The Bad...

Unfortunately for me wont be using my climbing shoes for a little while... Had a bit of an accident trad climbing 2 weeks ago. I will be ok though. Was out at a crag called mungasdale on the west coast with Andy.

Had been having a good day as I climbed a new line which me and Andy practised on top rope first and then I lead and after so did Andy . We both reckoned it was an E6 6b.
Then decided to try and onsight an E6 Officer Jesus which id been keen to try for a while. Probably should have just stopped as I already felt tired. Anyway I fell of which I kind of expected but 3 of my bits of gear ripped which I didn't... I think they pulled out backwards because it was an overhang. I now wish I had clipped both my ropes into a cam at the bottom which could possibly have stopped them pulling out on the other rope. Fell onto my arse from nearly the top of the crag at 15m....

Ended up going to hospital by chopper claiming I was fine.... But scans show I have fractured two of the bones in my lower back. Probably best to not know how bad it is really. Apparently I have quite a high pain threshold!

Avoided the opperation (phew) so had to spend 2 weeks on bed rest (while every day it was sunny!) and I am now out wearing a brace for the next few weeks before I get another scan.

Cheers to Andy for stopping me trying to walk out and calling the mountain rescue. Also to Murdoch who by breaking his back first has mentally helped me!

2 weeks in hospital was definitely an experience…. Since before I went in I was close to terrified of them.

I don't feel too bad considering, and I'm confident I will be back to normal fairly soon definitely by the end of the year.

Just really gutting not to be able to climb now. Especially since Ive been trad climbing by far my best recently.

Maybe I've been going for to much. Don't know if head pointing harder stuff is the way to go, but onsighting is more fun. It wasn't that dangerous a route probably just got unlucky. Except most of the routes on the crag had been top roped on the first accent.

Anyway sorry for the ramble....

Hopefully I will be climbing hard again soon. It’s a bit scary thinking that at 19 I may have fucked up my climbing now for good…..

Enjoy the good weather unlike me....

I don’t think my enthusiasm has really been stopped. Trad climbing definitely leaves you with some memories, even if this one wasn’t necessarily a good one.

The Good

Plenty of time on my hands so below I thought I would add some reminders about trad too at least to show to myself that the majority of the time trad climbing is awesome.

So far up until now I have had a really good year trad climbing. Trad climbing definitely leaves you with some memories, even if the most recent wasn’t necessarily a good one!

Hopefully I haven’t put anyone off, especially Andy. Getting sick of family members phoning me asking how I am thinking they know everything about climbing and how dangerous it is!
"No more free climbing Nicolas"... Piss off....

Over Easter -which now seems like ages ago- and I had some good days with Murdoch/Andy at Reiff, Loch Maree and Lochan Dubh.

Murdoch On the "Screamer" Reiff.

Lochan Dubh Crag

Had a brilliant day at Lochan Dubh crag and surprised myself by flashing dead calm after andy’s good effort up to the crux, and then doing Major domo which I had fallen off 2 years previously. Two must do E6’s.

After easter I had a quick week of revision for exams and then a week of 5 exams next. University is pretty good basically felt like a year of work which can be condensed into one week of studying :) .

Stayed in Glasgow after this and climbed with some new friends I made down there. Nice to do some climbing outside of Ibrox where I always feel like a weakling compared to the Glasgow boulderers!

Had good days tradding at glen nevis, anoch dubh and even dunbarton.

“Team Glasgow sends” for on the beach and penile servitude:

Eventually managed to pluck up the courage to get on Chemin de Fer one day at dunbarton, after will telling me for ages to get on it. It’s kind of easy to keep putting that route off. Its so easy to go to Dumbarton and you spend so much time there that it always gets put off for another day. Surprised myself by doing it first try with a bit of shouting from will where to go but felt like an onsight really.

Back up to Inverness in the middle of June and then two days later…. Maybe it is one of these things that are waiting to happen on harder routes, but I didn’t feel like I was being especially dangerous. Usually I go with a don’t fall of attitude when I’m trying stuff, but that gets kind of hard when your trying stuff that is too hard for me and I’m not very strong anyway!

Probably best not to analyse it all too much and just get on with it. Or go sport climbing!?