The climbing club (Nov 2013 - ?)

[ReachingForTheStars]

I recently learned from Aeryn that it's called a slab! I never knew either. There aren't any routes like that in my gym, so it never came up in conversation ever, but now if I ever encounter one I know the proper word to use.

 

I have a general question for the top rope/lead climbers: is there really that much difference between a harness that's classified as a 'Woman's' harness, versus one that's 'Unisex' or 'Men's'? I've pretty much decided on a harness, and it's a woman's one, but I was just curious about how much difference to fit/comfort it actually makes. I couldn't notice any difference just looking at pictures of them, but maybe there is a difference?

 

Sweet, more vocab!  Slab, slab, slab...

 

Yeah, me and the hubby just got new harnesses for Christmas, and I have absolutely no idea what the difference is.  I keep thinking that there's gotta be something going on in the nether regions, but I don't see anything...course I didn't actually look that hard...

[obax]

Yeah, me and the hubby just got new harnesses for Christmas, and I have absolutely no idea what the difference is.  I keep thinking that there's gotta be something going on in the nether regions, but I don't see anything...course I didn't actually look that hard...

 

Speaking of, I'm just childish enough to giggle at the codpiece created when a guy wears a harness, but not quite childish enough to giggle with the guy standing right there...

[ReachingForTheStars]

Same.  Also, how it makes anyone's butt look once they're in the air.

 

Yup, we're all mature adults here.

[obax]

I try not to think about how it makes one's butt look. Mainly because I don't have to deal with the codpiece, being a woman, so I can giggle all I want, but there's no avoiding the butt enhancement for anyone...

[ReachingForTheStars]

Hey, with my fabulous stretchy yoga legging things (they let me be all flexy, yay!) that I climb in, my butt looks goooood.  So, I'll think about it all I want.

[quietmuse]

I have a general question for the top rope/lead climbers: is there really that much difference between a harness that's classified as a 'Woman's' harness, versus one that's 'Unisex' or 'Men's'? I've pretty much decided on a harness, and it's a woman's one, but I was just curious about how much difference to fit/comfort it actually makes. I couldn't notice any difference just looking at pictures of them, but maybe there is a difference?

As a guy, I only have the academic answer, but I believe the "rise" (distance between back of leg loops and waist belt) is longer on a women's harness.  Something about the natural waist being higher, I think?

 

As an aside, I found my harness uncomfortable to hang in (wanted to dump me backwards) and was about to buy a different one.  After some time spend adjusting and hanging, I found that the rise actually greatly affects the angle at which I sit when weighting the harness.  Saved $60 by five minutes of playing.  Moral of the story - adjustment is worth playing with!

[obax]

Thanks for the tips. I had a feeling there was a difference that just wasn't obvious in pictures. The place where I plan to buy it has very knowledgeable people working there, so I'm sure I'll get more detail than I ever wanted when I ask, and it's a moot point anyway, since I've decided on a female-specific harness.

[Lilith]

ReachingForTheStars - Thanks for your comment! I looked at one of the links (I don't have much time, I'm going to work soon) and I read through all your own suggestions. I saved your comment in my worddocument with "getting better at climbing" stuff and tonight I will look it through in peace. It looks great though and I appreciate it! 

 

I thought the difference of the women's harnesses was also the ratio of how wide the leg holes are, and how wide the  band is around your waist. Women have relatively wider legs than waist.  

[Nymeria]

I'm glad people started posting here again, even if I'm sideline from climbing and can't really join in.

If you want to build grip strength, maybe try dead hanging on the actual rock holds at the gym at the end of each session. Or, if you're strong enough, end your climbing day with pull ups or flex hangs using the rock holds. Unfortunately, building up grip strength just takes a lot of time and patience.

[Lilith]

Dead hanging from actual holds is a great idea actually! I will incorporate that in my normal climbing routine! 

[artemiscuous]

Do you guys ever have a hard time climbing (and bouldering alone, especially, when you don't know anyone) in front of a bunch of other climbers? What do you do to psych yourself up, mentally? I'm  curious to hear from other introverted women that have found things that work for them, but I would also be interested to hear any advice from an extrovert or a guy, if you can figure out what it is you do (I've noticed that for some extroverts, it's so natural that they aren't even sure why it's easy, lol). :-) 

[ReachingForTheStars]

I'm mostly an introvert, so I was kinda nervous going bouldering on my own the first time or two, but once I got on the walls I'm just doing my thing and the rest of the world falls away for a while.  You just gotta remember that everybody else is getting their thing done just like you are.  If they ARE watching you, they may be trying to improve their own climbing by watching others or they might want to give you a tip.  Either way's a win for you.  One way you help someone out and get some confidence, the other you get some new climbing tips (and maybe a new friend!).  It's definitely very different from a regular gym where you really should just pop in with your headphones in, do your thing, and then leave.  I think it's more communal than that and a much more appropriate venue to go up to someone and say, "Hey, how do you do this?", "Hey, I noticed you were struggling, why don't you try this?", or "Wow, that was an impressive climb just now."  So, I guess what I'm saying is focus on the wall - everybody else is focusing on theirs.  Even those who are resting are often staring at a problem and analyzing it and not paying a lick of attention to you.

