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Benguitar
Jun 20, 2008, 2:33 AM
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I have been climbing for 7+ months at my local indoor rock climbing gym and I can climb a V3, I was wondering if that is good for the amount of time that I have been climbing or do I still need a lot of practice?
-Ben
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carbonrx8
Jun 20, 2008, 2:48 AM
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Benguitar wrote: I have been climbing for 7+ months at my local indoor rock climbing gym and I can climb a V3, I was wondering if that is good for the amount of time that I have been climbing or do I still need a lot of practice? -Ben
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Benguitar
Jun 20, 2008, 3:00 AM
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carbonrx8 wrote: Benguitar wrote: I have been climbing for 7+ months at my local indoor rock climbing gym and I can climb a V3, I was wondering if that is good for the amount of time that I have been climbing or do I still need a lot of practice? -Ben [image]http://ratonland.org/img/articles/bunny-pancake.gif
Ok, I meant I have been rock climbing for a little over 7 months, I am capable of climbing a V3 wall is that good for someone who has only been climbing for 7 months or is it nothing special?
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colatownkid
Jun 20, 2008, 3:11 AM
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Benguitar wrote: carbonrx8 wrote: Benguitar wrote: I have been climbing for 7+ months at my local indoor rock climbing gym and I can climb a V3, I was wondering if that is good for the amount of time that I have been climbing or do I still need a lot of practice? -Ben [image]http://ratonland.org/img/articles/bunny-pancake.gif Ok, I meant I have been rock climbing for a little over 7 months, I am capable of climbing a V3 wall is that good for someone who has only been climbing for 7 months or is it nothing special?
it's not that carbonrx8 misunderstood you're question; what s/he was trying to say is that you'll improve at your own pace. at its heart, climbing is not really about competition or comparison. if you're content cranking V3 then, congratulations, you've succeeded at climbing V3. if you want to crank harder than that, well, awesome, you hit a cool milestone, keep working. short answer: are you happy that you can climb V3?
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Benguitar
Jun 20, 2008, 3:14 AM
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^ I was thrilled that I could climb a V3, I also completed the dyno part of a V4 which I am also proud of.
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roquentin
Jun 20, 2008, 3:35 AM
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That's about my rate of progress, climbing since fall and getting up handful of gym V3s. Outdoor V1s are hard for me. I don't feel like I have a lot to brag about, but I'm not in a hurry...
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RJVoss
Jun 20, 2008, 4:38 AM
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yea took me a few months to send my first outdoor V3 as well. started last september, climbed till thanksgiving. Snowed like hell, so couldnt climb till march, and by april I cranked out my first V3. Havent been climbing so much because of my job, so I'm still havent crossed the V3 plateau
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sungam
Jun 20, 2008, 9:07 AM
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Benguitar wrote: I have been climbing for 7+ months at my local indoor rock climbing gym and I can climb a V3, I was wondering if that is good for the amount of time that I have been climbing or do I still need a lot of practice? -Ben
You are climbing, this is good,
You are number chasing, this is bad,
You are making subtle "how good am i?" spray threads on the net, this is very, very bad.
or
You are so worried about chasing numbers that you went on the net - also very, very bad.
In the words of the cheap hooker, just lay back and enjoy yourself.
-MagnuS
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dondada
Jun 20, 2008, 12:02 PM
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i agree.......ive been climbing for about 8 months mabey a bit less and i just sent my first V1....however i know how to build and equalized anchor, prussic up a fixed line, clean a sport anchor, second a multi pitch trad route(also learning how to place gear), set up a 3/1 pully rescue, lead belay, lead moderate sport, tie most/all of the important knots ......not bragging at all my point is if you can muscle throgh tougher bouldering problems it dosent exactly make you competent(not that you arnt)....i see studs in the gym sending v6 insane (ie i will never send)problems but i wonder if the know how to tie two ropes together, its all about what your into ....i would be thrilled to send a V3 in the next year...but i also realize that it dosnt mean sh#t unless you know how to preform the tecnical things that will keep you and your partner alive...pick up freedom of the hills....get outside....learn your craft and you will be kicking ass real soon...IMHO v3 is pretty good
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notapplicable
Jun 20, 2008, 12:15 PM
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RJVoss wrote: yea took me a few months to send my first outdoor V3 as well. started last september, climbed till thanksgiving. Snowed like hell, so couldnt climb till march, and by april I cranked out my first V3. Havent been climbing so much because of my job, so I'm still havent crossed the V3 plateau
You gotta get back into it man.
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camhead
Jun 20, 2008, 12:41 PM
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Benguitar wrote: I have been climbing for 7+ months at my local indoor rock climbing gym and I can climb a V3, I was wondering if that is good for the amount of time that I have been climbing or do I still need a lot of practice? -Ben
If you are a morbidly obese 68 year old with a heart condition, than v3 after 7 months is amazing.
If you are a 120 lb gymnast who could do 10 one arm pullups and front levers before you had even heard about climbing, than v3 after 7 months is not that good.
