Boot Bananas - A Review

Due to the state of my climbing shoes, I have not been able to do anything before or after climbing, because having my bag on me with my climbing shoes in smelled so repulsive I didn't want to put anyone through the trauma of being in a 5 metre radius of me. The level of guilt I feel when someone sits next to me on the bus is unreal.

Then I overheard a conversation in the bouldering room, person one said that they always wear socks with their climbing shoes so they don't get too fragrant, person two mentioned boot bananas as a solution.

Seeing as its quite inconvenient for me to never be anywhere public for too long with climbing shoes in tow (and downright embarrassing), the boot bananas are now mine.

This is not an immediate fix
The smell that replaces the sweaty climbing shoe smell is still quite pungent but a different kind of pungent, very lavender-y if that's your bag.

Literally anything that will allow me to walk in public not smelling like the bouldering room on competition day is a winner for me.

what to expect at a bouldering competition

On the 30th April, Warwick University Climbing Club held a Bouldering Competition in the Bouldering Room at Bear Rock Climbing Centre on campus. The competition was for everyone fresh to climbing this academic year, and so the one time I have worn the Fresher badge, as calling myself a Fresher at 24 has always felt a bit off to me.

As it was my first competition, some things took me by surprise, here's some things I think would be useful to know before your first bouldering competition.

New routes:
There were 20 new routes set for this competition, so if you've been working hard on being able to flash particular routes for a while it will be good practise but won't necessarily guarantee you any points.

Grading:
The grades of the new routes will be unknown to the competitors during the competition. The grades of the new routes will only be released post competition, after all scores are handed in. With the grades not being listed, you can't know whether you were on a VB or a V4. The good thing about this is that you might climb a V3 and not realise it, the bad thing is that there's a chance you could fall of a V0 without knowing.

Moderators:
You will be handed a score sheet that a moderator will fill in after they have watched you attempt a route. When they are watching, they cannot help you out with any beta - they're not being mean, it's just the rules.

Scoring:
In this case, as you may be able to see from my score sheet, points are given based on the number of attempts it takes you to send the route. On most of the route there was a bonus point for reaching a particular hold part way up the route. It's worth trying the trickier looking routes to see if you can secure the bonus point at least.

Underperforming:
Competitions are likely going to be a lot busier that your usual bouldering session, so a lot of added pressure with a queue of people waiting to try the routes, and with someone literally judging you, it's not surprising that you may underperform. Competitions won't always be a reflection of your abilities.

With the unknown grades its very easy to get in your own head too much and overthink what could be a very easy route. There were eye level holds I just didn't see, I didn't give myself enough time to plan the routes, and I found myself making the routes a lot harder that necessary.

When going for a regular climbing session, a mere dab as you start, or a foot slip, an accidental foot on the wrong hand, are all not. big. deals. Pick yourself up and start again, no harm, no foul. But the amount of points you can achieve goes down with each attempt in a competition, which makes you about 27 times more frustrated with yourself for a tiny mistake.

Most important:
Try hard and have fun.

The Friday Five #4

@Justbombergear Instagram

I have a new favorite hook, it likes tape....just need a good name for it..... Any suggestions?? . . @krukonogi #rockclimbing #bouldering #sportclimbing  #trad #tradclimbing #tradisrad #boulderingproblems  #firstascent  #bigwall #climbinglife #climbing_pictures_of_instagram #climbinggear #hiking  #adventure #timetoclimb #climbing_is_my_passion #outdoors #mountains #liveclimbrepeat #climbinginspiration  #climbingworldwide #klettern #climbingphotography

A post shared by climby mac climbface (@justbombergear) on May 22, 2018 at 10:32am PDT

This post on 3 tips for safer bouldering falls

The Ballroom
See this post for a review of The Ballroom, a bouldering centre in the Coventry city centre.

These metallic black leggings - full length and high waisted, ticking all the boxes... except price!

This video on foot placement from a climber that probably knows more than me!

Look's Who's Chalking - On Air

Week 1, introducing RAW Breakfast with Elena and Aamena, more affectionately known as Look Who's Chalking - On Air. (Because taking that highly sought after breakfast slot means it has to be professionally known as RAW Breakfast with Elena and Aamena.

