Jo Neame

Despite initially not being particularly bothered about attending this event (as it was a senior comp so would be very difficult and was not in my favoured discipline), I ended up finding the Senior  British Bouldering Championships  one of the most exciting events I have ever been to. Located in a tent outdoors on Devonshire Green, Sheffield, the BBCs was part of the annual Cliffhanger festival, a festival showcasing outdoor sports with food stalls and live music to add to the atmosphere. However, upon arrival in the heavy rain, my initial feelings were not entirely positive and I began to wonder whether it had been worth turning up at all. The qualification format was one with which I am not entirely familiar-5 mins on 5 off for 5 problems (so no extra time to read the problems and no chance to grab some other beta)-and I found it stressful to figure out my own beta and get each problem done in the time. After almost flashing the 1st block but slipping off the last hold and...

Eyy! Exams are over! To celebrate the start of my long 'summer' holidays (though it doesn't look much like summer to me) I travelled up to Snowdonia for the weekend to get some indoor and outdoor climbing done. Because I will be having a GB team training event next weekend to select for the European and World Championships, I decided to spend a day at the  Beacon Climbing Centre  where the selection event will be held to get some practice on the different walls. I like the walls at the Beacon as, despite not being very steep like most other walls, they are very tall and often have consistent, non-cruxy routes which require stamina and solid vert technique-the kind of routes which suit me best. I enjoyed getting on some of the harder routes to onsight but discovered a couple of routes set with wooden holds-holds I had only experienced on circuit boards and did not like on routes. These were slippy and unpredictable but I gave them a go anyway. My favourite route of the day...

Last weekend I entered my first ever international competition-the European Youth Cup held at  Imst Kletterzentrum . Due to having an exam the day before the comp, I was unfortunately unable to travel with the GB Team, so arrived late on Friday. The demos were scheduled for 8.30am on Saturday, so it was an early start for the whole team and we all got down to the wall in time to have a look around and get warmed up before the climbing began. The wall ( or I should say walls) was amazing,but what struck me in particular was the indoor wall (we were competing outside) which had an amazing range of angles, all crammed into a space smaller than most centres in the UK and yet far more impressive. My first qualifier was soon revealed to be a very technical vertical route up the middle. This should have suited me. However, extreme nerves overtook me and I found myself greasing of a pair of chalky crimps halfway up the route, with lots of energy still to spare. To my annoyance, the route ...

Fontainebleau...one of the best bouldering venues in the world and a place I have wanted to visit for so long. In March I finally did get the chance to go and what better an opportunity for the weather to pack in and rain almost constantly. Much time was spent fondling wet rock optimistically and it was frustrating to watch the days of our short trip go by from behind a window. Nevertheless, the area is undeniably the best place I have visited for any outdoor climbing, with boulders littering the forests in well established areas such as Bas Cuvier,and hidden gems awaiting in the depths of the forest at Apremont Bizons and other more obscure areas. Despite not being able to climb as much as I wanted, I managed to tick my first font 7a, which, considering the conditions and lack of time on the boulders, I was pretty pleased with. I discovered lots of potential future projects and am excited to go back soon (hopefully when it isn't raining!). Keep climbing! Sending Magifix (assi...

In March I visited to new boulder centre in Tunbridge Wells- Karma Climbing . The centre was spacious and all though not very big, it had a really good vibe and the staff were helpful and friendly. The setting was great and I had fun trying some of their comp set which ranged from gutsy dynos to weird balance acts. I also made full use of their training facilities-a small gym, campus and peg boards, rings and two circuit boards.I would really recommend the centre to anyone living nearby or passing through kent-it's definitely worth a visit. Keep climbing!

I haven't written in a while due to exam/training stress, but I've finally had time to catch up! During March I received a youth sports grant  from the Hackney Council awarding me £350 to help pay for some of this year's competition costs as well as a year's free membership at my local leisure centre. A few weeks later I discovered myself on page 7 in the local paper ! Thanks to Hackney for all the support they've given me- Keep climbing!

After a long day in Liverpool competing in the leading event, I travelled to Manchester to compete at The Depot Climbing Centre , a brand new centre with loads of space and a variety of gradients. I arrived 2 hours before qualifiers began and took time to look at the blocks and get warmed up. There were lots of slabby problems with twists-a slippy foothold perhaps or even a dyno- as well as some powerful blocks. Going around with some mates I managed to flash a slab and then one which came through a small roof. However the hard blocks far outweighed the easy ones, and I had trouble getting past the bonus on a fiendishly hard slab, a shouldery, bridging problem and a slab with a dyno to a tiny pocket. There was one problem which I suspect I could have done had I not messed up all of my attempts. The first go I grabbed a hold which looked the same colour as the block but apparently wasn't. The next two attempts my hand slipped just as I was setting up for the side ways dyno to the b...