If you are somewhere between these two extremes, than congratulations. You are average.
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Benguitar
Jun 20, 2008, 1:30 PM
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sungam wrote: Benguitar wrote: I have been climbing for 7+ months at my local indoor rock climbing gym and I can climb a V3, I was wondering if that is good for the amount of time that I have been climbing or do I still need a lot of practice? -Ben Here is how good you are at climbing: You are climbing, this is good, You are number chasing, this is bad, You are making subtle "how good am i?" spray threads on the net, this is very, very bad. or You are so worried about chasing numbers that you went on the net - also very, very bad. In the words of the cheap hooker, just lay back and enjoy yourself. -MagnuS
I am not trying to "chase numbers" I actually just climb walls and I see what number they are and I say "ok cool I climbed that wall". I was just wondering if that is a good thing that I could climb a V3, I don't really mind if it isn't good because I am just "climbing" so I am happy doing whatever.
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rob6118
Jun 20, 2008, 2:21 PM
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Is chasing numbers bad.......yes
But as an athlete (I know this might be a bad term to apply to the climbers, esp. those who post on this site) performance measurements motivate you to train and allow you to track and quantify your progress....that's a good thing.
I was a triathlete who competed at the half-ironman distance until a motorcycle accident two years ago. Shattered my left femur, broke hand bones, almost cut off my right leg, dislocated shoulder, cracked ribs etc etc. I've been climbing since March since I can no longer endure the endurance part of triathlons due to the repetitive motions of running and biking.
I climb 2-3 times a week consistently, all indoors since I'm in Orlando. I just recently moved to my first 5.9 after being stuck on a 5.8 with a lot of small crimp holds for 2 months. As far as bouldering I did a V1 after 2-3 tries and now have it down pat. Our wall doesn't have a V2 and the V3 has a floor start (ass on the ground) with a pretty dynamic move to reach for the next hold that I can't make.
I would say consistent V3 is pretty good but only because the only V3 I've run across relies almost exclusively on my injuries. If the V3 I'm working on worked more to my advantages as a climber I might think you are a wimp. There are some TR routes that I find very easy due to my upper body strength but others that are incredibly difficult because of my injures (especially the weakness in grip strength from breaking my hand).
I've found the transition from very technical sports like swimming and bicycling to the very technical sport of climbing to be very enjoyable. Just keep working at it and keep track of what doesn't work for you and what doesn't. I get more satisfaction out of completing a problem then reaching a number. The 5.8 I was stuck on for 2 months was 'easier' then the 5.8+ that I had mastered and found completely boring. Rather then move on to 5.9 just to say I could do a 5.9, I worked on mastering a weakness rather then mastering a number.
If that makes sense.
Kudos on the V4 dyno, that's the next area I have to work on besides grip strength. Its hard to learn to trust your balance and strength when you have a big injury like I did. I'm jealous of the guys that can just lunge and stick the move. I feel like a damn ox when I try the same.
Rob
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RJVoss
Jun 20, 2008, 3:44 PM
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notapplicable wrote: RJVoss wrote: yea took me a few months to send my first outdoor V3 as well. started last september, climbed till thanksgiving. Snowed like hell, so couldnt climb till march, and by april I cranked out my first V3. Havent been climbing so much because of my job, so I'm still havent crossed the V3 plateau You gotta get back into it man.
I know dude! When I got into climbing, I was going to school in Utah, and there were some good boulders only a 10 min drive away. Now I'm back home for the summer in the SF bay area, CA and there isnt much to do around here. Fathers day, I went hiking around Castle Rock santa cruz for a while, and found a fun little V2 to mess around on.
Maybe I should get a membership to a climbing gym and become a gym rat. 
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Benguitar
Jun 20, 2008, 7:40 PM
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rob6118 wrote: Is chasing numbers bad.......yes But as an athlete (I know this might be a bad term to apply to the climbers, esp. those who post on this site) performance measurements motivate you to train and allow you to track and quantify your progress....that's a good thing. I was a triathlete who competed at the half-ironman distance until a motorcycle accident two years ago. Shattered my left femur, broke hand bones, almost cut off my right leg, dislocated shoulder, cracked ribs etc etc. I've been climbing since March since I can no longer endure the endurance part of triathlons due to the repetitive motions of running and biking. I climb 2-3 times a week consistently, all indoors since I'm in Orlando. I just recently moved to my first 5.9 after being stuck on a 5.8 with a lot of small crimp holds for 2 months. As far as bouldering I did a V1 after 2-3 tries and now have it down pat. Our wall doesn't have a V2 and the V3 has a floor start (ass on the ground) with a pretty dynamic move to reach for the next hold that I can't make. I would say consistent V3 is pretty good but only because the only V3 I've run across relies almost exclusively on my injuries. If the V3 I'm working on worked more to my advantages as a climber I might think you are a wimp. There are some TR routes that I find very easy due to my upper body strength but others that are incredibly difficult because of my injures (especially the weakness in grip strength from breaking my hand). I've found the transition from very technical sports like swimming and bicycling to the very technical sport of climbing to be very enjoyable. Just keep working at it and keep track of what doesn't work for you and what doesn't. I get more satisfaction out of completing a problem then reaching a number. The 5.8 I was stuck on for 2 months was 'easier' then the 5.8+ that I had mastered and found completely boring. Rather then move on to 5.9 just to say I could do a 5.9, I worked on mastering a weakness rather then mastering a number. If that makes sense. Kudos on the V4 dyno, that's the next area I have to work on besides grip strength. Its hard to learn to trust your balance and strength when you have a big injury like I did. I'm jealous of the guys that can just lunge and stick the move. I feel like a damn ox when I try the same. Rob
I think I have seen you climbing at Aiguille before?
