disobey_gravity | Introductions time!

I'll go, I guess. I'm not a climber, but interested. I subscribed to the comm a while ago, back during Three Weeks for DW, but at the time, didn't have anywhere I could try climbing.

Unfortunately, when I was going down the list of things I could think of that would be needed to climb, I forgot one thing... I'm really, really scared of heights.

I dunno if that's something I could overcome, but the one time I've tried climbing, I quit long before it got physically hard because I was to scared to move.

But I'm still interested and think it's really cool. So, that's why I'm here.

I dunno if that's something I could overcome

If you want to -- absolutely! In my early climbing days, I used to tell myself that if all I did in a session was traverse to and fro across the a few six inches above the mats, that was fine, that was enough. And once I convinced myself of that, I found that I often wanted to go up a bit ... and a bit more ...

I think it gets easier when you're not in a lesson/class situation and you can go completely at your own pace, without feeling that anyone's looking at you.

Depending on how the fear affects you, you might find you prefer bouldering (much lower heights, usually only four to five metres at most). There's the "no ropes" factor, of course, but for me it helps knowing that it's a distance I can safely fall (onto squishy mats).

Of course, you might find it's completely the opposite for you, and you prefer having the security of a harness and ropes.

ETA: Yay and thank you for breaking the ice and going first *g*.

Edited 2010-09-09 17:49 (UTC)

I'm an old and semi-retired climber. I started in about 1989 when I dated (and eventually married) a climber, although I learned better from other people and ended up climbing with him only about half the time. I am pretty much strictly a trad climber, although I'd go to the gym in the winter, and my favorite type of climbing is multipitch on big peaks, although I have never done (nor really wanted to do) the multiday big wall type stuff. Probably my favorite and most spectacular climbs were Hallett Peak and the Petit Grepon in Rocky Mountain National Park, and the Durrance route up Devil's Tower. At my peak I was leading 5.9 and following/TR'ing 5.10c or so, but I haven't climbed much in the last 10 years (due to moving away from good climbing areas, and becoming obsessed with other activities) and am not nearly so good any more.

Here's a picture of me leading the 5.8 second pitch of Ruper, a stellar long climb in Eldorado Canyon near Boulder, Colorado:

I hate bouldering, because I'm scared of falling without a rope. I have taken 2 lead falls and they were both terrifying. I like toproping, because you can fall all you want. I like stemming and laybacks. I hate crimpers. I love it when the key to making a move is to figure out the right way to balance your body - maybe you need to flag your foot, or swap hands, or press on a sloper just enough. It's like solving a crossword puzzle with your body.

Oh, that's an awesome picture!

I love it when the key to making a move is to figure out the right way to balance your body - maybe you need to flag your foot, or swap hands, or press on a sloper just enough. It's like solving a crossword puzzle with your body.

*nods fervently*

I haven't found anything else that requires you to think with your whole body in the same way.

Hi. I've been climbing for a little over a year, entirely too much in gyms, and rather seriously for the past four months. I intend to climb outdoors often considering how much I go hiking, but my and my usual climbing partners' schedules mean I've only gone once, top-roping at the Gunks earlier this summer. It was everything I knew I was getting into the sport for and more, I just wish I had more opportunities for it. I want to go back to the Gunks quite a few more times, preferably once I can do 5.10s (gym 5.8s are what I can *reliably* do right now, and practicing for better) and head out to Seneca and other Mid-Atlantic-local climbing spots sometime, as weather and schedules permit.

My husband is slowly overcoming his fear of heights on easy gym climbs, and maybe someday we'll get to a point where just the two of us can manage outdoors ourselves and not worry so much about scheduling with other terribly busy people. I'll have to get over my fear of small trad gear someday, too.

Mostly I post about climbing and what it means to me in lj rather than here because. er. I don't know anybody. Which is silly. So hello.

Mostly I post about climbing and what it means to me in lj rather than here because. er. I don't know anybody. Which is silly. So hello.

Hi! FWIW, I would really love to see people's reports and thoughts on climbing posted here.

I've been doing the same thing and posting in my journal (often locked, as some of it's quite personal to me); okay, that started long before there was a

disobey_gravity, but I'd like to be braver about it.