This weeks show includes segments such as Two Flashes One Fail (i.e. which of these is not a climbing word), Room 101 complete with climbing round, and loads of banging tunes perfect for waking you up, starting with Wham!, obviously.

All credit to Radio at Warwick.

The Ballroom, Coventry.

Bear Rock may be where it all began but I LOVE The Ballroom. Situated in the best city of them all, the next City of Culture - Coventry, The Ballroom is a Bouldering Centre of joy.
The Ballroom is dedicated bouldering centre in Coventry's city centre. It opened in 2017 and they are consistently resetting routes and undergoing developments.

How to get there:
If you are driving I would recommend parking in Salt Lane Car Park. If not there are a good few buses that will get you there. If you are coming from further afield, get the train into Coventry and do the 10 minute walk from there as a nice little warm up.

Pricing
How much are you going to have to fork out? The Ballroom is great for beginner boulderers as you pay the £3 membership, £3 to hire some shoes, and then you can pay as you go from there. While there are deals and monthly/yearly memberships, available for purchase, if you don't plan on going very often, or are so new that you don't want to commit to a whole year up front, The Ballroom has you covered.

Facilities
Shop - you can buy shoes, chalk, chalk bags, finger tape, as well as refreshments.
Changing Room and toilets.
Seating Area, benches and comfy seats, with a bookshelf of various climbing books to keep you entertained if you need a break, or are meeting someone there.
There are lockers, and also open cubbyholes, I use the latter and have never had any trouble with this.

What's inside?

• Upstairs traverse wall, and children's traverse wall.
• Cave walls which have some really interesting routes.
• In the main room the walls are quite a bit higher than in the bouldering room at Bear Rock Climbing, I have found this is good for working on your fear if you are a little bit afraid of heights.
• Wall on incline, especially good for footwork practice.

The Friday Five #3

1. This climbing instagram page, so many impressive pictures and photos and a great place to find different climber's instagram pages to follow. Watch this!

A post shared by Climbing and Bouldering (@fortheclimb) on Apr 17, 2018 at 10:38am PDT

2. These Boot Bananas, not very glamorous, (when is climbing ever glam?) are top of my wishlist at the moment. Climbing shoes work best with no socks, but as you can imagine, this gets pretty sweaty and starts to emit a smell. While I'm all for getting to sit alone on the bus, I also wish my bag with my climbing shoes in could have a floor to itself. These boot bananas promise to remove that smell from climbing shoes so you no longer have to worry about whether people may be thinking that smell is coming directly from you.

3. Eric Karlsson's YouTube channel, very informative but in an accessible way. I really enjoyed this routesetting video:


4. This article on How to Have Fun and Climb Hard at Comps. Especially with the freshers bouldering competition I have coming up.

5. A NEW WORD, or rather one that I thought I knew the meaning of, but appears to be a bit different in the climbing world. 'FEELING PUMPED?' I would say to my fellow climbers as we were on the approach to a crag, or walking down the corridor to the bouldering room. Turns out pumped is not feeling super psyched and ready to do a really fab climb, but when you forearms become so pumped with blood, you've lost a lot of your strength and it is pretty much time to go home.

Mission V3

On April 9th I tweeted that before my final term starts, I want to complete a V3 bouldering problem. The reason I tweeted, as stated in said tweet, was to hold myself accountable. Are any of my twitter followers going to check up on me if I haven't tweeted my progress on day 11? Very unlikely. But like tracking my climbs on UKC, it is just so satisfying.

Aiming to complete a V3 bouldering problem before term starts again. Tweeting to hold myself accountable. pic.twitter.com/mqBV8WWDhp

— Elena (@elena_joannides) April 9, 2018

Why V3? I hear you ask. Well V4 would have been ridiculous seeing as I set this goal before I'd even completed a V2. V3 is definitely still pushing it, but pushing it means pushing myself.

Before I went off to climb on some Spanish rock, I was climbing some V2s in the bouldering room/the ballroom, with some struggles. I didn't go as far as doing outdoor bouldering while I was away, so being away bouldering for 10 days saw a decrease in my ability. Probably a lot to do with confidence.

