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sabu
Oct 16, 2004, 12:25 PM
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ok im a pretty tall climber. i can normally reach hold others hav to dyno for and this is an advantage. But sometimes i struggle to climb something just because i hav to squeeze a meter of leg into my chest to reach some stupid foothold. also shorter people hav to find others ways of reaching those holds, so they build better technique to reach them while tall climbers just reach. small and tall both have advantages and disadvantages
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f_thomas
Oct 16, 2004, 3:14 PM
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In reply to: Sometimes your rope is too short. Sometimes your slings are too short. Sometimes your patience is too short. Sometimes your water supply is too short. Sometimes your cash flow is too short. But if you really want to climb, you are never physically too short. Learn more, and grow!!!
AND MOST OF ALL LIFE IS TO SHORT!
Pick up a copy of The Rock Warriors Way, which would have a profound impact on your climbing. I might claim to be to old or to ????
Comparisons to others will hold you back in climbing and in life.
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kevanrobitaille
Oct 16, 2004, 3:16 PM
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One of the first times I was out climbing I complained about being too short to do a certain move. The women who was belaying, and is shorter than me went up next, completely owned the route without breaking a sweat, didnt do any big reaches and stuck on holds I never even saw. She came down and said "I dont want to hear you complain about hight again"
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bandidopeco
Oct 16, 2004, 3:38 PM
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Climbing really proves then any advantage also has a disadvantage. In the hight/armspan category (I'm a +2 on the ape index, 5'10" with a 6' armspan) more hight/armspan comes at the cost of less leverage. If your shorter you should be happy to know that it should be easier for you to do pull-ups, and you'll have an easier time when the climbing calls for your hands to be closer to your feet (think difficult lay-backing).
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alderak
Oct 16, 2004, 3:42 PM
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individual moves may be harder... poorly set gym routes might be harder...
but short people "scrunch" better to use high feet, they generally have smaller hands (more fingers on those crimpers).
If your short, you need to have good flexibility so that you can use those higher feet to help you span large moves.
Being tall is sometimes an advantage, and being short is also sometimes an advantage.
Be happy with what ya got, cause its not likely to change anytime soon...
More important things out there to complain about..
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rhei
Oct 17, 2004, 7:26 PM
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taldrich -
By now, you're probably getting the idea that there are a lot of shorter stature climbers who don't or won't think that their height is going to be a hinderance to their abilities in, and enjoyment of, the sport. That includes all 5' 4" of me, too.
Maybe that's all you wanted to know. Maybe you're looking for more. Rather than me or anyone else introducing thread drift, if you're looking for ideas about how to tackle certain climbing problems as a shorter climber, you might come back with some specific requests.
Either way, the more you climb, the more you'll discover ways to interpret "height-related" problems as just...problems.
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grin-n-barrett
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Oct 18, 2004, 5:11 AM
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you might be too short...maybe think about getting into another sport...I know that La Sportiva might make a shoe with heals....check into them
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straightedgeteen
Oct 18, 2004, 10:09 PM
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In reply to: I've been climbing since the beginning of the summer this year, and the more I go, the more I notice my height hindering me. Or so I think. Does height truly make a big difference in your ability to climb certain things? I also noticed my height while attempting a bouldering problem that my taller friends were getting with no problem; I was having a very hard time with it. I climb with people that are at least 6 inches taller than me, and I seem to have a much harder time getting up the faces than they do. Is this normal? Does anyone else have this problem?
Height has nothing to do with it, sometimes its a plus but hey shorter people can get it done just as well!
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melekzek
Oct 18, 2004, 10:26 PM
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In reply to: Ever heard of Lynn Hill? She is about your size.
and hasnt she said something like
In reply to: There are no reach problems, there are only power problems
i remember reading that years ago somewhere, so maybe thats not her
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t-dog
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Oct 18, 2004, 10:32 PM
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yeah, sorry dude, but climbing is like the cool rides at the theme park, you have to be yay tall to do it. Tough luck man...
sarcasm anyone?
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hanginaround
Oct 18, 2004, 11:42 PM
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Well if you’re too short then I want to use the “I’m too tall excuse”. I’m 6’ 2’’, 210lbs. And yes, I may have 18 inches more reach then you, but I’m carrying 80 to 100 pounds more straight up that wall. Now.. occasionally I can grab a hold you couldn’t reach, but I’m always carrying the extra weight. Yes, they’ll be some situations where a little more reach would help, but you always have the weight advantage.
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blouderk2
Oct 18, 2004, 11:50 PM
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I think height has nothing to do with it. Im 6'2 and sometimes i wish i could stick my feet in places i can only dream of because of my height. Being short/tall has its advantages/disadvantages. Just get on the rock!
:twisted: :twisted: :twisted:
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fracture
Oct 19, 2004, 3:26 AM
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According to this guy, being shorter is advantageous from a strength perspective.
He claims (and I have no idea of the physiological accuracy of) the following:
In reply to: The force of a muscle is roughly proportional to the cross section area (or the square of the diameter). The weight of the muscle is however proportional to the cross section area times the length. This gives a strength/ weight ratio of the muscle (and also generally for an individual) that is inversely proportional to the length meaning that it decreases with increasing size. This means that if one person has twice the height and width as another person with the same muscle quality he will have just half the strength relative to his weight. Consequently, it will be easier for a short person to take a one-arm pull up from a tiny pocket. A taller person can not only excuse himself because the pocket is smaller to him but also simply because he is taller. The virtual weight difference constitutes approximately 15% between a person of 170 and 195 cm. On roof climbing with short reaches the shorter guy should therefore put on a 10 kg’s weight west to experience how hard it is for the tall guy!
