Alexei Drummond

I started outdoor climbing in January 2019. My first lead climbing outdoors was in March 2019. Every lead outdoor climb I have ever done is on this profile. I am new to climbing, but very keen

Current Goals

• At least 40 tie-ins on routes grade 27 and above in 2024

Previous Goals

• June 2020 Goal was to climb grade 25 - success!
• July 2021 Goal was to climb grade 27 cleanly by the Olympics 2021 - failed
• 21 April 2022 Goal was to climb two grade 26 routes cleanly - failed
• End of 2022 Goal is to climb a 26 - success!
• End of 2023 Goal was to climb a V6 outside - success!
• End of 2023 Goal was to get four 26 sends - success!

Injuries

• 31st January 2021 - Left middle finger flexor tendon on Black Widow at Waipari/Froggatt
• 14th May 2021 - Avulsion fractures to right little finger playing soccer Still on the path to recovery after over 8 months!
• 19 February 2022 - Something popped in my right wrist (another finger flexor tendon attachment?) on Black Widow (again!). Can barely close my hand now. Off to the hand physio again
• 6 October 2022 - Just when I was injury free, I managed to injure my left knee falling off a boulder problem in Northern Rocks and hyperextending my knee. MRI scan revealed bony bruising at the anterior margins of the lateral and the medial tibial plateau and a subchondral compression fracture at the lateral tibial plateau. Should heal by the end of the year.

Approach to personal grades

Because I am new to climbing I almost always take the grade assigned. The exception is if I perceive that there is an easier line to clip the bolts than "was intended". My attitude is that you almost never have the FA with you to tell you which holds are in, so unless explicit in the description, all holds are in. In which case, if an easier line has been ignored, then I will offer a lower grade to reflect the easiest line.

Approach to logging sport climbing ascent types

(1) Onsight - if I haven't seen anything about the climb that could help me climb it, and I climb it at first asking with no gear pre-placed.

(2) Flash - I know something about the climb, usually because I just watched my partner onsight it. Usually the gear is on, as my partner typically doesn't remove the gear until we are finished climbing the route.

(3) Redpoint - If I didn't onsight or flash, then red point is a clean climb of the route, whether or not the gear is on. The rope might be pre-clipped into the first quickdraw for safety reasons. For sport routes, I don't distinguish between red point and "pink point".

(4) Hangdog - if I climbed to the top of the route, but rested on the rope (either by falling or calling a take). The only other aid I would use and call it a hangdog is pulling myself up the rope a bit after a hang. This means I will have always placed all quickdraws from a clipping stance, and I would have attained the clipping stance by climbing unaided from the last clipped bolt or earlier. If I have to use other aid (like holding a dogbone, or standing in a sling) then I do not count it as a hangdog.

(5) Working - if I wasn't trying to climb the route and was just working the moves. Or if I topped it out, but I needed to use aid other than hanging and pulling up on the rope (see hangdog).

(6) Attempt - I was trying to get to the top, but I failed or retreated.