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zakadamsgt
Dec 11, 2007, 1:00 AM
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I tell ya, no matter how much you climb in the gym, I wouldn't trade anything for a good lead head. There's plenty of people in my gym that can pull harder than me on plastic routes, but you get them on a lead, and it's a whole different story.
It makes me think of early climbing, where'd I'd hang out with my then climbing partners and have that sick feeling in my stomach as everyone climbed, knowing that my time was coming. Obviously, I enjoyed myself on these outings, but the whole mentality was different for me when I started. I HAD to conquer my fears. I certainly still do today, but I feel that my head has gotten tremendously better, and I can challenge myself climbing in a differnt way. Not leading for me is out of the question. Remember those early days on a rope? (I act like I'm old, it's been 2 years!) I can't allow myself to get wrapped in whether or not I send, or what grades I'm climbing. I have to remember what it was like to send that first 5.9 sketchy slab on lead with knees knocking the whole time. Now there's an accomplishment....
Ok, so here's my main point of this post. I had to take time off (3 months) this year from a finger a injury. Before the injury, I was climbing routes every weekend, and very very confidently. Once I came back, I havent been on ropes as much (mostly bouldering). I've been out a few times, and the confience on lead as not quite what it was. It's not that I feel like I'm beginning again, it's just I feel like I've lost a little edge mentally. I'm not talking about power endurance or anything like that. I understand that endurance comes and goes. How about your lead head? Any experience with taking time off and losing the edge? How quickly did you get it back? Did the time off improve you in the long run?
Thanks for reading the ramble...
Peace
Zak
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graniteboy
Dec 11, 2007, 1:04 AM
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I dunno about you, But personally, I'd rather Freesolo than be belayed by most gym rats. Frankly, it's safer. Alot safer.
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coastal_climber
Dec 11, 2007, 1:28 AM
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zakadamsgt wrote: ...I havent been on ropes as much (mostly bouldering)...
zakadamsgt wrote: ...and the confience on lead as not quite what it was. It's not that I feel like I'm beginning again, it's just I feel like I've lost a little edge mentally.
The answer could be, maybe, more leading?
I almost never toprope anything anymore, and I find that works good. There's no other way to get better at leading than leading is there?
>Cam
(This post was edited by coastal_climber on Dec 11, 2007, 1:29 AM)
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Myxomatosis
Dec 11, 2007, 1:58 AM
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I definitly agree with you on the lead head is alot better than top rope grade level... seperates the men from the boys quite quickly 
At the gym I used to spend most of my time t/r'ing all night then maybe one or two leads...
Until I started climbing with a more experinced outdoors climber who basicly called me a pussy for top roping.... from that day it's a couple of warm up t/r's then straight onto leading... Ill even try lead something thats above my limit rather than top rope it
Nothing worse than going outdoors and having to set up top rope's all day long for a bunch of gym rats. Takes up so much time and organising.
I read someone on this forum (and agree with it) with strength and climbing fitness comes confidence. I'd suggest just building into it slowly, lead easy routes and work your way from there.
(This post was edited by Myxomatosis on Dec 11, 2007, 2:07 AM)
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texasclimber
Dec 11, 2007, 4:53 PM
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The very first time I went climbing, I did a 5.7 lead route. I had no idea it was more dangerous (didn't think about it much) and I thank that person for not making a big deal about it b/c it has helped me still today. A lead head is a funny thing. I worry more about my belayer paying attention than the rope breaking.
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Carnage
Dec 11, 2007, 5:04 PM
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texasclimber wrote: The very first time I went climbing, I did a 5.7 lead route. I had no idea it was more dangerous (didn't think about it much) and I thank that person for not making a big deal about it b/c it has helped me still today. A lead head is a funny thing. I worry more about my belayer paying attention than the rope breaking.
thats reasonable. alot of people get hurt because of dumb belayers, hardly any ropes break.
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texasclimber
Dec 11, 2007, 5:37 PM
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Carnage wrote: texasclimber wrote: The very first time I went climbing, I did a 5.7 lead route. I had no idea it was more dangerous (didn't think about it much) and I thank that person for not making a big deal about it b/c it has helped me still today. A lead head is a funny thing. I worry more about my belayer paying attention than the rope breaking. thats reasonable. alot of people get hurt because of dumb belayers, hardly any ropes break.