It all balances out. The net result is that using something like height as an excuse for why you can't do a move will only make it that much harder for you to do it. You'll have to overcome your belief that you are "too short", or "too weak", or "too bad at dynos", or whatever it is, in addition to overcoming the difficulties provided by the move itself.
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halepierce
Oct 19, 2004, 4:34 AM
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I'm not a "short" climber but I have climbed with many in the 5' to 5'3" range and their biggest problem seems to occur while sport climbing. There will be many times when a tall climber who has found a good clip stance drills a bolt that is too high for a shorter climber to reach and they end up having to clip from a desperate or more difficult stance. I guess this could be another good argument for Trad climbing.
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fracture
Oct 19, 2004, 4:37 AM
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In reply to: I'm not a "short" climber but I have climbed with many in the 5' to 5'3" range and their biggest problem seems to occur while sport climbing. There will be many times when a tall climber who has found a good clip stance drills a bolt that is too high for a shorter climber to reach and they end up having to clip from a desperate or more difficult stance. I guess this could be another good argument for Trad climbing.
Nope; it's a good argument for pre-hung draws. :lol:
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traddad
Oct 19, 2004, 1:58 PM
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I'll give it to you straight. You're too short.
Being 6'5" I not only can reach holds and grades you can only dream of, I also get the best jobs and am more likely to hold elected office.
Give up.
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schmassion
Oct 19, 2004, 2:32 PM
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Short or tall, big or small... it doesn't really matter. Both have it's advantages/disadvantages and you get used to it, because that is you and you can't change it. You learn how to deal with it.
I'm 5'1" (and a quarter...yes the quarter makes a BIG difference) and I do have a tougher time reaching for certain holds or whatnot. But I can get most of my fingers into the really crimpy holds whereas my 6' friends can only hang on with a fingertip or two. Being smaller in stature makes you work that much harder and makes you think about your moves a whole lot more before you try them. And it makes you a little more creative... lol... last night I was using my elbows, shoulders and head to try to smear up my first 11b. Didn't make it, but hey, at least I'm trying... Boulder problems, ditto... there's always a way... you just have to figure it out.
I may not be pushing grades as high as my friends or bouldering problems as hard, but to me, it's not a competition with them - it's just me and the wall. Good luck! :D
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treesail
Oct 19, 2004, 3:07 PM
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I'll be the only one honest with you here. You ARE too short, so stop trying. I'll PM you with my address where you can send all your gear. :lol:
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taldrich
Oct 19, 2004, 7:38 PM
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Thanks for all of the opinions from everyone. I've decided to quit climbing because I'm too short..... NOT! :D I just wanted to get an outlook on other's height "problems" and how it fits into their climbing. Thanks again! I know I'm not the only one out there that feels like a midget or a giant. I realize now that there are benefits to any "problem", mine being short. Some day I'll accept my height....
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sleepy
Oct 19, 2004, 7:47 PM
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don't worry about your height. I am 6'3" with +5 ape index (arm span - height = + or - ape index) My reach comes in very handy at times, but other times I reach over holds and am put into bad angles or end up falling. So don't worry about it. It will have an advantage and disadvantage. Just depends on the route.
Sleepy
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jclmber20
Oct 19, 2004, 7:49 PM
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i'm about 5'10" and i'm not sure if that is considered tall or not to you but i do climb with a lot of taller climbers. it is hard to see them pull off a move that they can just stand up and reach. but i also think that being shorter and having the better technique and getting stronger from doing that is also a benefit for people like us. so keep climbing and keep a positive attitude, you'll be fine. and remember to keep it fun.
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cutiger
Oct 19, 2004, 8:07 PM
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I'm barely 5'8" and the way I see it is that if you're tall at least you can reach those holds.... :evil: My local indoor gym sets up all these really reachy routes which makes them doubly difficult. I guess there could be some advantages to being short, but I can't think of any at this moment.
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jaybird2
Oct 19, 2004, 8:33 PM
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In reply to: No actually there is a point of diminishing returns, a point at which bigger muscles and bigger body are not relative and a bigger climber loses. This is due to the fact that we are built from the same basic building blocks, cells and muscle fibers and they do not scale relative to the size of our bodies. We may have more muscle fibers we have more cells but our individual cell sizes and individual muscle fibers are all the same size.
Dude, my point was that it doesn't matter. Sorry if I wansn't clear about that. Diminshing returns... what is this, economics? I think the word that you were looking for was maximum. And I think that you need to take some anatomy/physiology and biomechanics classes before I even respond to that last part of your comment. And you are contradicting yourself. If there is a point of diminishing returns then you are saying that bigger can be better over a certain interval. And thank you for letting me know that my cells are like Bob's cells in the next cubical. I thought that I was special.
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granitegod
Oct 20, 2004, 1:02 AM
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Short people really have no business climbing. Unless they're women, and really hot.....like Lynn Hill, she's cool....and I saw Robyn Erbesfield at Rifle once (and Francois Legrand!....I'm cool eh?) and she could climb a vertical pane of glass in a rainstorm. But yeah, you're too short. Try bowling.
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