Marginal Gains or How I learned to stop worrying and love the process.

Project (noun): An individual enterprise that is carefully planned to achieve a particular aim.

Success (noun): The accomplishment of an aim or purpose.

Climbing isn't always easy. Sometimes when climbing stops being easy, and further progress seems just out of reach, a project is born.

A project is a climb or problem, that one is working but has not finished yet. The often overlooked side of finding a project is the admission to oneself that this has happened. This decision is important. Climbers often try problems and move on without ever succeeding. Sometimes a problem grabs you and becomes the object of one's desires. When this desire coincides with a belief that a climb can be climbed a project is born.

Many climbers struggle with projecting. I used to believe you either were or were not a "projector". Some people are willing deal with the repeated failure knowing it is in the pursuit of something greater, and others can't. It's that simple. This year I have tried to get better at projecting and no longer do I think it is as black and white. The difference between projectors and non-projectors is mindset.

With climbing like every sport, it is easy to measure your success. You clipped the chains, topped out or matched the top hold. The obvious conclusion to jump to is that not doing these things counts as failure - You didn't finish the climb, so you must have failed. This isn't the case. The definition of success above states that it is the accomplishment of an aim. While the main aim may not have been achieved, that does not mean secondary ones were not. Maybe it is the furthest you have ever got on a slab, you may have made a toe hook work when previously you couldn't, or it may just be an achievement to pull onto your first E1 because before now you have always been scared. 

It is these other sorts of successes, the marginal gains, that separate the projector from the not. When you are able to see the positive in the small wins then you can project. Full sessions falling off become worthwhile if you made one small move, discovered a new foothold, or even just feel less pumped getting to the same point as before.

Ultimately the key to becoming a projector is finding the positives where others would find the negatives. So, keep putting one foot in front of the other, and when they both fall off keep looking on the bright side until they don't fall off anymore.

Why is it so hard not to climb?

It was the end of 2016 when I injured my middle fingers. I had been training on the boards at my local wall and, having seen the gains I was making, had been ignoring the swelling that was starting to trouble my middle digits. There were no "pops", but through overuse and heavy strain, something changed in my fingers and suddenly after every session they became swollen and painful - It took a large amount of effort for the joints to hurt during training and I think this is part of why I continued to train, when the post-workout swelling had reduced.

All climbers get injured - I cannot think of one climber I've met who hasn't had a twinge or a tweak in a finger, elbow or shoulder. Others take a bad fall and break ankles, blow knees or throw out their backs. Every climber also keeps on climbing and training through injuries. We have all seen a climber with a pot on his or her ankle on the pull up bar. Half of all climbers have one or more fingers taped, most gyms seem to have a guy with KT tape on an elbow or shoulder. The climbing community is unlike the rest of the sporting world; you are far more likely to meet an injured climber than an uninjured one.

Objectively the high rate of injury makes sense. Finger tips didn't evolve to have our entire weight dangling off them. Elbows make for an incredibly efficient way to move our arms, but are not built for high, constant strain. The shoulder joint has the greatest range of movement of any joint, but this mobility comes at the expense of stability. You can see why climbing leads so commonly to injury.

Climbing isn't alone in putting untold strains on it's participants bodies though. So why does it seem climbers are more injured than other hobbyists? The answer I think is three-fold:

1. Climbing is developing at an alarming pace. If you go to many indoor walls now you can climb grades on plastic that didn't exist 30 years ago anywhere. It is incredibly difficult for conditioning and training to keep up with the advancement at the top end of the sport.
2. Strength is seen as a quick way to improve, rather than the slow progress of technique. With easy access to training videos and information it is very easy for anyone to learn about campus boards etc. We all know these are dangerous and can lead to injury but the risk of injury vs. the reward of improvement is very difficult to balance.
3. Climbing is a community. With many climbers socialising with other climbers, gyms and crags become a place you go to socialise as well as climb - blurring the lines between social and sporting lead to people climbing when they shouldn't.

Point 1 & 2 above will change more with time, and in some ways we have already started to see this change in recent years. Cafe Kraft have brought out conditioning guides to help with exercises not directly related to climbing, with the aim to reduce injuries. Dave MacLeod has also brought out a book on climbing injuries and treating them - though the main emphasis is on prevention - Make or Break is a really good book and one every climber should read.

Point 3 however I doubt will change.  Unlike more established sports, practitioners of climbing at every level call themselves "climbers". It is not very often that a player of five-a-side calls themselves a footballer. Climbing unlike many sports is more holistic than the physical activity itself. Climbers climb, but they also socialise with other climbers and go on holidays specifically to climb. Climbers spend hours going over guide books looking for routes, and go walking to look for undiscovered rocks and routes.

