by Nathan Philips
End of a year, start of a new one.
I know it’s not technically that time yet but as a competitive climber the year starts and finishes a little earlier. The last international was The World Beach Games in Doha, Qatar. It was the first time I’d had the chance to compete in a multi sport event and as part of Team GB. I really enjoyed watching new sports and meeting other athletes from different scenes. The comp itself was actually quite enjoyable even with the 40 degree heat. Due to this we competed late at night which was another new experience for me
Before the comp
If someone would have said I was going to come 4th I’d have been over the moon. However, with only the smallest of margins separating me from the podium and only 1 move from the win, it was hard to be totally satisfied at the time. After some reflection I know I did really well and it’s really exciting that I was that close. It just gives me more confidence that I’m capable of hitting the top spots.
Switzerland
After a couple of domestic comps in the UK the season for competitions was over and it was time to hit the rock! I’d been looking forward to a 6 week trip to Switzerland for a while and it was finally time to do it. Unfortunately things didn’t really go to plan. For the first week of the trip my elbow tendinitis flared up and I couldn’t try anything. During the next 3 weeks it rained and snowed constantly. When we finally decided to bail to Fontainebleau, France I strained my hip flexor and struggled to walk after any amount of climbing. Eventually we cut the trip a week short to return home and get my hip/leg checked out.
Luckily due to the steep style of climbing in Switzerland we could at least get to work on some hard moves on the overhangs in the hope of returning on a dryer trip to finish them off. I put 7 sessions this trip into an unclimbed project I’d previously tried on another trip. Finally getting all the moves done in the end. It’s for sure the hardest thing I’ve ever tried and I’m super psyched to return for it.
1 week of proper rest and I’m now back into training for next year. I feel good and I really feel like I can get the results I know I’m capable of. With White Spider’s support and all my followers support it’s gonna be easy right? 😉
@nathanphilipsclimbing 01/2020
