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knightstreet
Dec 9, 2005, 1:05 AM
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Hi,
I once saw this woman on TV (Oooooh).... who was challenged to do this badass hardcore 'athletes get whooped at this' race in Canada or Alaska or somewhwere totally inhospitable (ha ha). The challenge involved Snow Shoeing, X Country Skiing and Mountain Biking. You carry all your kit including repair stuff and it lasts a number of days and you decide if you want to sleep or not.....wibble. First across the line with all their team wins sort of mission. I think it was called the Yukatak. Nice.
So this woman is from London (England) and is a marketing executive of some variety. She can't Skii, she hasn't rode a mountain bike in any type of 'mountainous' terrain and she probably didn't even know what a snow shoe looked like.
Anyway, long story short, she teamed up with a few pro trainers for coaching, had a few teammates who happened to be pretty damn hardcore - Athletes I think they called them - and the TV company set her up to do this race the next year(I think it was the next year - it was a damn short period of time anyways).
Waddeyaknow - they win the damn thing. Amazing.
It got me thinking....If some marketing bint (no offence to marketing bints) from the southern echerlons of a moistened climate such as the UK can turn her hand from pushing a pen to kicking serious amounts of ass in a particularly cruel and difficult race utilising 3 hard disciplines......if someone can do that.....
I bet I can push my climbing grade from 7a to 8a in 2 years? I bet I can you know......
And I'm not saying just anyone can do it. I just think that I can (Wahey, I'm getting an ego already, I can feel it growing in my lower intestine).
Do you think I'm crazy for thinking so, am I totally deluded as to how hard 8a is? Do you think it's just a stupid idea?
CB
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brad84
Dec 9, 2005, 1:37 AM
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well, i cant remember the author of the following quote, or the exact phrasing, but it goes something like this: "Some of the greatest feats have been accomplished by people too stupid to know that they were impossible."
second:
"whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it."
-Goethe
i say, go, its quite possible.
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jto
Dec 9, 2005, 1:33 PM
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Here in Finland there are two guys I would use as a motivational tools when talking about fast progression:
- One mate did a F8a+ sport climb after 2˝ years of climbing.
- Another wunderkind did Dreamtime Font8b+ after he had been climbing for only about 4 years and is now number 3 in the 8a.nu unofficial bouldering list.
Oh yes... you just keep on training mate and you´ll get what you want!
Cheers.
:D
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overlord
Dec 9, 2005, 1:36 PM
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its possible. especially if you have the time for training.
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gunksgoer
Dec 9, 2005, 1:57 PM
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Well i guess its possible. If you followed some sort of training program, and threw yourself on harder and harder sport routes you could definatly see some progress. One key is to make sure you dont get injurred. post back in a year!
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cantbuymefriends
Dec 9, 2005, 2:06 PM
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Knigthstreet:
Of course you can do it! I bet that you even can do it in, say, 6 months instead of two years.
Provided, of course, that you have the money to pay for a staff of professional round-the-clock hard-core personal trainers, unless you can get a TV station to pay for it... :roll: :roll: :roll:
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acacongua
Dec 9, 2005, 2:47 PM
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Is that translated 5.13 to 5.14?
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moonshine505
Dec 9, 2005, 3:20 PM
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5.11d to 5.13b. Also, for what it's worth, I think Dave Graham went from climbing 5.9 to 5.14+ in 2 years.
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yanqui
Dec 9, 2005, 3:47 PM
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In reply to: Is that translated 5.13 to 5.14?
7a is about 11d and 8a is about 13b.
A significant increase, but I'm sure it's been done in less than 2 before. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Josune did it in 2. And probably a mess of teenage mutants. In fact, I suspect la Cancha Montoya, a local girl I know, who went to live and climb in Spain for a while, probably did it in 2. On the other hand, I haven't been able to do it in 20. Although I never really put my mind to it, either.
I'd say, if you ain't got nothing better to do, then go ahead and give it an honest try. Give it your all. It ain't such a bad way to waste your time. You could do worse. Hell, it beats wasting time on this site. And if it doesn't work out, and even if it does, you just gotta keep telling yourself: what the hell difference does it really make, anyways? You probably won't even be able to communicate what your effort is all about, to more than 99% of the human race. Don't lose sight of that. And the fact that whatever real success you find, will be in the process. That's got to be what really counts. Otherwise you ARE wasting your time. Even if you do get to 8a.
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knightstreet
Dec 9, 2005, 5:39 PM
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Wow,
Zero negativity from you lot. I went home last night half wishing that I'd not put this posting out and thought that I'd maybe drunk too much coffee. Thanks for the words of encouragement. I'll let you know what happens.
CB
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overlord
Dec 9, 2005, 5:44 PM
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why should we be negative??
i know a guy that went from 7b+ to 8a in a year.
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daithi
Dec 9, 2005, 5:52 PM
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In reply to: I bet I can push my climbing grade from 7a to 8a in 2 years?
How long did it take you to get 7a?
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fracture
Dec 9, 2005, 5:55 PM
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In reply to: I bet I can push my climbing grade from 7a to 8a in 2 years? I bet I can you know...... And I'm not saying just anyone can do it. I just think that I can (Wahey, I'm getting an ego already, I can feel it growing in my lower intestine). Do you think I'm crazy for thinking so, am I totally deluded as to how hard 8a is? Do you think it's just a stupid idea?
