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Climbing, Adventure, Gear & Choss
I Love Climbing, But It’s Kind of a Pain in the Ass
I’ve been having this conversation a lot recently, how climbing is so amazing, but at the same time how much it sucks because to do it well, you have to put so much into it. I was recently explaining to some new comers that you have to climb three to four days per week to stay strong and make gains. They were quick to pick up on the fact that that doesn’t leave time for much else, like family, friends, or life in general really.
So that’s what I’ve been wondering about, is climbing an activity that requires you to make sacrifices in order to perform at your best? I can go six months without skiing, but after I get my fitness back in a couple weeks I’ll be right where I was the year before. Not so with climbing. Take six months off and you’ll spend months getting it back. Unless you are one of those naturally gifted/genetic freaks. You can stop reading right now and go back to whatever sick proj you’re working on. But for the rest of us, climbing usually means sacrifices. Or it means you live life, and maybe don’t climb as hard as you wish you could.
Just today I was talking to a friend and we were both lamenting how life had been so busy recently we each hadn’t been out much in the last two weeks. He was saying he has decided that maybe you can’t really become a strong climber if you lead a normal life, with family obligations, friends etc. I agreed that it’s hard to be consistent sometimes, with things like weddings, family get-togethers and the like. But at the same time, I just love climbing, so while it’s fun to push my personal best, I mostly want simply to be on the rocks, regardless of what level I’m climbing at.
So what do you think? Can you climb consistently without being super self absorbed? Or does leaving time for other things mean you won’t be redpointing a harder route this year? Or can you have both? And does it even matter?
18 Responses to I Love Climbing, But It’s Kind of a Pain in the Ass
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Oh, I know exactly how that feels. My doctor told me not to climb for a while. So I haven´t been climbing since April. Ok, except for 3-4 four times lately. Dont tell him, he was serious about it ;-). On these occasions I couldn´t hardly climb grades I usually climb right after warm-up. My climbing partner now is waaaay ahead of me. I think it is a thing you have to accept or you get crazy.
I agree with you. As someone who has not climbed at my peak for several years, it certainly does take dedication to stay at the top of your game. However, this is the case with almost any sport. I’m also a very active runner, and unless I’m running several days a week, my fitness level begins to drop off. I also love skiing, and unless I commit myself to a season, I’m not really able to rip it up. I’m guessing that if you dedicated the amount of time to skiing that you dedicate to climbing, your skiing would end up at a level above what you have experienced to date.
The difference, of course, is in the nature of climbing and how differentiated the grading system is. If I’m not in top running condition, I can still go do the same runs that I do when I’m in top condition. It just takes me a little longer. And when I only get out to ski a few times a year, I can still ski many of the harder lines I skied at my peak, just not as aggressively or smoothly.
In climbing, doing the same lines that I did at my peak is just not an option when I’m off my peak.
So, in conclusion, doing anything well takes loads of time. In climbing, you are just more limited in what is available to you if you are not doing it well.
The story of my life, try adding 2 kids to the mix, work travel and a desk job! First and most importantly lower expectations, for me it is being able to lead 5.10 trad climbs which is plenty fulfilling and provides access to classic routes around the country. Second, remove the term red point from the vocabularly, that is for partially employed single folk. Third maintain a baseline level of fitness through cross training – biking, peak bagging, push ups, lifting, plastic climbing and core is what i have noticed to be most important as you get older. My fingers are never getting stronger and that is irrelevant for my goals as a climber, now the goal is maintaining baseline fitness and no injuries; so on the very infrequent opportunities i do have to climb, it can be enjoyable. My focus moving forward is memorable mountain experiences…no time for anything less.
i think you are unnecessarily putting climbing on a whole other level from other sports/skilled activities. Your skiing is at the same level b/c you may not ski at the same level you climb. For me, I come back to skiing every year “near” the same level, but it always takes till the end of the year to peak again (or make gains) and that is skiing 2-4 times a week. However with climbing, I took nearly a decade off and only dropped from 5.10 to 5.9 (and brought that back up to climbing some 5.10’s by climbing 8 times in 2 summers!). So i could say it’s easy to stay the same in climbing even after a break. It’s all perspective in how good you think “the norm” is. You think 5.11 is normal 🙂
Basically, to be at the top of the game in anything, especially in this day and age takes tons of commitment. That’s why so many of the best have messed up relationships, are divorced, have drinking and drug issues, etc. There is no time for anything else.