It's this all-encompassing nature of climbing, that it permeates all corners of your life, that makes recurring injuries hard to avoid. When you go to the crag or the gym to socialise, you end up climbing more often than you should. You decide you will have an "easy session" just so you can chat to friends on the mats or you've walked all the way to the crag now, so you might as well put your shoes on, even though you have aches and pains. Twinges turn to tweaks, tweaks to pulls, and pulls to tears. It's the communal nature of climbing that makes it hard to recover, because when all your friends are climbing how can you sit out just because your middle fingers hurt? 

Northern Sardinia Bouldering and the Issues of Grading

As I write this, I have been back from Sardinia for a full week and have had time to reflect on what a week it was. Whilst my time in Sardinia was specifically a non-climbing holiday, I knew that there was a plethora of rocks and as such a huge opportunity for climbing. It was this that pushed me to pack my clothes in my pad and try and grab a few hours bouldering (in between the beaches and fine dining).

Capo Testa 

For anyone interested in untouched rock the north of Sardinia seems to have plenty. I could find very little record of bouldering in and around Capo Testa or the town of Santa Teresa Gallura. I managed to sneak two afternoons and one evening session into my holiday and that resulted in some 20 unrecorded lines (which are now all recorded on 27crags for anyone to use). I was very happy with my little addition to the island and thought it would be an easy process to update people on my return.

The true problem I found was with grading my new climbs. It was 30-36 degrees when I was climbing. A temperature range which is blatantly not conducive to good friction, which made everything feel hard on a rock type I really wasn't used to climbing on. This lead to many questions:

1. Do I grade for how hard the climb felt then, in that moment?
2. Do I grade for how hard the climb would feel in optimal conditions?
3. Do I grade for how hard I found the climb?
4. Do I grade for how hard a granite expert would find the climb?

Not to mention the unanswered question of:

• Do you grade for how hard a problem is to flash?

Or

• Do you Grade for how hard a problem is to Red point?

All of these questions are hard to answer, and I understand grading is subjective and there are no hard or fast rules, but I actually thought it raised some interesting points.
My opinion is this, grade for optimal conditions and, if you can, for how a local expert would grade a problem. It is always better to fight for a grade than to have one handed to you, and this is how I proceeded.

Charlie Evans on the pristine granite

However the Redpoint/Flash grading is very difficult. How much of a grade comes down to figuring out the right beta? (Especially in a time where you can load a video at the crag and watch how others have climbed it).
It makes sense that a problem will be harder if you do not know how to do it. But also it is different for every climber how long a problem takes to figure out, the you add in fatigue from attempting a problem and is it fair to grade a problem based on solving a problem.

The same goes for the physicality of a problem, we are all built differently and as such all find different problems suit our strengths. We all know a burly roof climber who struggles on slabs, and a delicate slab climber who struggles on roof's. So how can one grade suit all?

The answer I feel lies somewhere in between and how we grade problems will be a discussion that continues as long as climbing does.
What a long winded way to tell you all i did some climbs and made some topo's.

 Happy Climbing.

Climbing Shoe Review - La Sportiva Skwama

La Sportiva describe the Skwama as a high performance shoe for everything from overhangs to slabs. In reality most climbing shoes cannot do everything and we all know that, yet here Sportiva are saying that they have a shoe that works well across the entire range of routes and problems. With a few new innovations I was willing to take a risk and see what was going on, who knows they may be onto something.

The Skwama - Seb Smith

The big news with the Skwama (and it’s sister the Otaki) is the new S-Heel technology. A thick band of non-compressible rubber has been put down the inside of the heel, to prevent torsion of the heel and reduce the loss of power and stability associated with this. In other words when you use a heel hook your foot is able to move around slightly in the heelcup because the the rubber on the inside of the heel is so soft. The slight deformity of the heel this movement causes, means you’re not quite as stable in the shoe and obviously the power that goes into deforming the heel cup is lost from the heel hook itself. This is where the S-Heel technology comes in - The thick rubber band in the S-Heel means you cannot disfigure the heel of the shoe, in the same way, and as such that previously lost power is put straight into the heel hook itself - this should in turn make the heel hook feel more solid and improve your overall ability to use your heel properly.

Another addition of note is the cut out sole; removing a piece of rubber from the middle of the sole allows you to spread the front of the foot, increasing the amount of contact with the rock. For a downturned shoe the Skwama smears well, and is not out of it’s element on slabs as is often the case when it comes to aggressive shoes.

