New and Experienced Climbers over 50 #40

Kevin Strickerwrote:

The key to beating Father Time is to be smarter. You’re not going to win going head to head, you have to choose your battles. Recognize when you’re having a shit day and let it happen, don’t try to fight it. Then on the days you wake with gravity on your side, rage until you run out of light. Last month I redpoint rope solo’ed my hardest climb, Scaredy Cat, a 300’ three pitch .12+, at 53. I also climbed 48 pitches in EPC in 3 days with my 26 year climbing partner David Russell who joins the 50+ crowd later this month. The highlight of the trip was simulclimbing Time Wave Zero in 6:10. Two days ago I managed a 10 sec BW dead hang on 8mm edges. Next week I will probably start the slide back to “normal” and will embrace that as well, knowing it takes sub average days to have great ones.

Accept where you are and be brutally honest every day you climb. 1% improvement per year should be your goal to the grave. There is always something you can do to improve technique.  Most important is to stop listening to all the average people telling you to slow down. Why the hell would you want to let average set your standard?

While I generally agree, the reality is that we can't 'beat' Father Time. The best that we can do are some temporarily successful 'delaying actions'---still very worthwhile endeavors.

Kevin Strickerwrote:

The key to beating Father Time is to be smarter. You’re not going to win going head to head, you have to choose your battles. Recognize when you’re having a shit day and let it happen, don’t try to fight it. Then on the days you wake with gravity on your side, rage until you run out of light. Last month I redpoint rope solo’ed my hardest climb, Scaredy Cat, a 300’ three pitch .12+, at 53. I also climbed 48 pitches in EPC in 3 days with my 26 year climbing partner David Russell who joins the 50+ crowd later this month. The highlight of the trip was simulclimbing Time Wave Zero in 6:10. Two days ago I managed a 10 sec BW dead hang on 8mm edges. Next week I will probably start the slide back to “normal” and will embrace that as well, knowing it takes sub average days to have great ones.

Accept where you are and be brutally honest every day you climb. 1% improvement per year should be your goal to the grave. There is always something you can do to improve technique.  Most important is to stop listening to all the average people telling you to slow down. Why the hell would you want to let average set your standard?

Also, make sure that you continue to have fun. It's (another) wonderful motivator.

Kevin Strickerwrote:

The key to beating Father Time is to be smarter. You’re not going to win going head to head, you have to choose your battles. Recognize when you’re having a shit day and let it happen, don’t try to fight it. Then on the days you wake with gravity on your side, rage until you run out of light. Last month I redpoint rope solo’ed my hardest climb, Scaredy Cat, a 300’ three pitch .12+, at 53. I also climbed 48 pitches in EPC in 3 days with my 26 year climbing partner David Russell who joins the 50+ crowd later this month. The highlight of the trip was simulclimbing Time Wave Zero in 6:10. Two days ago I managed a 10 sec BW dead hang on 8mm edges. Next week I will probably start the slide back to “normal” and will embrace that as well, knowing it takes sub average days to have great ones.

Accept where you are and be brutally honest every day you climb. 1% improvement per year should be your goal to the grave. There is always something you can do to improve technique.  Most important is to stop listening to all the average people telling you to slow down. Why the hell would you want to let average set your standard?

What a beautiful picture!  There’s no way to talk about the realities of Climbing on into older age without it sounding like a drag and a bore. The hard reality for me is that being strong and healthy used to come naturally – – no work involved and no planning. Now it’s taking more discipline in the areas of diet, sleep, and exercise to continue climbing.  

Many of us are at an age now where the contrast is profound between those who have thrown in the towel and those who are determined to stay in the game. I am surrounded by older friends who are just not well. I don’t believe most know that they even have a choice, but there’s definitely no raging there.  

Congratulations on your 5.12+ multi pitch!

—-

Carl, you sure captured the sentiment. We have missed the Carl poems. 

When I wrote yesterday, it was less about politics and more about losing ones center.  It’s a unique situation where so many of us have become hyper focused on the politics of our country and certainly Donald Trump. I am just wanting to regain some composure and not give up the sense of joyfulness and well-being that  was once so natural.   So whatever discipline is needed to maintain a center and a personal sense of well-being I think is well worth the effort. Actually, planting flowers is an act of defiance. Climbing, for me, is an act of defiance. “This” (whatever you choose ) is sacred and worth protecting. 

