My Recent Climb

The month of September was a busy time with school starting up, my dance schedule and getting back into routine. I unfortunately didn’t get into the climbing gym as much as I had hoped as I didn’t make enough time for it. I went climbing about once a week with my friend Ava but it wasn’t regular enough to see some real improvement. Ava and I have been experimenting with different times to go and climb as we’ve discovered it’s difficult to make the most of a session when the climbing gym is very busy. As the wall reset happens on Tuesdays every week, Wednesdays are packed. We usually go in the evening but the past few times we went it was hard to get a chance to work on circuits without feeling rushed.

We went yesterday Wednesday the 11th at around 8 pm and stayed till about 9:30 as people started clearing out as the night goes on. Boulder-house closes at 11 pm so it’s defiantly a younger crowd of people between 9-11 pm. I noticed yesterday that the slab walls were very popular so I focused more on vertical and overhang climbs until people started leaving. Something I really appreciate about climbing is the community that surrounds the sport. At first I was very intimated by advanced climbers as I didn’t know much and had a fear of failing a circuit in front of everyone. I quickly learned everyone is there to work on themselves and watching fellow climbers fail and succeed is how you learn. I felt so inspired as I watched advanced climbers complete really difficult circuits but it also taught me useful skills and techniques. I would observe how they place their feet, start the climb and hand placement. Giving fellow climbers tips and advice is a huge part of building community. A useful climbing term is beta which means specific advice, direction or instruction on how to complete a climb. For example climbers may say ‘Hey, what’s the beta for this climb?” or “Can I offer some beta?”. This really came into play during my climb.

Improvements/What did I Learn

When we first arrived I was feeling intimidated, nervous and undetermined to try new climbs as the gym was very busy. People tend to congregate around the newest/most recently reset wall of the week. This week it was one of the slab walls. I really enjoy the slab walls as it has a large focus on balance which is one of my strengths in climbing due to my dance background. I didn’t get as much time on the slab wall as I had hoped just because of how busy it was but this also was a blessing in disguise. I tend to ignore the overhang wall because it causes me the most difficulty but I made myself try it as it one my only option at one point. I pleasantly surprised myself after I completed a climb that I previously couldn’t finish. Putting yourself out there is so important and remember that everyone there is focused on themselves and their own skills.

As the evening went on, I made my way to the slab wall as it started clearing out. There was one blue tape climb (4th ranking of difficulty) that many people were working on, including my friend Ava . At first I had the mindset of “I’m not going to try that, there’s no way I could do it” but I snapped myself out of it and decided to give it a go and see how far I make it up. My first attempt, I didn’t make it up far as I started it wrong and my footing was incorrect. I stood back and watched some others try it. One person in particular caught my eye as they did it completely different as the others but were successful. I tried it again once they finished and got up much higher! I learned the importance of watching fellow climbers think outside the box and adapt their ideas to what works best for you. Although I didn’t complete the whole circuit, I made progress which I hope to continue next week.

Green tape level on the slab wall- July 13 2023