What Grade Were You Able To Climb After 1 Yr

Yes. Good points. I’m mostly just curious. Though I would like to gauge roughly where I would be in a year with regular climbing.

As long as I progress slowly I’m happy. But being a higher level definitely opens up more possibilities at the crags. 

Ben Gwrote:

Yes. Good points. I’m mostly just curious. Though I would like to gauge roughly where I would be in a year with regular climbing.

As long as I progress slowly I’m happy. But being a higher level definitely opens up more possibilities at the crags. 

As many have stated very dependent question.  

After a year I could confidently send V4 5.11+ outside at different crags in ID, UT, and NV. My highest redpoint outside was V6 and 12b but took multiple sessions. I was 35, had good base fitness, access to a good gym, decent amount of free time, and good rest. 

There are a lot different factors that can aid or stop your progression.  The most important thing will be avoiding injury.  If there is a specific crag you want to climb at I would tailor the majority of your climbing to be similar to that. 

As the Bro Scientist says, your first year of climbing is the best and strongest you will ever be - because the body dismorphia hasn't set in yet. After that, you will only compare yourself to higher and higher standards, until after many years of projecting and training you truly understand how weak and unskilled you really are.

I mean I got to spray in the spray thread as well, so in my first year I did an infamous V5 highball - mostly because, as an ignorant gumby, I didn't truly understand how difficult and risky it was supposed to be.

The most impressive I've seen was a dude CONFIDENTLY climbing 5.11's in Eldo. 

I climbed outside for about 2 months, and then didn't really climb at all for 2 years until I started back up again.

So... 5.8?

end of 
year 1
5.11a (consistently)/v8

Year 2

5.12a/v8 (consistently)

Year 3

5.13a/v9

Boulder grades are gym grades, route grades are rock grades

I think I was still falling off 5.8s on toprope after a year.

I started climbing in my 30s which was in the late 80s. My sixth climb was Moby grape 5.8 III ,(on Cannon)  I didn’t lead anything, but I followed it clean.  It was years before I led my first 5.9, Nutcracker at cathedral ledge on the Barbor wall. It’s now considered a 5.10. 

 It’s interesting to me that most of the first people who responded made fairly rapid progress. I’ve met some people who, after two summers of climbing still couldn’t follow 5.7. Clean , consistently.

Jordan Wilsonwrote:

After a year I could confidently send V4 5.11+ outside at different crags in ID, UT, and NV. My highest redpoint outside was V6 and 12b but took multiple sessions. I was 35, had good base fitness, access to a good gym, decent amount of free time, and good rest. 

After a year from August of 1980 in Boston starting at age 28, with zero base fitness, where climbing gyms didn't exist, where outside climbing was limited due to New England weather and proximity, and where, most importantly, I was spending the vast majority of time doing lab research and writing a Ph.D thesis, and barely thought about climbing, I had probably climbed a 5.9 on top rope at Quincy Quarries.  

These two examples, your's and mine, show why "it depends".

june mwrote:

I’ve met some people who, after two summers of climbing still couldn’t follow 5.7. Clean , consistently.

How’s that even possible??? LOL

Ben Gwrote:

How’s that even possible??? LOL

You tell me and we will both know. I had previously thought that I was pretty good at mentoring people.

Ben Gwrote:

How’s that even possible??? LOL

It's usually pretty much the same reasons people didn't climb hard in the past. Remember that not too long ago 5.9 was considered the limit of human ability.

I think the biggest factor is simply regular access to a gym. If you're not regularly gym climbing or outdoor climbing, the lack of sport specific upper body training and unrefined technique adds up really quickly. 

You also tend to climb just as hard as the people you climb with. It used to be fairly common for climbing communities in small towns, to only climb outside, often as an extension of a local hiking club program. Some people would only climb a few times a year, and when they did it was usually rambling trad or toproping. If everyone you know climbs moderate trad, and the very keenest strongest guy (who climbs EVERY SATURDAY, that guy is totally obsessed he climbs so much!) climbs 5.9, it takes a special vision and determination to break out of that bubble and imagine what climbing a 5.11 or 5.12 might look like and what it might take.

The other big one, is of course that they actually put climbing quite a long way down the list of life priorities, compared to careers, playing music, family, other sports, partying etc.

10 months climbing, but with caveats.

Gym

5.11c/d lead hanging once

5.12b TR, hangdog

V3/4 flash

Some v5

Outdoor Texas Canyon

5.8 single 35 foot pitch something?

Outdoor Joshua Tree

5.7+ Double Cross

5.9 Leap of Faith, Overseer

5.10c lead/rap Disco Lemonade (was not my maximum capacity)

5.easy 2nd pitch of the Swift

V0 Trashcan rock traverse; V3 Love Handles

Plan a long season at JTree up coming season…

The caveat is I used to climb 25 years ago and am only just getting back into it.

It took me almost 10 years to climb 5.11 clean and consistently. I was fit and young and obsessed with climbing but also had a job, a kid, and no regular access to a gym....

In my first year I could prob climb 5.9 sport and hadn't led any trad.  

As the years passed I was able to arrange my schedule to climb more, my kid got older and less dependant, and I found more partners / mentors (thanks June!) and my climbing progressed slowly but surely. 

Aaron Kolbwrote:

I climbed outside for about 2 months, and then didn't really climb at all for 2 years until I started back up again.

So... 5.8?

In reality once I started back up again, after 1 year

Consistently onsighted 5.10a sport

Hardest send 5.10d sport

Hardest trad 5.8+

Didn't really start outdoor bouldering until a few months later

I'd echo that it depends on what company you keep, maybe more than access to a gym. If you only climb with 5.11 climbers, you'll climb 5.11 soon enough. On the other hand there are plenty of people (maybe a majority of all people who do any climbing?) who in their first year or longer will never lead a route.

I was a competitive gymnast for ~13 years, then took 2 years off before discovering climbing. 

By the end of my first year I could comfortably climb 5.11 indoors, and had sent one 5.13 on top rope. Led a few sport routes outdoors up to low 5.11s. Indoors boulder V5 - V7 , outdoors up to V4.

Year two I moved into trad climbing, culminating in a 5.11 multipitch lead on gear. Having more fun getting mileage in around the 5.9 range, though. Growth has been as much mental as physical. 

Ben Gwrote:

Assuming that you haven’t climbed before. Feel free to add how much climbing you were doing during that yr 

I was maybe eight years old during my first full year of climbing and climbed 5.11d and V5(I think, but can’t fully remember)

Only 5.10a outside lol from the one time I went, on TR of course

Aaron Kolbwrote:

In reality once I started back up again, after 1 year

Consistently onsighted 5.10a sport

Hardest send 5.10d sport

Hardest trad 5.8+

Didn't really start outdoor bouldering until a few months later

I'd echo that it depends on what company you keep, maybe more than access to a gym. If you only climb with 5.11 climbers, you'll climb 5.11 soon enough. On the other hand there are plenty of people (maybe a majority of all people who do any climbing?) who in their first year or longer will never lead a route.

Typically, very good 1st year climbers will likely be leading trad 5.7 or 5.8. Again, a very good and fit within their 2nd to third year get to 5.9 or 5.10, after which they’ll meet 5.11/12 trad climbers cause they’ll typically be able to clean/follow 5.11/12 trad which can have long 5.6 to 5.8 runouts for the leader as well as the follower.

To the OP, Trad climbing is very technical, your safety is crucial! Take your time. 10 years to get to 5.11 is still very good since most people can’t even climb 5.11 trad. It’s not a competition.

the fine line between hard and retard: leading ice your first yr.... short of getting 50+ pitches of climbing in you found the line and jumped right over it.