all the bouldering but are in dire need of rest. My finger is finally better from traversing and slab climbing but on my last session I sustained a soreness in my wrist. I've decided to take a couple of days rest and let my body catch up. My least favorite thing about climbing, rest days.

Check out this cool video by Alex Puccio climbing in Hueco Tanks, Colorado. Particulary this wicked move at 2:35

I'll end this with one of my favorite climbing quotes:

"If you cannot pull a single hard move, you have nothing to endure". Tony Yaniro

Edit: A video from JSM 2012 Lead

Sublime mindstate

I love listening and reading interviews with climbers as I feel deep connection with the passion we share. It's the ability of shutting everything else out and solely focusing on climbing in this case, but most importantly focusing intensly combined with great physical effort.
For me it begins when I'm on my way to the climbing gym. It's a subtle feeling of excitement and soon as I enter the gym It's like my whole body starts to focus. If I had some what of a cold before and my nose has been running all day it stops. If I had an ache somewhere it dissapears. It's like my body knows that if it keeps whining we're going to turn this buss around right away! When I'm putting my shoes on I'm slightly incoherent and the focus is getting stronger. I use La Sportiva's Mythos and they are shaped perfectly for my foot and it has to fit just right and be perfectly tightened, it's a process. When warming up I start with pull ups and some warm up excercises along with stretching and I'm basicly on autopilot. Every muscle takes different time to warm up properly depending on if it's cold out or if I'm just extra stiff from work.
Once I'm done with warm up and start climbing some easy problems and then I do some traversing. It doesn't really matter how full the gym is. As soon as I start traversing I enter this sublime mindstate of combined focus with physical effort and theres nothing else. Now add the mental aspect and push yourself. The harder you push the greater the reward. I would not be suprised if climbers have higher dopamin levels than most athletes.

My last sessions has involved a lot of traversing. It works out good and it's not as stressfull for my finger which is still not 100%. Traversing is wickedly awesome. It's like the endless boulder problem with all the holds you could ever need. Technique is how you make it as there's so much to work with so it's very creative. I'm currently working on getting around the whole boulder area from one side to the other and allthough there are some places I cant really get pass (yet!) because of door openings and impossible corners. I just turn around and go back the way I came.
I get a good endurance work out and very little stress on the fingers. I'm almost embaressed by my bad endurance but I've noticed a small improvement on just the last three sessions.

It's really hard not to try some of the problems I've been finishing before. When you'r going 400km/h slowing down is not slow enough. I've had great progress and that makes it even harder to brace yourself. I just want to keep it up and keep pushing harder. Last session I got a neck strain at the end of the session which at first I thought was wierd. I tried stretching and kept going and that resultet in a fullblown neck strain. I tried stretching that out but without luck. However stretching my right shoulder really worked and that explained why it happened at the end of the session. So if I want to keep climbing at all I need to take it easy and not climb with any left over aches from previous sessions, get my 9 hour of sleep and stretch well after each session. Im at 85kg solid now and I've noticed my back muscles are much more defined and I have lats.
I still need to work harder on my side abs as I've noticed some problems requires me to reach up and bend a lot and I just dont have what it takes.

I'm going climbing tomorrow again and I'm so happy it's friday. I have traversing planned along with a good work out that will certainly finish of this week nicely. Getting 9 hours of sleep is harder than one think's as it usually means getting off work and hitting the gym right after, coming home to eat and then basicly going to bed right away. This is the life of waking up at 5.30 to go to work. Another great motivator for trying to become a proffessional rock climber and getting sponsors. Ha!

Every rock will have a name

These are intresting times to be a climber. The sport has gotten a big upswing in recent years and Im pretty excited to be a part of it. New routes are being set up everywhere and I cant help myself but eyeballing every possible crag and boulder I see around me. If we keep this up in 10 years from now every rock will have a name.

A friend of mine made the point that he isn't as psyched as me about climbing and has no ambition but to climb as a hobby. I do understand this position but I also know he has never climbed outside which to me is what really ignited my ambition for climbing.
My first time climbing outside was on Vancouver island at Comox Lake. From the parking lot you walk 10 minutes through a mosscovered temperate rainforest and pass some beautiful crags. Walk further and get you can climb right over Comox Lake with an awesome view. Not neveryone get's this kind of experience the first time and I consider myself lucky.
A big part why I love climbing is the simple fact of being outside but also being in wonderful environments preferably in the forest or with an awesome view and most importantly your climbing on real rock. This is why to me climbing inside is just a means to the end and if you've never tried outside climbing your missing out.
We repelled down from about a 15m cliff and I'll admit to being a bit nervous. If you asked me if im afraid of heights I would typically say no. But in this case I guess the answer would have to be yes. I believe there is an inert sense of being afraid of heights but something you can also train away. Leaning out over the edge is the scary part but once I lean out and feel the line taught I feel secure and soon as I'm over the edge it doesn't bother me as much. It also helps that once your climbing you don't really pay attention to where you are, all that matters is the next move and looking down is only for finding foot positions or contact with your belayer.

