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Climbing, Adventure, Gear & Choss
Can You Still Have Fun?
Around here, we have sport climbing, lots and lots of sport climbing. As a result, most folks we climb with tend to be very project oriented. Most rarely head out for a day of casual cragging, but go to the cliff with a specific goal in mind, a route they are either working on or want to try to send. While this can be an incredibly rewarding way to approach climbing, it can also cause a lot of undue stress, which is something I’ve been thinking about, and dealing with, recently.
On the drive out to Rifle last week, I was talking with a friend about the pitfalls of trying hard, how you can start to get too obsessed with a route, and how it can even stop being fun. He shared that lately he was finding the thought of trying a hard project looming over him and taking over his thoughts. He could focus on little else, will I get on X route tomorrow? Another friend once lamented how he’d get nervous butterflies in his stomach before every hard redpoint attempt (he climbed 13+ at the time). I’ve also suffered from pre-redpoint jitters, where I get really worked up about possibly sending a line, and it kills me every time. Instead of heading up in a relaxed and fun state, I’m anxious and nervous. If I climb well, I might get even more anxious as I near the top. Will this be the one?
I sent two projects in the span of three days recently, and both were fairly unexpected. They weren’t routes I had put much time into, and would hardly qualify as “projects” as the term is used in Rifle, but for me they were routes I had put some burns in on, and wanted to get done before the end of the season. Going into both with low-to-no expectations, I was smiling, and staying relaxed as I moved upward, enjoying the movement for what it was. I gave my best efforts, and found myself clipping the chains with a big grin on my face.
In turn, I learned, or was reminded of, something valuable about trying hard. It’s great to have a goal, but the truth is some goals will never be reached, so unless you enjoy the process, you’re better off taking your time and energy elsewhere. It certainly can be difficult once you’re vested in a climb, because you obviously want to send, but you’ll probably enjoy it much more if you can balance this desire with the attitude of simply enjoying the climbing for what it is: fun!
9 Responses to Can You Still Have Fun?
Bulldog Creek Dog Walk (IV WI 4+)
Hayden Carpenter and Tom Bohanon recently repeated an obscure ice climb on the south side of Mt Sopris. Given a brief mention in Jack Robert’s ice guide, Bulldog Creek Walk is described as being 100 meters of WI 4. What they found was seven pitches of ice in a remote setting that makes for one […]
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Good thoughts, BJ. It seems like the moral of the story is to stop psyching yourself out — relax, and it will go.
Spoken like a true sport climber, BJ! I’m proud of ya!
Whenever I get those pre-redpoint jitters, I try to remind myself that I feel that way only because I know that I can do the route–so, turn a negative feeling into a good omen. It doesn’t work all the time, but it helps …
Good point Andrew! And yes, I think the transformation to the dark side is nearly complete. It’s been a long time since I’ve used any of that trad gear stuff…
Don’t fear the crack BJ, just put your fingers in there and let them take you to the top.
For me, projecting is totally about the whole experience. From the first burns figuring out the beta to, to the working out the hard moves, to the final redpoint head games that come with the journey. I agree it is tough to stay focused all the time from one project to another, but I do get the urge to find a project after not working on something that challenges me. Finding that balance is the goal.
Agreed, when the redpoint is so close, the butterflies start for me. Like right now, I am heading out this afternoon to try and rp a route that I have been working. I am down to one fall and know 100% that I can make all the moves, but…….
It is the fear of blowing it that is getting in my mind and making my fingers sweat even now. I needed to chalk up just to finish the post!
Take a deep breath and shake out Lynn!
The real fun killer is when you have the increasingly mandatory tantrum after you fall and everyone within half a mile gets to see and hear you act like a little shit.
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I have been climbing most onsight trad for the last 5 years, but have just switched to sport projects, hoping it’ll help me breakthrough to new levels. I’ll work on a route and not be able to stop ruminating on the moves. Then I get all worked up for the redpoint. I go from excitement to anxiety to a feeling of failure to redemption and then can’t wait to do it again. Trad is supposed to be the style with the head games! This is nuts.