The blog...

...so, It's here.

The first of many blogs I presume. I'm doing this for a couple of reasons, one because George Foster's blog is bloody cool (I want to be as cool) and two because I want to be able to look back along my journey of attacking and crushing climbing grades the world over and see how i've done it, when I did it and what the hell I did it for. Kind of a public diary if you like...

So this post will officially be the taking of my 'blog virginity' so to speak. Nice thought. If you are reading this you'll probably want to what the bloody point of my blogging & ranting is. Read on my good fellow. I've given myself a target. To hit the magic grade. Sport climbing's notorious French 8a.It's by no means the hardest grade in the world at all however most climbers can only aspire to such grades. Some try but never commit or truly believe they can achieve it. I've set myself the goal, with a time limit of Christmas 2010, just over 12 months from now. Some people say i've no chance. Some people have wished me well. Some people have said, "cool, is that hard then?". Mixed responses would be an understatement.


I started well intentioned and just thrashed at grades at the local indoor climbing wall. Can I hear it for Kendal wall please? LCC ladies and gentleman. Then ... I realised, this was really getting me nowhere fast ... i've now got a training plan, short term goals, long term goals and an array of partners, some more committed than others. I'm trying to combine training indoors with performance days outdoors where I go and crush like a demon on the real rock that my local area, the Lake District, the rest of the UK and the rest of the world has to offer.

I'm working on everything from Aerobic to Anaerobic fitness...Strength, power, movement ... the whole lot. I am under NO ILLUSIONS that doing this is going to be easy but i'm going to give it one hell of a shot.

My blog will generally consist of the trials and tribulations encountered during my training, people I meet and climb with, the routes that inspire me, the people I aspire to climb like...also the highs & lows of training to climb hard.

I hope you enjoy following my progress, i'll do my best to keep it a bit interesting. Please do feel free to comment, mock, praise, abuse, acclaim and just generally give me feedback.

As someone famous (or not) once said in his best Cumbrian accent ...

"Stop wendying about and get the hell on with it..."

'Tis time for some sleep now...how do I expect my body to keep up with my brutal regime if I don't let it rest and recover?

I bid thee farwell for now.

Liam.