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danno_babe
Jul 29, 2005, 3:06 AM
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Hey Girls, I'm just wondering what exactly was hard for You when YOU started climbing?! What have you learned? Let me know? Thanks Girls!
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chanf
Jul 29, 2005, 3:39 PM
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When I first started, I was climbing in the gym a lot, and so I had a lot of hard time with the overhanging/slightly overhanging powerful (and sometimes technical) moves-- in combination with being totally pumped out and tired.
Through that, I learned better footwork, how to take more rests, and I that I needed a lot more strength.
To get better at it, I have climbed more since then, and am usually in the (non climbing/regular) gym pumping iron to get stronger. So far it seems to be working... I guess for me, strength seems to be the biggest issue since I can't very well campus up everything!
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justhavefun
Jul 29, 2005, 8:43 PM
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You've already gotten a lot of great advice elsewhere on this site. But I think it's a good question on its own.
The hardest part for me as a beginner was getting outside that first time. When I started, I climbed indoors three times a week during long lunch breaks at work. With that schedule, the gym wasn't very crowded and I didn't meet anyone who went outside. I so badly wanted to climb outside, but I despaired of ever going. The learning curve, the stern warnings about my imminent and brutal death, my lack of knowledge about what to look for to ensure a safe partner -- it all seemed insurmountable. Finally one of the girls who worked at the gym took pity on me (Michelle, and I'm eternally grateful) and took me bouldering out at Culp valley. That was in October; I had been climbing regularly since March. After that one time, I was esctatic. And I was hooked.
November was the next time I got out, on one of those blind "climbing dates" where naive little me didn't even realize it was a date until much later. If I had realized, well hell, I still would have gone. It's climbing, after all.
The second hardest part was finding a consistent, motivated partner. I wanted to climb EVERY weekend. Then I found one, and realized I needed a little more variety... :) Now I have a group of friends I can climb with, and I couldn't be happier.
I remember how hard it was for me to get started, so I try to really encourage the new climbers. So far it's just been small things, like teaching someone how to coil a rope or encouraging them to take the lead test. Someday I'll be able to take someone up their first trad route. Someone once told me that climbers are a small community and that we need to help each other out. I don't know if that's true or not, but I know that I will always remember the people who helped me out when I was getting started and that someday I'll be in a position to pay it back.
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justhavefun
Jul 29, 2005, 8:44 PM
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You've already gotten a lot of great advice elsewhere on this site. But I think it's a good question on its own.
The hardest part for me as a beginner was getting outside that first time. When I started, I climbed indoors three times a week during long lunch breaks at work. With that schedule, the gym wasn't very crowded and I didn't meet anyone who went outside. I so badly wanted to climb outside, but I despaired of ever going. The learning curve, the stern warnings about my imminent and brutal death, my lack of knowledge about what to look for to ensure a safe partner -- it all seemed insurmountable. Finally one of the girls who worked at the gym took pity on me (Michelle, and I'm eternally grateful) and took me bouldering out at Culp valley. That was in October; I had been climbing regularly since March. After that one time, I was esctatic. And I was hooked.
November was the next time I got out, on one of those blind "climbing dates" where naive little me didn't even realize it was a date until much later. If I had realized, well hell, I still would have gone. It's climbing, after all.
The second hardest part was finding a consistent, motivated partner. I wanted to climb EVERY weekend. Then I found one, and realized I needed a little more variety... :) Now I have a group of friends I can climb with, and I couldn't be happier.
I remember how hard it was for me to get started, so I try to really encourage the new climbers. So far it's just been small things, like teaching someone how to coil a rope or encouraging them to take the lead test. Someday I'll be able to take someone up their first trad route. Someone once told me that climbers are a small community and that we need to help each other out. I don't know if that's true or not, but I know that I will always remember the people who helped me out when I was getting started and that someday I'll be in a position to pay it back.
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rvega
Jul 29, 2005, 8:58 PM
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I had a major fear of heights when I started. :shock: Now they still get to me really exposed climbs but now I can do multi-pitch stuff without having a panic attack.
It took a long time to get over and ultimately I had to take time off from climbing to figure out for myself why I was so scared all the time. For me it was a control thing. I didn't understand how the gear and tools were protecting me. Once I decided I could no longer rely on faith in others, I learned how to set stuff up and how the gear and ropes worked I have no debilitating irrational fear...for the most part. :wink:
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lisae
Jul 29, 2005, 9:59 PM
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I started climbing in a gym. I was very out of shape and not very strong. I couldn't get part way up a vertical wall, even using all holds. I couldn't get over a roof at all. Needless to say, I've gotten a lot stronger. When I get discouraged I remind my self how much my climbing has improved.
