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keithlester
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Mar 31, 2004, 5:14 PM
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Help guys, I bin surfin on this forum for a few days and you guys are all so young, I'm a bit jealous. Are there any other over 50 grandpappys out there doing trad because trad is best? C'mon, tell me I'm not all alone :cry:
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robmcc
Mar 31, 2004, 5:20 PM
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One fine day in 1991 or 1992 I hooked up with a guy at Seneca Rocks. I wasn't leading yet, so I'd just drive out and find someone in need of a belay slave. I met a guy who was leading things I couldn't follow. Great guy, great climber. Bob was his name. Bob suggested I try leading, so I did, ignoring his patient, correct advice that I should stop trying to top rope the thing (placing gear above my head every 2 moves) because I was going to run out of gear. I didn't listen and ended up running out the last 30' or so.
Bob was 62 years old. You aren't even old yet. Neither was he.
Rob
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vincent
Mar 31, 2004, 5:20 PM
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you're alone grandpa, stick to crossword puzzles and cleaning your dentures...
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rrrADAM
Mar 31, 2004, 5:27 PM
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There are actually many over 50 on this site.
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trillium
Mar 31, 2004, 6:24 PM
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I'm 50 and going stronger than ever!javascript:emoticon(':D')
javascript:emoticon(':D')
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cologman
Mar 31, 2004, 6:40 PM
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Hey at 53 I feel younger than my age would indicate. Gets me in trouble in ways I hadn't imagined. I climb actively, extensively on trad/big walls and the occasional day sportin. I certainly haven't lost the urge and my goals/aspirations are probably just as big as a 20 somethings. Fortunately or otherwise I'm not a "granpappy" although I frequently climb with my 18 yr. old daughter. :lol:
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gds
Mar 31, 2004, 6:44 PM
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59 next month. Started climbing at 55. This is my retirement activity.
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geezergecko
Mar 31, 2004, 7:07 PM
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52 here and started climbing at 49. Another geezer told me last night that a grade is just a number and complained about being old after which I shot back that being old is just a number.
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asandh
Mar 31, 2004, 7:10 PM
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:)
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dirtineye
Mar 31, 2004, 7:18 PM
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I'm 48, my goal is 5.12 trad by age 50, I may get there sooner if this stupid shoulder will work.
Gene larsen, old time Needles SD climber, could do 10 pullups on the underside of rafters when he was 60. That is, he pinched the rafters from below and did pullups on em. Friend saw it happen or I would not believe it. I can't do one yet, but then I am not 60 yet either LOL.
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thegreytradster
Mar 31, 2004, 7:20 PM
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54, grandpa for two weeks, climber for 34 years. I'm out every weekend at J Tree, Tahquitz or in the Sierras during the summer. My regular partner is 64. It's handy to have a partner that has the old folks card for half price camping and free park entry. Makes you feel old though when you pick them up at the "retirement community".
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chronicle
Mar 31, 2004, 7:51 PM
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To start off, I am no where near 50. I don't want to sound like an ass or anything, but I have a question for yall. It seems that your age hasn't hampered your climbing at all. When you were all my age, I'm sure you had the same thought that I do, "I have to get all of these routes done by the time I'm (insert age), or I won't be able to do them." So my question is, has age had a negative effect on your abilities? I'm not a troll, just a young pup concerned about his climbing future.
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asandh
Mar 31, 2004, 8:01 PM
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:idea:
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chronicle
Mar 31, 2004, 8:27 PM
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That's awesome. I hope at 50 I'm still climbing hard. Maybe I'll meet you guys at a crag somewhere and you can pass on some of that wisdom.
Keep on rockin!
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monopocketmojo
Mar 31, 2004, 8:33 PM
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age is inconsequential...all that matters is that you climb, especially if you're doing trad. Some of my favorite climbers that you meet at the crag are 50+, and they can still beat me up the approach to Devil's Lake.
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jammer
Mar 31, 2004, 8:50 PM
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51 and going to add Trad to my skills this summer.
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gds
Mar 31, 2004, 8:52 PM
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A few things about being- or becoming- an older athlete.
Strength- if you are working out not much strength will be lost per decade. I (and most of my friends who are active in their late 50's early 60's) find that we are about 15-20% less strong than at 30. As most of us were pretty strong at 30 we are still strong. What is hard to do is to increase strenght after 40 or so. So, if you are strong at 40 and keep at it you will maintain lots of it- but if you are not strong at 40 you won't be strong at 60.
Endurance- much the same as above except that speed definitely goes down. So, for me the only sport in which I measure endurance is cycling. My AT is about the same as at 40 (I'm 59) but my speed over the ground is about 5 -10% less at that workload. Still not too bad.
Recovery- this is where it gets ya! You just can't recover as well. This is true for short term recovery (intervals, etc.) as well as long term recovery (time between workouts). If I do a long day; approach, climb, back to the car- I feel it for several days. If I climb hard (for me!) my hands feel it for several days. Recovery from injuries is also much longer. In high school it seemd like I healed in a few minutes. In my 20's it took a day. Now it takes for ever. So, I become more cautious. The "cost" of an injury is much higher in terms of time off and I'm not willing to pay the price.
Fun- this is the important variable. The fun quotient need not go down with age. I still have as much fun as ever. I've been having this fun for ever and can't imagine that this isn't the ultimate payoff!
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asandh
Mar 31, 2004, 9:49 PM
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:)
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gds
Mar 31, 2004, 10:05 PM
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and the increased recovery time applies to things other than climbing
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climbtothebeet
Mar 31, 2004, 10:17 PM
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hey my dads a old fart, he 47 i think. mabe 46. but we just started climbing, him and me. i kinda draged him into it, cause im not 16 yet, so i cant drive. so he has to drive me. he got intrested, now he's buying gear (that i get to use) hes younger than you, bu his knees are that of a 80 year old. he needs new ones, but they wear out so fast and he can only get 2 of them, so hes toughen it out. hes doin fine and having a blast. ur not to old.
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chronicle
Mar 31, 2004, 10:52 PM
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That's awesome. No doubt most of you can climb harder and longer than I dream of. On top of that, you have the stories that I love to sit and listen too after a day of climbing. So much experience, it blows my mind. Yall have an awesome attitude. If I meet you at a crag, no doubt I wanna hear a story from yester-year afterward. :D
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cologman
Mar 31, 2004, 10:58 PM
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Ya, Ya, Ya..... we're all older than dirt!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:
Now let me tell you about the time we had to weave Yuca fibers together to rap off this desert tower :?
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keithlester
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Apr 1, 2004, 3:40 PM
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In reply to: Ya, Ya, Ya..... we're all older than dirt!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: Now let me tell you about the time we had to weave Yuca fibers together to rap off this desert tower :?
I see there is still plenty of old buggers traddin, it is most heartening to know that my longer recovery time is normal, That's about the only deterioration I have spotted so far. I initially asked this question to flush out the old buggers, and I got run over by the rush. Thanks guys for making this thread interesting, and funny too cologman :lol:
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buckwheatgoespasting
Apr 1, 2004, 3:49 PM
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I'm a trad climber of aprx 30 years.. age 50.. trying to lead A3 / do some big walls before arthritis sinks in. I may not be able to crank some of the free climbing moves I used to... but love it more than ever.
buckwheatgoespasting
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