 

All that said, I get much more nervous when people come in, and they're definitely getting work done, but they're also chatting loudly and there's no one but me and them in the gym.  Usually these are teenaged girls who are clearly on a team for competition.  I don't know why high school girls make me nervous, they just do.  There's three girls like that who come in together at my gym, and I just lose all focus when they do and I'm the only one in there.  I seriously don't know why.  I need to get over it.  Is that super weird?

[iatetheyeti]

I'm not as bad as I used to be, things have come on a lot in the past couple of years. I still won't go to a climbing wall completely alone, but that's more because I love the social aspect and don't feel as much enjoyment when I'm flying solo. If I'm with a group and go off to do my own thing... it depends. Whenever I'm on my own in the bouldering cave I tend to end up trying to be over ambitious or try and practice dyno moves. If someone else comes in I'll switch to easier problems until I adjust to them being there, then maybe try something harder or work my way back towards what I was originally doing.

 

Or sometimes I'll fall on my ass and we'll have a laugh about it. That happened once at the closest bouldering cave to my place after my friend felt ill enough to leave, and I ended up spending the evening with an awesome former social worker type who didn't mind giving me a bit of coaching.

 

The two things that it boils down to with me are mood and gender. The latter is weird. I'll be more likely to regain my confidence if guys are about, and chances are if we're in the same place for long enough we'll even start talking. And yet if other women are about I feel massively insecure and am far more likely to retreat to the safety of my group. I don't really know why. Fortunately mood is easier, because I wouldn't be climbing if things were all that bad, so usually the solution to that is food, water, a good laugh, or a walk around the place.

 

I'm still trying to figure out a lot of what will psych me up mentally for being alone in places like a climbing wall or anywhere I can't just put my earphones in (getting tangled up once is enough for me...). It's mostly trial and error, I've found.

[artemiscuous]

I'm mostly an introvert, so I was kinda nervous going bouldering on my own the first time or two, but once I got on the walls I'm just doing my thing and the rest of the world falls away for a while.  You just gotta remember that everybody else is getting their thing done just like you are.  If they ARE watching you, they may be trying to improve their own climbing by watching others or they might want to give you a tip.  Either way's a win for you.  One way you help someone out and get some confidence, the other you get some new climbing tips (and maybe a new friend!).  It's definitely very different from a regular gym where you really should just pop in with your headphones in, do your thing, and then leave.  I think it's more communal than that and a much more appropriate venue to go up to someone and say, "Hey, how do you do this?", "Hey, I noticed you were struggling, why don't you try this?", or "Wow, that was an impressive climb just now."  So, I guess what I'm saying is focus on the wall - everybody else is focusing on theirs.  Even those who are resting are often staring at a problem and analyzing it and not paying a lick of attention to you.

 

All that said, I get much more nervous when people come in, and they're definitely getting work done, but they're also chatting loudly and there's no one but me and them in the gym.  Usually these are teenaged girls who are clearly on a team for competition.  I don't know why high school girls make me nervous, they just do.  There's three girls like that who come in together at my gym, and I just lose all focus when they do and I'm the only one in there.  I seriously don't know why.  I need to get over it.  Is that super weird?

 

Yeah I have had some good interactions with people when I've gone alone, but mostly I get really nervous, freak out, flake on some easy climbs, and leave early. Especially when the other gym folk seem like really good climbers. I've come a long way from where I was as a younger person, but this is one social situation that I seem to consistently hit against a wall. If I'm there with someone I know, it's like my nervousness just disappears! I have no idea why this is.

 

I'm not as bad as I used to be, things have come on a lot in the past couple of years. I still won't go to a climbing wall completely alone, but that's more because I love the social aspect and don't feel as much enjoyment when I'm flying solo. If I'm with a group and go off to do my own thing... it depends. Whenever I'm on my own in the bouldering cave I tend to end up trying to be over ambitious or try and practice dyno moves. If someone else comes in I'll switch to easier problems until I adjust to them being there, then maybe try something harder or work my way back towards what I was originally doing.

