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mattmurdoch
Dec 14, 2003, 5:40 AM
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flashback 1988 - i had been climbing for about 1 year, living in denver, doing the irons in boulder as well as some mountaineering. nothing really serious at the time, but i really loved it and took to it naturally. my climbing was cut short by an unplanned event.
today 2003 - so here i am 15 years later really wanting to get back into it. my question is how many people started late in life, is it possible?
i have spent the last 2 months getting in shape. i was not in bad shape, just not anything like i thought i would need to be to start this. i have pretty high goals set, but want to be realistic. i still think i am 6 months of training away from anything significant.
help!!!! tips, how old are you and what are the limits...i am 39 but feel 38...i think i can feel 30 with some more cardio, midsection work and forearm flexing....
thanks in advance....
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timstich
Dec 14, 2003, 6:08 AM
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Holy cow Matt, I'll be 39 in April! Your age makes no difference. You want to get back into climbing, so get back into it. Hell, my dad got into scuba diving when he was almost 60. Logged over 500 dives by the time he put up his wetsuit. He even did some windsurfing as well. Your age is all in your mind.
And don't sweat all that cardio stuff unless you plan on major backcountry shlepping. It's all short bursts of muscle strength. Go to the gym and boulder for a few weeks. You'll meet other climbers and get good and strong climbing instead of doing cardio. It's pretty chilly outside on the rock right now in Denver.
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dlintz
Dec 14, 2003, 6:27 AM
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I feel like I started late 7 years ago at the age of 27. I climb/train (indoor) for most of the year until I can make those roadtrips (Eldo baby!). With 25 miles of running and bouldering 3 times a week I feel like I'm 22 (nothing will feel as good as 21). My point...it's never too late.
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roughster
Dec 14, 2003, 6:54 AM
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roughster moved this thread from General to US - Mountain States.
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antigrav
Dec 14, 2003, 8:00 AM
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Hi there Matt, I'm also in my thirties... I had never, ever, climbed before I was, more or less reluctantly, talked into joining a three-evening climbing course (outdoors, basic rope techniques, safety, basic climbing techniques, etc.) last May.
It was a chill, rainy day. I woe that day.
I was completely hooked on climbing! I think the age matters little. One disadvantage may be that the body tolerates less intense beating wrt. training volumes and intensities. But I'm not sure, perhaps all beginners feel that they must be a bit careful. On the other hand, having been around a few more years may make you more aware of your own body's signals, so that you can easier avoid injuries and get closer to that fine line between overtraining and undertraining. At least that's imortant to me. I want to get better optimally fast without getting some of those nasty tendon problems and whatsnot... :wink:
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catbiter
Dec 14, 2003, 9:35 AM
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If this is something that you want to get back into, then what are you waiting for? I may not be in my 30's, but I will still be climbing when I get there. The point is, if you miss it, you must have known you were missing out on something great. Get back into it. (after a few months of working out or no). Once you jump back in, you'll realize that the water wasn't that cold.
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kahuna3602
Dec 14, 2003, 11:37 AM
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No no no, 39 is way too old ! I just learned how to climb at the very young age of 45 and my addiction is still going strong. If you really love it, like I do and it sounds like you do, age is no matter.
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revegentil
Dec 14, 2003, 12:35 PM
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mannnn
i was at pilot mountain and one of THE BEST climbers there was leading and he was in his early 40s. hed been climbing for 3 years i believe and he and his wife enjoyed and learned together. they were awesome people not to mention an inspiration.
chris
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wideguy
Dec 14, 2003, 1:13 PM
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Ditto man, go for it!! I started at 32 this past year and was 60 lbs overweight to boot, so my body felt like it was 40. No sweat!! Get out there and enjoy. :D
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djjackson
Dec 14, 2003, 1:16 PM
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No limits except what's in your head, assuming reasonably good health, etc. What a great way to stay in shape, pretty much total body!
A couple of decades your senior, I got serious about climbing about 2 years ago after scrambling some 12er's (or so) in the Sangre de Cristos Mts. near Santa Fe with my son-in-law. The local wall is great for meeting youngsters, where beta, encouragement, and planning trips are free-flowing. Outdoors is the place to be, of course, where top-roping 5.9 is fun and doable. Practicing the set of belay and anchor systems is fun, and mentally refreshing, and mock leading trad routes should help me lead soon.
