Climbing clothes poison! By Stevie slowly dying Haston

Thumb up for poison or thumb down for poison

The Outdoor industry are for the most part the same as other businesses and industries, they don't tell you the truth and are after your money.  So taking a leaf out of my own Blog I want to share with you a bit of troubling information. This information concerns rainwear and windproof garments. Are they poisonous? I don't know how correct this information is but it was sorted out by Greenpeace so potentially it is very accurate. You can make your own mind up, but as you aren't privy to any kind of meaningful test on humans perhaps your fashion prejudices will guide your decision.

I work in the Industry and am always told to keep my mouth shut-I generally do.

So 14 jackets were tested and found to have harmful poisons in them that when washed go into water and then they go where exactly?

What I don't understand is if they get into water why aren't they concerned about these poisons getting into you.   Doesn't a layer of perspiration normally build up under these supposedly breathable fabrics, and then lie on your skin? Perhaps they haven't done this particular test?

The Greenpeace report says "every piece of clothing was found to contain PFOA (which is Perfluorooctanoic Acid). With the highest concentration from Jack Wolfskin, Northface, Patagonia, Kaikkialla and Marmot." 

Marks and Spenser are following H&M's  in getting rid of this kind of poison, with a commitment to eliminating all other hazardous product by 2020. 

So is your raincoat poisonous? Answer; ' looks like it'.

Adieu Patrick Edlinger, by Laurence Gouault.Haston

Triste nouvelle de la disparition de Patrick Edlinger. Le "Blond" comme il était surnommé, était la plus grande figure dans le milieu de l'escalade, Paris Match l'avait reconnu comme la personnalité préférée du  public tout sport  dans les années 80. Sa présence dans les médias était indescriptible, de nombreux films, vidéos, livres, articles....  L'escalade française ne serait pas où elle est aujourd'hui sans Patrick, il l'a fait découvrir et à inspirer des milliers de personnes et pas seulement en France. Et surtout il est l'homme qui a transformé ce sport en art, il dansait sur le rocher avec classe et élégance. 

Avec son grand compagnon Patrick Berhault, leurs enchainements  vertigineux dans le Verdon, à capturer l'imagination d'un sport en plein développement. Patrick Berhault nous a aussi quitté il y a quelques années. Pendant de nombreuses années le succès des grimpeurs français dans le monde était dû à ses deux personnalités,  l'escalade française leur doive énormément. L'influence de Patrick Edlinger était bien au delà de l'hexagone, comme sa victoire à la compétition de Snowbird en 1989 aux USA. Sa triple victoire en compétition sur une année était extraordinaire.

La poutre du Maitre!

J'ai eu la chance de rencontrer et de grimper avec la Légende, je m'entraine encore aujourd'hui sur la poutre d'entrainement qu'il  avait donné à Stevie! C'est toujours un moment spécial que de s'accrocher sur la poutre du Blond.

Patrick Edlinger Adieu, by Stevie Haston.

Spotting the King before matts, in Heuco Tanks 1993

Patrick Edlinger died Friday. He was known as Le Blond, and was a very big deal in rock climbing, as a rock climber he had the full palate of skills and strengths, power and grace, when he was on form this superiority rocketed him to the top. He was also bold, in fact thats how I thought of him many times holding his ropes, the bold blond, 1992 and 1993.   

9a, Obama, Climate change, by Stevie disgruntled Haston

What is a 9a. You don’t know do you? Has the Climate changed? I know. Did Obama deserve the  Nobel Peace prize, well clearly not. Have these things got anything in common? Actually more than you think.  And for me they are all linked in an intricate, strong, but brittle way. It’s called information.

9a is not what you think, and has been devalued by the climbing press, by massive inflation, and miss-reporting they don’t care, they are just a business that earns money.

American politics is business. Obama was given the Peace prize for what? It can’t have been for peace, America is still at War in a few countries. Just open your eyes and  read, stop surfing for women’s breasts, climbing titillation, and puerile distraction.

We are all sold stuff that is overpriced, or just junk. There wont be a pristine white  K2 any more, there will be a dry pile of rocks which some one will be sizing up to make nylon ropes out of.

When I open a web site concerned with climbing, do I see anything to do with Climate change? The climate was a boulder perched precariously on the edge of a huge mountain, and we knocked it off, now that it has started rolling can you imagine the trouble we are going to have to even slow it down. Tomorrow that boulder will be hurtling faster, and it will knock other little rocks which will join in destructive avalanche. In 5O years hopefully I will be dead, but the planet will be roughly 6° centigrade warmer, that’s hot as hell. Great ice climbs will be extinct, Skiing won’t exist, the Himalayas will just have there tips covered in frost in summer. A few years ago in Pakistan it was 30° at 6000 meters, and the snowfields were almost like treacle, slowly moving.

