rock climbing, er... rocks!

[lph]

So I've never been a hotshot rock climber chasing the hardest grades, but I used to be able to competently lead on natural pro up to about 6a/6b French grading, preferably multipitch. Since I bought my road bike my climbing just declined horribly, so this season I vowed to get back into climbing shape as soon as my elbow, dislocated in January, would allow.

And w00t! today I repeated a local testpiece which I've only led once before, a 40 m long almost vertical 6a/b with the layback crux near the bottom, managing to mash in 2 small Aliens and one small Camalot in the course of the first 6 m i.e. did it well-protected as well. And then I onsighted a bolted 6b+ nearby.

Dang, I'm proud of myself!

[shootingstar]

Dang, I'm proud of myself!

YOu should be, not everyone feels akin to rock-climbing as a pleasurable exercise activity. Like me, I'm afraid of heights.

There was this guy who I knew at work who went rock climbing here locally (we do have mountain faces and plenty of cliff-faces to choose) after work...in the dark until 1:00 am. It sounded a tad crazy, but hey, maybe he's the sort to do cave spelunking too.

[redrhodie]

Way to go! You rock!

I tried rock climbing years ago, but after I saw an accident while I was halfway up my second outdoor climb ever, I developed a fear of heights (or, more accurately, fear of falling).

[HillSlugger]

I'm glad you've worked climbing back into your life. I climbed passionately for years but it's now been more than 2 years () since my last climbing. I miss it but don't know how to fit it in with my triathlon training.

[lph]

Thanks

Yup, I sort of lost some of my motivation to climb once I was riding a lot, because the activities are so different. After working on speed, and aerodynamics, and all that all with a high HR, climbing just felt so ... slow and I couldn't find either the focus or the guts to try hard.

It's a different mindset and takes a more patience since the effort isn't masked by great gouts of adrenaline...

It really helps having friends who back you up and challenge you on the same level.

[solobiker]

That is great!! I used to do a lot of trad climbing and alpine climbs. I loved the alpine climbs because it challenged me on many levels. Nothing like a 14-16 hour day of moving nonstop with a heavy pack on your back. It was a nice mix of long approach hikes to a climb, climb several pitches then hike back out. I have not climbed in a few years due to nerve issues in my feet. Once again, Congrats!!!