 

Or sometimes I'll fall on my ass and we'll have a laugh about it. That happened once at the closest bouldering cave to my place after my friend felt ill enough to leave, and I ended up spending the evening with an awesome former social worker type who didn't mind giving me a bit of coaching.

 

The two things that it boils down to with me are mood and gender. The latter is weird. I'll be more likely to regain my confidence if guys are about, and chances are if we're in the same place for long enough we'll even start talking. And yet if other women are about I feel massively insecure and am far more likely to retreat to the safety of my group. I don't really know why. Fortunately mood is easier, because I wouldn't be climbing if things were all that bad, so usually the solution to that is food, water, a good laugh, or a walk around the place.

 

I'm still trying to figure out a lot of what will psych me up mentally for being alone in places like a climbing wall or anywhere I can't just put my earphones in (getting tangled up once is enough for me...). It's mostly trial and error, I've found.

 

That's funny, I feel like we have very similar experiences. Although I am much more freaked out around really good guy climbers. I think it's a bit of imposter syndrome - like what am I even doing there? I definitely know that they aren't thinking it. But it's a hard thing to get past, for me. It's been hit or miss. I guess what I'm trying to do now is determine what part of my mental game makes for a hit, so that I can have more hits than misses. :-)

 

Btw, on the earphone thing - I've seen a lot of people bouldering with earphones, and I always wonder if they get tangled up! I definitely would. lol

[ReachingForTheStars]

Yeah I have had some good interactions with people when I've gone alone, but mostly I get really nervous, freak out, flake on some easy climbs, and leave early. Especially when the other gym folk seem like really good climbers. I've come a long way from where I was as a younger person, but this is one social situation that I seem to consistently hit against a wall. If I'm there with someone I know, it's like my nervousness just disappears! I have no idea why this is.

 

See, I'm just the opposite.  I get excited when I see the good climbers because they're who I aspire to.  Sure I'm shy when I first go in, but then I just take the opportunity to check out their skillz (yeah, I meant to spell it that way) when I rest between climbs. 

 

I'm still trying to figure out a lot of what will psych me up mentally for being alone in places like a climbing wall or anywhere I can't just put my earphones in (getting tangled up once is enough for me...). It's mostly trial and error, I've found.

 

Try having some idea of what problems you'll tackle before you get there?  So that all you're thinking about once you get there is how you're gonna crush that move that you were struggling on last time.  I think that the more you focus, the easier it is to tune out the crowd.  Sure it can be more fun to just mess around, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

[obax]

I definitely don't like climbing where there are a lot of others in the gym. My gym's pretty small too, so there's no getting away from people if they're there, really. I'm usually ok if it's, like, one or two other loners, but when there are other groups and I'm alone, I feel super self-conscious. It's a combination of feeling self-conscious about being alone, which I personally have no problem with, but I'm not naive enough to think that there's not a stigma to being a loner (maybe left over insecurities from my younger days?), and also of feeling in the way/like an imposter, since I'm almost always the worst climber in the gym.

 

I have noticed, the 2 times I went with my friend, that my self-consciousness is way less when I'm with her. Though we've gone during the day on a weekday, which isn't usually very busy, but one time a bunch of people began to filter in towards the end of our session and I was ok with it. But once she left, I left soon after, ostensibly because my hands hurt (which they actually did) but probably also because I was alone again. I'd really like to go climbing with someone who's better than me, to see if it's the fact that, when I'm with my friend, I'm no longer the worst, or if it's just the fact that I'm with someone (ie. would a friend who's better than me make me feel the same as a stranger who's better than me?)

 

It's also very dependent on my mood. Occasionally, I'll be having a really great, focused day, and on those days I feel like a boss and it doesn't matter how many people are around 'cuz I'm awesome. But that doesn't happen very often, so I'm usually subject to the (imagined) slings and arrows of the people around me.

 

Mostly I just avoid the issue by only climbing during the day on weekdays. I wonder if it'd be different if the gym was bigger, so that I could go to my little corner and not feel like a big group at another part was breathing down my neck.

[Lilith]

I always go with my boyfriend, and just the fact he's around makes me feel safe. I'm really not a good climber yet, so in that regard I don't feel like I'm being watched at all. Sometimes though, a more experienced climber watches me and gives me pointers. In a way that makes me really nervous, makes me want to perform. It's like I show my gratitude for their help (which I REALLY appreciate) by actually getting the problem solved if you know what I mean. So if I still can't after the pointers it feels like I'm ungrateful to them. They probably won't see it that way, though. Anyway, if anything, people watching me makes me push harder if they help/comment on me. Otherwise I don't think I'd actually notice being watched. O_o My mind is very occupied with climbing when I'm on the wall. 

