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badcom
Aug 19, 2011, 7:04 PM
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I recently started climbing in a gym and have been getting along pretty well for the past few weeks until my last trip. I was climbing a moderately difficult wall and was about 5 feet from the top when i got freaked out. All i could think about was the rope breaking or my harness failing. Once back on the ground those feeling of course went away. The next wall the same thing happened. Anybody know of anything that can help or is it just something that needs to run its course and be done with.
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itstoearly
Aug 19, 2011, 7:59 PM
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It's pretty much something you need to let run its course. It might help you to look up the rated maximum loads for the gear you are using, and realize it is many, many times the load you will ever put on it.
EDIT:
Also look up the percentage of accidents caused by gear failure (especially on toprope), compared to the percentage of accidents caused by human error.
(This post was edited by itstoearly on Aug 19, 2011, 8:01 PM)
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JoeHamilton
Aug 19, 2011, 8:18 PM
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Go a few feet off the floor and jump off. Do it a few times and you will see the rope holds ya.
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Toast_in_the_Machine
Aug 19, 2011, 8:35 PM
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badcom wrote: Anybody know of anything that can help or is it just something that needs to run its course and be done with.
I would not mix the kinds of meds that inhibit anxiety with climbing, but I'm sure there are lots of people who do.
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sungam
Aug 19, 2011, 9:51 PM
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Hah, you're freaking out bro! You are just gunna have to practice getting it under control my man.
Climbing is very much a mental game. Obviously some styles of climbing are much more mentally challenging then others, but all of them are to some extent.
You are gunna have to learn to let calm logic prevail over irrational panic.
"The Rock Warriors Way" By Arno Ilgner is apparently an excellent book on the topic. I haven't read it myself (it is actually 2nd on my "to buy" list after a textbook I need for next term), but several of my friends have said that it has some fantastic insights into training your mind to be able to handle both rational and irrational fears. Arno himself posts on this site once in a while. He has some really interesting threads in the "Mental Training".
You can buy his book directly from the publisher here:
http://warriorsway.com/...ning-for-climbers-2/
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TheNags
Aug 19, 2011, 11:04 PM
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Hey man, I agree with everything above, except mixing meds and climbing (I am a medic after all). however I do think you should take a look at what it takes to make gear fail (a metric shit ton of force), and also test your gear. there is nothing wrong with taking a jumps off the wall at a low height to see if it all works the way you want. You need to trust your gear, otherwise you shouldn't climb on it. Practice falls are fun too, unless your belayer isn't paying attention.
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adelphos
Aug 19, 2011, 11:23 PM
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I still struggle with this from time to time. It helps me to start with confidence building by doing laps on couple of routes that are easy for me. Usually that helps me get into my climbing groove and it is a good way to warm which you be doing anyways.
I also practice falling. This is more applicable to lead climbing, but just getting up and letting go helps. Finally, realize that not only is your gear over engineered, but redundancy is also built into the system.
It does get better over time. Look at the mental game as part of what makes climbing great.
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badcom
Aug 21, 2011, 5:36 PM
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Thanks for all the advice. Im just going to have to keep going till it goes away! I want to start heading outside and 90+ feet is way different than 30 in the gym.
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JoeHamilton
Aug 22, 2011, 1:35 AM
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badcom wrote: Thanks for all the advice. Im just going to have to keep going till it goes away! I want to start heading outside and 90+ feet is way different than 30 in the gym.
not really. Once your trust in your partner and gear are in check, it isnt that much different. Well except by about 60 feet, lol,
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tH1e-swiN1e
Aug 22, 2011, 2:30 AM
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JoeHamilton wrote: badcom wrote: Thanks for all the advice. Im just going to have to keep going till it goes away! I want to start heading outside and 90+ feet is way different than 30 in the gym. not really. Once your trust in your partner and gear are in check, it isnt that much different. Well except by about 60 feet, lol,
Theres actually a good bit of difference between climbing outside and inside. Checking bolts and anchors, checking holds, not having the route mapped out for you etc etc. Ive seen people crush in the gym but freak out outside. I also know people who can easily send 12s but refuse to lead anything. Everyone has different comfort levels, and sometimes they get over it sometimes they dont.
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puravida9539
Aug 22, 2011, 1:07 PM
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http://tinyurl.com/4xhv4od
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YouWill787
Sep 16, 2011, 4:29 PM
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Saying "Don't look down" is inevitably going to make you look down but, there is some sense in it that I have found.
I am new to climbing as well, also I do have a fear of heights.
I have found it helpful to focus concentration on what is right in front of you. Being able to separate the fact that your are up really high in the air from hold this, grab that, clip this.. The fear makes climbing fun and helps sharpen your senses. I find it good to dull them slightly by trying to focus on what's at hand and not what's below. When I'm 40 feet high, I try to make myself tune out the height so I feel the same as when I am 3 feet high. You are doing the same thing whether 2 feet or 100 feet, the variable is the height.
Just my way of coping with it.
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