It's a great idea, and definitely doable (I did 8a in less than 2 years). Giving yourself a goal will give you something to work towards and help keep you motivated: you can set up a pyramid and get systematic about getting there. Even if you don't make it in two years, you'll be on track, and probably doing 7c or something.
A lot of climbers I know stuck around the 5.11+ (7a) area seem to be there mainly because they aren't trying to push themselves to harder routes---they are certainly capable. I think most people are capable of climbing 8a, if they work hard for it.
Good luck. :)
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knightstreet
Dec 9, 2005, 6:22 PM
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Daithi - I got to 7a quite quickly but didn't pass it due to being a bit younger and not really making the connection between effort and reward. I think I just had a good understanding of technique and power efficciency at an early stage. I didn't desperately want to improve a grade. If I tried something hard and managed it it was sort of - oh, that's a nice surprise. It wasn't - YES, I've done it and where do I go next...That's what was lacking before and that's what has to change to enable me to improve.
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knightstreet
Dec 9, 2005, 6:30 PM
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In reply to: A lot of climbers I know stuck around the 5.11+ (7a) area seem to be there mainly because they aren't trying to push themselves to harder routes---they are certainly capable. I think most people are capable of climbing 8a, if they work hard for it.
My sentiments exactly. Climbing is sort of an everyman for themself game whereby you make your own choices in terms of improvement. If you don't make the choice to improve, you generally won't.
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daithi
Dec 11, 2005, 11:46 PM
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In reply to: Daithi - I got to 7a quite quickly.
That bodes quite well! If you are willing and able to put the effort in over the next two years why not.
In reply to: Anything is possible if you wish hard enough! |
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icarus_burned
Dec 12, 2005, 9:22 AM
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In reply to: well, i cant remember the author of the following quote, or the exact phrasing, but it goes something like this: "Some of the greatest feats have been accomplished by people too stupid to know that they were impossible."
phenomenal quote,
case in point back in the day (what day exactly i dont know) the standard practice for running super long ironman type events was something like run 8 hours sleep for 4, run another 8, sleep another 4
anyway in one event some relatively talented runner from australia, (talented meaning he was a farmer who had to run around a lot as his daily work and was tehrefore fit) decided to enter.....
he was lambasted and ridiculed before the race but ended up winning by an awesome margin....
his secret, nobody told him you were supposed to sleep......
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overlord
Dec 12, 2005, 9:45 AM
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In reply to: In reply to: well, i cant remember the author of the following quote, or the exact phrasing, but it goes something like this: "Some of the greatest feats have been accomplished by people too stupid to know that they were impossible." phenomenal quote, case in point back in the day (what day exactly i dont know) the standard practice for running super long ironman type events was something like run 8 hours sleep for 4, run another 8, sleep another 4 anyway in one event some relatively talented runner from australia, (talented meaning he was a farmer who had to run around a lot as his daily work and was tehrefore fit) decided to enter..... he was lambasted and ridiculed before the race but ended up winning by an awesome margin.... his secret, nobody told him you were supposed to sleep......
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
id call that superior tactical planning :wink:
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arrowhead
Dec 12, 2005, 1:49 PM
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In order to improve fast, it definitely helps to have a team, or at least a partner who's equally as motivated. Working on routes with someone of the same level, or better, can help to keep the motivation high and there will be more opportunity to learn off each other.
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c22
Dec 13, 2005, 3:51 AM
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Hey, anythins possible, sharma (yah, yah I know) only climbed for 3 years before winning the world cup...
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manacubus
Dec 13, 2005, 4:27 AM
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You can't go from 7a to 8a without serious amounts of training. If you pack that serious amount of training into a short period of time (intensive 2 year period), the biggest thing you're up against is the possibility of serious injury. You might be lucky and make it through unscathed, or you might bust yourself up so bad it forces you out of climbing, either for good, or for an extended period. Different elements of the body develop at different rates, so it's easy to become unbalanced which can lead to injury.
7a to 8a in two years is certainly possible, but just take the time to rest and listen to your body. Best of luck.
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knightstreet
Dec 13, 2005, 7:59 PM
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Yeah, I appreciate injury is more likely. I've been fortunate enough to only have suffered minor injury and mostly through just climbing rather than training. I've seen people do stupid things though like pushing too hard in the wrong direction of training - hanging big weights off themselves and knackering elbows, abuse of campus boards, not resting enough, not backing off when injured etc....
I learned to rest and listen to my body and I'm pretty thankful that I had the sense to when I was in my earlier climbing years. I guess to some extent that was what I have been scared of - injuring myself badly through training. I feel that I know enough now to avoid that or at least minimise the risk to an acceptable level.
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osloklatrer
Dec 3, 2006, 6:44 PM
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so.. reached 8a yet?
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fluxus
Dec 4, 2006, 3:34 AM
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I know of one climber who who went from 7a to 7C+ in anout 8 months, and another climber who went from 7a to 8a+ in a year, as well as about a dozen others who made very similar gains.
7a to 8a in two years is very reasonable if you have the right resources and enough time to train each week.
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jto
Dec 10, 2006, 7:38 PM
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Alexandra Taistra of Poland did a great starting three years: 1st year 7c+, 2nd year 8b and 3rd year 8c. She says she is a bad onsighter because she skipped the middle grades... ok.
Very freightening...
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