Ellis Butler-Barker on a training link-up at Dartrock Climbing Centre. Grades are: ~Font 7c+/V10, F7c, F6b+ (Reverse), F7c, F6b+ (Re...), F8a, F6a+ (Re...).
This was going to be used in Ellis's South West Film Festival Movie but was a bit too long so decided it upload as a throw-away clip.
**No resting in the groove just before the 8a for training purposes**
Just over a month ago I began the Dartrock Youth Open
Bouldering Series which is a fantastic competition where you get four weeks to
complete four boulder problems graded V0-V10. After the first day I had got
stuck into the problems and did 24 of them and two days later I had finished
the 25th problem. Results came out just over a month later and I had
won the first round and had won the adults category too.
1st Ellis Butler-Barker- 264 points
2nd Alex Waterhouse- 223 points
3rd Tom Wright- 221 points
4th Charlie McFazden- 109 points
5th Andy Price- 107 points
6th...
Thursday 29th November I went out to Dartmoor for
a head torch session with Thom Cole and Dan Woolnough, we arrived at Bonehill
where I soon realised that I had left my jacket and hoody in the Dartrock car
park, so I was absolutely freezing! We headed up to ‘The Moor’ - (‘The 2 poor holds on the right of the arete to the big
slopey hold above. A contender for the hardest single move on The Moor’
(description from Javu.co.uk)) and ‘Arkem’ V8/9 which is my favourite problem on Dartmoor, an amazing arête with huge slopers. We started
to warm-up on ‘Warm-up slab’ and soon got to work. After many attempts I had
stuck the sloper but once I had realised it was too late to match and I was
sitting on the pad with a strong feeling of exasperation! I looked at my hands
and I had managed to ruin both my middle and little finger. With a taped up
finger it was clear that I wasn’t going to get it that evening. Meanwhile Dan
was getting very close on ‘Arkem’ and quickly sent it when trying the links.
On the weekend I spent all day Saturday at a freezing
Torbryan Quarry where I had a semi-rest day climbing with Jack, Andy and Tom
Wright. I did some cool routes which included; ‘Bedrock’ (F6b+), ‘Viscious
Delicous’ (F7b), ‘Pebbles’ (F6c) and ‘Little White Lie’ (F7b) plus several
others but they were my favourites.
Sunday; I went outdoors in the morning and found a really
cool project on a roof then had a great session at Dartrock where I started
completing the boulder problems for competition.
After several days rest due to an aching wrist, the day had arrived for the High Sports Plymouth Bouldering Competition. I had planned to arrive at the wall early to ensure a proper warm up and to encourage the younger members of the Dartrock Youth Climbing Team in the junior category whom competed in the morning… After various troubles I arrived at the comp around 30-45 minutes late and jumped straight into the competition qualifiers without warming up.
I set off feeling strangely nervous and quite weak but slowly worked through the problems and was soon attempting the toughest problems. Time went quickly; “30 minutes remaining” was soon announced and I continued to work on the tough ‘fluro pink’ problem which had a move which was bigger than my full span and I struggled greatly to get it done. Shortly after, time was up and I had three problems which I hadn’t yet done, one of which that I probably could’ve got first or second attempt- Leaving me 10/7 points less than I could have been!
I waited anxiously (with a huge amount of doubt) for the four finalists to be announced…
I soon found out that I qualified in second place. After a 15 minute break it was time to get on the problems. Apprehensively I pulled on and made a huge move to a small pinch and somehow, cutting loose along the way, stuck it. Then a few shouldery and powerful moves, I was eyeing up the last hold. Hesitantly I went for the two finger pocket and managed to hold a large swing and top the problem! The second was a horrible problem which featured one horrible move to a slopey rail from the most awful pinch I’ve ever used, sadly I didn’t top this but look forward to trying that next time I go. The final was a cool roof problem on good holds, on my first go I got quite close to sticking the crux which is around 8 moves in from two undercuts to a huge sloper but my span wasn’t large enough to hold the undercut and the sloper, so would’ve had to hold the sloper one handed which didn’t seem possible after climbing through the roof.
