Obsessive-compulsive sport climbers
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A post Mono made on another thread got me thinking. Are sport climbers more likely to be obsessive-compulsive than other climbers? If so, what kind of obsessive-compulsive tactics have sport climbers been known to employ? |
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They seem to be obsessed with bolting any and every rock available! |
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This is my experience: |
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Monomaniac wrote:**Skin treatments of all sorts: scissors, sandpaper, mysterious foosball ointments...Did you every try the Antihydral Mono?
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The tube is in my pocket as we type. |
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jarthur wrote:This is my experience: 1) Went to bed early the night before. 2) Laid off the crappy food. 3) Made sure when I clipped the draws they were all facing a certain way. 4) Kept up with Cardio to reduce the extra load. 5) Kept dragging my belayer to my project. 6) Would always put my left shoe on first. I would say most people do #1-5 when projecting, but #6 is more obsessive-compulsive than anything else. I know inside that I'm going to succeed, or fail regardless of which shoe goes on first, but it always seemed like a bad omen if I switched up this ritual.I am of the other type. Trad climber... 1) Stayed up late the night before cleaning and organizing gear 2) Found half eaten cliff bar from trip two weeks ago.. Breakfast 3) Check and double check each piece to make sure it wont walk back 4) Hiked 4 hours to get to base of mountain.. Hope that burnt off the 6 pack from last night that was consumed while organizing gear 5) Partner trades pitches up Mountain 6) Always put right foot in first |
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Monomaniac wrote:*I know back in the day it was chique to clean your shoes with rubbing alcohol between burns."back in the day"? When was that? The nineties? Sorry, I have a friend who's always using that expression, it makes me peevish...by the way, there is no que in chic. |
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I think certain people are more likely to be OC than other people. What style of climbing they prefer is irrelevant. I run into far more sport climbers that don't pay any attention to training, skin preparation, number/length of burns, rest time, shoe care, wake up time, etc. than those that do. |
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Monomaniac wrote:back in the dayPF!(painfully true; maybe this will catch on)The older I get, the better I was. Of course, we mustn't forget the ultimate OCD pre-climb ritual-the pre-excuse...Back in the Day it applied to things such as not having any chemical support, if you know what I mean. |
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Jay Knower wrote:Are sport climbers more likely to be obsessive-compulsive than other climbers?No, I don't think sport climbers are more OC than other types of climbers. Alpine climbers drill holes in their toothbrushes to save weight. Trad climbers are practically meteorologists because they obsess over the weather so much to avoid the rain. Gym climbers spend more time making sure their outfit makes them look cool then time they spend actually climbing. Wannabe climbers watch climbing videos like NFL players watch game film to make sure they can drop a pro climbing name at the right time. Everybody has their OC tendencies. Besides EVERY climber moves their hands along with the holds when describing a particular squence, its particularly funny when a heel hook is involved. |
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Mike Slavens wrote: Gym climbers spend more time making sure their outfit makes them look cool then time they spend actually climbing. Wannabe climbers watch climbing videos like NFL players watch game film to make sure they can drop a pro climbing name at the right time.These aren't examples of obsessive-compulsive tendencies. These are examples of your stereotypes. |
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Ian F. wrote:They seem to be obsessed with bolting any and every rock available!Yawn. |
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Climbing in general is an activity that has potential for people doing things the same way every time... clipping bolts the same way, tying knots the same way. The techniques employed need to be addressed systematically as part of safety. |
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I get way more OC about projecting Trad routes. I think it's the "projecting" in general that gets people into these routines, regardless of which game they choose to play. |
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Will Butler wrote:I get way more OC about projecting Trad routes. I think it's the "projecting" in general that gets people into these routines, regardless of which game they choose to play.Good point. I think the whole idea of a project is to find a climb where everything has to be perfect in order to send. This whole idea of perfection really gets me obsessive: My shoes have to be perfectly clean. My hands have to be perfectly chalked. The draws have to be hanging in the perfect place. I have to climb during the time of day when the conditions are most perfect. |
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Jay Knower wrote: These aren't examples of obsessive-compulsive tendencies. These are examples of your stereotypes.My thoughts exactly. |
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I'm glad to know I'm not the only "right foot first" person. And I do this with all the shoes I wear, climbing or not. |
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Jay Knower wrote: Good point. I think the whole idea of a project is to find a climb where everything has to be perfect in order to send. This whole idea of perfection really gets me obsessive: My shoes have to be perfectly clean. My hands have to be perfectly chalked. The draws have to be hanging in the perfect place. I have to climb during the time of day when the conditions are most perfect.Thats interesting, because I always send my hardest routes when I am NOT obsessing. In other words, when I am obsessing I am too nervous and I am over thinking as opposed to reacting. Thats not to say that I don't have my beta dialed when I send something hard...usually when its at my limit, there are a certain set of subtle moves etc. that I need to do correctly to make the route feasible. However, I often end up sending when its just a "mileage burn" at the end of the day or a burn when I am convinced that I won't be sending that particular go; when this happens, I usually climb more relaxed and I am simply letting my body react as opposed to over thinking. I sure wish I knew how to get into that mindset and out of the obsessive overthinking/nervous one. |
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Jay Knower wrote:These are examples of your stereotypes.And a thread title of "Obsessive-compulsive sport climbers" is an example your sterotypes. Sorry, the attempt at poking fun and a bit of sarcasm was a mis-fire. |