The first mission was to get back to where I was pre tour.

Day 1- Taking my own advice

Day one. VB x 1, V0 x 2, V1 x 5, V2 x so close yet so far with one hand on the last hold then had nice cheesegrater fall. Still building back up to where I was pre real rock climbs. Tomorrow is a new day 💪🏼

— Elena (@elena_joannides) April 9, 2018

Taking my own advice from my previous post on how not to get sent home early I 'warm up' properly, forgoing any embarrassment and doing VBs, V0s and all the V1s I can muster without tiring myself out, before I start on my project. I'd tried this yellow and black when it was first set and just could not get that last move. Still couldn't get it today, but went for it which is often my biggest issue - just climbing up to the crux and jumping off because it looks hard. I did fall and hit a lot of the holds on the way down so it proved unsuccessful, but the good thing about falling especially from the top, is that that is as bad as what it is going to be. I was also able to remember that I had had quite a while away from bouldering so I wasn't too hard on myself.

Day 2 - Accepting help

Day two. VB x 2, V0 x 2, V1 x 5, V2 x 1 (not the one I fell off yesterday but one I’d been working on for a few sessions) PROGRESS 🎉

— Elena (@elena_joannides) April 10, 2018

Accepting help but also trying to find your own way of making it.
On day two I went when it was a bit busier so it was more intimidating than usual, but the benefit of it being busier meant more beta. Like having someone proof read your essay, what you're doing makes so much sense to you no matter how many times you have personally gone over it. Having someone watch what you are doing, give you some advice, even the totally mortifying bit where they get on the wall and show you exactly how you just climbed it.

Day 3 - Trust Your Feet

Finally got both hands on that final hold of the V2 I kept cheesegrating off 🧀🎉🎉🎉 Fully not expecting to carry on progressing at this rate every day, but excited to get to work on some new projects 💪🏼🧗🏻‍♀️

— Elena (@elena_joannides) April 11, 2018

Of course I did the V2 again. To make sure it wasn't a fluke, to make sure I keep the confidence to do that move. (a very high and somewhat unstable foot, with hands that don't feel especially great either), to practise that foot placement. I have at times been a one and done kinda climber, feeling elated at achieving my goal and moving straight on to the next project. But now, especially as the whole room has been quite recently reset, I feel I have some time to perfect my climbs and work on new projects. I tried AGAIN with that yellow and black fiend. And readers, I sent it. After another couple of falls.
Day 4 - Rest day.

Day Four: A rest day. And oh look, an accompanying post on my blog! https://t.co/6kNKRkkiDq

— Elena (@elena_joannides) April 12, 2018

As said in this post. We all need them. And believe it or not, I do have other priorities outside of climbing. i.e my masters degree. I also have muscles I need to rest. Climbing when my muscles are tired will not help my journey.

  Day 5 - Continuity

Day Five: Back at the wall and still on the V2s, nothing new but also not going backwards. 👍

— Elena (@elena_joannides) April 13, 2018

No significant progress, but back there, doing the V2s, still trying, still putting the hours in.

Day 6.  Getting Inspired

Day 6: Getting inspired and doing some vicarious climbing through watching the live streaming of #IFSCwc

— Elena (@elena_joannides) April 14, 2018

Watching the Women's Semi Finals and getting inspired to push myself and ACHIEVE.

Day 7 - Change of Scenery

Day seven: change of setting, completed a few V2s and getting there on a V3 traverse. Some stealthy filming to ty to see where I was going wrong ~ pic.twitter.com/dTCl3KLSUB

— Elena (@elena_joannides) April 15, 2018

Days 8 & 9 - Troughing

Day 8 & 9: haven’t been because honestly the idea of going into that sweaty bouldering room and starting something almost from scratch isn’t all that appealing. Will return tomorrow with vigour and enthusiasm. Probably.