I swim in the sea, the temperature is going up! The acidity of the Mediterranean sea is also going up! The ability of sea water to contain minerals in suspension which creates shells and other living structures is in danger. The amount of plastic in the sea is gross.  Islands of plastic,  way bigger than Gozo float around seas, made up of plastic bottles, condoms, plastic bags, etc.  We hunt tuna with planes and then send massive boats to catch these fish, the fishermen are armed because its very, very big business. We then farm tuna. We feed Tuna cheap food to increase their weight , at the right time we then fly the carcass to some rich men’s tables, Japan or America. Then a climber eats it. Bon appetite.

Some climbers know more about climate change than any one, they live it first hand. They don’t speak up cos its bad for business. Old garbage dumps, toilets, dead bodies they are all being exhumed by climate change. Glaciers are disappearing, open your eyes. The pollution in the Chamonix valley is off the health scale, it is out side what should be allowed, this valley one of the most beautiful in the world is being killed by climbers, mountaineers, skiers, and the  general business of mountains. Happy climbs.

My ability to change the world for the good is low, my ability to change the world for the bad is great.  I would like it to be the other way around.

Bench marking, by Stevie Haston

Bench Marking some personnel bests is always a good idea. Bench Marking allows you to know if your slack in one department, and tells you to get back up there. One of the best bench marks for climbing is simply your weight, if you fluctuate wildly. My weight is all over the place, so is my fat percentage.

Flexibility is not super important, it is just very important, good to know where you are. But do you know how much you fluctuate thru the day? My flexibility just after a short car journey is not good.

Tendons are probably the biggest problem for most climbers, and here a good result means you are in a good position to know what routes and what kind of routes you will get up. Pockets are different from flat ties, how's your thumb strength etc.

Any way I just did an assessment and found out my lower body muscle bulk is down, this is brilliant news.

Front lever strength is a bit down, not good news.

Back lever strength is a bit down.

Power is down a bit too.

Tendon strength is up, brilliant news.

Crimp is the same on small holds (ish)

Crimp stammina on medium holds is going up.

Pull up strength, very high considering power is down.

Conclusion; core needs work. One arm work is failing due to the core not assisting. This is probably why two arm strength is not affected, as it takes less core. Body fat shows a decrease, and so does muscle bulk, this leads to a bit of weakness.

The result of these changes has led to some good on sighting, which is not what I wanted but I won't look this particular 'gift horse in the mouth'.

Bench Marking should be done every four weeks or so, and it's good if you get a few good days rest before.

Fall forever, by Stevie Haston

Went running. 

Got side tracked

 Met Laurence after her Yoga Workshop

Got Autumnised

Went to Orlu Boulder, very underrated.

I had a bottle of strong German beer, amber nectar, 

Took the Hand for a walk, this hand was last seen in a box in the Adam's family, wasn't it called 'It.' Oh yea, that's a bit of rock behind 'It', not wood!

Auburn autumn aria, by Stevie 'audax et cautus' Haston

Had a fantastic little days climbing, perfect conditions, perfect light. It was about six degrees, low humidity, rested, keen, eager to see what the day, and our bodies would give. It was good, I would say brill, but no chain, no victory, just progress, and a feeling of bold cautiousness.

The lesson of today, was hurry slowly. I am always full of good advice but often I don't hear it myself, or am hurrying a bit too fast. 'Hurry slowly', is what I sometimes tell a student, and then of course some look at me like I'am daft. Some get it and keep it, and shine it and polish it. Another thing I tell them -or myself -is find the rhythm  of the route, I get some dumb looks with that one too.

So I was climbing 'like Pavarotti sings' today, made it all the way through some ridiculously hard climbing, because I hurried slowly and found the rhythm of a particularly bumpy bit of climbing, I was audacious and cautious at the same time, bang on with the timing and the pressure of the foot placements, magic, I was magic. 

Anyway I get lowered down, and its my running mate on Laurence's mobile, talking training and all enthusiastic, he's been at the training game way longer than me and given advice to some of the best long distance people in Britain. He was saying how great he felt and how he felt he was a better athlete now, and wait for it, he is 72! When I was running the other year, I made two mistakes, not doing enough speed work, and being too fat. This year I have made the same mistake that I always make, poor crimp and being too fat. I actually didn't have the time to fit the tuning in, like now, I don't have the time, so I have to make time. I will make the time, cos when you climb well its too good, its like Automn colors, its heroin for the eyes, its  a thrown pebble skipping across the water. Climbing well when you are audacious with crisp powerful moments, but being cautious not to forget the transitions, the thumbs, and clamping the crimp, and never loosing the rhythm of the route, is one of the few things that makes it worth living.

Arm bar machine..

When I got home all rosy cheeked and happy, I did my training, too ensure more fun and success. It was basic catching of holds and clamping the crimp on. Some swings to catch, some rolling over on the shoulder, and some static undercut holds, and mono work. Finnished off with 'the Bug' and a poor upside down Bug,  and another Bug, and now I feel buggered!