Skills of Perception: Part 1

One of the more underrated aspects of improving at climbing is our skill of perception. There are different types of perception that we use throughout our day-to-day climbing. These range from observing what is happening on the wall to being able to recognize what’s going on physically. As we progress as climbers, it’s important that we continue to improve our abilities to observe and assess these things.

Across my years of coaching, I’ve noticed patterns emerge among different ability levels. For newer climbers, it’s important to remember the beta they just tried, intermediate climbers need to remember everything they’ve tried across all of their attempts, and advanced climbers need to remember what they felt.

Part 1: Newer Climbers

Remember the beta you just tried.

*HUGE caveat: I’ve seen climbers who regularly climb V10+ or 5.13+ who struggle with this aspect and whose climbing would be drastically improved if they put some dedicated effort leveling up this skill. Just because this is listed as a skill most commonly lacking in newer climbers doesn’t mean you are exempt from it because you’ve been climbing for several years.

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When you are new to climbing, there are so many things going on that it can be overwhelming. Everything is new, and you are guaranteed to learn something every time you go climbing for the first few months. There’s something extra you can do to gain even more out of that learning period, though.

Rachel Melville on the all-time classic test of beta memory, Ultra Perm (13d), Red River Gorge.

One of the more effective ways to get the most out of this initial learning period is to pause after each time you climb and try to remember what you just did. When you are new to the sport this can be hard to do. Can you remember the sequence of hands and feet you used? Which holds did you skip? What order did you move your feet in? How did that work out for you?

Being able to recognize and remember beta solutions is a crucial skill that will always remain useful in climbing. You might not be good at it to begin with, but the more you practice and the more you try to recall the beta you just used, the better you will get at it. Start now by trying to remember what just happened after you hop off the wall. To help with this, you can work with a friend or use video to check your memory. When you come down off of a climb, talk with your partner about what you just did and how it went. You might be surprised by how often you forget entire sections of climbs.

Newer climbers are often told to work on movement, technique, and other foundational skills. I think that’s great advice. In fact, I believe in that advice so much that I made an entire course for newer climbers looking to learn about movement, technique, and other foundational skills. However, if you want to get the most out of your skill work and practice, being able to remember what you tried is a great first step.

We have to be able to compare one attempt to another in order to assess whether the adjustments we are making are improvements. If you’re looking to level up your skills as a climber, improving your route memory is an investment that will pay off for as long as you continue to climb.