So, does it matter? Not if it’s fun.
I would love to agree with you – except there are five climbers in my family (myself included) – all of whom work 40-60 hour work weeks – all (besides myself) who climb between 12a and 14b … The guy working a 60 hour work week climbs 14a/b. We all work out 3-5x a week and none of us have kids so I can’t speak for the parents here but rather than let climbing interfere with “life” we make it a part of our lives. – happy hour after an hour of climbing, Family get- togethers and vacations spent in awesome climbing areas, etc.
I just started climbing a year and a half ago so I have a lot of catching up to do but the climbing community that I’ve encountered is beyond inspriring and – well, just awesome in general : ) As an avid runner, I agree with Yosh about the difference in the sports you compared. But mainly I agree with Greg – having fun is the most important part!
Of course comparing across sports doesn’t really work that well, as each is different, but climbing and skiing are the big ones for me, so the easiest for me to compare. It just seems that in climbing you lose fitness faster than in almost anything else I can think of when you take time off.
@ PRenee – Kudos to you guys for working so hard and still getting after it. I think it’s different when you are the only ones in your family who climb. For example, my wife and I will generally spend at least 2 weeks of vacation per year visiting each family, and those trips may or may not include a litttle bit of climbing, since family is the focus. So that only leaves 2 other weeks of vacation to take trips to climbing areas. Not complaining, as we have incredibly blessed lives, just making observations.
i belive that onehundred percent life and climbing really turns out like that but i dont want to look back at my life and relize i missed out on importent things like my family cause lets face it that is importent, so what i have come to is that throw these years of children growing up and all these other activetys or events i will have to climb and not be as strong as i know i can be but as life slows down kids move out it will give me time to start getting that streanch back you really can have the best of both world may be not to day or tomorrow but you can , kids life climbing its all worth it
Well, I’m a climbing coach (with a 4 day a week job as well) so perhaps it’s predictable that I hate people winging about not having enough time. It’s a pet peeve of mine. You will MAKE time for what is important to you, and there IS enough hours in the day.
With very limited time, you can still train frequently, but the session times are short, and you pare away all the unnecessary fluff. Sessions can be as short as 30-60 minutes if they are 100% quality. So many people faff around for 3-4 hours and the overall benefit of their session is probably 25% of what I can achieve in 40 minutes. It is possible to do two short sessions per week and climb one day on the weekend and make steady gains up into the elite (14a/8b+) ranks. I know this because I have done it.
The other thing that is needed is a facility at home to train on. I believe this is mandatory for _elite_ level climbers with families and otherwise full lives. If you don’t have one you do need to build one. You simply can’t rely on a local climbing gym. Relying on a climbing gym is like saying you can make do perfectly well using your neighbors refrigerator.
Live life huge!
Lee Cujes
@Lee – Well that’s the question I’m asking, and so you’re saying we CAN have it all. I do agree most climbers don’t train very well, as you mentioned, though I’m super curious as to what a training program involving so little time would look like that could get someone up to sending 14a.
It’s all about learning to be efficient. Nuff said.
Apt questions you pose, Beej. The last couple of summers, I’ve been climbing less and less. At one time in my life I would have considered that a tragedy– but I don’t now. It’s a result of a couple of things I think. First, maturity. Placing my relationship with Katie (read: doing laundry and changing the oil in her car) higher than climbing … may not make me the sickest climber on the block, but let’s not be Peter Pans for a moment. Rock climbing is great fun and sometimes even helps us grow up and realize how much more we’re capable of achieving/enduring. But Walter Bonatti’s philosophy on it has been hijacked by self-indulgence. Our trips into the mountains are less about getting to be better men and more about escaping real world responsibilities– at least that’s what I find in myself often, and certainly in the bro/bra (lame) climber culture here in the Wasatch front.
I climb less now. But I’ve got a lot more than I did when I lived out of my truck.
You can always make the time for the life you want. I am tired of the “I can’t because…” peolpe. kids, work…no excuse!
This is an interesting issue for me as I’ve recently entered fatherhood although I have, so far, had no issues with a decline in performance even though my climbing time has changed from where it was 10 years ago. Ironically, I’ve climbed much less this spring and summer but have been climbing as hard as I ever have. Actually, I feel like I’ve had the best season of climbing in terms of difficulty even though the bulk of my climbing sessions have been short and close to home which is part of the reason I think I have done so well. I don’t have the leisure to “hang out” at the crag so I go and get my “business” done and go home to the wife and kid (although they are often at the crag with me). I have particularly found it enjoyable to climb with others who also share this desire, many of who are often dads themselves. Hence, why I think you can do a lot with a little, including in sports like running.