Re things mental, I've found no better way of clearing the head of work drudgery and problems than climbing outside - the trip, the friends, the sweat and concentration of friction climbing 5.10....
As long as its fun, do it! "Aging is all in your head, it's slowing the creep of it below your neck that's important" - a quote from some stupid birthday card.
Climb on!
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kyhangdog
Dec 14, 2003, 1:30 PM
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I've been climbing for over ten years and I too am 39. It's all good. Hey, I want to do some alpine next summer. Me and you dude.
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charley
Dec 14, 2003, 3:18 PM
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Well let's say I don't want any efffin jokes or wise cracks from you kids. :lol: I starting climbing 11 years ago at the age of 45. I climb 80-90 days a year. I climb most wknds and try to go once during the week. Weekdays I boulder. Weekends are toproping with some seneca trips. I have made 6 trips to seneca each of the past 2 yrs. This year I climbed seneca, boulder co., vedauvoo, gunks, table rock nc., and sugarloaf in md. I could list other places but, just say I get out a bit. I am not good. I'm short and heavy. 60 lbs. overweight with bad knees. I am planning on going to seneca next wknd to try to extend my season and have found a place an hr. away that is sposed to be climbable on a sunny 20 degree day. I tried upper 30's and was fine. I may get lots of climbing in this winter. If not I will hit the gym and that doesn't count toward the 90 days. I have ahellof a lot of fun and have met many great ppl. I've got kids almost 40.
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rokshoxbkr19
Dec 14, 2003, 3:24 PM
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are you kidding me, I am only 21, but I can't wait until I am 50 cause that will give me over 30 years experience, by that time a 5.14 should be a warmup. There are people over 50 climbing 5.14 now and that is rad. It is all a state of mind, and did you see that picture of John Bachar climbing a 5.10, he is over 80. The great thing about climbing is that you aren't climbing against anyone else, just you and the rock. So, you're mind and committment are your only barriers. you aint old, you are only 39, let go of the numbers game, age and grades and just get on it and climb and if you ever want a partner drop me a line. Good luck. Oh, what are your goals by the way, say them outloud to us and we will support you to get there. :wink:
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nolimits
Dec 14, 2003, 4:01 PM
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I believe the only thing that limits us is our limited thinking. "If you can believe,all things are possible to him that believes" (Mark 9:23) I spent most of my early 20's in hospitals with a serious heart problem. I decided it was no way to live. I started reading the Bible and discovered Mark 11:24 which reads "Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them". I believed what this said. I began to do everything the doctors told me I couldn't do. I started running everyday. I started rock climbing and mountaineering. The doctors can no longer find any trace of a heart problem. A few years ago I had a couple of brain hemorrhages. I lost a lot of my vocabulary and had to endure severe headaches which they told me would never go away. I was told I would need a very risky brain surgery. I refused it because I have a greater Physician. I simply believed Mark 11:24 and acted on it. Neurosurgeons told me I would never be able to live a normal life, meaning I couldn't do anything that would put pressure on my brain. I have regained all of my vocabulary, have no headaches and work a few 10 hour days a week. I hike up a local mountain every other day just to condition and do winter Alpine ascents. I am buying myself new rock climbing gear for Christmas and plan to climb as much as possible this summer. (Don't worry I usually don't lead the climbs) Age??? I don't disclose that...I'm a woman :D . I think you have a lot of life left in you and a lot more ability than you realize. Go for it!!!! The only thing that limits us is our limited thinking. :wink:
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charley
Dec 14, 2003, 4:44 PM
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That's great nolimits. Keep on keeping on.
