I Hate Climbing

Before you ask “why?”, you need to know that I have been climbing for 7+ years. I have spent the entirety of my adult life taking whippers, breaking my skin apart on rocks, trudging to exotic crags, and hating climbing. What’s wrong with me? I cannot in good faith tell you that I am a masochist. Instead, I can tell you that I like challenges. Here are 3 quick reasons why I hate climbing.

• Heights and Falling

 The views are amazing but the fear of falling is steady and always present. How do I trust this one-inch thick rope? How can I be sure the gear in the wall won’t break off the second I place it or clip in? Looking down while my fingers tremble as I place the rope through the quickdraw makes my heart-rate flutter exponentially – even as I type this. My fear of falling is far superior to my fear of heights. When I get to the top and look back, the views from the top immediately bring me peace. For a moment, the adrenaline rush is worth the constant frustration I feel as I make my way up any problem. Maybe my amygdala is HUGE or maybe I am a rational human that sees danger and reacts appropriately. Every single time I am exposed between clips or rests, my brain SCREAMS at me asking why the hell I put myself in these situations.

• Hyperextension and Blood

 If you’ve climbed for literally ANY amount of time you have probably had a flapper, knee scrape, deep cut, or hyperextended ligament at some point. Once this happens, you have to take serious measures to rest and restore your ailment. This poses a problem if you are squeamish (like me). After 3 years, I grew accustomed to my own blood but this made it hard to recognize when I should GIVE UP! By getting over my fear of blood and soreness, I have become a machine that doesn’t let up when I am focused on a problem. My bones constantly crack from improper stretching or lack thereof. I tape my cuts on the wall and ignore pain to the max just to finish something I started. I think my body has aged about 10 years which poses a problem since I’m only 25.

• Impulse control and obsession

Basically, I have no impulse control anymore. When I see something that looks incredibly dangerous, I think “that sure sounds like a horribly wonderful time” and make a project out of it. I like feeling in control and when I have no control over how a climb goes, I become OBSESSED with it. I have high stamina and will stay on a segment for 30 minutes working at it while my poor partner waits on the ground. I always belay my partner consecutively afterward because of this. Because this is a short-term goal-oriented sport, I feel the need to conquer as many new routes as possible.

Why do I climb then? Because the same reasons to hate it are why I love it.

I love feeling in control of how I move my body. I love to watch it heal itself and callous – thereby making me stronger. I love how it challenges me to face my fears and be present in the moment. Fear reminds me that I am alive and taking advantage of the strength I have. As someone that suffers from constant anxiety and mental health hardships, climbing has given me little goals that present visible results. Most of all, I love climbing because it has given me a family of goofy individuals that come from entirely different backgrounds. We push each other to be better and celebrate each other’s success. For that, I wouldn’t give up climbing. I feel that if i gave up climbing, I would give up on myself to an extent.

Thanks to climbing, I have joined my love of the outdoors with my love of eco-friendly living and created a brand. Thanks to my partner, we are working on something we fully believe in while sharing our hatred of climbing 🙂

A little about our products

We are using I Hate Climbing as a platform to express our frustration with a personal growth / goal-oriented sport. It is terrifying, exciting, painful, wonderful, and every confusing emotion I think of when I’m climbing. It’s the fall before the send, the frustration before the relief, and the satisfaction after the doubt.

Using eco-friendly products like hemp, up-cycled fibers/plastics, ethically sourced inks, and sustainable cotton blends, we provide you products we fully believe in because we have FELT them!

Starting small, we hope you join us on this journey to expand a brand that athletes like you can get behind. We look forward to having you join our community and urge you to remember to EMBRACE THE SUCK!

Find us at ihateclimbing.com to read about how we started and to purchase our products. An exclusive 15% off discount for our pre-order is sendit2020 at checkout. We also have a review of our first shirt on theDIHEDRAL (Click HERE). For a chance to be featured on our Instagram @ihateclimbingbrand, send us a picture and story of your favorite “I hate climbing” moment and receive exclusive discounts if you send us one while wearing an “I hate climbing” shirt.