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climb_life
Nov 6, 2005, 2:14 PM
Post #26 of 45
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Registered: Nov 6, 2005
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A friend of mine took me to the nearest indoor-wall. (we haven't rocks in the Netherlands..) We came there about 3 times a week and after a half year we started to take a course in technique. After 1 year we went to the France alps and took there courses in rock climbing.
It's now 2,5 years later and after a break of several months I'm going to train again!
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mcgivney_nh
Nov 6, 2005, 2:17 PM
Post #27 of 45
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Registered: May 28, 2005
Posts: 421
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I'm still learning a ton, just started leading sport yesterday, just hanging around the gym a ton (its like five minutes from my house), and I finally found some people to climb with. (the proces of finding climbing partners is a lot harder when you don't have a license...)
-Sean
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climb512
Nov 6, 2005, 2:26 PM
Post #28 of 45
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Registered: May 19, 2001
Posts: 468
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Followed for about 2 months. Read everything I could get my hands on about anchors,pro,etc. Then just did it. No course or class. Climbed a lot of easy stuff placing a ton of gear to get the practice and critique from my partner.
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porcelainsunset
Nov 6, 2005, 3:32 PM
Post #29 of 45
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Registered: Sep 26, 2005
Posts: 289
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I figured I might be the first to shout this out, Boy Scouts.
That’s right, I'm a boy scout. Haha. After a short experience of climbing top roped on plastic indoor, I feel in love with the physically, yet calm and peaceful nature of climbing. When I was about 13 I had the option of taking climbing merit badge, and took it. There I learned the basics, how to belay, rappel, tie in, etc. However, learned nothing about basics such as trad or lead climbing, so it wasn’t much of a class, but more of an introduction.
I learned how to sport climb from one of my good friends in High School, Sam. There is this little local crag of about 40 feet that I played around on a 5.7 when I was just a punk kid, playing on the near by railroad tracks with my skateboard. I had no idea that people actually climbed there. But, when me and Sam decided that we where going to start climbing, that’s where we went. He taught me how to sport climb, clean, lead, all that basic stuff.
I really learned how to climb from my coylec, the moderator of the aid forum. I was climbing at Broughton Bluff, a local spot, and took like a 30 foot lead fall, on this crazy 5.10 run out, where the bolt line pretty much stopped. I was trying to place a rather large cam, that we found in the wall earlier that day, in this area that offered no real protection, and took a huge fall in the process. Two minutes later, we found the owner of it, Chris (coylec) because he took like a 30-foot aid fall. We all went running over, I showed him my blood after he showed me his. Showed him the cam, he said it was his and that he left it there yesterday, and then I told him we needed a hammer to get it out. I invited him back to my buddies place to celebrate his birthday and drink, and then we ended up at Smith Rock, where he taught me to place Pro.
From here on out I've mainly been teaching myself. Best advice, get Mountaineering, Freedom of the Hills. Read it cover to cover, then go over it again and practice everything. I've taught myself how to aid climb, and do a couple of other cool stuff from that book.
So, the moral of my story is this. Go climb something way out your rating, without the needed gear. Hurt yourself. Find somebody better than you who is still hutting themselves. Get them drunk, and then make plans to go climb together. Worked for me. Oh, or you can join boyscouts.
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billl7
Nov 10, 2005, 3:00 AM
Post #30 of 45
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Registered: Oct 13, 2005
Posts: 1890
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I started climbing when I had a family so I couldn't really just get on the rocks any day or weekend that I wanted.
Yes, I eventually hired an instructor but first joined the local climbing club and took their class on trad which basically got one ready to follow on a climbing team fairly safely. Climbed as much as I could with the club, all top rope and following with a little sport leading; suffered the scorn of my non-climbing wife. :( Club activities focused more on sport and top-roping than on trad so after about a year with the club ...
Hired an instructor for a day to learn something about leading trad. Built some ground level anchors and did some mock leading on a 5.8 route: placing gear on top rope. Talked a lot (~14 hour day). Very helpful and confidence building to have someone experienced look at your placements and critique them. Saw some difference between this particular instructor and the club culture in terms of rigging techniques - good to see.
Came back a few weeks later (this was last spring) and repeated the route I mock led but this time really on the sharp end. Also led a neighboring easier route. Then went to a neighboring much harder sport route that day and took a whipper off a shiney new bolt; bloodied my hand during the fall. 2nd degree burns on my belayer's non-break-hand fingers. :shock: Since that day ...
