New and Experienced Climbers over 50 #7

Mark Orsag wrote: Lori,

A couple of responses to your posts on gym climbing and dihedrals. My hips don't like dihedrals much anymore. I still do them. I tend to feel some pain during a climb on the harder ones-- for me 5.9s-5.10s outdoors and some 5.10s-5.11s indoors. Little pain afterwards. I have a stretching routine that helps a bit, but if it gets really wide and/or scrunchy, it still hurts. My strongest climbing partner is a former prima ballerina in her 30s who onsights low-12 super-wide dihedrals in the gym with such lack of visible effort that she can discuss literature or some other complex subject, with utter coherence mind you, with me as I am belaying her. Some of the ones we work (and I don't even try the 12s), I have to bail off due to pain. Mind you, we are essentially even on slabs, and I can nearly keep up with her on vertical crimping. Dihedrals (and more dynamic climbs generally) with her though are humbling.

Gym climbing for me generally is weird. Varies so much due to setter whims and their individual style preferences/strengths. They are all twenty-something boulderer types (in all three gyms here). In recent sessions, I have: 1).Quickly redpointed a crimpy arete considered to be the second hardest route in that gym-- 12+.  I am not a 5.12- climber-- no way. A number of their setters who could make me look like a worn old fool on a bouldering wall effortlessly, can't do it. 2). Failed so dismally on a mid- 11 (couldn't get more than a couple of moves off the ground with the crux still waiting above) composed of giant slopers on an overhang that I quit after two attempts. Then watched a really, really (he was tiny, people!) little kid junior climber hike it. Had one of their strongest setters tell me that a 5.11 slab climb set by their one female setter "desperately needed" an extra foot chip. Cruised it, and thought it the best gym route that I have done recently, w/o that.  Had a different very strong setter worry that a reasonably steep mixed crimpy/pocketed face climb he set was "too hard" for 5.10. Climbed and was thinking really fun 9+ at worst. Same guy set an awkward weird reachy 10 (which he opined was a really a 9). Hate it. I still can't link it cleanly...and failures below 5.11 are fairly rare for me in gyms. I do think this weird spectrum of results is largely an age thing but an informative one.

I went to a Climbing gym once, smelled so bad (Grossly)I ran out the door and never looked back. Rocreation in West LA.

Carl Schneider wrote:

Oh I don't use a PAS anymore, I use a Petzl Connect Adjust, mainly as my safety when I'm preparing to abseil. I've used a sling before but I really love the adjust-ability of the Connect.

Also, I don't currently use a prussic, but used to.  I decided the other day to go back to using one as it's easy to use, takes up very little room on my harness, and there's very few reasons not to use one.

BTW, I don't carry a lot of slings when I sports climb (well, none actually), but will still need a safety (the Petzl Connect) and possibly the prussic.

You must like rope drag, slings alleviate that nicely trad or sport. I carry 6 shoulder length slings at all times. 

Hi Everyone - happy August! Here's some humor for your day. Enjoy!

​Being a Supportive Belayer - Semi-Rad​​​

PS - #31 is for Constine

ErikaNW wrote: Hi Everyone - happy August! Here's some humor for your day. Enjoy!

Being a Supportive Belayer - Semi-Rad

PS - #31 is for Constine

Lol thanks In actuality having not Climbed with me you would not know if I was supportive or not ;)

Jeffrey Constine wrote:

Lol thanks In actuality having not Climbed with me you would not know if I was supportive or not ;)

When I climbed with Jeff, He was always supportive of a has been climber like me.

ErikaNW wrote: Hi Everyone - happy August! Here's some humor for your day. Enjoy!

Being a Supportive Belayer - Semi-Rad

PS - #31 is for Constine

Heard recently at City of Rocks by ahem, one member of our party to the reluctant leader(s): 

"Oh FFS, a not yet 60 year old lady led this thing a couple years ago!!"

From my son:

"Mom, I'm not letting you down until you do this"

"Mom, that just earned you a new pair of shoes"

"Go up, mom"

From me:

"There's a [pizza/coffee/ice cream/beer] joint at the top!"

Myself while climbing:

NSFW swearing that is rude, crude, and often anatomically improbable. Usually aimed at the rock. EDIT to add, blasphemous. Just sayin.