[ReachingForTheStars]

I always go with my boyfriend, and just the fact he's around makes me feel safe. I'm really not a good climber yet, so in that regard I don't feel like I'm being watched at all. Sometimes though, a more experienced climber watches me and gives me pointers. In a way that makes me really nervous, makes me want to perform. It's like I show my gratitude for their help (which I REALLY appreciate) by actually getting the problem solved if you know what I mean. So if I still can't after the pointers it feels like I'm ungrateful to them. They probably won't see it that way, though. Anyway, if anything, people watching me makes me push harder if they help/comment on me. Otherwise I don't think I'd actually notice being watched. O_o My mind is very occupied with climbing when I'm on the wall. 

 

Exactly.  I'm actually way more nervous when I go during the day when it's just me and the staff.  That's when I really feel like I shouldn't be there.

[iatetheyeti]

That's funny, I feel like we have very similar experiences. Although I am much more freaked out around really good guy climbers. I think it's a bit of imposter syndrome - like what am I even doing there? I definitely know that they aren't thinking it. But it's a hard thing to get past, for me. It's been hit or miss. I guess what I'm trying to do now is determine what part of my mental game makes for a hit, so that I can have more hits than misses. :-)

 

Btw, on the earphone thing - I've seen a lot of people bouldering with earphones, and I always wonder if they get tangled up! I definitely would. lol

 

The imposter syndrome theory fits quite well, now you mention it. When it hits me, my thoughts mostly turn to trying to psych myself up and me telling myself that I have every right to be there, and I shouldn't worry about my skill level or technique because everyone sucked at one point. This is where I find music helps. If I'm lucky, the wall staff are playing something I know and enjoy (they've got good music taste there ) and that helps focus things. Otherwise, well, I'm pretty much where you are, trying to find something that will make for more hits than misses.

 

Heh, I've tried so many things to keep the earphone wires out of the way, but they're sneaky little things...

 

 

Try having some idea of what problems you'll tackle before you get there?  So that all you're thinking about once you get there is how you're gonna crush that move that you were struggling on last time.  I think that the more you focus, the easier it is to tune out the crowd.  Sure it can be more fun to just mess around, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

 

Good plan, one I reckon I'll use next time I'm likely to be going, flying solo or not (unfortunately not until next month...).

[ReachingForTheStars]

Hey all!  Just wanted to share that I just completed a problem I'd been working on for a while the other day.  Woot woot!  How's everyone doing?

[obax]

Yay, problem solving! It's always great when you finally get one you've been working on.

 

As for me, I'm getting back into the routine after a ~2 week break. I let stress get the better of me and stayed away from the gym, but I'm happy to be (relatively) stress free and back in the saddle!

[Nuala]

I'm working on a V3+/6A+ at the moment. It took me 4 sessions to reach the before last move, the last one is terrifying. One foot on a round volume, one foot on the opposite wall, you have to put both hands on a square drawn on the wall. Absolutely no holds are involved for the last move. So scary I could cry.

 

Hopefully, I'll solve it on Friday.

[Lilith]

Hey all!  Just wanted to share that I just completed a problem I'd been working on for a while the other day.  Woot woot!  How's everyone doing?

That's great! I've been practicing overhangs a little more, if I couldn't get the route with the right colours I would just go up anyway. Really want to build some strength because the fact that it's lacking frustrates me to no end.  

[Nuala]

I'm working on a V3+/6A+ at the moment. It took me 4 sessions to reach the before last move, the last one is terrifying. One foot on a round volume, one foot on the opposite wall, you have to put both hands on a square drawn on the wall. Absolutely no holds are involved for the last move. So scary I could cry.

 

Hopefully, I'll solve it on Friday.

 

I didn't solved it on Friday, but took an ugly video to show how the problem is:

 

 

 

First crux is at 0:12. The hold is not really good so I have to be very wary of the strength I use. Not enough and I won't reach it. Too much and I will miss it.

 

Second crux is at 0:21. I'm too small to catch the holds on my right while keeping my right foot on the hold. It's hard to trust your foot when it's on a round volume and when your hands are barely holding anything.

 

0:35 was my mistake. I should have bring back my hand before putting my left foot on the other round volume. I got stuck because of that.

 

The end of the problem is the blue square, left to the last yellow hold. To reach it, you need to have one foot on the round volume, the other one on the opposite wall and... pray for the best

[kylie]

After 3 weeks I just found this thread! I knew there had to be more climbers around somewhere.

 

Did you get this problem Nuala? It looks hard! I hate scary last moves on boulder problems. High slab moves especially really freak me out. I'm definitely not a natural boulderer, give me a rope anyday.