I am a dirt bag: Part One

Two thousand and fifteen. Already. It seems like only yesterday that I boarded a plane in New Zealand, leaving home for an indefinite trip around the world. In fact, my adventure started almost two years ago. And here I am in a small, cute little bakery in a tiny tucked up village in Spain, two years later. And no plans to stop yet.

I don’t even know where to begin with my story so far. Its so hard to think back through everything that has happened. Everywhere I have been. If I was to describe all of it, I would still be sitting here tomorrow and not even be half way through.

I’ve been living my dream. I left New Zealand in 2013 with no responsibilities, and the freedom to go anywhere and do anything. And what I wanted to do was go climbing. So that's what I did. And I've been living the ultimate dirt bag life in order to do so.

By this stage of my trip I definitely qualify as a complete and total dirt bag. And I am bloody proud of it to. I have spent almost a year in total living out of my tent, cooking nothing but rice or pasta in the dirt, wearing the same clothes for weeks on end and showering maybe once every week, and that wasn't even pushing it. I'm sitting in a bakery wearing clothes I haven't washed in weeks, I've put a beanie on to cover up my mop of hair that I haven't done in days, my fingertips are ripped to shreds and I haven't showered in a week and a half.

When finding a box with the word “free stuff” becomes almost as exciting as climbing your project, you know your a dirt bag. When seeing the words “free food” becomes even more exciting than “free stuff”, you know your so far gone into the dirt bag life that there's no going back! I am so far gone, and it is GREAT. I wouldn't want it any other way.

I've decided to split this blog up into two parts. Instead of starting from the beginning, im going to start with the last few months. It would make sense to start right from the beginning, to where this all began, but the last 3 months have been the best of my trip so far and while its fresh in my head, I want to get it all down.

So this stage of my trip began almost four months ago in one of the most spectacular climbing destinations in the world. Out in amongst the French Alps, sits the incredible grey/blue limestone wall of Ceuse, France. After a time spent in England, doing a bit of work and training hard, this is where I found myself in the first week of September. Of everywhere I have been on my travels so far, I completely agree when people say that Ceuse is the best sport climbing area in the world. They are so right.

 

 

The climbing in Ceuse was beyond my imagination. The rock is perfect. The holds are perfect. Even the hour walk in is perfect. The blue limestone is full of a mixture of pockets and crimps, and allows for perfect climbing. It took me a few weeks to learn the style. Its interesting. Your climbing, and your wanting to climb dynamically, wanting to pull hard, but you soon realise that the type of climbing forces you to climb very technically.

 



The famous Biography wall

The key to climbing in Ceuse is having strong fingers, good body awareness, and a ton of endurance. I had none of that. But after eight weeks of walking up a hill for an hour every morning, of climbing as much as possible, I was fit, I was strong, and I was climbing well. I was psyched. My goal for the trip to Ceuse was to remember sport climbing again, get some endurance, climb anything no matter what the grade, and go to Spain strong for the winter.

The highlight of my trip was a climb called Berlin 7c. A Ceuse classic. This climb summed up all my goals of the trip. When I did it, it didn’t feel hard for me. And it was a great feeling. The climb requires you to have everything that I thought I was weak at. You need to be able to climb on crimps, you need to be able to climb for 30 metres, you need endurance and you need to be strong. I didnt think I had any of that when I turned up in Ceuse, and yet I found myself at the anchors of this climb after not long at all.

Me on Berlin 7c, Berlin Wall

This was where I also met a group of people who I would end up spending the next few months with, and who I would stay in contact with for a long time. Almost two months of great climbing, even greater people, and even ended up living in a caravan by the end of the trip. I would call that a big success. I even miss the walk in.



This is what happens when you put on wet,
new climbing shoes.



 





Power stancing. Getting psyche for the day.





Things worked out even better than I had hoped for. I planned to leave Ceuse strong and fit. I left stronger and fitter than I thought I would be. I had fresh psyche to climb everything. I had a whole new dose of confidence and spirit, and excitement levels were high when I boarded my flight to Spain.