On the opposite side of the toe box, rather than remove rubber La Sportiva have decided to add it. Nearly the entire front half of the shoe is covered in a soft, sticky toe patch. The rubber is some of the softest I have ever felt, making toe hooks extremely easy outside- where the combination of the rock friction and the soft nature of the rubber work exceptionally well together. Indoors the toe patch still works well, though there have been times I have wanted a slightly stiffer rubber to give a little extra support to my foot.

The Cut-Out Sole - Seb Smith

The only problem I have found with the Skwama is the mixture of Edge and No-Edge technology. The problem isn’t a preference over one type or another, rather having both on the same shoe. The very point of the toe has an edge while further back, on the inside and outside of the foot, is the No-Edge Technology. Fresh out of the box, where the two meet, the shoe feels uneven and loses some of its feel on the wall. Once I had worn them a while and the edge rubber had started to wear this ceased to be a problem - but it could be overcome altogether if one was chosen over the other, and I don’t think the combination adds enough to the shoe to warrant the slight frustration it causes.

Comfort

La Sportiva say the Skwama “fits like skin” and they are not wrong. The Skwama could have been sold without the velcro strap, as a slipper, and no one would have complained. The addition of the velcro strap gives extra security and really allows you to minimise any areas where the shoe is not as snug as you would wish. There is really little to no give in this shoe, so while you can go down in size quite a way with these boots, they do not stretch - more just mold to the foot. If you aim for a snug but comfy pair out of the box, that is how they will stay.

Sensitivity

The Skwama is a phenomenally sensitive shoe: at first I was worried that using 4mm Vibram rubber instead of the 3.5mm would rob the shoe of some sensitivity; this is not the case. A combination of the split sole and the soft XS-Grip 2 rubber allows the user to really feel what is happening under their feet. Due in part to the soft nature of the shoe, the sensitivity can be on the painful end of the spectrum when really weighting your feet on sharp pebbles - unless you are constantly standing on pebbles though, you should not let this deter you.

On the Rock

Let me assert this shoe is brilliant outside: I use them for pretty much everything now. My Skwama have already been to Magic Wood and Fontainebleau with me. On the hard granite of Magic Wood, the Skwama was like no other; the cold temperatures certainly worked well with the soft nature of the shoe; not taking long to warm up yet never softening up too much. Mid-April in Fontainebleau was maybe too warm for the Skwama, while the shoe never held me back, there were times I was felt a slightly stiffer sole would have made life easier.
Closer to home the Skwama has performed without fault on the gritstone of Yorkshire and the Peak, while the shoes were definitely better in the colder temps, so is the rock - so I’m not sure this should ever be a deciding factor. I’ve also managed to get some use out of the Skwama on limestone more recently where they have been superb for really feeling the rock and giving that boost of confidence on weighting your feet.

The Skwama doing what they do best - Seb Smith

In the Gym

A good, all round pair of shoes, the Skwama is going to be a great choice of shoe for anyone bouldering at a mid to high level indoors. It’s lightweight, downturned design means that at the higher end of lead climbing where necessity dictates that performance outweighs comfort, the Skwama is a perfect choice.

Overall

When it comes to the Skwama, La Sportiva have managed to make a brilliant shoe. It is soft and sensitive without having to sacrifice power. The S-heel technology is really impressive and I’m sure we will see it being used on a lot more Sportiva shoes going forwards. For me, the shoe would have been improved if it La Sportiva had used the No-Edge Technology on the entirety of the toe, but this is a minor point and I’m sure soon they will have an Edgeless shoe with the S-Heel tech - Until then this will be my go to shoe for sure.

Climbing Shoe Review - La Sportiva Genius & No-Edge Technology

Since buying my Genius a fair few people have asked me what I thought about them and more specifically the no-Edge technology. I have now owned my La Sportiva Genius for 5 months so I feel I can finally pass judgement on them and the No-Edge technology. When you look at one you can’t help but look at the other - So here you have somewhat of a mixed review. First a bit of background on the new tech.

La Sportiva Genius

No-Edge Technology

At first, like many, I was somewhat sceptical of the No-Edge technology La Sportiva were pushing on some of their more high-end boots. Boots have had good edges for years; it’s one of the things many people look at when they are buying a new shoe. Deep down everyone knows you need an edge to stand on those tiny little “Credit Card” edges. And we have all had to throw away a pair of shoes that are just too worn down - a big sign of which is their lack of edges.

According to La Sportiva however, none of this is necessarily true. A “No-Edge” shoe is produced using a brand-new process, meaning that La Sportiva can make the following claims:

• No-Edge brings rock and foot into closer contact.
• No-Edge enhances the sensitivity and the adaptability of the shoe.
• No-Edge allows for a more even pressure distribution across the shoe.