(calling upon the discipline shown by Mother Teresa in Calcutta, I read that she claimed the first four hours of every day for herself for prayer and self-care. That could mean that starving children could be right outside her door, but she maintained those four hours as her  first priority. From that she could do so much more when she emerged. )

Kevin Strickerwrote:

The key to beating Father Time is to be smarter.  1% improvement per year should be your goal to the grave. 

It's fantastic that you had such good times climbing this year, and climbed at such a high standard.  But I laughed out loud when I read the above statements and just had to click on your profile to see your age.  My suspicions were confirmed.

Age 53 - I encourage all folks of that age to get a screening colonoscopy if they haven't had one yet.  I encourage all males to see a urologist annually for an exam and PSA.  That might help you achieve your climbing goals by spending less time getting cancer treatment.

Congrats on your climbs Kevin!  Funny you mention the 8 mm hangs.  I started doing them as part of my warm-up for bouldering about six months ago.  I find it a great gauge of how recovered I am.  On a good day, I too can hang for 10 seconds (at age 65).  My goal is a one hand hang on the 20mm but I’m still a ways off that!  

Carl, what they said!

53 doesn't even count.. I did my best climbing in my 50s... 

Ward Smithwrote:

Lori, Eric Horst ( an over 60 climber and coach) has a new podcast out, and one of his points is that we should “sweat the small stuff.”  He doesn’t mention politics specifically (or ever), but his main point is that the we have absolutely no control over the big things that happen in the World,  but we DO have a LOT of control over our individual lives.  

I have friends who spend an incredible amount of their energy ranting about Trump.  Who are they hurting?  Not Trump. 

conald t rump was elected because NOT enough people ranted.  And magats ranted non-stop hoaxes for 10 years.
The 2024 election results are due to NOT enough people being knowledgeable.
Hitler and the nazis came about because NOT enough people ranted.
The American Revolution happened because people DID rant.

32% for t rump,  31% for Harris, a few % independent, and 33% didn’t vote. Thats a failed democracy right there when people aren’t even involved enough to vote.

Meh.

Just because I don't pay attention 24/7, does not mean ignorance.

Just because I am mot standing in front of a tank, does not mean I'd never stand in front of a tank.

Just because I don't listen to all the noise, does not mean I am unaware of it.

Or don't care.

What does happen? Regularly?

I plant that garden. Literally. Figuratively.

Smile at people.

Speak to strangers.

Hug people for no reason.

Hold a hand while an elderly person speaks to me.

My days are full. Of nothing of consequence. Walk at the mall. Eat at the senior center. Play bingo. 

Today?

That means I also greeted quite a few people. Gave and received many small interactions.

Chatted with a woman with dementia....who shares January as her birth month. She was born in 1938.

A not young woman but still younger than I? She is in remission from cancer. 

She got it when she was three.

See, I'm actually practicing activism every single day. 

Active kindness. Enjoyment. Knowing the time is ticking down....

So all the million tiny moments matter. Tiny moments are all we got, and, any one of them could be the last.

I consider this brand of activism to be very deeply subversive, actually.

If the people I cross paths with also smile? Take a hug? Tell me a story? 

The collective blood pressure goes down. Breathing slows. Heart rates calm. 

This is our collective strength here, Carl. We're all just people, clunking along our daily lives. And there's so so so many of us. The alternate universe of every stripe of whack? Just doesn't matter, most of the time.

All these "silent majority" folks? Just watch out.

Idaho's no kings rallies, rallies, plural, got national attention. Boise was one of the largest, per capita. And, as some quipped, there weren't enough democrats in the whole state to account for the turnout in Boise.

But, see, the rallies happened statewide.

Plain old people have far more in common then the "they" and "thems" ever give us credit for.

I've signed more petitions for ballot initiatives in the last few months than in years before this.

Gonna be interesting.... 

Helen

Edit to ad, "crazy guys in red hats", first thing that came to mind, was the red fezzes atop Shriners.   

