Tomoko Ogawa 8B+ interview

(c) Nagao

How many days did you work it?
I have spent about 30 or 40 days during these 3years, a few hundred attempts.

Did you do any special training?
I thought I need more finger strength and reach. I did "finger pull-ups" for a long time that I had seen Daniel Woods do in a DVD. It is like hanging on a campus board with open hand and close it to crimp over and over while you are hanging.

And I started to straighten up my body. Actually I was hunched. I thought because of my backside muscles got too big since I started climbing, I wanted keep my chest and body open to extending my reach. It took a year to get better.

Describe the boulder and the crux?
The first section of this problem involves several pockets and the last section is dynamic. In short it's very steep and super fingery. The crux of this problem is the 5th move with the right three finger pocket and a left shallow pocket. I thought I need more finger strength and reach to do the 5th move. I always failed at the crux because my feet peeled off the far and heinous footholds. To be able to keep my feet on I have done a lot of "core training" for years. I was trained by a professional foot ball player and it worked very well.

What is your next goal and plan in climbing?
I just want to go to many areas overseas. I also want to climb slab project which is my weakness.

How much per week do you train. Do you have a trainer?
I train a couple of days a week and go outdoor on the weekend. I have no trainer. I think a bunch of DVD and my husband are my best trainer.

What have you been working with lately?
I have spent time in some of the schools close to the big earthquake the last year, to teach climbing for cheering up a lot of kids. I thought it was worthwhile experiences. I have also taught climbing in TV shows and I have worked on talk shows in TV.

P.S...
I am surprised of the big reaction in the media. I am not a famous climber in the world..maybe nobody knows and also I was among the last in the world cup every time. I am not a strong climber in actually. My previous best was two 8A+ and one day i Got an impossible DREAM of doing an 8B+. When I tried Cathersis the first time, everyone said it was impossible for me because I had not done an 8B. But I never gave up. I kept on trying for three years for something that seemed impossible in the beginning.