Is my climbing goal realistic?

So I'm 27. About a year ago I hadn't done much exercise besides the occasional hike in the better part of a decade. So, I started rock climbing in a gym,  essentially for the first time to get some exercise. Since then with just some climbing here and there (mostly bouldering),  I've gotten to the point where I can do most indoor v4's with a few tries.  Recently I've decided to get serious about climbing, set a training program, and put some concerted effort into the sport. Since I live in Northern California, in order to have a goal point for my training I've decided to try and climb Midnight Lighting before I turn 30 (~2.5 years).  I'm not super experienced in the sport, so I'm just wondering if that's doable or reasonable at all assuming I stick with a solid training plan till then?

Have you done any bouldering outdoors? I climb V5 in the gym and have sent exactly 2 V2s outdoors to give you some perspective on the grade difference between indoors and outdoors. I also am not a boulderer and have been putting a lot of energy into learning rope systems and the wide range of climbing styles that exist outdoors, so I could probably be around a V3 boulderer if that was my primary pursuit.

I don't want to tell you that your goal is impossible, but getting to V4 indoors in a year is a very normal level of progression. Getting to climbing V8 outdoors in less than 4 years certainly happens sometimes to some people, but it is far from normal. 

Also I would caution you against getting too serious about training too soon. I've seen multiple people get really serious about training in their first year or two and then quit climbing because they turned it into a job. If you can handle the hard work and are a very disciplined person then maybe it's a good fit for you, but I would encourage you to buy a boulder pad and do lots of outdoor bouldering instead of training simply because climbing is supposed to be fun and you'll stick with it more and have a much better time if you just climb. 

Ricky Harlinewrote:

Have you done any bouldering outdoors? I climb V5 in the gym and have sent exactly 2 V2s outdoors to give you some perspective on the grade difference between indoors and outdoors. I also am not a boulderer and have been putting a lot of energy into learning rope systems and the wide range of climbing styles that exist outdoors, so I could probably be around a V3 boulderer if that was my primary pursuit.

I don't want to tell you that your goal is impossible, but getting to V4 indoors in a year is a very normal level of progression. Getting to climbing V8 outdoors in less than 4 years certainly happens sometimes to some people, but it is far from normal. 

Also I would caution you against getting too serious about training too soon. I've seen multiple people get really serious about training in their first year or two and then quit climbing because they turned it into a job. If you can handle the hard work and are a very disciplined person then maybe it's a good fit for you, but I would encourage you to buy a boulder pad and do lots of outdoor bouldering instead of training simply because climbing is supposed to be fun and you'll stick with it more and have a much better time if you just climb. 

Hey, I really appreciate the response. I have climbed outdoors a few times but it was a while ago. I do remember it being harder but I didn't realize how large of a gap there seems to be in grades. As far as losing some of the fun, I used to do more sports when I was younger and training hard again is actually something I'm looking forward to so hopefully I'll enjoy that aspect. It seems like this would be a decidedly lofty goal, which I think I might be okay with. Even if it takes me a few more years at least it's something to push for. Again thanks for the insight.  

Climbing outside is not actually harder than climbing inside in an absolute sense once you get past V5 or so - it's better to think of them as different styles that have limited cross over. You get better at what you practice more - climbers who mostly gym climb think outdoor is harder because they don't do it as much.

@ OP you should shoot your shot, but the best advice I would give you is to start climbing outside as much as your schedule allows. Go to Tahoe and Yosemite to boulder on granite as much as possible. Midnight Lightning is hyper technical and requires extremely precise footwork and body positioning that you are unlikely to develop climbing or training indoors. Best of luck!

szhengwrote:

Climbing outside is not actually harder than climbing inside in an absolute sense once you get past V5 or so - it's better to think of them as different styles that have limited cross over. You get better at what you practice more - climbers who mostly gym climb think outdoor is harder because they don't do it as much.

@ OP you should shoot your shot, but the best advice I would give you is to start climbing outside as much as your schedule allows. Go to Tahoe and Yosemite to boulder on granite as much as possible. Midnight Lightning is hyper technical and requires extremely precise footwork and body positioning that you are unlikely to develop climbing indoors. Best of luck!

Thanks. I'm looking at pads online right now.  I've gone outdoors only with friends that have equipment but it sounds like I need to bite the bullet and spend some cash. 

