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stellalpina
Nov 4, 2002, 8:08 PM
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hey everyone. i was just wondering... has it been easy for you guys to get your girlfriends into climbing? only my guy friends are interested in going with me and i was wondering if it was some sort of universal thing, that most girls who havent ever climbed dont want to start...? im so addicted i cant understand why any1 wouldnt want to go, but i would love to hear other peoples takes on this. thanks!
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offwidth
Nov 4, 2002, 9:05 PM
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I've introduced a lot of people into climbing; some of them had doubts about trying it out.
But I would explain that we would start out on short easy top-rope problems, like 20' high, and that if they fell it would be like falling back into their chair. No big deal.
Only two people were terrified afterwards (one male, one female). Most of the others keep harrassing me now, trying to go back out with me.
(edited for clarity)
[ This Message was edited by: offwidth on 2002-11-04 13:06 ]
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climber_girl
Nov 6, 2002, 12:55 AM
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I find that almost all my friends(girls) love climbing way more than guys. The girls get all excited and when i invite them to go they cant wait, but for the guys they always make up some excuse not to go. I dont realy get it either, because a couple years ago climbing seemed like such a male-dominated sport, and now the girls are taking over. Just my opinion i guess.
Brittany
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katydid
Nov 6, 2002, 1:49 AM
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I've made a point to drag all my non-climbing girlfriends to the rock gym at least once. (Oddly enough, a lot of my female friends had tried climbing but not stuck with it ... now that I'm obsessed they're starting to get involved again. ) Out of the people I've introduced to climbing, I have one friend who's stuck with it. She's so psyched she decided to get a harness and shoes after her first go!
It's like anything else, really. You can probably convince people to try it once, but after that it's up to them whether they like it or not.
Kate
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rippedmonkeyfuel
Nov 23, 2002, 10:28 AM
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I've found that most girls that I've dated have been really interested in climbing. Wether they will actually do it or not is another story. I've taken several girls climbing before, and I've found that the key to teaching them is making sure in the first place that they aren't afraid of heights. If they have a tremendous fear of heights, it's very difficult to teach them. But I have taken a few girls climbing that have absolutely loved it. So it all just depends on the girl.
-Kevin
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granite_grrl
Nov 24, 2002, 7:28 AM
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Due to my job and schooling I've met many many more males than females since I took up climbing. In fact most of the females that I know I either met through climbing or dabbled in it before I started going.
I gotta start hanging out with some more girls sometime, I just don't know where to get that.
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rock_diva
Nov 25, 2002, 3:05 PM
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It usually takes longer to convince the girls to come climbing, but once I've gotten them out on the rock my girl friends have been much more excited about going again than the guys.
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mwbtle
Nov 27, 2002, 5:11 PM
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I mentioned climbing to one of my female friends recently and her reaction was "you climb? indoors or outdoors? that's so cool, I always wanted to do that." Unfortunately she lives several hundred miles from me or I'd have had her at the gym learning to belay in about a heartbeat.
I think it depends on the girl though, because when I mention climbing to other friends (I'm obsessed, its really all I talk about), they get these weird looks on their faces like, "are you insane?"
Interestingly, when my boss found out I climb, she was intrigued (she's big into hiking in the rockies)...hmm, how can I use this to my advantage so I can climb more and work less?
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ropegirl
Nov 28, 2002, 12:57 AM
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I've tried inviting many of my girlfriends and even my sisters to come climbing with me. Most have turned me down because they think the sport requires lots of arm strength (which they don't think they have). Additionally, they know (correctly) that the chance they will get a little banged up (bruizes, scrapes, etc) is high and they're not into that.
I think probably more women than men may think this way which is why women may be less inclined to try climbing.
If you want to get some of your girlfriends interested in climbing, take them on some REALLY EASY climbs for the first several trips and give them a chance to have fun and get an appreciation for climbing before they come face to face with the "gritty" reality (which is fun too -- but not apparent right off the bat). Don't try to poke them up a climb that they're going to hate. Give them lots of encouragement and be patient. And for heaven's sake, don't try to turn them into your belay slave. Climb the same stuff they're climbing, teach them some technique.
Maybe incorporate a nice picnic lunch into the outing...
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climbergirl15
Dec 3, 2002, 1:57 PM
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I have always been the outdoorsy kinda person. My girl friends are just the opposite of me, they are girly girls except for a couple. I got my sister into climbing. I have brought one of my friends from work, and she loved it. My best friend wants to try it as a way to build muscle for volleyball. Goodluck finding people.
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rosemom3
Dec 12, 2002, 4:37 PM
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I've had a lot of luck with my daughters ages 8, 5, and 5. They all love to go to the gym and climb. Hope to take the 8 year old outside soon. However, I started a climbing club at our local climbing gym (ROC) and it's like 20 guys and me. I invite anyone who seems interested, introduce myself to women at the gym, etc. and they just don't seem to be as into it as the guys. I know of maybe 5 or 6 women in town (of 100,000) who are really into climbing. I know there are a few more out there, but they seem to be hiding. I only know two other women who lead. It seems we are a rare breed.