My belayer is my wife that introduced me to climbing in the first place, so I would be cautious to call her dumb. I would, however, say that I wish she would concentrate on my belay as she does when she is climbing. No on eis perfect, but I want her to be a perfect belayer...as I am
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colatownkid
Dec 11, 2007, 6:09 PM
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This may not be universally applicable, but this is what has worked for me:
First, practice falling. Go to the gym and take some whippers. Get good at it. Work your separation, your impact, your body position, etc. If you become instinctually good at falling, falling is no longer a problem because there is no (well, very little) risk of injury.
Now, when you go to lead, what's the worst thing that could happen? You fall. So what? You're good at falling now, you won't get injured doing it. So all falling really means is that you lose a little ground, climb your ass back up the sequence, and try again. Suddenly the only difference between leading and top-roping is the distance you fall.
The other part of the equation is about commitment. I find that my lead head is about committing before leaving the ground. To me, it's a game of conscious decision, not overcoming fear. If you're afraid before you leave the ground, you shouldn't be getting on the rock.
To put it another way: the time to piss your pants is NOT when you're four feet above your last bolt "resting" on tenuous holds because you're too scared to pull the crux sequence before the next bolt. The time to piss your pants is BEFORE YOU START the climb. Then you get over yourself, recognize that you can do it, and just fucking do it.
Climbing is not a sport for the apprehensive. Nerves can keep you alert, keep you from making mistakes, keep you from dying. But if you let them take over, you're pretty much screwed.
Consider this: you're on a multi-pitch climb, two pitches up, leading the third--the crux. The descent for the route is a walk off the top. There's still two pitches after the one you're on. Suddenly, at the crux, you decide that maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Your nerves take over, you freeze up, and you fall anyway. To top it off, you decide you can't do it. Now what? There aren't any bolts here. The deck is 400 feet below. You can try to build an anchor where you're at so your partner can swing leads and save your mangy ass, or you can leave a few hundreds bucks behind on the bail as booty for a gym rat gumby to find next week. Either way you've not only fucked yourself, but you've fucked your partner. All because you got a little nervous.
Confidence counts for a lot. In that initial assessment at the base, know that you can do it, that you will succeed. If there's any doubt in your mind that you can do it, you're setting yourself up for failure. I'm a big fan of pushing the limits. My philosophy is that if you're not falling, you're not climbing hard enough. That's actually worked out pretty well for me thus far. As such, I've taken an assload of falls. The only times I've gotten injured from them, though, were when I wasn't confident in my abilities. I'm not ashamed to admit I've fallen on crux moves; but I've only hurt myself on crux moves when I didn't fully commit or when I questioned my ability to do it (or worse, my sanity.)
To recap: ropes don't break; your belayer will catch you (if they won't, why'd you bring them out in the first place?); good placements will hold a fall; bad placements will at least slow you down; and if you're gonna fall, it should be because you fucked up the move, not because you were so afraid that sewing-machine leg and flash-pump pulled you off the rock.
Disclaimer: I recognize that the above is full of things stated as absolute truth that are really questionable at best. This is more of my mental self-talk that gets me up the rock than it is any intellectual understanding of climbing. It is intended to be taken as such. I've bailed when I know I'm beaten, and I'm not so arrogant to assume I can climb everything (I can't.)
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healyje
Dec 11, 2007, 6:24 PM
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There used to be a record label in S.F. called Folkways whose motto was printed around the edge of all their vinyl labels. It had a lot of applicability to climbing:
"It's easy to be easy when you're easy..."
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wmfork
Dec 11, 2007, 6:59 PM
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colatownkid wrote: The other part of the equation is about commitment. I find that my lead head is about committing before leaving the ground. |
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colatownkid
Dec 11, 2007, 7:12 PM
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wmfork wrote: colatownkid wrote: The other part of the equation is about commitment. I find that my lead head is about committing before leaving the ground. Funny you mentioned that. I'm almost considered reckless by my climbing friends when outside, but I'm a total wuss when in the gym. I mean, why risk anything when you are just getting a workout, right?
i agree wholeheartedly. i don't really bother leading any more in the gym because it doesn't do me any good. i used to at least get to practice my clipping by leading in the gym (when i first started leading), but at this point, it's not really worth the additional risk to me (since i know how to clip). gym climbing is not my sport; rock climbing is. i use the gym for things like hang boards and campus boards, etc.
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