Did some more following with the club. Suffered more scorn from my wife but by this time she is climbing at the gym with me. :D Hooked up with a relative who had been leading trad about a year longer than I and climbed with her in Washington State's North Cascades, leading easy trad routes for six straight days: 5.5 to 5.7, non-sustained at the upper end. We hooked up again a couple months later down here in NM for a three day weekend about a month ago - did trad climbing on two days and rained out on the third day.
Finally lead a pitch with a club leader last weekend! Still haven't lead a 5.8 trad pitch since the first one but expect to in the next six months or so - taking it slow - learning lots - great joy. Oh, and less scorn from my wife. :D
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thirsty2praise1
Nov 10, 2005, 3:07 AM
Post #31 of 45
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Registered: Nov 10, 2005
Posts: 1
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My brother got me involved when i was younger but sad to say i havent climbed for a few years. I am wanting to get back into it though.
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jammer
Nov 10, 2005, 3:26 AM
Post #32 of 45
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Registered: Jun 25, 2002
Posts: 3472
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I was just laying there on day, you know, kind a just enjoying my own space. I looked around and reached up for this hold. I pulled myself up and looked around some more. Seeing more possibilities, I threw my leg up and hooked a good hold. As I topped the small ledge I lost my balance and before I knew it, I hit hard!
Man, I miss my crib!
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deltav
Nov 10, 2005, 3:31 AM
Post #33 of 45
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Registered: Sep 29, 2005
Posts: 597
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Some guy I met while working at K-Mart as a teenager. Taught me everything I know. Wish I could find him and thank him...
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raymondjeffrey
Nov 10, 2005, 3:48 AM
Post #34 of 45
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Registered: Mar 2, 2004
Posts: 361
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I learned from the Arizona Mountaineers Club. They are a great bunch of patient and knowledgeable folks who love sharing their knowledge of SAFE climbing with eager new folks. I am appreciative of their organization because I initially thought that climbing would be cool. I never thought that it would become so important to me.
I am also always learning from noobies and sages alike.
Carry On,
Raymond
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lewisiarediviva
Nov 10, 2005, 4:06 AM
Post #35 of 45
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Registered: Aug 1, 2004
Posts: 527
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I believe climbing is a natural instinct that our mother's prevented us from doing by pulling us off the kitchen cabinets before we could walk. Then we learned to walk and our brain nerves connected in strange patterns. We simply have to relearn how to climb.
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esp71
Nov 10, 2005, 4:40 AM
Post #36 of 45
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Registered: Mar 24, 2005
Posts: 55
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Two of my friends took me out and sent me up a one pitch climb on TR. It took me a long time to let go of the rock and let them lower me, but I thought it was pretty cool.
A couple of months later, they took me out again and we did a 3 pitch trad climb (sparerib, gallatin canyon, MT). I was the last of a 3 man rope and I spent a lot of time alone on the belay ledges, getting more and more frightened . When I finally got to move up the last pitch, a perfect fist and arm crack, my fear motivated me to move, but then my movement transformed the fear into pure elation. They yelled at me to slow down becase they were having trouble pulling in the slack. I loved the exposure and the puzzle/dance of the climbing and when I pulled over the top the whole world had that super-real shimmer of a really good Acid Trip.
I was totally hooked.
Still am.
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celemandraos
Nov 10, 2005, 4:44 AM
Post #37 of 45
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Registered: Jan 31, 2005
Posts: 17
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I climbed out of the womb
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curt
Nov 10, 2005, 4:50 AM
Post #38 of 45
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Registered: Aug 27, 2002
Posts: 18275
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I got dragged out to the crag by an old Gunks climber in the late 1970s. The rest, as they say, is history. 8^)
Curt
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omegaprime
Nov 10, 2005, 5:58 AM
Post #39 of 45
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Registered: Aug 2, 2004
Posts: 308
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I was intrigued by rock climbing for a while, so I decided to take a 2 day outdoor climbing course, covering the basics and safety of sport climbing. Didn't think it would be so much fun. Then I did something that has sealed my fate: I bought gear!! :P
In the beginning I didn't have much strength or technique, so spent the next 4 months training in the gym (TR) and reading all I can about climbing (technique, training, movements). In that sense you can say I was self taught. After that, went back outdoors, tried leading, and the trainer of the course I took previously became my mentor after seeing that I was hooked on climbing.
Now I'm climbing and learning on my own, and with whoever has something to teach me. Next stop, trad. Trying to see if I can leech off some old timers, I don't have the balls to try trad on my own right now. :D
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p0stscript
Nov 10, 2005, 11:25 AM
Post #40 of 45
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Registered: Nov 9, 2005
Posts: 5
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I went on a course having attempted to climb on my own. Then joined a local club to improve.