I bouldered Tuesday and had an ok session. I finally did my 7a bouder problem so one would think I had a great session. I did it on the second try without any problems. The first time I slipped off and just had to brush up the foot holds for the second attempt. I just didn't feel as strong as I sometimes do and it could partly be because my finger is still bothering me a little bit. Im not sure how it feels but as my brother wisely told me "If your not sure then it's not good" and he is right. It doesnt hurt when I apply preassure to it but Im beginning to think it's my A3 and not A2 pulley that is bothering me. Im still taping it along with my support middle finger and will keep that up until it doesn't bother me at all. I read a good blog article about new climbers euphoria and injuries and felt like it really spoke to me. I decided to try climb less intense overhangs that can put a lot of stress on the fingers and work on enhancing technique, balance and grip strength instead (not crimps).

I stopped counting black taped problems (6a-6c+) at the gym and started just recognising which ones I havent finished instead. I tried doing some red problems and working to enhance my technique. I still find that I use my reach (I'm 194cm/6'4" btw) a lot and allthough I've learned to embrace my benefits I try not to if it means bad technique. Im going to start working more on white problems and see how it goes. I almost flashed a black taped problem yesterday if it had not been for a person starting a climb right where I needed to go and I had to abort allthough I was super solid. I did it the second time no problem and allthough it was easy because of my length I do think it's nescerssary to set up another short term goal.
So Im going to do harder problems but less intense, confusing I know but I'm going to try to work on a balance of doing less overhang and less crimps. This is really an oximoron since the less overhangs the smaller grips usually. Here lies the challange I guess and hopefully this means lot's of slopers which I have been doing really good on lately. I guess all that practise have finally paid off!

Tomorrow Im going to a different gym to do some top-roping with some coworkers and I'm really excited to do some top-roping again. My endurance last time was terrible and it will be nice to give my fingers a rest from bouldering.

Indomitable Passion

One of my favorite aspects about climbing is the combined mental and physical fitness it requires. The mental fortitude to push yourself beyond what you believe to be capable of is paramount. That's why the right mentality is so important. When your hanging up there on the wall and you feel like you wont be able to hold on much longer, you need to grab the next hold but if you as much as move an inch your going to fall off. You muscles start to shake and you need to do something fast, you start to waver, doubt creeps up on you, doubt quickly turns in to a certainty of failure. All of a sudden a quire of voices start yelling to "Push it!, C'mon!, You can do it!". They actually believe you can do it, you start to doubt your own self-doubt and all of a sudden you actually believe them. You take a deep breath, focus and enter the zone. You reach up and stick, your so pumped but you cant stop. You keep reaching and before you know it you grab the last hold, you did it. Do you recognise this? I've been there countless times. Pushing myself beyond what I believe myself to be capable of. It's not until your muscles fail and you peel of the holds that you've truly failed, anything else is giving up. This is what makes your mental attitude so important.

However my passion for climbing is a two-edged sword. Mental attitude alone is not enough and allthough I wish I could climb every single day I cant, not without injuring myself. Im not 20 anymore and because I started climbing in my 30's my body and fingers are not conditioned for the incredible stress that comes with climbing. Allthough I've had tremendous progress I need to hold back and make sure I get enough rest days in between. Tendinitis and finger injuries are common so training of the antagonist muscles and resting properly is important.
I injured my index finger last week and had to buy some tape for the first time. It's my A2 pulley but it could also be the A1. With taping I find that I can still crimp no problem but when climbing at 45 degree overhangs on big jug holds I can feel it hurting and have to stop. It seems that when the whole finger gets pulled is when it hurts so I've had to leave out the much needed endurance training in the bouldering tunnel at the gym.

Every new day I strive to become a better climber. I read books about climbing, taping fingers, read forums, watch youtube clips on training and watch climbing movies. I train my core muscles, antagonist muscles and cardio and even started a blog. On the weekends when I have some spare time I'll go out and find good places to boulder. It seems I cant get enough of it and the worst thing that can happen is getting sick or injured. Even my mom who has always been really supportive think I've gone completely bonkers, Im afraid she might be right.
What makes climbing so compelling? I've always strived to become really good at things I take on. Climbing rewards the tiniest progression and your always competing with yourself. Your working your whole body and combine problem solving with physical and mental fitness. I cant think of any other sport more appealing, I might be bias though.

Watching bouldering movies and rock climbing movies are also extremely motivational. Not only watching hard bouldering problems made look easy and being fascinated by the skill and beautiful technique but also listening to interviews and hearing proffesionals talk about their passion for climbing. It's very contagious to listen to and afterwards I cant wait until next time I get can go climbing. Two weekends ago me and my brother went and saw the Tierra Boulder Battle 2012 at Klättercentret in telefonplan. The next day I had one of my best bouldering days ever. I finished all the problems I had been working on, something two days prior seemed much further away.
We got to see and cheer at some of the best climbers in the world. I cant wait for next years tournament.

