January = the crappest month for climbing ever!

What a rubbish start to the year. I have just been climbing for the 1st time of 2011 and sadly there was not a piece of grit in sight except that within the walls of the buildings on the way around to the climbing depot. Since my unlimited climbing pass ended last October i haven't really been down because i was getting a bit bored of it to be honest, today i had such a beating at the hands of plastic holds I'm not sure i will return.

In my hay-day down the wall [all of a year ago] i was flashing V5, getting V7 in a session and generally doing what i would call plastic crushing. Today was sobering.. Admittedly i got pretty pumped early on on a ,"meaty" 6a+ on the circuit board which has a total of 32 moves enough to destroy my pathetic stamina. Despite a siege and several decent rests between goes i could not hang that last move. It's 6a+ damn you!!! So i thought i'd try some crimpy steep stuff.. usually my speciality - humbled as i felt finger injuries knocking on the door i gave that up... Ok I'll give the horizontal roof core strength machine ago. Sadly the 6 year old girl who was monkeying between the hold made more progress than me. So an hour in i'm not feeling totally knackered but can't climb anything above V3. After another half an hour of flailing on problems too hard for me i have come home and intend to use that as a warm up and to try the excellent planetfear fingerboard session to at least get something out of today - or i might just watch a climbing video.