In running I am no where near my peak level during my college days but I still enjoy running reasonable times even though my running mileage is very low. Instead, I go out for shorter runs but I run hard and fast. Similarly, I feel like I can do the same thing climbing. I was worried this summer that I would “run out of juice” on long routes because I focused almost exclusively on short cragging routes. Instead, I felt quite strong on long routes, perhaps because I made do with the short sessions of climbing and still gained endurance with strength. To me, it just seems that you make do with the time you have, making time when you can but also just accepting a lack of time when that’s what you have.
With family, my daughter and wife are the most important things but I don’t see things the way Mark does in regards to spending less time climbing in exchange for time with family as a sign of maturity. Instead, I do everything I can to include my family because it seems natural to combine the things you love in life. Climbing brings me a form of happiness, as do family, and so when the two are combined it is wonderful. At the same time, we each have to make our own decisions about what is best in our lives. If my wife didn’t let me or didn’t want me to go climbing she knows that I would not be as rich of a person when I come home. Hence, she encourages me to go get my time in, as I do with her in her pursuits. In that, there is a balance that we find refreshing, enjoyable and for us, focused on an important balance of priorities.
Unfortunately as a student I can’t climb as much as I would like too but it all depends on what is really important to you. Some people like to work, some like world of warcraft, others obsess over climbing. If its worth the sacrifice then its not really a sacrifice i guess. Too each his own. Good insight.
It’s all about flex. Being a fulltime student, I attempt to make the most of my breaks. One or two trips a year really keep the psych high and there’s always that motivation to train hard for the next outting. I’ve found that continually challenging yourself with short-term goals and projects is a great motivating factor as well. This past winter break I made the most of my time by climbing a lot of winter routes and really getting after it in the local alpine. Now that school’s the priority again I’m pscyhed on training in the gym and progressing in the sport / bouldering realm. Even if I only get out once a week, I make the most of that one day by training four or five days a week (come on, everyone can do two 30 minute training board sessions four days a week). And I know I’ll be better prepared for alpine rock in the Park come summer : )
Kevin, I think you hit the nail on the head. Even if you do just 4 30 min hangboard workouts per week you will get stronger. I guess it’s a matter of priorities, which is easy for me to say now, we’ll see what happens when some day there are kids in the picture.
I want to climb at least once a week. Ideally, I’d be able to climb two or three times a week but that’ll never happen. Between a kid, a job, and a ball and chain that swears she likes climbing yet somehow never wants to go or let me go, I’m lucky to get my once a week. What I REALLY want to do is take three or four good trips a year to do some multi-pitch trad climbing in addition to the once a week sessions. The problem is, unless you can afford traveling and get the time off work, it’ll never happen.
The cost of gear is one thing, then there’s the cost of using it, not to mention finding fun, skilled, and knowledgeable people with which to use it. It’s a lot easier to find in an area that has tons of crags as opposed to an area that you have to drive hours to get to decent single pitch outdoor climbing.
Then, if you get all this straight, you have the issue of not being able to do it constantly to be able to maintain grades you’ve worked hard for, much less progress. I sound like a total crybaby, but it’s true.
People that have climbing as a job, or anyone that gets to do what they love to pay the bills for that matter, don’t realize how lucky they are. Or perhaps they do.
I really can see both sides of the issue. There are more factors involved than can be seen at the surface though. Some people are genetically prone to having titanium tendons and mutant muscles, therefore they won’t lose as much in the off season. It all comes down to how much you want it as well. This is perhaps the most valid point. Do you want it enough to do ten or fifteen minute sessions on a hangboard every other day if you can’t make it to a crag or gym? Do you have a plan for training when you go to the gym or crag, or do you just do arbitrary routes? Not that there’s anything wrong with doing arbitrary routes for shits and gigs, but if you’re serious about getting better, your training needs structure driven by a desired result. All the other factors like finding a climbing partner, acquiring gear etc. will come eventually… I hope. I’m doing everything else right, hoping that the factors I can’t control will come together. Oh, and as far as the kids, that all depends on how old they are. Believe it or not, kids love climbing. My six yr old sent an 80′ 5.5 last fall. Take ’em with you, it’s more rewarding than it is a pain in the ass. Just trust me on this one.