Today is april first and that means I have been climbing for 6 months. If you asked me back in October where I thought I would be now I would never have been able to imagine coming this far. I've pushed myself hard, always working on problems out of my skill range and it has paid off.
It has been a tough time though. Breaking up a relationship and leaving Canada is the hardest thing I've ever done. Leaving things you love is always hard and I dont know what I would have done without climbing. In a way it has been the perfect escape. Nothing clears your head more than sitting infront of a hard boulder problem, chalking up, positioning your hands and taking some deep breaths then entering the zone.

A new beginning

Hi!

My name is Johan Svensson and Im 31 years old and I recently started climbing. The reason for writing this blog is mainly to log my progress and to get an alternative outlet for my passion for climbing. The reason for writing in english and not my native language is because I have a lot of non Swedish speaking friends. I started climbing 2011 but only once in a while and enjoyed the times I did. It wasnt until October 2012 that I really started focusing on it. The reason was splitting up an 8 year relationship and I really needed something to take my mind of things and climbing became the perfect instrument. Ever since then I've been climbing four times a week and it has become my soul focus. Besides climbing the only thing I've ever been this dedicated to would have to be snowboarding. I love snowboarding but it's also a sport you need a whole mountain of snow relatively close and sadly it's something I only get to once a year.
Climbing has been great. Not only have I found a use for my ugly big toe that runs in the family but I've also managed to break my weight limit that has constantly been between 78-80kg. Now Im between 84-85kg and it's all muscles I've gained through climbing.

I started out doing a lot of top-roping but with moving from Canada to Sweden and not having anyone to top-rope with I've been doing mostly bouldering. I've gotten my brother to start climbing with me and we recently took our green card (top-rope licence) so hopefully I'll get on with more top-rope and endurance building. I've had tremendous progress with my bouldering. When I left Canada in late february I just started doing V4's now Im doing 6c+ (french). It's really hard to do the conversion and have it be accurate. I've done some searches online to get a good conversion scale but I find the 6c+ being V5-V6 which feels grossly inaccurate.
I have been noticing a tremendous difference though. I've been sick twice in March with one of the worst colds I've ever had so training has suffered as a result. I'll have to admit it's been very hard to stay away from the gym and as soon as I got rid of my cold my performance got a big boost and last week I finished all of the problems I had been working on.
It has forced me to raise the bar a little. My short term goals has all been finished and my long term goal is to do a 5.12 by october next year. A 5.12 being a 7a+ which doesnt feel that far off at all.

I just started pushing for doing 7a's and I've had good progress. One problem I started working on friday went really well and I managed to finish it in two sequences. I was having problems sticking on the last hold (a sloper) but after a lot of analysing I figured out how to shift my body weight and how to position without falling off. I pretty much spent the whole friday at the gym trying to do it and I was so close but couldn't quite get it. So today I was sure I was going to be able to do it. I decided not to spend all my time at the problem since they just redid all of the bouldering problems at the gym and I wanted to try new stuff out. But before I went home I made sure I was somewhat rested and went for it. After falling off a couple of times and brushing off the holds I managed to get to the second last hold. I positioned as planned and managed to stick on the last hold, however it wasn't over yet. I still had to reach the top edge of the wall to finish the problem. Because of the way I advance the problem Im quite tired from moving up my feet hanging on two crimps and after celebreating a bit early going "Yess" just as I stick the last hold and hanging there for a couple of seconds geting some heavy breaths to get some well needed oxygen I bump up for the edge but Im too weak to stick it and I fall off. I was so bummed after getting so far but I learned a well needed lesson, never to spend oxygen going "yes!" before the proplem is solved ;)
My fingers took quite a beating friday on this problem. When grabing a corner of the wall where theres sandpaper to stick I managed to slip off more then twice and sanding the tip of my fingers down until it was bleeding. It's really hard to motivate to try again after that so today I taped my finger tips but that also makes it really hard to stick on certain holds as the tape can roll up and make you fall off.

Im really excited to go outside and try some bouldering. Theres some great places pretty close to where I am and I've been exploring and checking some of them out. I still need to get a crash pad and find someone to bring along but it started snowing yesterday so it will have to wait until the snow is gone. Im also excited to take my lead course. Two of my coworkers climbs but at a different gym and they are looking to do their lead course in about two weeks. Im totaly taging along and im super stoked. I've been wanting to do lead climbing ever since I started with top-roping but I really need to start working on my endurance. Last time I top-roped I came halfway up and started feeling pumped. It's such a big difference when you boulder for too long. I might change gym so I can climb with my coworkers as the only person I know at where I am now doesn't climb that often and my brother wont care either way. I am somewhat hesitant though as after you climb for a while at the gym you get to know everyone and develop a liking for where you are. However I do need to practice my top-roping skills and that means climbing with someone and if that happens to be at a new gym I dont mind, as long as Im climbing!