— Elena (@elena_joannides) April 17, 2018

Honestly the idea of going back into the sweaty bouldering room at uni kind of repulsed me, especially after spending a good couple of hours in the vastly more airy Ballroom. However at £6.50 a pop, and having already paid for my year at Warwick, I couldn't justify another couple of sessions in the Ballroom. Also with it being outside of term time, it was up to me to motivate myself, and likely to have no one giving me any beta when I got there.

Days 10 to 14 - Plateauing

Days 10-14: Lack of updates due to plateauing at half way up/across all V3s attempted. Term starts again tomorrow. I have improved A LOT and really pushed myself. May not have got the V3 but setting a goal has been very successful in other ways.

— Elena (@elena_joannides) April 22, 2018

My days in the bouldering room didn't make for good recording. I carried on practising V2s and attempting V3s, but reach the end of a V3 I did not.

However, all is not lost. When I set this challenge for myself, making the V3 wasn't out of the question, but it was ambitious. Since trying really hard and holding myself accountable, I have seen it is less out of my reach than I first thought. I have become more disciplined, more active, stronger and more confident. So while I may have 'failed' this challenge, I still feel like a success.

I have learned how difficult it is to stay motivated when you are all you have to stay motivated, and although it is definitely not the same as having someone to meet there, the replies and likes on twitter can be good for giving you a little push.

The Friday Five #2

1. Alexandra Heminsley writing for The Pool on Affordable Sportswear. Cool to see something other than Lulu Lemon and Sweaty Betty being recommended in filtered instagram posts from women with six packs. Nothing wrong with women with six packs, but they don't always convince me to by that low support sports bra.

2. The Finals of The World Bouldering Championships
I caught some of the Womens semi finals and finals live which was super cool, and I was so pleased to see the video footage has been saved online so I can go back and watch it all when I want to get inspired/ be in awe.
3. Leading on from this, two of the GB Women Climbers, Shauna Coxey and Leah Crane sharing their Top Climbing Tips

4. This very apt Facebook post which completely sums up my emotions during lead climbing. Don't let it scare you...



5. I have a chalk bag already and it is perfectly fine, but this is so extra and I love it.

Look Who's Chalking hits the radio!

Look Who's Chalking has made it to the radio waves.

With my co-presenter and fellow climber Aamena Patel, I am pleased to announce the arrival of Look Who's Chalking on the radio! Officially we have to call it RAW Breakfast with Elena and Aamena but know that in our hearts, and content, we are a climbing show through and through. With climbing segments galore and some banging tunes, you won't want to wake up to anything else.

We are on your radio waves every other Wednesday starting from the 2nd of May, 8-10am. Tune your radio to 1215AM, or click this link: https://radio.warwick.ac.uk/

 I will be uploading the shows as podcasts onto this blog after we have broadcast live, so if you don't manage to catch it live, you won't have missed out!

The Friday Five

Doing a new thing on Look Who's Chalking. Meet The Friday Five. Five things to click on that I have been into this week.

1. This Be Extraordinary Sweatshirt from my new fave activewear brand Oysho.
I am not entirely sure if this is an outward message so the wearer is silently telling everyone they see to Be Extraordinary, or whether it is an affirmation every time you put it on, when you look down to root through your back to find your gym card, to tie the laces on your climbing shoes and when you take it off to enter the sweaty cave of the bouldering room. Either way its a cute sweatshirt to wear on your travels.

2. This blog post on 8 Common Climbing Diseases and How To Cure Them.
Educating yourself is all well and good. But climbing humour takes something special. With a blog name like Look Who's Chalking, you know I'd love this.

3. Nakd Blueberry Muffin bars. 
Always take snacks for climbs. I love Nakd bars, especially as they are gluten free, and heartbreakingly I am gluten intolerant. They do taste very much like a blueberry muffin and they are one of your five a day and they'll put the stomach rumbles on pause for a while.

4. This article on Fear on UKC. 
A really interesting read. I am very vocal with my fear, much to the amusement of many a climber, but I'm sure fear is something we all feel at times.

5. This video on The 10 Most Common Climbing Terms Explained. 
Useful AND entertaining. Climbing IS like a completely new language when you first start and it can feel a bit nerve-wracking asking what certain words mean, especially when they are thrown around so often. Number 9 was the conversation me and my belayer would have for 90% percent of my climbs in Spain.