I'm hoping this might help break the ice a bit for us all.

I started climbing about six months ago. I like top-roping at the gym and trad climbing outdoors. I can consistently climb 6As at the gym, but I still mostly fall off the 6A+s. I'm only just learning how to lead so I don't really do anything difficult outside.

So far I really love climbing! I've always been very athletic; however, I don't like team sports, so climbing is great for me. I'm considering getting into bouldering so that I won't be so dependent on finding a partner for belay purposes.

It is very nice just being able to grab your shoes and chalk and go, without having to arrange or co-ordinate anything with anyone else. So I can heartily recommend bouldering for the solitary and antisocial. *g*

Although I always seem to end up chatting to other people who are bouldering and taking turns on problems and swapping ideas and generally interacting, all which is completely uncharacteristic of me when it comes to offline interaction.

I can heartily recommend bouldering for the solitary and antisocial. *g*

See, that is what I would have thought, but the friend who I climb with claims that in reality bouldering brings out the extrovert in people. She made up a bicycle analogy in which trad climbers are mountain bikers who spend all their time outdoors being quiet and not really saying much to each other, whereas bouldering people are like the cool BMX kids who gather round in a big circle and watch each other do tricks.

I don't know if there is any truth in that, but I thought it was an interesting observation.

What I like is that it can go both ways. You can be completely solitary and just do your own thing, and that's fine.

But your friend is completely right that there can also be a lot of impromptu taking turns on problems, sharing beta, cheering each other on, showing off, etc..

I think I'm often more extroverted when bouldering than in any other context in my life (geek with Asperger's, etc.). Family and friends are completely boggled by the fact that when bouldering, I actually spontaneously chat to strangers.

Hi, my name is Annalee, and I'm learning Parkour, which is kind of a cousin to climbing in some ways. It involves that same kind of physical problem solving, and thinking with your whole body. Also it often involves climbing things.

I got into it, oddly, as a byproduct of becoming a babydev. I had never tried to learn programming before because I thought it would be too hard. Once I tried it and realized it wasn't so hard after all, I started wondering what other stuff I was talking myself out of trying. So when I saw parkour videos on youtube and caught myself thinking, "I could never do that," my second thought was, "I bet I could if I tried." I just began intermediate-level parkour boot camp this week.

The thing I probably enjoy the most about it is that it's completely non-competitive. Even when people are showing off and being super-flashy, no one's keeping score. It's entirely about beating your own personal best and finding routes and moves that work for your body.

Right now, vaults are my favorite thing, but once I've got pop vaults/wall runs down, I'm probably going to do them constantly just because I can (that's where you use a step up on the wall to transfer forward momentum into upward momentum, then use your arms muscle up and over the wall. I can get as far as hanging. Pulling myself up has yet to happen).

Edited 2010-09-09 20:59 (UTC)

Also it often involves climbing things.

There's definitely a fair amount of overlap, especially with bouldering and buildering.

The route-setters at the wall where I climb occasionally set problems where you* have to run up the wall to grab the first hold, and then I strongly suspect that they've been watching parkour movies again *g*.

(*For values of "you" meaning "not me", because I can't do that. Yet.)

I just began intermediate-level parkour boot camp this week.

ROCK ON. It's fascinating what happens when you start to think of things as possible for yourself.

Even when people are showing off and being super-flashy, no one's keeping score. It's entirely about beating your own personal best and finding routes and moves that work for your body.

*nods* Yeah, that sounds a lot like the atmosphere with bouldering. Even when I did a comp, everyone was cheering for everyone else.

Pulling myself up has yet to happen

But it will, one day! And that day will be an awesome day!

(Speaking as someone who has taken some time to progress from the "dangling forlornly" stage of any type of pull-up activity, but made it eventually.)

The thing I probably enjoy the most about it is that it's completely non-competitive. Even when people are showing off and being super-flashy, no one's keeping score. It's entirely about beating your own personal best and finding routes and moves that work for your body.

This is one of my favorite things about climbing too. :)

Edited (html) 2010-09-10 03:15 (UTC)

this is completely off-topic, but icon love.