:D
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sweetchuck
Nov 10, 2005, 1:36 PM
Post #41 of 45
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Registered: Aug 18, 2005
Posts: 151
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It was the summer of 1997, Madison WI. I hooked up with some dope smoking jokers who had only been climbing 3 times themselves. Top roping at Devil's Lake, doing a few things very wrong, but what did I know? Came back to NC loving it and bought everything I need, and a harness for a partner and started recruiting friends. Taught everyone how to belay on the hike in and put my butt on the line as their final exam (no problems). Didn't even know trad and sport climbing existed for a couple more years ("hey look, I wonder what that bolt is doing up there"). Then I read books to unlearn all the bad things I learned in WI (Andy and Nicki, you know who you are!).
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adrenaline_smack
Nov 10, 2005, 2:42 PM
Post #42 of 45
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Registered: Apr 6, 2005
Posts: 63
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BSA- camp workcoeman to be specific and then through our troops venture patrol, went to prime climb alot
now im a part of the uconn rock club, and we rage it up in NH every good weekend we have
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azrockclimber
Nov 10, 2005, 3:32 PM
Post #43 of 45
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Registered: Jan 28, 2005
Posts: 666
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self taught...
In retrospect...if I had fallen in the first 6 months of climbing( it was almost all trad) ....I def would have decked and probably died. My slings wre too short casuing my gear to walk or pop itself out...etc. I basicaly led with the leader does NOT fall ethic for the 1st year of climbing. By the end of that time + the fact that I was trying to protect on Mt. Lemmon( not exactly straight forward placements) I had become really adept at finding and installing pro.
I guess I should also give some credit where credit is due. Scott Ayers really helped take my climing up a notch. Stories, tips, putting the seed of yosemite and other places like that into my head( some I have made it to smae I haven't). Setting new routes that were just incredible. Thanks man. Hope we can climb again soon.
Ah, memories. Like leading up slippery when wet(5.7) and then traversing way over right and ending up on BBC(.10a) just in time to climb through the crux!!
for a beginner whoa....man that'll get your routfinding and pro placing in line quick....talk about freaked out!!ha
those early days were great... but I have to be honest I don't miss being freaked out every single minute. I like to select those times these days...and be ready for them. Unfortnately, as we all know, you are still going to find yourself way runout on poor gear when you never expected to be. It's part of why I love climbing!!!
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fowler214
Nov 10, 2005, 3:42 PM
Post #44 of 45
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Registered: Sep 12, 2005
Posts: 42
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I copied this from a post I did on the topic “when did you know you were a boulder-er?”
Granted the topic question was different but in the post you see that I learned to climb by force.
There I was tied to the bed covered in motor oil. My girlfriend comes through the door with a car battery and a set of jumper cables. When all of a sudden a pack of wolves burst through the window. After loosening the ropes holding me down I made a run for it. First I try to make it to the kitchen but no luck, then to the living room with the animals on my heels. I made it out the front door and ran as fast as I could. Not far from the house was a creek bed surrounded by several boulders. I thought to my self if I can just get on top of them maybe they cant get me. I approach the rock and quickly make my way to the top. (Later I discovered it was a V0, this was a good thing because as I mentioned earlier I was covered in motor oil.) Try as they might the wolves could not work the problem (wolves do not have opposable thumbs and this is why you will never see them in a comp). It was at this instant I knew the safest place to be in the world was on top of a boulder. From that day on I have spent every waking moment preparing, by practice and visualization, for the next time those damn creatures return. I am trying to get my new girl in to it as well. So she can survive the attack, you see my last girl did not make it on to the rock. She made it there but I was not about to risk my life by reaching down and pulling her up, What do you think I'm crazy or something?
Let my experience serve as a warning and lesson. Boulders = Safe
As you can see I was more or less self taught through fear. I later got some books learned through friends and took a class. Like everyone here i continue to learn things to this day. And i feel all resources; classes, books, pratice, and word of mouth are valuable resources.
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jjhellstrom
Nov 10, 2005, 4:23 PM
Post #45 of 45
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Registered: May 31, 2005
Posts: 20
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I second that... an old dude that has forgot more about climbing than you'll probably ever learn really helps cut the learing curve in half. Also marrying well. I have been climbing for a little over a year now, thanks to my father in law who has been doing it since before lycra was cool! He's retired, so he has nothing but time on his hands to climb and much info to provide and I take full advantage of that.
If marrying isn't an option though (which I wouldn't neccesarily recommend as a means to climb better!) then the local gym has also been a great source of info for me, as well.
All that aside though... There is nothing to it, but to do it!
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