Best, Helen

ErikaNW wrote: Hi Everyone - happy August! Here's some humor for your day. Enjoy!

Being a Supportive Belayer - Semi-Rad

PS - #31 is for Constine

This is great Erika!  Laughter first thing in the morning is wonderful.  

ErikaNW wrote: Hi Everyone - happy August! Here's some humor for your day. Enjoy!

Being a Supportive Belayer - Semi-Rad

PS - #31 is for Constine

Warning...Pet Peeve:

Can "supportive" belayers stop saying "Nice!" every time the climber makes a move?

Lori wrote: All it takes is one person to remind me that it isn't 'real' climbing: my veteran friend said last week "throngs of mindless people dashing up and down plastic walls". 

It's all climbing. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Russ Walling wrote: what the hell is "nice" about that?

NOICE!

Señor Arroz wrote:

NOICE!

Oh no. Now that you've brought it up... 'nice' will irritate me too, and it's EVERYWHERE.  

But I have laughed forever over two of Bob Gaines sayings:  1) "Stand up on that leg, Lori. STAND UP. COMMIT!!" (No 'nice')  2) "Any time I make any mistake or slip on the rock I think about it all day and night. I take it seriously. I have to know what happened."  So now... when I'm out with Chris (Bob's person) I shout 'I don't want to have to go to my room and think about this!  I gotta send this route!'      

Alicia Sokolowski wrote:

Carl, I think we would probably get along quite well. May I recommend some Skinny Puppy, KMFDM, or classic Ministry when you have to stoke the fire? 

I get along quite well with most people, other than those people I don't get along with :-) I've heard of Ministry but not the others.  I've been getting in to a lot of Black Sabbath lately...

Jeffrey Constine wrote:
You must like rope drag, slings alleviate that nicely trad or sport. I carry 6 shoulder length slings at all times. 

Ha ha I HATE rope drag!!  I have never really climbed a sports route where that's a problem.  Of course when I trad climb I carry slings around my shoulder, but I also have six alpine draws on my harness (as well as my quick draws) and my DMM Dragon cams have extendable slings on them as well as my DMM torque nuts, so that does somewhat negate the need for too many slings.

Randy wrote:

Warning...Pet Peeve:

Can "supportive" belayers stop saying "Nice!" every time the climber makes a move?

Ha ha.  I like saying "Ja man" in a fake German accent, or "COME ON!!!" loudly and aggressively or "yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah!" and lately it's been "Cut the mustard!!" which is a private joke so no-one knows what I mean.  Generally when I belay I don't shut up, I get extremely overly excited and the whole thing is like some sort of manic comedy show...

Lori Milas wrote: when I'm out with Chris (Bob's person) ...

Not really sure I want to hear the explanation for what exactly that means...

Russ Walling wrote:

Feeling pretty happy to be missing that...

Ha ha. Fair cop.

BTW, I'm pretty sure that's most people's opinion generally of me   

Carl Schneider wrote:

Ha ha.  I like saying "Ja man" in a fake German accent, or "COME ON!!!" loudly and aggressively or "yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah!" and lately it's been "Cut the mustard!!" which is a private joke so no-one knows what I mean.  Generally when I belay I don't shut up, I get extremely overly excited and the whole thing is like some sort of manic comedy show...

I just yell VENGA really loud. 

Señor Arroz wrote:

I just yell VENGA really loud. 

Con huevos

dragons wrote:

Not really sure I want to hear the explanation for what exactly that means...

“Person” is my word for anyone who doesn’t exactly have a label. Chris is a guide who works for himself part of the year and for Bob Gaines the other part. He’s also become a good friend. And a GREAT climber. But when we’re out we frequently harken back to Bob’s truisms.   

Re how to be an encouraging belayer: in the gym the art is knowing when to allow someone to quit and come down from a hard route and when to shout “Nope! You can do this! Take a minute and give it another try.”  

Sometimes the climber just needs to know that you’re not tired and happy to stand by while they work it out.

At other times no means no. We’re done. Bring her down NOW.

I hate belayers shouting what for me is pointless encouragement.  Personally, I want as much quiet as I can have in order to focus on what has to be done.  Keep quiet and pay attention please.