I started climbing about six years ago and enjoyed it a lot at first but not as much in the last few years. I joined this comm hoping it would reignite my climbing squee and that hasn't really happened, but I do enjoy reading about others' squee, so this is a good place for me to lurk. :)

*ponders ways to reignite your squee*

Glad you're enjoying lurking, anyway!

I started climbing while I was in grad school in San Diego. A couple of my friends got really into it and became quite serious trad climbers. I never got that far - I tagged along on camping trips to Joshua Tree and the like and followed lead climbers and did a spot of bouldering. I went to a nearby (and very well-appointed) climbing gym regularly and could do 5.10b-c toprope climbs and V2 bouldering problems before my thesis ate my life. I made a few more outdoor trips while I was a postdoc, but I haven't climbed at all since I moved to England six years ago. I'd like to get into it again. I need to look into finding a decent climbing gym near Cambridge. Southern England also doesn't afford the kind of convenient outdoor climbing that Southern California did, so my motivation hasn't been high, especially since I got into running and that's very convenient. I'm hoping participating in this community will light a fire under my butt to get into it again.

Southern England also doesn't afford the kind of convenient outdoor climbing that Southern California did

Indeed. There's the legendarily-terrible southern sandstone, but from what I hear, if you're going to have to travel, most people choose to head up to the Peak District or somewhere like that.

On the plus side, if you find a climbing wall you like, you'll often be able to connect with people there who are organizing trips to the great outdoors.

ETA: Forgot to say -- this looks like it might be a useful resource.

Edited 2010-09-10 11:48 (UTC)

Yes, I think I might try to do some bouldering the next time we go on a walking holiday up north. I've still got my shoes and belt and a few biners.

Oh, thank you so much for the link! Kelsey Kerridge is a small detour from my walk home from work in the evenings so I'll stop by on an upcoming Wednesday. :-)

Hello!

I'm an - as of yet - non-climbing lurker, and

rydra_wong has roped me in. :D (..... that pun was unintentional, I swear.)
Mostly I do yoga, walking and some basic exercises these days, although I know that I can get strong and muscled very easily from my shot putting days, and I hopefully haven't lost my fairly good balance from doing gymnastics back in the day. So!
Pretty much as soon as I'm back in Berlin I'll give it a try - the only thing you could climb around here are trees and buildings. And chalk cliffs, but I'm not suicidal.

Same here with the non-climing lurker. i do some running and some strength training. I really need to go visit the local climing thing soon.

Wow. The one in Braunschweig looks great! (Uh, from an amateurs view, aka "It's really BIG!" ^^)
I'm planning on going to every climbing facility within 40 metro minutes of my flat in Berlin and choose the one where I feel most comfortable. :)

IMHO, yoga is actually really good preparation (and cross-training) for climbing -- the particular kinds of flexibility and balance and focus you cultivate with yoga are a huge advantage in climbing.

And because yoga has so many poses (like downwards-facing dog) where you're bearing weight down through your arms, it helps balance all the pulling work the arm and shoulder muscles do in climbing, which in turn helps reduce the risk of shoulder problems.

I know a lot of climbers do yoga for these reasons -- I've heard there are even some places that run "yoga for climbers" classes.

I was thinking that building flexibility would be a huge benefit, mostly based on your post about climbing. Like, if I can reach all the way across the front of my body with my right arm without having to use the left arm to help or twisting my back. Or bringing my knees all the way up to my chin. :)

*nods a lot*

Hip flexibility in particular is a huge advantage, when you're trying to get a foot onto a hold that's high up in relation to your body, or when you're bridging across a wide gap.

My hip flexibility's pretty good now and it means there are certain bouldering problems that are drastically easier for me than for less flexible people.

Should flexibility doesn't seem to confer much of a direct advantage in climbing itself, at least so far as I've noticed, but it's really important to keep the shoulders mobile and open so they don't round and get strained -- I spend a lot of time on shoulder-opening poses after I've been climbing.

I've always climbed trees and large rocks as a kid and have been mystified by those colorful "rock walls" I've seen at schools and in gyms but was never able to pursue it on my own. Finally, in college a very talented climber friend of mine brought me to a gym and showed me the ropes - literally. I've been hooked ever since.