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darlinkaty
Sep 26, 2005, 11:00 PM
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This is my first season, like you Danno. I have had a hard time finding experienced climbers, especially women, to help me with things. I recently hooked up with a group of some VERY experineced women and went on our first outing this weekend! But I digress (as usual!), physically, mantling and ledges are brutal for me. I am slowly getting the overhangs, but mantling, especially from the ground, is just killing me. Also, trusting my feet and having the upper body strength to smear, grrr. Not to highjack this thread, but any advice, Ladies?
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oopps
Sep 27, 2005, 2:21 PM
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Well, I'm still just starting out (been climbing about four months now), but thought I'd share anyway. Physically, I find having enough upper body strength, particularly on overhangs, is the my main problem. But strength will come in time, I'm sure (and I'm already a lot stronger than when I started). Mentally, I find that just realizing I can't climb everything. The first time I tried climbing, I didn't get up one climb and almost quit there, because I was just so angry at myself for having failed. I'm learning to deal with this, but not quite there yet (I'll admit, I was very close to tears after going to the gym today - I couldn't climb even routes that I had no trouble with before). Also, I don't think things through enough. I get on the wall and start climbing, grab anything in sight and don't think about what I'm doing enough. But I'm getting there.
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kimmyt
Sep 27, 2005, 2:38 PM
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Oops, I'm with ya girl. And I've been doing this for almost 2 years. I still have days when I go to the gym or the local crag and I flail my way up things two grades under my limit. Then there will come those days when it just feels like magic, like you're moving in a slow-motion dance with just you and the rock as your partner. Those days are the ones that keep me coming back, though the frustrating ones have their own way of pushing me as well.
K.
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aja
Sep 27, 2005, 3:42 PM
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What was hard for me is what's still hard for me, confidence, self doubt, commitment to each climb. Walking up to a route and telling myself I can do this, when I hear a little voice in the background saying "what are you thinking?"
1)Trusting my placements.
2)Keeping my head.
3)Keeping control of my breathing.
There's so many places I want to climb, see and experience and believing in myself to get me to those places is something I have to work on.
I don't really post on here, but this was a good one.
Thanks and well wishes to you ladies!
aj
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granite_grrl
Sep 27, 2005, 4:14 PM
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One of the first obsticles I had was that I would make excuses as to why I couldn't get up something, instead of sitting down, figuring out what needed to be done and then doing it.
My biggest excuse was to say that I wasn't strong enough to pull a move. Much of the time it was my technique that was lacking, not my strength. But it was much easier just to say that I didn't have the strength to do it.
Sometimes my weakness on a route will be something like lock off strength, and I'll realize that either I have to find away around it (like using intermediates or sneaking in a heel hook), or if there's nothing I can do (or figure out at the time) move on and make note to try working on that weakness later. Not saying that I'm great at maintaining this attitude, but at least I try.
So I guess my biggest problem was attitude, getting really frustrated at things that I couldn't climb. Getting angry at a climb will do nothing to improve your climbing skills nor help you enjoy your day out.
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cindylou
Sep 27, 2005, 10:07 PM
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Being short is an issue for me. I've been on some 5.7 trad routes where I couldn't make a move because I'm 6 inches too short. What is an easy move for my partner (5'11") can be a 5.10 move for me. I want to get good enough to be able to figure out ways around the height dependent moves.
I mean, my god, I'm the same height as Lynn Hill and she climbs everything.
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elshells
Sep 28, 2005, 2:22 AM
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My core strength was and still is my biggest problem. I hate sit ups so I just work on laps of overhanging jugs in the gym during the week. It helps a lot. So on the weekends when I am outside steep pockety rock I can hold my gut in.
If any one else has some recommendations on working towards a stronger core without yoga or abs. Please let me know. I would rather run two hours that doing the other.
For me using that core strength along with balance really helps me push my boundaries. Also, I had with my ego that I have to keep in check or else I lose the joy that I usually find in climbing.
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lewisiarediviva
Sep 29, 2005, 11:11 PM
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Keeping my heels down.
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ledavis23
Sep 30, 2005, 12:27 AM
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When I first started technique was the biggest problem. Any climber, no matter the sex, should work on technique before strength and power. Good technique can save you from having to haul extra muscle up the wall.
The other thing for women is that we carry a lot more body fat than men, so doing large quantities of aerobic exercise just to slim down would help a lot.
For all the ladies out there struggling with overhanging/pumpy routes, get your feet up high, hang straight from your arms, twist your torso, and reach for the moon!