The Importance of Rest Days

I know you want to, we all do, but you cannot climb every day. Bodies need recovery and you also probably have other things to do. Any full time climbers reading this blog are likely few and far between, and their eyes are likely to be rolling right to the back of their head at a good percentage of my words.

Things to do on your rest day:

• Drift off into another world for a while. Featured photo is me poolside drifting off into The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt.
• Put the traumatic 3+/V0/(insert grade here) out of your head. 
• Rub some Arnica on your poor bruised legs. 
• Wear clothes that aren't lycra. 
• Breathe.
• Drink some tea from a mug, not a flask.
• Have an early night.

10 things I learned in 10 days in El Chorro, Spain.

From the 19th - 29th of March I was in El Chorro, Spain with the Warwick University Climbing Club. I had been gradually getting more and more panicked about the whole thing since originally booking it, but spoiler! I had a fab time. A group of people managed to live with me for ten whole days without any murder attempts, I stayed fed the whole time, had a good few successful climbs, nobody swore off belaying me forever, and it was just great to get some vitamin D. Would recommend.

I learned a lot whilst I was away and here are 10 of the things that really stuck with me, and you even get a bonus one. Lucky!

1. If you lean in too close to the bolt after you have successfully clipped your quickdraw in, it is possible to quickdraw your gear loop on your harness into the bolt as well. And not be able to move at all. Watch out for this because it is very embarrassing having someone scramble up to say 'How have you even done that?!' while you hyperventilate.

2. The approaches can be way more terrifying than the actual climb - case in point the first day on a cliff edge where some rock came off in my hands and I saw my life flash before my eyes. Wear your grippiest shoes for these.

3. If you're belaying someone, and you're even a little bit in the shade, wear more layers than you think are necessary. Your climber might just take 53 minutes. (Apologies).

4. Spain has far better gluten free options than England.

5. The jugs in Bear Rock and the jugs on a real rock are not the same. Indoor holds are far friendlier.

6. Grades between crags can really differ - I led three 4c's on one day, screamed my way through a 3+ another day, and top roped a 6a on another day.

7. Other climbers can follow your progress on UKC without you knowing so BEWARE, but logging any climb is so satisfying. And the 4G is surprisingly good in the Andalusian rocks so you can do it as soon as you hit the ground. Go go go.

8. You really gotta trust the rock. And your Feet. Spread your legs and trust the rubber is not just a funny innuendo. Not quite like this though...

9. Enjoy the views. It won't be long before you're back indoors suffocating in sweat where the views are a lot less green.

10. Um cheesy, but it's the people that really make it. From tolerating my wails up the easiest of routes, to saving me from clipping disasters, to cooking for me when I messed up with the sin gluten purchases, to staying up late watching High School Musical 2, to just having a flippin' great time. Big Love.

Bonus! Rupert Grint does Easy Jet flights. He's in this photo somewhere, I promise...

What to wear on a warm outdoor climb

Here I am doing an outdoor climb in the Spanish mountains looking very happy because I'm having a lovely little rest. Probably shouldn't have done that. Probably could have done that route without rests. Made for a cool snap though.

So Spain was SUNNY. However, being up in the mountains of Spain means you don't always feel the sun, so you will be a bit chilly if you go for just shorts and a sports bra.

What am I wearing here?
From the top down:
A trusty loaned orange helmet from Warwick University - good for climbs and also for the approaches where you feel particularly anxious.
A Nike sports bra, one of my outlet store purchases from Resorts World.
A Big Moon T-shirt, always great to represent your favourite bands when you doing abroad climbs.
Some 3/4 length leggings from Decathlon, very nice and comfortable with a great wide waistband that does a good job of holding you in BUT if you are taking a lengthy ground rest and forget to reapply suncream, it will be a bit embarrassing having pink shins looking like you haven't actually done that much climbing. Trying to pull off 'I was climbing up backwards I PROMISE' is actually quite tricky when you're this much of a novice.
The classic Boreal Jokers. I.e. My only climbing shoes. They did the trick.