New and Experienced Climbers Over 50 #6

Lori Milas wrote:A bit of thinking this morning: friends have asked me why this, why now?  (climbing) What's the urgency?  

Because I shall not go gentle into that good night.
I shall rage, rage against the dying of the light.

That's why, for me... 

FrankPS wrote: You tell 'em, Jeff. Are those men's pants?

Why do you like the way they fit? you must  you’re asking about them and checking them out.

FrankPS wrote:

I don't think it's just you. He's obnoxious and can't help himself. 

Not as obnoxious as you ;)  whoever you are nobody knows lol

Carl Schneider wrote:

Because I shall not go gentle into that good night.
I shall rage, rage against the dying of the light.

That's why, for me... 

Carl, you’re not going anywhere... unless you continue to fall on your shoulder or recklessly drive that two-wheeled thing.  No need for rage.   

rgold wrote:

Absolutely.  I've watched many friends, a few among the best climbers of their generation, felled by the infirmities of age.  No one mentions how many people can't keep climbing when we describe the sometimes amazing feats of older climbers.  I think that in reality, most climbers are done sometime in their sixties, if not before.  Various joint and other more serious physical problems can show up literally over night, so by all means enjoy the days you have, look forward to the days to come, but remember an old Jewish saying:  if you want to give god a good laugh, tell him your plans.

Life is what happens while you’re busy making plans...

Yep woke up one morning a few weeks ago and my knee has been killing me for days, It’s starting to get better I quit eating sugar stuff give a test run today It’s working no sugar saves the day

Ben Moon age 52

Old lady H wrote: Count down to Erika has begun! Less than two weeks!!!! Stoked, stoked, stoked, stoked, stoked, stoked, stoooooookked!

Also stoked Helen! Going widget climbing tomorrow to see if I can remember how those springy cam things work... Been clipping too many bolts lately. :)

Lori Milas wrote:

Carl, you’re not going anywhere... unless you continue to fall on your shoulder or recklessly drive that two-wheeled thing.  No need for rage.   

Yeah yeah but I still gotta rage, against those fucking young fit peeps, against time, against niggles, aches, pains, infirmities, malaise, all that. 

Like I said to Mark, my mentor, only yesterday when he said he's impressed with my tenacity, 'it's hard to WANT as you get older, it's like 'yeah, no, I can't be fucked'.. 

WANTING it is actually more key to the thing than physicality as you age, the 'want' wanes earlier than the 'can' if you let it. 

You gotta nurture the want. 

My spirit shall not wane. 

Only some older people have the 'want'. You, Lori, have the want. Only certain older people have the want and the physicality. I think you also have the physicality... 

I suggest all of us here have both; the want and the physicality, so, let us raise a glass or a bowl to us all, for we are the old and the proud.and we shall rage, oh how we shall rage...

Carl Schneider wrote:

Yeah yeah but I still gotta rage, against those fucking young fit peeps, against time, against niggles, aches, pains, infirmities, malaise, all that. 

Like I said to Mark, my mentor, only yesterday when he said he's impressed with my tenacity, 'it's hard to WANT as you get older, it's like 'yeah, no, I can't be fucked'.. 

WANTING it is actually more key to the thing than physicality as you age, the 'want' wanes earlier than the 'can' if you let it. 

You gotta nurture the want. 

My spirit shall not wane. 

Only some older people have the 'want'. You, Lori, have the want. Only certain older people have the want and the physicality. I think you also have the physicality... 

I suggest all of us here have both; the want and the physicality, so, let us raise a glass or a bowl to us all, for we are the old and the proud.and we shall rage, oh how we shall rage...

So we have a philosopher bard in the house.  And a Dylan Thomas fan!!! 

I think you nailed it, Carl.  That thing that can so easily disappear with age is the want... and yes, it does have to be nurtured, especially when times are tough.  I think 'want' is nurtured through play, which we all seem to do a lot of.    

I just saw this video yesterday, and I loved Chris Burkhard's comments at the end...

Lori Milas wrote:

Mark... I love that you are writing about this.  I've got the same conundrum.  The gym is great for overhanging sport climbs.  But I've got a couple of chimneys, a long slick dihedral, and a very technical slab to climb outdoors.  It seems that a gym might consider this when designing the layout... at Pipeworks we've got nothin'.  Totally stumped.   

Back after 4 days visiting my mom and just have to comment on this. I love my gym, but have one major complaint -- it has a few slab walls where the delicate climbing used to be challenging and satisfying for me. But recently they've been taken over by the new style of sport climbing comps; the holds are almost all volumes. Now that's something I doubt that I'll ever get. My climbing drops about a full number grade. Still, I'm trying to learn.

Witnessed the worst fall I have ever seen today. My neighbors were out with their kids today climbing at Smith. Parents are relatively new to climbing but have done all the right things. Mom was climbing a 5.6, had just reached the anchors and slipped about eight feet above her last bolt. Her heal caught a ledge as she fell which inverted her. Her head hit another ledge before the rope went tight. She fell about twenty feet. Badly shaken and a broken helmet. A little cut up. A great reminder that nothing about this sport is forgiving or easy. Ledgy easy climbs can be incredibly dangerous.

