The Lead Circuit is Finally Here!

Getting into the roof section on my second Qualifier in Briancon
Photo by Eddie Fowke

In case you haven't been following the lead circuit (which I highly recommend you do), three Lead World Cups have just passed in the span of two weeks. The World Cups passed through the French and Swiss Alps in the small mountain towns of Chamonix, Villars, and Briancon. As my first lead World Cups, I entered them with the mindset of learning and developing as a competitor. I may have yet to reach my goals in terms of placement, but at least I now know how to approach these goals with my training and preparation.

The Chamonix World Cup was the first one up. It was a brand new experience and I loved every bit of it. It was very strange but yet exciting to be warming up with some of the climbers I have previously only read about. When my time to climb the first qualifier came around, I was nervous but I felt decently ready. As soon as I started climbing, I realized that these climbs are not going to have an "easy section." They started off fairly consistent, but still very doable. I then reached the roof section, where I made a silly blunder, leaving the rope in the way of my next hold. I came off disappointed, but I took it as a learning experience. Lesson 1: Keep thinking about your surroundings. Lesson 2: These routes are going to be hard.

The view around Villars, Switzerland isn't that bad either!

Only two days later, I was in Villars, Switzerland for my next World Cup. It was the first time the circuit hit this town, and I believe it was one of my favorite cups thus far! Qualifier 1 went well, with me slipping out of an unusual hold and Qualifier 2 threw me off in an awkward barndoor move. I might not have fallen fighting, but at least there were no silly mistakes! I felt like this was my best World Cup thus far, and the placement seems to agree with me.

Sticking the move on Qualifier 1
right before popping off.

Finally, after spending a few days in Italy checking out a few crags, it was time for the Briancon World Cup. Being one of the oldest cups in the circuit, it is no secret that Briancon's routes are a little different. I would describe the qualifiers as being your normal gym climbs. On Qualifier 1, I made it past one tricky section, stuck the next big move with my left, and then popped off for what looked like no reason. I have probably watched the video 5 times now, wondering what happened. However, a recent gym session has revealed a fairly large weakness: my left hand is a lot weaker on edges than my right! I attempted a few one-hand hangs on a few different edges and my left consistently failed to last as long as my right. So I guess that is something to work on! Qualifier 2 saw another interesting phenomenon. While pulling the lip, I lost body tension and found my feet swinging out below me. Although I know I had more than enough strength to hold it, my mind slipped out of focus and went into a more relaxed state. It looks I have have both mental and physical weaknesses to improve on!

Now, I'm back in the Czech Republic for a few more weeks of training and some local comps as well. I have to get back into bouldering mode just in time for Munich while still keeping lead in mind for the Imst World Cup the weekend after! It's time to put my newfound experience to use and see what I can do.