Rock Climbs Make Terrible Gym Climbs
How people would respond to classic climbs if they were set in a gym and had a comment box:
Photo of Carlo Traversi by Mary Mecklenburg
Photo of Kris by Becca Skinner
Photo of Dru Mack by Tom Thudium
Photo of Nate Drolet by James Lucas
Photo of Brad Weaver by Brion Voges
Photo by Kim and Graham McGrenere
Photo of Ryan Copeland by Nate Drolet
Photo of Jimmy Webb by Nate Drolet.
Listen to Kris and Nate discuss how routesetters end up unfairly taking the blame.
If we look for something to complain about, we’ll find it. We've all been guilty of this at some point while climbing in the gym. We try something, it feels awkward or harder than we think it should, and so we write it off as a "bad problem" and move on.
Rock climbing is incredibly diverse and requires a massive arsenal of skills. If we allow ourselves to only climb the things that fit into our own personal idea of what climbing ought to be or what is comfortable, we'll find ourselves pigeon-holed into a single style and frustrated every time we encounter something outside of it. If you have goals that require a specific focus, then dedicate more time towards that style, but don't let it become an excuse to avoid the things that challenge you.
Let’s make fewer excuses and put more time into the things that challenge us. Climb everything and climb it well.
Climbing starts off as this self-feeding cycle that has you wishing you could climb seven days a week. What happens when this cycle stops bringing improvement though?