I had came second in my first proper senior competition! I was pleased to come second to Tom Newberry. Well done to everybody whom took part and thanks to High Sports Plymouth for running a great comp.
Two days later and I had received an email from Liquid Grip UK about a new sponsorship deal; I am now proud to be sponsored by Liquid Grip and am pleased to represent there company and there amazing innovative product which I would recommend to everybody! Check out their website; http://liquidgrip.co.uk/.
I have recently been watching the following video alot and found it very inspiring; so I thought it may be worth sharing the trailer:
At Dartrock on Sunday, I walked in for a training session and was pleasently surprised to find a newly set F8a+. I stood reading the route for a long time before going for an onsight attempt but unfortunatly used a hold wrong on the first and second attempt. I successfully did it clean on my third attempt which I was pleased with as it was my first 8a+.
I have now climbed Font8a and Fr8a+ indoors now and hope to do an Fr8b once one gets set.
Yesterday I competed at the Final of the BMC Leading Ladder in Reading... It was a very early start- waking up at about 4.30; to make it worse I had struggled to get to sleep the night before due to excitment.
I arrived at Reading for around 8.30 and signed in and grabbed my competition t-shirt, looked at the routes and did some bouldering to warm up and jumped on route at around 10ish.
I started on a technical and rather reachy Fr6C, then to the 6B+ then 7A and got each of them onsight/flash. I was eyeing up the moves on the 7B and thought that it looked very technical and pretty fingery for a 7B, I had half an hours rest and jumped on it and pulled through the moves and kept pulling and kept going and I wasn't coming if, soon after I clipped the lower-off and I was on for everything on-sight... All I had to do now was onsight the 7C for the win.
After about an hours rest with 30 minutes until the end I decided to go for the 7C, at this point the route was starting to get busy. With 15 minutes to go, I finally got an oppurtunity to get on route, I climbed most of the route effortlessly until about 3 moves from the top when I fell pulling up slack to make the final clip before the finish. With 5 minutes to go, I got another chance and blew it with two moves to go, I was pretty sure that I would have finished it on my third attempt. Time was up. I finished in third. I later found out that the winner got the 7C on the fifth attempt and second place got the same score as me but beat me on round points.
Overall I had a really enjoyable day and was happy to make the podium in my first national competition(CWIF is international). Well done to everybody who made the final.
On Monday I got offered a sponsorship deal with Dartrock Climbing Centre, so I obviously undertook this oppurtunity to gain my first sponsor. This will cater to my training needs, given that I am training to compete at the CWIF (Climbing works international festival) and BBC's (British Bouldering Championships). I am very happy with the oppurtiunity and would like to thank Dartrock for this offer.
I will visit Dartrock alot more regualry now, I hope to use the training facilities available at Dartrock to improve my all round climbing performance/ability and be on top form for my up-coming competitions.
Visit Dartrock's website and discover what Dartrock has for you...
Just over a month ago I began the Dartrock Youth Open
Bouldering Series which is a fantastic competition where you get four weeks to
complete four boulder problems graded V0-V10. After the first day I had got
stuck into the problems and did 24 of them and two days later I had finished
the 25th problem. Results came out just over a month later and I had
won the first round and had won the adults category too. 
Thursday 29th November I went out to Dartmoor for
a head torch session with Thom Cole and Dan Woolnough, we arrived at Bonehill
where I soon realised that I had left my jacket and hoody in the Dartrock car
park, so I was absolutely freezing! We headed up to ‘The Moor’ - (‘The 2 poor holds on the right of the arete to the big
slopey hold above. A contender for the hardest single move on The Moor’
(description from Javu.co.uk)) and ‘Arkem’ V8/9 which is my favourite problem on 