 

I arrived in Margalef, pitched my tent in what turned out to be the coldest campsite I have ever stayed in, and was climbing as soon as I got the chance. Margalef suits my style in so many ways. The whole area is full of powerful, fun, pockety climbing. I was completely in my element. The aim of my trip here was to climb hard. Fresh from Ceuse, I was fit and strong, so I was feeling confident. Within two weeks, I was climbing harder than I have ever done.

 

Me on La Gomorra 7b+, Espadelles, Margalef



By the end of my time there, I had finally broken through the barrier and pushed my climbing to a new limit by climbing my first 8a, Telemaster. I was psyched. On my second to last day in Margalef too. I must have really wanted it. I did really want it. It was such a good climb. And left me wanting more.

 
The two months I spent in Margalef was amazing. I would go climbing during the day, then head back to camp, to our congregation of green tents in the corner, eat some good food, hang out with some of the best people I have met so far, then do it all again the next day. I cant think of anything I would rather be doing!! The people I was with absolutely made my trip! I had friends from all over the world, in one place with me everyday. Its funny how you can meet so many people from so many different places in the world, with so many different backgrounds, but put them all in a climbing area together and everyone is the same. Everyone has one thing in common. Everyone is eating pasta for dinner, living in the dirt, not showering, wearing dirty clothes, and has overwhelming psyche to go climbing. ITS GREAT.

 

 

The last four months have tested me in so many ways. Its tested my climbing, its tested my choice to live this way. Its taught me a lot about who I am, and what my life is about. But in the end, two things still stand out to me. I can still go anywhere, and climb anything. And I just want to climb. All the time. Everywhere.

I have no plans to stop yet. What's next? Maybe its time to go bouldering again. Should I stay in Europe? Or go somewhere else? Or do I keep sport climbing? Far too many options, too many ideas. I cant complain much about that though, can I?

Here are a few photos of things so far:



Terradets.  Photo: Marc Chagnon



Sam Cody making things look easy on Latido del Miedo, 8a in Terradets

 





Me on Carn de Carno 7c, at Margalef



 



Alice cruising up Maligna, 7c, in Margalef

Alice Thompson climbing Makach Walou, 7c+ at Berlin Wall, Ceuse

Marc crushing in Margalef

Probably the coldest day I have experienced on my trip so far. Leaving the crag as the sun sets. Absolutely perfect.

 





 



Rain, Famous people, Bouldering, Climbing, Fun, Rain, Fog, Rain.... Did I mention rain????

The past few months in Australia have really been just amazing! Its such a great place and the climbing just keeps coming! Although we have been based in the Blue Mountains, we have had the opportunities to explore some of the other areas Australia has to offer, including the Grampians!

Taipan Wall, Grampians

Me and Wiz have just got back from nearly a month in the Grampians, and it was AWESOME! I had never been to the Grampians, and never been on a trip solely for bouldering, so it was good to do something new! We spent the first week living in up in log cabins, where we stayed with Angies family! They were generous enough to not put us in a campsite in our tent, and we were able to stay with them for nearly 2 weeks! This in itself was a new experience for us both. We are used to roughing it in the bush on a climbing trip, in a tent for weeks on end eating bin food and what not. So it was good to come home to a warm place after a day out!

The first week we just cruised around all the different areas, sussing it out, doing all the classic problems! There is soooo much bouldering! All within walking distance! Its amazing!
After a few days, we started to find projects, and places we preferred to climb in, so off we went, everyday trying to do as much bouldering as possible. And it was FUN!!

I soon discovered my two favorite places to boulder, Kindergarten, and Hollow Mountain Cave! Kindergarten is such an aesthetic wall, and the problems are awesome! My favorite problem was The Nevin Rule (V7)! A highball for my standards (so not very high really) but still enough to put up a challenge for me! The Cave was also amazing! Due to a few days crap weather in the first week, we were confined to the cave and I soon found a project I was super psyched for, Cave Girl (V9). I was stoked to find this boulder problem, and even more stoked to realise that it was actually doable for me! The Cave is super steep, and I was really struggling with my tension! But to even be able to pull onto this problem was amazing! And so I kept at it over the next few days and was slowly progressing. As I haven't bouldered much, this was going to be my first V9 and I was super keen to do it.