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swohletz
Dec 12, 2002, 8:02 PM
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I think girls are sometimes intimidated from climbing, a sport that on the outside seems focused on climbing hard and achieving certain levels....plus the idea that it's all about how strong you are, especially in terms of upper body strength. For me it seems like once I'm able to encourage someone to try it they really love it...female climbers are a rare breed so finding another woman to climb with is hard to do. What a bummer.
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climb4life
Dec 17, 2002, 8:06 PM
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when i moved to gunnison, co, for college, i didn't have a girlfriend, however, i have a great female friend (she won't date me) however, she introduced me to a lot of girls. i learned that in gunnison, there are more guys than girls for gunnison is a cold lonely place in the middle of no where yet in the middle of everyting. however, the girls were more intrested in climbing than skiing, or snowboarding or kayaking or whatnots. and girls are more eager learner for they are not trying to showoff, they just want to try. the guys are a different story. most guys that are introduced but thier ego first and often times embarrassed themselves. i personally rather climb with girls than guys.
climb on
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jughead
Dec 22, 2002, 1:29 AM
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I've tryed to get some of my female fellows to get into the sport but they all seem to be too "girly girl" style and get terrified that they'll fall or break a nail when they are a foot of the ground!!
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bitterlotus
Dec 30, 2002, 4:48 PM
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HEY!! I got my then boyfriend into climbing (NOT the other way around ) and now he's more addicted than I am!!!
But, this weekend, he took me snowboarding and I had so much fun, I might take that up as a winter sport. So I guess we're even.
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data118
Dec 30, 2002, 4:56 PM
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mtxstream
Jan 9, 2003, 6:25 PM
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my roommate says the harness will make her look fat ---
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katydid
Jan 9, 2003, 11:46 PM
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Wow. Now that's superficial.
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climbingbetty22
Jan 17, 2003, 8:48 PM
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Why are all these climber guys asking us climber girls for advice on getting their girlfriend started in climbing? Why can't they just date an awesome chick who's already way into climbing (like ME!)?
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chi_girl
Jan 19, 2003, 10:12 PM
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My boyfriend got me into climbing, and I must confess he's into it more than me, but I still love it. I have also found it hard to find some girls to climb with. I just got my sister into it, which has been fun. Though I usually hang out with guys, so I am comfortable climbing with guys. When I climb with a girl, we just end up talking and gossiping and I don't focus as well. I think that there are more and more girls getting into climbing- so we just need to be patient!
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rplocek
Jan 29, 2003, 4:53 PM
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I know that getting my girlfriend can be harder to learn to climb can be harder then getting my guy friends to try it. What I've done with a couple of them is start them out in the gym once or twice so they feel like they are in a safe environment, then take them outside. Another thing I do is to take them along on a all female climbing weekend, we did one offered by Acadia Mountain Guides. It's lead by female guides and geared for women who are new to the sport. It's incredible how supportive all the other women are and then you end up with a network of other cool females to climb with! Hopefully, this will put out a few ideas out there! Climb fun and hard!!
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zeta
Feb 6, 2003, 6:30 PM
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when i lived in colorado, a lot of my girlfriends climbed and were pretty committed to it. Now that i live in DC, all my partners (except one) are men...i've managed to drag two girlfriends climbing a few times and though they liked it...they were 1) intimidated by feeling like they weren't strong enough 2)overwhelmed at the cost (of gear or going to the gym). I wish i had more girls here to climb with.
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cracklover
Feb 7, 2003, 6:59 PM
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Like someone else said, a lot of people (not just women!) think that climbing is all about upper body strength. Many times a woman will say she could never climb because she doesn't have the upper body strength. I tell them about one woman I know who can climb rings around me (seriously, she's a solid 5.12+ climber) who can't do a single pullup. This makes an impression, and many of the women re-considered.
Of course, it could just have to do w/ the crowd of girls you hang with.
GO
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miker
Feb 7, 2003, 8:28 PM
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So my wife climbs with me once in a while, but she has decided that she just doesn't want to do anything longer than one rope length, i.e.-200ft off the ground. She figures she has conquered her fear to the extent she is comfortable with.
Unfortunately this means she is left out when I go to Taqhuitz or most of Yosemite. Also my climbing level has surpassed her by quite a bit so even less interaction in my favorite activity.
To stay on topic, half the people I climb with are female and the two main ones leave their hubbies at home and climb as often as they can.
Maybe this is a different topic, but how do you balance time with your S.O. and the 7 days a week you want to go climbing????
my two cents
Miker
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