Friday - Cuvier re-match

Scott was really feeling the effects of yesterday on his ankle, so was going for a rest day anyway. We went to the Carrefour up past Cuvier first, to get the obligatory Pommerol before getting the last bit of climbing in. It was a little damp still, and not sticky damp either. But the warmup went well, Marie Rose first time, other stuff flashed and I felt more comfortable, both from having had a rest day so the skin and muscles were better, plus more accustomed to the style of climbing.

I had intended to purely try to get on Charcuterie, via Dutch's sequence of go for the RH crimp from the undercuts, rather than getting into the other undercut. But Scott persuaded me to get on the arete that I'd briefly tried on Wednesday. RH slot, LF on good hold, rock up on LF nobble to get LH sloper / crimpy layaway depending on how you prefer to take it, RF by LF and LF onto smear, then RH into crimp, RF goes into starting slot and then LF kind of hooking / flagging on the side of the arete to throw LH for high chickenhead. RH comes onto pinch the arete above the chickenhead , get the feet high (RF into RH crimp?) and go for the top of the arete, whereupon you really shouldn't fall since it's a good hold and you'd probably miss the mat if you fell from there anyway.

Whereas previously, I couldn't even sort out my feet enough to get the RH into the crimp and do the crux throw for the top, this time I did it first go, despite the damp. Just pysche and concentrate, sufficient rest and skin. Fucking basic things.

There was a group under Charcuterie, so I had a play on L'Abbatoir instead. Not done it for probably eleven years. Couldn't remember the sequence, I was getting close using a high LH sloper and kneebar, but conditions / skin / strength / time weren't permitting it today. Only had three goes, got further each time, but had to sack it off.

Had quite a speedy journey back up; at one point Scott had to brake for a van that was going slowly in the fast lane and fortuitously went past a gendarme with a speed gun. I commented that was a bit lucky and maybe we ought to observe the speed limits. Alas, he got clocked doing 126 in an 80 zone at the turn-off for the ferry-port and we got a motorcycle escort to a cashpoint to pay the 90€ fine.

Got home without too much bother, quick Thai curry and then crashed.