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rob6118
Jun 20, 2008, 7:52 PM
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I only climb at UCF, at least until I get a chance to join the UCF climbing club, Augille is too damn expensive w/o the discount. I'm a cheapass and used the rentals for 4 months before getting my own gear.
With that said though, if you climb at UCF I stick out like a sore thumb. Multiple foot long scars on the left leg and always belaying the g/f that climbs two grades better then me and makes sure that I am always aware of it.
Rob
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sungam
Jun 20, 2008, 10:48 PM
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Being proud of what you do is good, striving to become better is also very good, but only wanting to reach a certain number in your first few years of climbing is pointless. The first few years often yield the most adventures, the most enjoyable cluster-fucks(after that they are way to serious) and the best random experiances. To simply ruin them by applying numbers just aint cricket.
Now, once you are well and truely into the sport, and begin to think "well fuck me, I wouldn't half want to see myself atop that route/face/mountain" don't let anything get in your way.
-MAgnuS
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pylonhead
Jun 20, 2008, 11:42 PM
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Benguitar wrote: I have been climbing for 7+ months at my local indoor rock climbing gym and I can climb a V3, I was wondering if that is good for the amount of time that I have been climbing or do I still need a lot of practice? -Ben
Like so many of life's important questions, the "Ask the Noob" thread has already tackled this topic:
http://www.rockclimbing.com/...post=1033658#1033658
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sevrdhed
Jun 23, 2008, 3:52 PM
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You guys are all missing the real point, which is... if you live in florida, props for you being able to even get motivated to go to the gym. If I lived in that shithole, I'd be so depressed, I'd be swimming with sharks with t-bones strapped to my body.
Move away from Florida and find out how much more fun climbing rocks is.
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joeforte
Jun 23, 2008, 4:17 PM
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If you're having fun, it's good. If you're not, it's bad. Nomatter how "good" you get, there will always be a higher number to climb. The true sign of success is if you had a fun day on the rock, nomatter how hard (or soft) you climbed.
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rob6118
Jun 23, 2008, 4:22 PM
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I whole heartedly agree.... But then again my grad school and undergrad is free. I moved here in HS because my parents were stationed in Tampa. Got stuck here as a result. Once I'm done with grad school though I'm going to either get a transfer with my Bank up to the New England area, or will look at moving to the Boulder, CO area. I spent a semester at UofC Boulder before I realized how expensive out of state tuition is and would love to be back below that mountain range again.
I also spent 7 years in the ADK in upstate however, and they are equally appealing. I could make more money in the NE but I think CO is more conducive to climbing....
Florida sucks, hot humid, nothing to do but be enraged by the tourists. I just look at the gym as the neccessary training to be able to go crank out some real climbing in a year.
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Benguitar
Jun 23, 2008, 11:34 PM
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joeforte wrote: If you're having fun, it's good. If you're not, it's bad. Nomatter how "good" you get, there will always be a higher number to climb. The true sign of success is if you had a fun day on the rock, nomatter how hard (or soft) you climbed.
You are right! :)
I was trying to climb just to get better and better, It is a good thing that I get better BUT only if I am having fun doing it.
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paclimber12
Jun 24, 2008, 12:11 AM
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If your satisfied with yourself and having fun than its good if your not than train harder and meet your goals. You might actually find that the more you worry about grades the worse you climb, so just have fun.
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dta95b7r
Jun 24, 2008, 3:06 AM
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Sounds like in the middle but you are climbing in a gym in fl. in a gym in fl. in a gym in fl. hop on the ol rocket skates and move out of that death trap
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curt
Jun 24, 2008, 5:24 AM
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camhead wrote: Benguitar wrote: I have been climbing for 7+ months at my local indoor rock climbing gym and I can climb a V3, I was wondering if that is good for the amount of time that I have been climbing or do I still need a lot of practice? -Ben If you are a morbidly obese 68 year old with a heart condition, than v3 after 7 months is amazing. If you are a 120 lb gymnast who could do 10 one arm pullups and front levers before you had even heard about climbing, than v3 after 7 months is not that good. If you are somewhere between these two extremes, than congratulations. You are average.
OK. Then what about borderline morbidly obese old people who can still do one-arm pullups and front levers?
Curt
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