I've only bouldered and toproped in gyms so far but I hope to actually climb outside one of these days. I'm not very strong but I swear I have never found another activity that is better for building strength than climbing.

I am currently studying abroad in Taipei, Taiwan and unfortunately there doesn't seem to be many places to climb. However, the other day my sister and I were surprised to find a somewhat run-down outdoor rock wall on campus with a rotting mattress below it as a pad... but we were so excited, we didn't care. It'll do for now!

_{My sister goofing off on the wall on TaiDa campus.}

Great picture! The backpack must add an extra challenge *g*.

I've been hooked ever since.

It's addictive, isn't it?

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!

I have a friend, Kij Johnson, who inspired me to try.

Oh! She's one of the people whose posts about climbing helped inspire me to start. *fangirls her*

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.

Would you fancy writing a post about starting climbing in your 50s? Like you, I keep trying to talk more people into it, and I know a lot of people think it's not possible for them because they're older or heavier or have a dodgy hip or knee or whatever.

People seem to feel that climbing's something you can only do if you're a young muscular guy, when the reality is so different.

I would love to write a post about starting climbing in your 50s. I'll work on that. I'd be happy to post about that.

I have sent the link of your post about starting climbing to Kij and to my unofficially adopted daughter Kim - who works in a rock gym. I know they will both love to read it.

*is belatedly catching up on comment replies*

*squeaks and cheers*

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!

I'm loving all these stories!

I should have started climbing young but didn't, for some reason. I grew up near the Red River Gorge and had tons of friends in high school and college who were really into climbing; I could easily have joined in their enthusiasm and just wasn't interested for some reason. Years later, grad school, very urban setting with no rock to speak of anywhere nearby, I had a moment of frustration and stress while working in a very small library carrel and thought, "I wish I could just climb the walls." Epiphany. I immediately searched out local climbing gyms, recruited a friend to take a beginner class with me, and fell in love. That was about five years ago.

I climbed quite regularly, almost exclusively in the gym, mostly toprope with some indoor leading, for several years, but I've been off for most of the past year, due to other parts of my life getting too busy. I'm now back at it and trying to get back into shape, but I'm finding it a little frustrating to get back into a regular schedule and finding it impossible to get back into shape without a regular schedule. Part of the problem is that it's SO time-consuming: my gym is a 30-minute bike ride away (and more like 40 if the weather is bad and I have to take the bus), and because I tend to toprope, I find it almost impossible to get out of there in under two hours. I also feel like I need to go at least twice a week if I really want to improve rather than just maintain (and I definitely need to improve right now!), so I'm trying to remember how to fit 7-8 hours' worth of climbing back into my weekly schedule. When I'm on the wall, there's nothing I love more; when I'm sitting at home thinking about everything else I could do in those 3+ hours, it's hard to get motivated. Anyone have any tricks for this? Fortunately or unfortunately, I tend to climb with a large group of people--on any given MWF late afternoon and early evening, there will be 5-7 of us there, and we pair up accordingly--so there's no particular climbing partner accountability involved. Mostly, I think I need to get the habit formed again--climbing, after all, is about overcoming inertia, and right now I've got a lot of mental inertia.

As I dream about my ideal future life (I'll likely be changing geographical locations in a year or so, but where I'm going is very up in the air), it involves living somewhere near good outdoor climbing; I'd love to get out of the gym, at least some of the time, but I'm not in a position, geographically or financially, to do it now. We'll see!

so there's no particular climbing partner accountability involved.

*ponders* If accountability helps, there's

exercise_every_day ...

I've thought about that, but I'm not sure it would specifically help the climbing problem--because one of the things I'm prone to do is think, "but if I just go for a run instead, I can be done and showered and everything in just an hour." So feeling like I have to report to someone that I've exercised is not quite the same kind of accountability as knowing that my climbing partner will be unable to climb if I don't show.

Mostly, it's just one of those mind over matter things until I get the habit re-established. And habit formation is supposed to take 6 weeks or so.

Introductions time!

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