Always Upwards
Having been to the local climbing gym numerous times, I have come away with a few observations:
-I’m pretty sure I’m the only one trying to scamper a 200 Lbs carcass up those walls. Many of the climbers appear to be sustaining on a steady diet of Ramen noodles, protein bars, and craisins.
-Most of those climbers are spider monkey hybrids.
-There are many reasons I play hockey. One of them is that I am terrible at climbing.
-Conversely, I don’t think many of them play hockey either. It’s hard to skate when your stomach is growling because your diet consists of only Ramen noodles, protein bars, and craisins.
All kidding aside, I have enjoyed my times there. The hand and foot holds of the climbing walls get changed on a regular basis for various competitions they host and to prevent regulars from getting comfortable. Since I’m not a regular, I get surprised regularly.
The climbing walls are straight up and not angled out to acclimate beginners. These up and down routes have various kinds of holds so each lane has its own difficulty. If you don’t know what the difference is between a 5.8 rated climb versus a 5.11 rated climb, you learn very quickly that the number after the decimal mean it’s going to take you that many attempts to just hang on the starting holds. That’s not technical jargon, that’s just facts. I am more than content with getting up that wall. I have no desire to enter the restricted area which is for Level 2 climbers, as it involves more people, knowledge, and training to do. I’m there to get in a fun and challenging workout, not to learn how to scale the Swiss Alps. But it’s nice to know there are options……..
Bouldering is a little different. It’s essentially a large multi-sided boulder 12 feet high made of wood and holds. There is no belay because the floor is springy, meaning it will cradle you in its arms as you fall to the earth. The holds can meander along and up the wall, which isn’t always flat. You find out pretty quickly which ones you are just not ready for, so falling is not really a concern if you can’t ascend. This is the area that constantly impresses me. The climbers around here get very creative and pull off some clever tricks while hanging by the tips of their fingers.
It’s been a year now and I’m still enjoying it. The challenge and uniqueness keeps me returning. My forearms don’t burn as much, which was one of my goals. My fear of heights remains intact, but I trust my equipment and that keeps me focused on the task of continuing up the wall. Like hockey, when my attention is attuned to just one thing in front of me, it becomes therapeutic. I forget about the outside world and inner distractions as I work on grabbing the next pinch, pocket, sloper, or crimper to keep climbing. A giant puzzle to figure out with no wrong or right way to do it, the only correct solution is getting to the top. Kind of like life in general: one step at a time and don’t give up trying. The smallest victory is still an accomplishment to savor, even if it is craisin flavored.
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