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wideguy
Mar 6, 2003, 2:17 AM
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Hello Ladies,
I need a female perspective on a matter. I am just starting to get a little more serious with my climbing and my wife just said she'd be interested in trying it as well. I love this idea as I've been dying for some outdaoor activity we can share. But she is a little anxious. She's the mother of two children and the product of too many years of worrying about others before herself. At the risk of being indelicate, she's a plus size woman. But there's plenty of strength there too. She rowed crew in college and can still carry a 30 pound toddler and six sacks of groceries up three flights, (when 'm not around to help, of course) Her concern is judgement. Are there any ladies out there who were larger than you hoped when you started? Did you feel selfconscious? Any particular problems you faced that we would want to be prepared for? Obviously there are shallow people everywhere, them she can handle.
Any and all advise is welcome.
Thanks.
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climbingjewels
Mar 6, 2003, 2:26 AM
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Hi,
I'm not a plus size but if I ever saw a larger woman climbing I'd give her credit for that beause not anybody can just hop on and climb. Besides with enough climbing she can even loose weight and put this sport to a good benifit while spending time with you. :D
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ecocliffchick
Mar 6, 2003, 3:18 PM
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I'd say the level of response she'd recieve really depends upon where you choose to go climbing. In gyms you are much more likely to come into contact with insensitive morons who prefer to mock others climbing ability or general physical appearance in order to make themselves feel better. Outside, this element isn't likely to be as great an issue.
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missedyno
Mar 6, 2003, 10:59 PM
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its a great way to filter out the nice people from the ones you don't want to know, isn't it?? :D
there's one girl/lady/female at my gym who comes to mind.... i saw her on her second day at the gym. she's not really that big, but i guess "plus sized" would be suitable.
she was so exhausted, but was doing laps on 5.6's! her partners were exhausted but were belaying her until she was done. i see her there regularly now. i admire her.
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aimeerose
Mar 13, 2003, 11:30 PM
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I think it's a great activity to do together. My husband and I climb together and I know it's really stregthened our relationship.
We're both pretty small, but I think anyone can climb no matter what their body type. I know I had to really get over the obstacle of being short with a negative ape index. I think your wife will do wonderfully. She sounds very strong already. Just remember to be super supportive and to reassure her if she can't get up a certain climb. Remind her that you can't get up everything either and that someday she'll be able to come back and send. If she loves it and wants to really get into it I suggest lifting weights and doing some aerobic activity to supplement the climbing. She'll be able to get better at climbing faster this way.
Good luck and have fun!
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overlord
Apr 11, 2003, 11:12 AM
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go climbing with her as soon as possible
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robmcc
Apr 11, 2003, 6:09 PM
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I'm a little short on female perspective, but I want to throw in my 2 cents and encouragement. Do it! :D
I'd actually have to disagree with climbingjewels. I think that for the most part anyone can just hop on and climb. Physically, not anyone can hop on and climb hard and mentally not anyone can hop on and climb high enough to need a rope, though. The breadth of climbing is great enough that almost everyone can participate at some level. I used to tell people that if you can climb a ladder, you can climb rocks.
Your presence will have a deterrent effect on any weenies you might run into. My wife used to get a hard time in college now and again from the occasional loser. That's never happened in my presence (and a good thing, too, because it'd never happen twice with the same loser). :twisted:
The one thing I'd suggest is to keep in mind that she isn't you. I took my not-yet-wife climbing about 10 years ago. My climbing group was a set of 20something males, rabidly aggressive in pushing each other to succeed. This was not the kind of encouragement she wanted, and to my embarrasment, a couple other climbers pitched in and taught her more effectively than I did. :oops: I naively tried to help her in the same way my friends and I helped each other. From your post I don't think you'll have that problem.
As for judgements from others, I can't say I've ever heard anything from anyone climbing (5'8", 215# and no, it's not all muscle). The closest I've had was a guy who I complemented on his climbing a severely overhanging roof absolutely effortlessly. He said thanks, but in a vaguely dismissive way...until I started doing the same roof using the hand crack. :P We all have our strengths.
As far as any judgements I might make if the two of you were climbing right next to me, and I'll be totally honest just as a FYI, here goes. If you're climbing something really easy, I'm not specifically interested. Might say hi. I never look down on any climber, ever. We all started once. Welcome, have fun, and be safe. If you're climbing something I only recently figured out how to do, I'm interested in a helpful kind of way. I fight back the urge to ask if you want beta because I myself don't. Pullin for ya, though. If you're on something I can't do, but have been working on, I can't help but watch a little, but I try not to so I can avoid learning how to do it by watching you. Just a personal preference, I prefer to figure out the sequence myself. Of course if you're climbing something insane, I'm watching just for the inspiration.
Short answer: do it. I don't think you'll be given reason to regret it.
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lazygirl
Apr 16, 2003, 6:25 PM
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When I started climbing I weighed about 195 and I was 14 years old. I was more than just plus sized. But, not only was I climbing at that size I was climbing in the 5.10 range. The thought that my size would hold me back never crossed my mind. I just did what I loved to do. It wasn't till I wanted to get better that I realized the weight had to go and I'm now sitting around 150 with my weight still declining. My point is YES she can climb and if she puts her mind to it she can climb as hard as she wants. You're weight doesn't hold you back, you hold you back. Just go out and have fun and don't worry about you're size because it doesn't matter all that much when you're starting out. And as she climbs more the weight will probably just fall off her anyway. Tell your wife I say good luck and to go out there and kick some butt!
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rockpixie
May 5, 2003, 4:32 AM
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My husband and I were also wanting an outdoor activity to fo together and bond thru, so I started climbing with him, and we love it. I am a mother of 3 cuties and it is difficult to find the time but it makes a great saturday afternoon date and except for paying the babysitter it is FREE!
We have also gotten our 2 older children (5yrs and 3 yrs last summer) into climbing with us so if your kids are old enough it is also a great family activity.
I am a light weight to say the least BUT my sister-in-law has climbed with us and she is a plus sized girl, and she did as well as any of us did when we started and our whole group was very supportive of her. She is actually the one who bought her husband his first gear and encouraged him to climb, now we all climb together, my 3 brothers, 2sister-in-laws, 1 sister and her hubby and me and my hubby! all thanks to her encouragement!!
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mreardon
May 5, 2003, 5:39 PM
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Men in the "plus size" always seem to get out climbing. So should women.
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angelaa
Jun 20, 2003, 10:07 PM
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OK
Maybe my opinion is a little late here, but I was plus sized when my husband started climbing. . . . he really wanted to do it, so I really wanted to do it with him. I weighed too much to even do an easy 7 on top rop. . . it was depressing.
It has taken 4+ yrs to get me where I am now, but now I am climbing with the guys and I am working on the same problems. . . she CAN climb!
I went on the Zone diet and worked out religiously (running - which I hated and lifting weights)
now my body fat % is down over 10%, my weight is down almost 50lbs & and I am down 4 dress sizes. . . it was my goal to climb with the guys (and keep up with my husband on outdoor trips). . . that is what kept me going.
just encourage her a TON!
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