Climbing

One of my favorite hobbies is rock climbing. I have been climbing off-and-on for almost three years now and recently have been enjoying it to the point where I think I’d happily climb every single day if my schedule and body allowed it.

When I first started climbing, I was not particularly keen on the activity or interested in its mechanics. Getting up the wall was challenging and somewhat fun, but that was pretty much the extent of my enjoyment as a climber. And after I caused a belaying incident (where thankfully nobody was injured but everyone’s nerves were really shaken), I was absolutely terrified to belay anybody ever again and I refused to do so for months afterwards. If that wasn’t enough, I also felt uncomfortable with heights. Sometimes I’d get to the top of my route and I would be afraid to let go. I’d have to shout to my partner, “You got me?” and they’d respond “Yep, gotcha!” and I’d say “Are you sure?” and they’d say “Positive!” and I’d say “I’m so scared!” and they’d say “Let go of the damn wall already!”. This was top roping, not even lead climbing (where falling does have more risk). So yeah. I began my climbing journey scared shitless of belaying and scared slightly less shitless of climbing itself.

Over the years, as I learned from much more experienced climbers, I started to get a better grasp of the physics involved, both as a belayer and a climber. The boy and I bought a GriGri device which is designed to auto-lock, i.e. be idiot-proof, and that helped a lot with my confidence as a belayer. We also watched climbing videos on YouTube to learn common techniques and would excitedly practice them at the gym the next time. At the peak of our routine, we were climbing three times a week. With every route, it got easier to trust the rope, trust myself, and trust my partner. My brain slowly rewired itself into being more comfortable with letting go of the wall. And the more my fear and discomfort subsided, the better I could focus on how damn awesome it felt to be doing moves or completing routes that once appeared impossibly scary. I still remember feeling incredulous the first time I did a pull-up. I felt like I was having my own personal Peter-Parker-the-morning-after-that-radioactive-spider-injected-him-with-super-human-strength moment. 

I took an extended break from climbing for a lot of 2015 to focus on marathon training/moving to Denver but started it up again towards the end of the year. I'm now going at least once a week to maintain my strength and am hoping to get back into the 3 times a week schedule. I also started to ask my friends and family to join me. I loved showing them the ropes (literally) and seeing their thoughts change from “No way in hell am I doing that” to “Wow! I got all the way up there!” I went recently with a friend for her first time climbing and she loved it so much that she wanted to go again the next day. I was elated (and happily obliged, of course.)

In the grand scheme of things, I am still very much a novice at climbing. There’s so much to learn still. And there are always harder routes to try and techniques to master. I’m happy to have found an activity that I enjoy so much and that I can experience with others. It’s become my favorite way to spend a long afternoon on the weekends, or a couple of hours after a workday. And it’s one of those rare activities that you can do with friends on a regular basis that doesn’t need to involve alcohol (although a cold beer after a few hours of climbing tastes incredible!). And it’s something you can take outside, too. I could go on and on... but at the end of the day, climbing is the perfect intersection of a mental, physical, social, and fun activity. If you haven’t tried it, definitely give it a go. And take me with you.