The Cave on a Busy day

Me on Cave Girl (V9)

While we were in the Grampians, we were lucky enough to run into and meet some of (or most of) the worlds best boulderers! Just to name a few, Daniel Woods, Paul Robinson, Carlo Traversi, Nina Williams, Dave Graham, Nalle Hukkatavial, Courtney Sanders and Alex Megos. To be bouldering next to these guys, and be helped out and given beta by, and to just watch how seriously strong they were was such a cool experience. I even swallowed my pride and dignity and followed Angie up to get a photo with Daniel Woods! Looked a bit stupid being the red faced 19 year old asking for a photo after little 9 year old Angie, not my finest moment, but anyway!

So after a week and a half, Angie and her family bid us farewell as they left to head back to the mountains, and dropped us off at the campsite where we were going to spend the next week and a half. And boy, did we have a great week. In all of our 10 days there, we saw about one hour of sunshine, and about 3 hours of rock a day, if we were lucky! Rain, rain, rain, fog, more rain, more fog, and that was the extent of our week and a half! I know it sounds miserable, and I guess it was, but the few days climbing we got were really great! The wet fogs in the morning prevented us from climbing in most places, so again we were confined to the Kindergarten and the Cave. And even then, there were only a few problems to choose from that weren't soaking!

Even though the weather was a bit rubbish (to put it nicely) it was still such a great trip and I am super psyched to get back there one day! Due to the weather, and super low psyche levels from everyone, we unfortunately had to leave some projects behind, including Cave Girl for me, where on my last attempt before leaving I fell off on the easy finish ( dumbass haha). But never mind, it was a great trip, we met some amazing people and got to experience some of the best bouldering in the world, so im not complaining!

Daniel Woods working The Wheel Of Life (V14) at the Cave

Rest day at Arapiles - Squeeze Boulder

Stealing Nalles internet from next door haha

Wiz on So You Think You Can Dance (V11)

 For now, we are both back in the Blue Mountains for a few more weeks, and I'm super psyched to spend it just cruising and climbing as many of the classics before I leave! Our planned two months in Australia has turned into four! Thanks to a bunch of extremely generous and amazing people, our time here has been extremely comfortable and has made it easy to stay! 

Blue Mountains So Far....

So its been well over a month now since Wiz and I arrived in Australia and a lot of things have been happening. This is just a quick update on what has been going on over here in the Blue Mountains.

Firstly, we have moved out of our bush home. Some would say we are moving up in the world, and I would have to agree. We have gone from living in a tent under a tarp, to living in this:

The Barn

Inside the Barn

A HUGE thank you to Claudia, Tek, Gabby and Angie for their generosity. They have taken us in and been so so good to us! It has been awesome to meet such nice people who have been making our time in Australia that so much better!

Little Angie is 9 years old and is absolutely crushing!

Angie climbing at Boronia Point

We first met Angie at Wave Wall when I was seriously struggling to pull myself up my project. While I was hanging around, next to me was this little youngster casually cruising up my earlier project. Since we have been staying with them, we have been out climbing with Angie a lot and she just doesnt slow down! Its awesome to see. She recently sent her first grade 27, Wrong Movements, which I am currently trying. To be given Beta by a 9 year old is something you dont get everyday. Angie has some serious talent.

Since being in the Bluies we have been out climbing most days and are still going hard. For me, I began to struggle a little bit, and found myself in a bit of a lull with my climbing. But have recently pulled myself out of that by sending my first Blue Mountains 27, White Linen. I was super stoked that I did it in only 4 attempts, which is the quickest I've ever sent a 27 so was psyched. There is hope for me yet!

I have recently been setting my sights on some of the longer routes up at Shipley. As I have only really climbed in New Zealand, longer routes have been intimidating me a little bit. To be able to climb something harder than 26 for more than 25 metres is something I have never done before, so it has been cool to find climbs that have tested my endurance and strength. It has begun to get quite cold here now, and its good to be able to climb in the sunshine at Shipley without the holds getting slippery and sweaty.
We have also been out on a bouldering trip which was fun. Was good to get out and do something different.  

Day Out Bouldering

In the meantime, Wiz has been crushing also. He has few big ticks under his belt and is still going! Its been good to climb with him and we have met lots of strong climbers who we have been climbing with lots to so its always a good day out!  There are so many psyched climbers around that you just cant help but be psyched yourself! Its cool!