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mattmurdoch
Dec 14, 2003, 5:36 PM
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WOW - its good to be back.
i must say i am a bit overwhelmed... this is what i remember...the friends i had, the encouragement...it wasn't as much about the climbing, as much as how and who you climbed with. sharing firsts with others and seeing others on their first. i have taken these same principles with me in life. i also have forgotten a lot of them. someone said in a thread, its not how fast you climb, but climbing within you own limits so that you can enjoy it. remember when you first started climbing...how many times you felt that overwhelming sense of accomplishment...everytime you did a new move or did something for the first time...
my goals, extreme alpinism...speciffically K2 and Everest. not what you might think. i dont want to take a trolly to the top. i want to do it the right way. the only way. i may never set foot on that mountain, but it is what i want. i will train for it and at some point if it was not meant to be, i will know it. i want to taste it all. i know i love rock, but i never got to taste the other aspects of climbing, ice, adventure, pushing the physical and mental. i have spent the last 2 months getting in shape and educating myself as much i can. also trying to talk myself out of this. reading a lot of books (into thin air, echos from the mountain) trying to really scare myself out of it. i only want it more. probably for the same reasons that some of you continue to do it.
thanks all...i knew i was going...just didn't know how long the rope would be...
btw - the name is patrick, mattmurdoch is form the comic book daredevil...
stay tuned!
nothing changes if nothing changes - and just because everything is different doesn't mean anything has changed....
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cgarrett
Dec 14, 2003, 5:48 PM
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FWIW, I started climbing at 39 too. First time on real rock was on my 40th birthday. That was two years, thirty pounds, and lots of time on rock and plastic ago.
My twelve year old thinks it's cool when college kids call me up and want to go climbing. My wife thinks it's because I can afford good gear and gas. Go figure.
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robmcc
Dec 14, 2003, 6:38 PM
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In 1991, at the age of 19, I drove out to Seneca by myself hoping to find a leader in need of a belay slave. I met a guy named Bob and spent the day climbing with him. He had to stick to Seneca 8s and below (cue bit about the whole place being sandbagged) in order for me to be able to keep up. He cruised things on lead that I couldn't climb without falling, and even had to rap off one I couldn't follow at all. In addition, Bob put me on my first lead ever.
Bob was 62.
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cologman
Dec 14, 2003, 8:51 PM
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Just keep crankin and don't look back. At 52 I've been climbing longer than the median age of those on this site but what the heck I just keep getting older. :lol: I heartily believe you are only as old as you let yourself feel. I climb regularly with those of the median age here and love it. I also know that I have yet to peak on my abilities, I do realise the clock may be ticking on this score but I still feel ahead of the game. I still hope to break into the .12 arena soon :lol:
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climbs4fun
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Dec 14, 2003, 9:25 PM
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my favorite climbing partner in the whole world is 63. The man is an endless fountain of knowlege, encouragement, and energy! He did alot of the first ascents at Red Rock and still cranks pretty hard. He's climbed with some of the best including Lynn Hill, Tiffany and Jason Campbell, Roxanna Brock, and Stephany Forte. I'm sure there are more, but I've seen pics of he and Lynn and the rest live and climb here. He started climbing in his 30's. The only obstacle you have is in your mind. I'm in my 30's and feel like I'm in my 20's.
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lostinvegas
Dec 14, 2003, 10:39 PM
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Great to hear people in upper age group still cranking with enthusiasm; it's one of my biggest motivational source. While keeping the eagerness going, just do everything wisely is what I've learnt - the hard way - to be climbing hard as you can. Warm ups, cool downs, opposite muscle group training for balancing around joints, etc... and not injuring yourself! It sucks waiting to heal when you're not young anymore - it just takes longest time. I'm 45, climbing on and off over 20 years, and took me almost 2 years to get back to where I was after a recent finger injury.
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climbs4fun
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Dec 15, 2003, 12:29 AM
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I've watched you climb Kiyoshi! You are younger than me! Even if your driver's license says otherwise! He's awesome guys!
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thegogirl
Dec 15, 2003, 1:33 AM
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I started climbing at 34...6 yrs ago and I'm still a fitness freak and boulder hard, if not harder than ever. I've looked into triathlons as well on a mountain bike and if all goes well, can do one next year/summer. Climbing is awesome at any age, although the joints feel it as much as my 17 yr.,old senile cat does. She wakes up as confused as I after a hard days' climb...boulder hard!
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rokshoxbkr19
Dec 15, 2003, 1:52 AM
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WOOPS!!!! Thanx for the info. LOL :wink:
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