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youngphil
Sep 9, 2003, 5:01 AM
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I have been climbing now since i was about 12, now i am 17 and been seriously climbing for about 2 years. This summer i worked my up to some 5.10's but i think they were underrated, they were at penitente canyon and they were all sport. I am now back in texas and am finding it hard to climb 5.10's but suposidly i lead some in Colorado and penitente is a very popular spot. Does anyone have any advice besides the basics like get in a gym, or keep getting outside, cause i am doing that...but i just feel like i am at a plato and cant get anything higher.
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roughster
Sep 9, 2003, 5:05 AM
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roughster moved this thread from General to Technique & Training.
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jookyhead
Sep 9, 2003, 5:58 AM
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If all you're interested in is getting a 5.11, then you could try working one a s project , maybe spend a few days on it. But the best advice I can give you is just to climb, as often as possible. The more you climb, the better you'll get. Everytime you climb try and push yourself and work on specific things you might have trouble with. Good luck :)
Ino that same advice has been given many times in these forums, but owel.
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valeberga
Sep 9, 2003, 6:00 AM
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go bouldering start with V1s hit up some V2s then some V3s
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phreakdigital
Sep 9, 2003, 6:19 AM
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Try to find partners significantly better than you...they will push you and can help you learn.
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neadamthal
Sep 9, 2003, 10:27 AM
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if you do find plato, tell him 'what up' for me...
good luck overcoming your plateau...
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killclimbz
Sep 9, 2003, 2:36 PM
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Picking a project is a great way. Find something you can dog through but actually make each move. Keep leading (works for toprope too) it over and over. Focus on what moves you need to make and try to make them. You will find yourself climbing the route better over a day or two. climbing 3-4 days a week will help. So does diet and rest days too. I've had routes I've had to do 17-18 (over a few days) times before I got a redpoint on them. My friends thought I was crazy but it worked out. The real problem is staying focused on the one route.
Keep trying I'm sure you'll start climbing at the grade.
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camhead
Sep 9, 2003, 4:06 PM
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dude, I had the same problem when I moved to Texas. the sport routes out here, while not necessarily sandbagged, can be hard to get used to.
the reason? they're short.
This means that many of them are very bouldery, and while not requiring the endurance that penitente requires, they make up for it in requiring more move-to-move power. I got totally spanked on some 5.11s when I moved here. Don't think 5.11, think v3.
You can always tell when you see a texan at some western sport crag. He or she will power through sick hard stuff at the base of the climb, but be completely pumped by the fifth bolt.
do what I did. ditch the sport and just do trad and bouldering. Texas sport sucks.
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crazygirl
Sep 9, 2003, 4:52 PM
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climb at least 3 days a week. 2 days is ok if you want to stay at a present level, but its not enough to improve. Climbing indoors will probably improve your technique and endurance much faster than just climbing outdoors. I agree with everyone who said, pick a few 5.11 projects and toprope the hell out of them. Don't even bother to climb any 5.10's, just warm up and get on your projects.
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the_crawler
Sep 9, 2003, 6:09 PM
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Don't get to wraped up in the numbers. If 5.10 holds some value to you and right now you've decided texas 5.10 are harder than Co 5.10 your sandbagging yourself. You will approach the climb thinking it harder than it might be. Youngpil your young with lots of climbing ahead of you don't sweat this number grade. In the past when I've had trouble breaking a grade I move down one grade and do as many as I can, in a day, at the crag, in the area. While doing this scope the 5.10 or whatever and pick one you like the looks of. Picking a route that makes you think "Oh man I got that" was always a good place to start. Don't chase grades they only lead to more grades, instead find routes that inspire you to climb the grade.
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killclimbz
Sep 9, 2003, 7:19 PM
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In reply to: This means that many of them are very bouldery, and while not requiring the endurance that penitente requires, they make up for it in requiring more move-to-move power. I got totally spanked on some 5.11s when I moved here. Don't think 5.11, think v3.
Ok while I agree with the boldery vs. endurance theory, the routes in Texas must be super short since most routes at Penitente are 4-5 bolts and less than 50ft tall. Hell most routes are under 40ft. Comparing to Shelf, Rifle, Boulder Canyon areas, I can see your point.
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whistleblower
Sep 9, 2003, 7:27 PM
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In reply to: ...they're short. This means that many of them are very bouldery, and while not requiring the endurance that penitente requires...
HAHAHAHAHA! If penitente routes require endurance then climbing in Texas must REALLY suck!!!
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drkodos
Sep 9, 2003, 7:31 PM
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Numbers are everything!
If you can't climb 5.12 at this point, I think it is apparent that you will just be bringing the sport down.
The most important thing to do is to put an air hose up the backside and inflate your head to Jerry Lewis proportions.
This new buoyancy will make 5.11 easy....
hence the term: He floated it.....
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geis
Sep 9, 2003, 8:15 PM
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Dude,
5.11 is all feet. If you have a hang board you will undoubtedly increase yer strngth and hold familiarity. Practice makes perfect but the board workout gives a major major edge. Metolious has a nice routine you coud copy and maybe make your own hang board.
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camhead
Sep 9, 2003, 8:32 PM
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In reply to: In reply to: ...they're short. This means that many of them are very bouldery, and while not requiring the endurance that penitente requires... HAHAHAHAHA! If penitente routes require endurance then climbing in Texas must REALLY suck!!!
whoops. I eat my words, yo. I assumed that, since colorado has lotsa rock, penitente must be higher than dallas. my bad.
hehe.
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karmaklimber
Sep 9, 2003, 10:46 PM
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I reached a similar plateau a couple of months back, but then I spent 2-3 months simply bouldering, and hadn't even touched a rope. When I finally did, I found 11's a whole lot easier than before, only I couldn't do as many routes within the given day because my endurance had gone to poo.
The advice everyone else gave is pretty much right on target. Start bouldering and it'll help you break the plateau. Just be sure not to let your endurance slip like mine. Assigning days during the week to boulder and work on your projects might help as well.
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melekzek
Sep 9, 2003, 11:06 PM
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no way camhead, you are totally right, texas sport climbing definetely sucks...
hmmm the weather is getting cooler though, maybe it doesnt suck THAT much, heh heh
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ronamick
Sep 10, 2003, 12:01 AM
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Ratings can vary drastically from place to place, so you can be a solid 5.10 climber here, and go somewhere else and thrash on the same grade. The type of rock and nature of the routes has a lot to do with how hard you climb as well.
What it really comes down to is not time in a calendar sense, but time on the rocks. How much climbing you do determines how hard you climb. If you climb all the time, you are guaranteed to progress.
Also be aware of the hone factor. When you lay off climbing, you lose your edge- your hone- pretty quickly. When you start again, it's not going to be from where you left off. You have to regain the hone first. There's a substantial backslide factor to deal with when you quit for more than a week or two, so if you want to get better, you need to keep at it. You can spend 50 years at the same level if you keep taking a break before you hit the next plateau. Perseverence lad. If this were simple, everyone would do it, no?
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