So thats about it! The trip is still going great, and will most likely spend a couple more months here before a ticket to Europe is booked! We are heading off to check out Nowra for the weekend so it will be good to go somewhere new and see what its like!

We still haven't got many photos of us climbing but they will come. For now though, here are a few photos of some fun things we have been up to! Will hopefully have some climbing photos up soon! :)

We've gone from eating food like this.....

To food like this.......

Which Pair Do I Choose???

Angie Got Hold Of Wiz HAHA

BEST Homemade Pinata Ever!

Travels 2013

So I've finally began my travels! First stop: Blue Mountains, Australia!

Me and Wiz have been in the Blue Mountains for nearly 3 weeks now and it is AMAZING! The climbing is unbelievably good and we are meeting so many awesome people!

I arrived in the Blue Mountains with no expectations! Having only really climbed in New Zealand, I knew that it would probably take me awhile to get used to the style of the Bluies and set out to just climb as much as possible, on anything that looked fun. And so our trip began.

We have set up our little home in the bush, are living as cheap as possible, and out climbing nearly everyday! What a life!

Bush Home

Living Cheap: Bin Food!!

 I have just been climbing many of the classic Blue Mountain climbs, getting my endurance and strength back after my break over the summer. I have managed to get used to the style of climbing fairly quickly, and on my first day climbing, I realised that in order to do many of the climbs, I would have to teach myself to jump and Dyno, and fast!! Having never really had the confidence to jump while climbing, this was a big mental challenge at first, but now its my favourite way to climb. 

So far, the highlights of the climbs I have done so far include Trix Roughly (26), Madge Macdonald (25), Rubber Lover (25), Padington (25), as well as many other really fun climbs!
I have some more 26s and 27s lined up which I have been trying which I am sure will go very soon!

Ive been amazed by how much climbing there is here, and the amount of people I see out climbing everyday! There are so many people climbing hard and they come from everywhere!! Its been really cool being out climbing with all the "Big Guns" of the Blue Mountains climbing scene! Seeing both guys and girls crushing everything is sight has made me super psyched to do the same and im learning so much just from watching and talking with everyone!

So anyway, there is just a quick update on what I have been up to so far! We havent got many pictures of us climbing so far, but they will come!! Here is just a few quick pics of our trip so far! :)

Keep looking out for more updates and blogs from both me and Wiz!

Training? Hmmm.... Whats that?

A lot of strange things have been happening around the small town of Mount Maunganui lately. Firstly, after a few months of a slight lack of motivation and dedication to our training in the gym, a bunch of us decided to relocate our training to a more suitable destination, Wiz Finerons backyard. This was ideal for 2 reasons. 1: About 3/4 of Team Rockhouse were completely and utterly over the on-goings at the Rockhouse gym, and 2: Wizs place has great food, a spa pool, and plenty of climbing movies to choose from. So up goes a 45 degree boulder wall, plenty of holds and after a mission of carrying a "free" couch from the side of the road two whole blocks back to Wizs, we were set to go! The key to my training was to boulder hard for a good couple of hours, then take 3 steps backwards into the spa pool, and with my hands above my head so as to not get them soft and soggy, relax for the next couple. All in all, a good 4 hours of training.

Next thing I knew, I found myself sitting between friends on our couch in the backyard, arms crossed, expressionless looks on our faces, watching a bunch of adults take our wall away bit by bit. Our pride and glory was gone, sold to someone else, and we were left with nothing but an old couch and a huge mudbath for a back lawn. After 4 months of watching each other improve dramatically from our training sessions on this wall, we all felt abit lost about what to do now.

With two friends off to live it up in Texas on a 3 month bouldering trip, the rest of us we left with no where to go and lacking a little motivation on the training front. This was until a very strange man turned up on our doorstep, told us to get in the car, and took us a on a little bit of a trip. Ten minutes later, we found ourselves looking at something that might just make our summer training that little bit better. Tucked away in a storage unit, complete with 3 different angled walls and plenty of holds, was a bouldering facility! Thanks to a bunch of decent and motivated people (Liam Dickson and Co), we were invited to join what is now called "The Tendon Yard." Complete with a fridge full of drinks, plenty of chalk, hangboard and campus board, we finally had somewhere we could make the most of our training when we couldnt be outdoors!