Bill Bwrote:

Thanks. I'm looking at pads online right now.  I've gone outdoors only with friends that have equipment but it sounds like I need to bite the bullet and spend some cash. 

If you think you might ever boulder alone I would go for a pad that's wider like the Metolius Recon or maybe even the massively large Mad Rock Triple Mad. I hate those little double folds for bouldering alone. 

Good luck with your training program and bouldering progression! Maybe I'll run into ya in the valley some time. I spent like half a day even bouldering there once, so who knows, maybe I'll even see ya at the boulders out there. 

The goal you set of climbing Midnight Lightning is a great goal, inspiring and likely attainable. The arbitrary 2.5 year time limit is a mistake. Maybe you progress quickly and climb it 2 years from now. Maybe it takes 8 years.  Focusing on a time limit is missing the point. Embrace and enjoy the process, as well as all the many other sends along the way.

It's also important to think about what the short and medium term process goals are that bring you toward your eventual long term goal.

Here are some process goals for this year:

- Acquire the gear required to be sufficient bouldering outside (pads, guidebooks, etc)

- Get to know some partners you can climb outside with; develop a contact list of partners.

- Climb outside X number of days each month for the rest of this year (X can depend on what is realistic to you. It might even be just one day per month - that's better than nothing.)

- Start climbing on a variety of rock types to get a range of experiences. Aim to climb on at least 4 different rock types this year. This is easily achieved in California. But especially granite. Climb a lot of granite.

- Do your first bouldering trip to Yosemite this fall. Stay in Camp 4 and go see Midnight Lightning. Talk to the folks trying it about how they got to this point. Then go get humbled on the glassy V0s nearby.

If you do these, this will bring you toward that goal. And these are not even considering the time you spend in the gym. Generally speaking, keep most of your gym time climbing-focused and don't get too wrapped up in strength benchmarks just yet. At this point you are still learning to climb and expanding your experience, and this should be your focus for now (and, honestly, forever).

If you get really strong and good at figuring out problems, yeah, you could rip the worlds first v8 (?) in a couple years, but thats a really specific long term goal that you really know nothing about aside from youtube videos and books. If thats the pinnacle of what you expect to accomplish in 3 years, you are gonna disappoint yourself. A better way to approach it would be to set a goal of trying as many problems from v7 to v10 in different styles and try to send the ones you are most excited for, then as you feel stronger and more confident, set a short term goal for a trip out west to climb midnight lightning. This way it isn’t a failure of 3 years of effort to not achieve this goal and your chances of success are higher and you may find better things to climb! 

Nick Budkawrote:

 the worlds first v8 (?) 

Not even close to being the world's first V8. John Gill was doing problems of that difficulty standard back in the 50s. Though at that point he was calling them B3. Not only has the V scale not been invented at that point, but it's inventor (Verm) hadn't even been born yet!

Though another way to look at this is not what was the first problem of that difficulty, but what were the first problems to be designated as V8. For that we'd look at the Hueco guidebook that originally introduced the V scale (https://imgur.io/a/ema74CN), and the problems set as standards for each grade. There, we see that Midnight Lighting is named as one of those original standards. By this perspective, it is one of the original V8s, in that it was literally used as a reference in the original definition of V8.

Anyway, just a little historic interlude there.

At the risk of sounding cliche, I want to chime in and say, enjoy the process! Sending Midnight Lightning is cool but it's not gonna make you happy!

There is no pot of gold at the end of the v8. So I hope you enjoy the process and don’t blow a finger, elbow or shoulder on your way.

There is no fame after v8. Make it fun. 

Bill Bwrote:

So I'm 27. About a year ago I hadn't done much exercise besides the occasional hike in the better part of a decade. So, I started rock climbing in a gym,  essentially for the first time to get some exercise. Since then with just some climbing here and there (mostly bouldering),  I've gotten to the point where I can do most indoor v4's with a few tries.  Recently I've decided to get serious about climbing, set a training program, and put some concerted effort into the sport. Since I live in Northern California, in order to have a goal point for my training I've decided to try and climb Midnight Lighting before I turn 30 (~2.5 years).  I'm not super experienced in the sport, so I'm just wondering if that's doable or reasonable at all assuming I stick with a solid training plan till then?

Just go start climbing outdoor boulders in Tahoe and the valley. 

You'll either work your way up to midnight lightning, and have a good time in the process. 

Or you'll fail and have a good time in the process.

Why constrain your thinking by if your goal is possible?