Alan Rubinwrote:

While I generally agree, the reality is that we can't 'beat' Father Time. The best that we can do are some temporarily successful 'delaying actions'---still very worthwhile endeavors.

I learned young, as a river rat, that you can't fight the flow, but you can use it. Use what we have: the time we have left. 

Striving to actively stimulate telomerase activity. 

Nice day over here. Parking lot was empty. 

tom donnellywrote:

conald t rump was elected because NOT enough people ranted.  And magats ranted non-stop hoaxes for 10 years.
The 2024 election results are due to NOT enough people being knowledgeable.
Hitler and the nazis came about because NOT enough people ranted.
The American Revolution happened because people DID rant.

As a group, let's say "outdoor enthusiasts",  we are possibly the most apathetic one of all when it comes to politics IMO.  Even golfers spend lots of time on the course discussing, ranting and making deals. We are , as a group, very high up on the well to do/first world list, almost as if many have forgotten how we got to where we are. Half of this country have become almost illiterate,  have not learned any history and have been trained to ignore real journalism in favor of going down youtu.be rabbit holes. Rants are the least we can do, I do believe contacting representatives is still good but I also believe they know damn well what's happening. 

phylp phylpwrote:

It's fantastic that you had such good times climbing this year, and climbed at such a high standard.  But I laughed out loud when I read the above statements and just had to click on your profile to see your age.  My suspicions were confirmed.

Age 53 - I encourage all folks of that age to get a screening colonoscopy if they haven't had one yet.  I encourage all males to see a urologist annually for an exam and PSA.  That might help you achieve your climbing goals by spending less time getting cancer treatment.

Phylp phylp, I did mention being careful to not listen to the average sentiment. You proved my point.  I watched a video recently about a women who is just turning 70 who is working on her hardest redpoint ever, a 5.13a. I don’t think she was even climbing when she was in her 50’s. Climbing improvement rarely comes through strength gains. 1% improvement per year is reasonable in a technique based sport like climbing.

Obviously I’m just beating back FT, I know who wins eventually. I am a big believer in mental training, which is where I see most improvement these days. 

Ward Smithwrote:

Congrats on your climbs Kevin!  Funny you mention the 8 mm hangs.  I started doing them as part of my warm-up for bouldering about six months ago.  I find it a great gauge of how recovered I am.  On a good day, I too can hang for 10 seconds (at age 65).  My goal is a one hand hang on the 20mm but I’m still a ways off that!  

Nice Ward!  Yea I have been more and more interested in timing my attempts to when I am feeling the strongest. I’ve heard of people using dynometers to check their recovery, I usually just see how the first pitch feels.

It is important though to not get in the trap of thinking you can only send when your at you strongest. On my final redpoint go I didn’t even think I had a chance based on how the first 2 pitches felt, I set up the phone on my hangout ledge like I had 20+ times before.  I decided my only goal for the attempt was to finally skip this tough clip.  Once I had skipped the clip I just kept climbing and minutes later was at the top. 

tom donnellywrote:

conald t rump was elected because NOT enough people ranted. And magats ranted non-stop hoaxes for 10 years.
The 2024 election results are due to NOT enough people being knowledgeable.
Hitler and the nazis came about because NOT enough people ranted.
The American Revolution happened because people DID rant.

Small correction:
Trump was elected because enough people ranted and were abe to overcome rampant propaganda of liberal left legacy media.
The 2024 election results are due to enough people being knowledgeable instead of blindly accepting leftists' false narrative.
There is still a chance (although a small one) that Trump will be able to stop these socialists/fascist from taking over America and will be able to save democracy.

‘Knowledgable’. Pfffft. I laugh robustly. Trump won because the small number of voters who could sway the election found him more entertaining than the alternative. Giving those voters credit for deep thought is a huuuge stretch.

Daniel Shivelywrote:

Striving to actively stimulate telomerase activity. 

Charlotte and I loved the couple mile “road” you and Denise are on in this gorgeous photo, Dan. We used to drive down from Lee Vining during the endless winters just to walk back and forth here and feel the warm sun while gazing at the views of the majestic Sierra. (And, maybe, stop by Mountain Rambler…). Thanks for posting this!

Old guys should stay home a play with marbles

The marbles are free and drool out of old guys brains