There are a few things to consider here, that once your normal shoes are worn down enough to be edge-less the rest of the shoe is used and abused to the point where they don’t function as they should. And while an edge is great for standing on a tiny crimp the extra rubber you have to put on a shoe to produce an edge will obviously reduce sensitivity - More rubber on the shoe, means more rubber to have to feel through.

Another question we could ask, is why did we want Edges in the first place? I mean I can see the logic of them being great on crimps but are they useful on any other hold type, that is to say “Does a shoe’s edge offer any advantage on a hold type other than a thin lip?” Are we maximising gains on one specific hold while causing losses on all the others? I can’t really find a satisfactory answer to this anywhere, but at least this is an interesting point for another time.

Anyway enough general waffling and onto the shoe itself.

The Genius in Action - Seb Smith

La Sportiva Genius

Comfort

As a rather aggressive shoe the genius is not a comfy out of the box boot. However they broke in within a handful of sessions and really sat nicely on my feet. Wearing them untied at first decreased the discomfort but probably also increased the amount of time to break them in. The lace system obviously allows for the shoe to mould very closely to one's foot, while the Classic La Sportiva P3 system maintains the downturn and hence the feel of the shoe. There is a ridge of padding under the curve of the toes which took a bit of getting used to, but is actually a really nice feature and does increase the comfort overall. One great feature is the full lacing system, allowing a really adaptable fit for a range of different foot sizes and shapes.

Sensitivity

I originally bought these as a stiff shoe, on both the shelf and the test pair the rubber felt stiff while still being flexible. However after breaking in the Genius has become much softer, still not as soft as say the Python’s but still noticeably softer than they first were. The sensitivity is brilliant; you really can feel a lot of what is going on underneath you. I was worried about whether my footwork would become more shoddy - just stabbing a foot on and letting the No-Edge technology do its job - however this isn’t so much the case. You are not so much just stabbing a toe on and just going, but there is no time needed to make sure the edge is on just right. You can feel the rock beneath you, know you can weight it and be straight off again.

In The Gym

I’m not sure this is the shoe for you if you solely use them in the gym. They are an expensive pair of boots and honestly I’m not sure feet are ever so bad in the gym that an edge will be what’s holding you back. That’s not to say I don’t use them when indoors, but if this is your only stomping ground I wouldn’t be rushing out to buy a pair -Though I will say that I have started using them during training board sessions, and they are very useful at getting your feet used to that specific sort of precision footwork.

On the rock

This is where the genius really shines. The amount of information you receive from your toes is simply phenomenal. I have had these out and about all over Yorkshire and Peak grit. They are good at everything from standing on pebbles and quarried ledges, to smearing on non-existent holds. Recently they were my go to shoe for a week in Fontainebleau, where they performed exceptionally well on the glassy and non-glassy sandstone of the area alike, even performing well on even the most delicate of Font slabs. The one thing I haven’t mentioned is how great they are at heel-hooks. The stiff yet sticky heel holds really well, is easy to weight and even easier to trust.

An ill-advised heel hook - Seb Smith

Overall

The Genius is a great bouldering shoe, fulfilling all the needs of a performance rock boot. They are built fantastically well and given the good state they are still in after 5 months of use that quality seems to last. For those of you who take a selection of shoes to the crag, this is definitely one you need to consider, and I am sure you would quite quickly be pulling this one on first. It can take a while to get used to but it is definitely worth it.  The “No-Edge” technology can be a bit of a Marmite style divider, but for my money it works - and don’t let that be what puts you off trying a brilliant shoe.

Climbing Shoes - Where size always matters.

When you think of climbers and supermodels you may think the similarities end at fantastic legs, toned abdomens and low percentage body fat, but more than any of that we share foot pain.
Supermodels are famed for cramming their feet into shoes that often look more like garden furniture or kitchen accessories than actual footwear - resulting in toes more crushed than Tokyo commuters. Climbers to share this curse.
When you start climbing it is often suggested you take a shoe a few sizes bigger than your normal shoe, but this advice soon reverts as you desire to climb harder and steeper routes. The general rule is the more aggressive the shoe the smaller the size, but how small should one go?
I just bought a pair of La Sportiva Pythons, a shoe famed for giving way (eventually) so I went as small as I physically could. I ended up with a shoe four sizes below my usual size. My feet have yet to forgive me. The phrase "grin and bear it" comes to mind, yet smiling is the last thing on my mind when sitting down to put them on, let alone while wearing them.
Do I regret my purchase? Simply put no. They may hurt like hell, prevent me walking and crumple my toes, but the precision is brilliant. They are giving about as much as a miser in a recession, but hopefully it'll start soon.
So I suppose the lesson of this story is buy small and if they never give; persevere, save up for something else and try again!

New Pythons Vs. Normal Shoes