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sg81hani
Nov 28, 2005, 11:43 PM
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One of the most difficult part was getting the fitness to climb...had to work on endurance and core strength too...
so i started running and doing laps in the gym....in a month or so i'm sure u can see the difference...
technique comes quickly if you climb often...but don't get too disheartened when u can't do a move or complete a route...the point is to enjoy climbing and make it a lasting sport...;)
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acacongua
Nov 29, 2005, 3:21 PM
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Leading, especially since I broke my ankle early in my leading. Now I'm fairly relaxed - lots of time on the rock eased my mind.
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hossjulia
Dec 1, 2005, 12:55 AM
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What was hard for me is still hard for me. Leading. I've been climbing long enough that my lazy ass, non competitive attitude toward climbing is downright embarassing. Besides, I really love it when I lead, it's the best! But, I'm a big chicken, half the time, and have major unfounded fear problems. I just need to climb more, and put my foot down and insisit on leading. I've never taken a leader fall, something that I intend on practicing soon. Problem is, I hate asking my partners to step it down a notch so I can practice. That is probably the root of my dilema. Time tends to be limited, who wants to baby sit some chick who can climb alot harder than she thinks she can? (I have this same problem skiing hard stuff.)
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harmonydoc
Dec 1, 2005, 2:30 AM
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I was intimidated by overhangs at first ... I lacked both strength and endurance. Getting a lot better now, I've been climbing fairly regularly for about 6 months and I've improved about 2 grades. I still need to work on efficiency of movement and deliberate footwork.
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girlyoutalkto
Dec 1, 2005, 4:22 AM
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learning to rest. i know it sounds weird but i'm just so anxious to climb that i don't let myself rest between bouldering attempts and then i just get thrown off. that gets me discouraged and frustrated, and when my mind isn't in it, i might as well go home. and learning to relax, too. i bear down on holds way too hard because i'm afraid i'll fall, and it just tires me out. then i get discouraged and frustrated again... it's one big, bad cycle. and i'm intimidated really easily - it takes me a while to warm up to climbing in a new place because everyone there just intimidates me. don't know why... probably because i'm so new and inexperienced. has anyone else had any of these problems...?
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girlyoutalkto
Dec 1, 2005, 8:20 PM
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In reply to: what worked for me is bouldering for a while (3-4hrs) but with looong breaks before each try on your project. at least wait for your breathing to go back to normal between tries...
that's what i did yesterday - i went with some people to a rock wall and we were there from about 6 to around 10. i had to force myself to just stop and take a break, since i'm so eager to climb. hopefully i'll be able to go again so i can climb for a nice long time and rest up between tries.
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oopps
Dec 2, 2005, 9:27 AM
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Thanks to whoever resurrected this thread. It was rather interesting to look back and see what I had found hard before and compare it to now (yes, I know that my previous post on this thread was just over a month ago, but when you're new to climbing, that's a while in terms of how much changes) . I still have trouble dealing with not being able to climb everything I think I should be able to, but at least I've got the strength thing fixed (yes, being stronger would probably help, but I think now it's more technique holding me back).
One problem that I'm having now though, that I hope someone can suggest some solution to, is being over-cautious. When I started climbing I was willing to try climbing almost anything and I didn't mind falling but now I'm terrified of the thought of falling and that limits my climbing as I rarely try things above my limit anymore, except when I really force myself to.
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snoangel
Dec 2, 2005, 6:26 PM
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In reply to: Oops, I'm with ya girl. And I've been doing this for almost 2 years. I still have days when I go to the gym or the local crag and I flail my way up things two grades under my limit. Then there will come those days when it just feels like magic, like you're moving in a slow-motion dance with just you and the rock as your partner. Those days are the ones that keep me coming back, though the frustrating ones have their own way of pushing me as well. K.
I had one of those days yesterday. I was on a route at the gym that I only had a problem with one move on Monday. Then last night, Thursday, I couldn't even get half way up the thing. I wasn't tired and had nothing else going on that should have made climbing harder, so I was miffed. So instead of dwelling on it, I went to another (harder) route and climbed it just as well as I had in the past. Then I bouldered some and climbed harder than normal.
Tha moral of this story...sometimes one route or climbing style (in my case the route was pockety) doesn't click on a given day. That doesn't mean that day is wasted. Maybe you'll kick butt on another route or maybe it's a sign that you simply need a rest day.
Take each day as its own and remember there's a new one just around the corner. :)
And...as far as the original question...the hardest thing for me at first was to trust my feet. Now it's dynos...hate those things!
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snoangel
Dec 2, 2005, 6:27 PM
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In reply to: If any one else has some recommendations on working towards a stronger core without yoga or abs. Please let me know. I would rather run two hours that doing the other.
Sit starts...work wonders for abs!
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