I woke up with sore calves, a case of belayer neck and a sun-burnt face......I belayed kids for 6 hrs straight yesterday, 60 pitches worth.

Best day ever......

Had a nice day putting up a new route   Steep fun!

Tom Hickmann wrote: Witnessed the worst fall I have ever seen today. My neighbors were out with their kids today climbing at Smith. Parents are relatively new to climbing but have done all the right things. Mom was climbing a 5.6, had just reached the anchors and slipped about eight feet above her last bolt. Her heal caught a ledge as she fell which inverted her. Her head hit another ledge before the rope went tight. She fell about twenty feet. Badly shaken and a broken helmet. A little cut up. A great reminder that nothing about this sport is forgiving or easy. Ledgy easy climbs can be incredibly dangerous.

Yeah, it's so true that easier climbs are often more dangerous than harder climbs, as harder climbs are often a sheer vertical face (i.e. not much to hit on the way down).  

I actually hit my face on a climb on Saturday moving over a roof and I was on top rope!  Got the climb (grade 21) clean (on TR) twice after that which was nice, but it reminded me that really, TR or not, I REALLY should be ALWAYS wearing my helmet when I climb. It's a Petzl 'Sirocco' which is VERY light weight and it's probably very silly to not wear it considering it cost be two hundred buckeroonies and is so light weight I can hardly feel it!!

wendy weiss wrote:

Back after 4 days visiting my mom and just have to comment on this. I love my gym, but have one major complaint -- it has a few slab walls where the delicate climbing used to be challenging and satisfying for me. But recently they've been taken over by the new style of sport climbing comps; the holds are almost all volumes. Now that's something I doubt that I'll ever get. My climbing drops about a full number grade. Still, I'm trying to learn.

In one of the gyms I frequent, they tend to festoon the slabs similarly with gigantic slopers. Contrived and unnatural. Can get up them most of the time but not fun or realistic. Require weird super physical beached whale/sideways jump moves, forced backsteps, or huge highsteps, etc. The "setter kids" want to turn these slab walls into boulder problems that fit their style and preferences. I have, in all my years of climbing outdoors, encountered exactly two routes that remotely resemble these, and they are both 5.6! The hard more technical and realistic BHS-style footchip sequences that I use on the gym's slab walls are similarly difficult for them. Watched one strong young boulder try one and fail miserably. Gotta admit, as I have been completely shut down by this youngster's overhanging and super dynamic V3s/4s (which he makes look effortless) more times than I can count, that was kind of fun to watch:)!

John Barritt wrote:

John,

These pictures are beautiful... and you are a great guy.  What a cool thing you do!  
I have deep nostalgia for the year I lived in Grove, Oklahoma... and have been considering a road trip through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Okla... kind of a 'diner' trip.  One of my favorite memories is of diners in Grove and Joplin, serving open faced turkey sandwiches, mashed potatoes, and maybe a wedge of iceberg lettuce. Lots of gravy.  And coffee.   Does this mean that if I make it to Oklahoma there are rocks like these to climb?   I could eat my way across half the US and then climb!!!  

 

Mark Orsag wrote:

In one of the gyms I frequent, they tend to festoon the slabs similarly with gigantic slopers. Contrived and unnatural. Can get up them most of the time but not fun or realistic. Require weird super physical beached whale/sideways jump moves, forced backsteps, or huge highsteps, etc. The "setter kids" want to turn these slab walls into boulder problems that fit their style and preferences. I have, in all my years of climbing outdoors, encountered exactly two routes that remotely resemble these, and they are both 5.6! The hard more technical and realistic BHS-style footchip sequences that I use on the gym's slab walls are similarly difficult for them. Watched one strong young boulder try one and fail miserably. Gotta admit, as I have been completely shut down by this youngster's overhanging and super dynamic V3s/4s (which he makes look effortless) more times than I can count, that was kind of fun to watch:)!

What is BHS-style?  

I'll be at my gym today again... just resigned to let this go.  We do have a chimney in the gym across town... and that requires very similar moves and exertion to get through.  But otherwise, there is nothing in my indoor gym that has what I ever encounter outdoors.  

But what's Plan B?  

On my last trip to Josh I noticed a distinct change in comments and coaching to me.  I suddenly have acquired some upper body strength.  There were comments about my pull-strength, and ability on vertical walls that I didn't have before.  So... maybe for this kind of climbing, some indoor work has helped.

  

I think it’s been gone over before in this forum, but the gym is great for training. It will make you stronger without a doubt. You can create specific drills to train technique. But it is not the same as outdoor climbing and never will be. I think of it as similar to the weight room and indoor trainer work I did when I was a bike racer - necessary for my sport, made me stronger and better, but I still had to put the actual miles in on the road.

The gym is training for in between climbing outings. 

Talk to your setters if you want more technical edging climbs - we have lots at our gym. But beware the crimps - I think gyms are also setting to prevent injury (more volumes, open handed holds). 

I suppose if you are concerned about replicating a specific move or route, you can do what Tommy did and build it in your backyard to practice. :)
Edit to add: and it didn't work for Tommy! He had to find another way.... :)