 

So my summer is looking a lot more enjoyable! I have been relentlessly attempting to send Built To Last (30) and am getting closer each day, and with somewhere decent to train it may just go sooner rather than later. (You can read more about the process of Built to Last in the newest edition of The Climber - issue 82). I have also sought out a few more projects to keep me going over the next month or so, so my mind games dont start creeping up on me for trying the same climb for too long.

Me on Built to Last

With lack of time lately, and extremely hot weather, a good day out climbing for me at the moment is a trip to Froggatt after work, with only a few hours of daylight left, to soak up the sending conditions! One such day, I left for Froggatt for my first outdoor trip in awhile, and ticked my project Dr Evil (28) second pop of the evening! So training seems to be going well!

I am hoping to get out climbing a lot more over the summer and just keep having fun and trying to make the most of the weather (even if it means bailing for a swim in the middle of the day to stop the heat stroke coming)!!!

The plan is to get strong and in shape for the Blue Mountains which I am hoping to spend a lot of time at in a few months time!!!

Mount Arapiles 2012

After weeks of itching to get out of school and go climbing, I finally found myself sitting on a plane between two friends, who by the time we took off were possibly already regretting the seating arrangements.Our destination: Mount Arapiles, Australia. One plane ride later, consisting of me bouncing up and down making sure my friends on either side had througroughly read through the "in an emergency" sheet, and postively annoying them with my endless discussions of nothing in particular, I found myself driven into silence as my friends Wiz and Irmak decided the best idea was to put in their headphones and turn the other way. After almost a day of taxis, trains, buses and shuttles, we finally arrived at "the Pines" campground which would be our home for the next few weeks, and I was immediatly drawn to the spectacular orange walls of Mount Arapiles. Luckily, we meet the right people at the right time, inherited an awesome tarp set up complete with lazy boy chair and plenty of left over food and settled in.



Our Home at the Pines

The first thing anyone warned us about before we left was that it was the wet season this time of year over at Arapiles, and us being the keen climbers that we are, decided they were being stupid and went anyway. The weather was not in our favour at all and caused us to spend a lot more time in Horsham Library than we would have liked. But when we got to climb, it was amazing. This was the first time I had ever been around trad climbers and trad routes, so it was all a bit of a revelation to me, and a bit threatening. We did a few trad climbs in the early days of our stay, and obviously with any trad climb, there were endless amounts of cracks! Again, I had never cracked climbed before, and found it both mentally and physically challenging, as I just wasnt used to it. So after a few days of having a go at some cracks, we began to seek out the few sport climbing routes. I was still struggling with climbing though, everything was so different, the style completely new to me. But after finding a few good sport routes, I began to feel comfortable.

 

Me on Ergonomics (26)  Photo: Irmak Thompson



I then discovered a wall just up from the campgroud, called the Flight Deck. This wall was completely different from the rest of the climbing in Arapiles which consisted of cracks, slopery holds and lots of smearing. This wall was completely vertical and full of sharp, crystally crimps. I was in heaven, even through the agonising pain of reluctantly crimping down hard after a few attempts on the climbs. We got pointed in the direction of a grade 25 called Have a Good flight, and I managed to do it on my second go. With about a week to go, and still not feeling the satisfaction of having climbed enough, I gave the direct start to Have A Good Flight a go, graded 27. With 3 days to go, I sent it, acheiving my goal of climbing a 27 in Arapiles.

 

Bouldering on a rainy day

 

 

So after nearly 3 weeks of braving the weather, eating luxurious meals all consisting of food out of the bin (also including my sneaky snacks of chocolate biscuits I just couldnt resist), climbing in a way I have never done before, learning a whole lot of new things including how best to ignore Wizs snoring in the night and sharing the campground with a great bunch of people and kangaroos, I found myself back on the plane between my two friends, and as they already knew the instructions on the "in the emergency" sheet, I had nothing left to do but sit and think about where my next adventure would take me!

 

The Crew