Wow! I'm very excited to see all the posts here. I don't check DW that often, but if this group becomes active, I'll be here MORE!
I turn 57 in October. I started climbing in the summer of 2009 at 55 (turning 56 that fall). I have a friend, Kij Johnson, who inspired me to try. She started climbing at 45 and is amazing. She is also a wonderful science fiction/fantasy writer (http://www.kijjohnson.com), and I happily suggest people check out her web site where she also posts about climbing.
I have only climbed in the gym, because when I started I was older, overweight by 40 lbs., and terrified of heights. The first time I ever went up a slab wall (top roping) I was hooked. It was the most fun, exciting, thrilling, fantastic thing I'd ever done.
At 40 I ran my first marathon (NYC Marathon), but that had been a long 15 years before and I have had hip pain that keeps me from running at all any more.
Climbing not only doesn't bother my hip, I've gotten stronger, gained muscle, lost 26 lbs., and become more flexible than I've ever been in my life. I regularly climb 5.8s, and I work 5.9s and 5.10s, and extreme overhangs.
I suck at bouldering, but I can successfully do recreational level routes (V1s mostly).
I am desperately trying to get more women my age to try climbing because it's just fantastic, but I usually climb with people who are in their 20s as they are the ones in the gym. (grin)
I'm also on LJ, under the same name, should any fellow climbers over there want to friend me!
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branchandroot
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Date: 2010-09-10 03:37 pm (UTC)I turn 57 in October. I started climbing in the summer of 2009 at 55 (turning 56 that fall). I have a friend, Kij Johnson, who inspired me to try. She started climbing at 45 and is amazing. She is also a wonderful science fiction/fantasy writer (http://www.kijjohnson.com), and I happily suggest people check out her web site where she also posts about climbing.
I have only climbed in the gym, because when I started I was older, overweight by 40 lbs., and terrified of heights. The first time I ever went up a slab wall (top roping) I was hooked. It was the most fun, exciting, thrilling, fantastic thing I'd ever done.
At 40 I ran my first marathon (NYC Marathon), but that had been a long 15 years before and I have had hip pain that keeps me from running at all any more.
Climbing not only doesn't bother my hip, I've gotten stronger, gained muscle, lost 26 lbs., and become more flexible than I've ever been in my life. I regularly climb 5.8s, and I work 5.9s and 5.10s, and extreme overhangs.
I suck at bouldering, but I can successfully do recreational level routes (V1s mostly).
I am desperately trying to get more women my age to try climbing because it's just fantastic, but I usually climb with people who are in their 20s as they are the ones in the gym. (grin)
I'm also on LJ, under the same name, should any fellow climbers over there want to friend me!