By thedihedral Posted on

Transition

It seems like most climbers we meet didn’t start off as climbers.  You have the gymnasts, the martial arts, the ballet dancers, the ninja warriors, the runners, the snowboarders, the skateboarders, the couch potatoes, the ballers, and the performers of nearly every other activity you can think of who somehow end up scaping knees and knucks as they make their way up walls.  With the right mindset it’s not difficult to see how most activities offer some advantage in the climbing world.  Think of the balance offered through ballet, the endurance attained through running, the strength acquired from lifting weights, and even the patience earned through parenting.  There are potential climbing advantages that come from almost any sort of activity.

So, this week theDIHEDRAL crew is tasked with picking a non-climbing skill which best translates to their climbing success.

Carrot

Prior to climbing, my life centered around becoming a professional philosopher, playing basketball, and paying for life by working construction.  While philosophy and basketball clearly lend themselves to some advantageous climbing skills, working construction has to take the cake.  Working in construction has some obvious climbing advantages.  Swinging a hammer comes in handy for grip strength.  Carrying plywood or bundles of shingles along roof ridges while avoiding nails, builds balance, strength, safety, and eliminates any would be fear of heights.  Trying to envision the finish product of a re-mod, clearly helps envision the moves on a route.  And the callouses earned from construction prepare your hands for long days of hanging out on the rocks.  There are clearly lots of physical advantages that help segue a builder into a climber.  But, the real advantage for me however is mental.  Learning to overcome physical exhaustion after roofing for 14 hour days, learning that time and practice provide unimagined gains, learning the fine line between strength and finesse, learning that failure is okay, but is not a reason to give-up.  I could go on and on, but the point is that any success I have on a wall, or anything else for that matter relates directly to my education from sitting on milk crates and surrounded by sawdust, tools, and asphalt shingles on hot summer days and cold winter nights.  I never identified as a builder, but my experiences in the trade are indispensable to my life…both as a climber and otherwise!

High-Clip

It’s true the strength and endurance I acquired throughout my life playing various sports helped my climbing and gave me a leg up when I started climbing. I could and continue to draw on strength/endurance from these just like any type of cross training, and it gave me a seemingly permanent muscular build. But these things can be learned and trained, and I don’t think they had as big of an impact as my mathematical proof-writing techniques. Writing statements on a chalkboard and climbing walls seem unrelated, but they are truly parallel acts. When I have to prove a theorem, I start with what I know and try to look for angles that will allow me to use what I know to prove something new. When I look at a route, I start with what I know (clipping, flags, heinous piano matches, etc.). In both cases, I try one angle. It might work and be clean, or it might not. In the event that it is not clean, I try a new angle. In a proof, this might mean I go for a contradiction, or maybe I’ll need to cook up cases to prove. On the wall, this might mean I use a foot as a hand, or consider each way I can bend my knee to get the right power and balance. Sometimes I hit a dead end in the middle of my proofs like I do when there’s a sequence on the wall I can’t seem to get past. I’ll seek help from my more experienced mathematician buddies like I would solicit beta from my fellow climbers. They may have creative solutions, but if they don’t, I will just be stuck. Math has made me comfortable with being stuck—I’ll sleep on it, and in time (knowing me, it will be in my dream) I will find the right approach, construction, or lemma to help my proof. And thus I am okay with being stuck on a climb. I’ll come back another day, and that day I just might have the right mentality and beta to send.

Gaia

I guess diverse aspects of our life play into our development in x or y activity, so I recognize that both my experience as a trail runner and dancer lent a hand in climbing. The latest physical activity I had practiced before trying rock climbing was trail running. It had already been two to three years since I hadn’t put my running shoes on. I was lacking discipline and trail running seemed like a thing of the past. However, something about climbing put me in tune with those past experiences. The gym atmosphere, the mental fortitude, and the tolerance for pain rang loudly in my brain. Those qualities of running soothed the way into my new-found endurance sport. I think that if I had not already had that close relationship with extreme outdoor sports, I probably would have not been as seduced to climbing as I was at the time. Another discipline that I found helpful in the sport was dancing. I grew up dancing and, although I am not as technical and I wish I was, I benefitted a lot from my limited dancing knowledge. Dance helps you develop body awareness, balance, and flexibility; qualities that I deem important and useful in climbing. To be honest, writing this post has made me want to trail run and dance again! Ha! Better get all type of shoes ready!

So… What shoes (or not) helped you transition? 🙂

  1. For more from theDIHEDRAL crew check out theDIHEDRAL Podcast found on most podcast sites including iTunes and Spotify. Feel free to subscribe and comment, if you enjoy what you hear!

19 Replies to “Transition”

  1. moragnoffke says: Reply

    Your post made me reflect on my mother’s choice of mountain climbing. She started in school when she was 16 in 1947. I wish was alive to share her insights but if I remember correctly her God father was a mountaineer and so she just did it and enjoyed it very much. She stopped when she got married and had me; I guess children do change one’s perspective 😜

    Liked by 2 people

    2. sheilarenfro says: Reply

      Uhh children do a lot. I think we get more alertness and say oh my did I do that. Lol some things I used too do. I’m scared too do it now after having my youngest child. Weird. But loved your blog

      Liked by 2 people

  2. Sandy - ClearReveal says: Reply

    I’m not a climber. I’m more of a low maintenance hiker 😁. I don’t think I could climb high anyways, I am afraid of heights. Great post. God Bless

    Liked by 2 people

  3. Rhonda says: Reply

    Ok, this is the reverse on the theme! How has climbing helped me with hiking! Since I am stuck in a hotel in Nevada without climbing gear in a climbing meca, my husband and I have taken up hiking. As we hike we check out all of the granite that we may be able to climb some day when my climbing gear is out of storage. Putting my gear in storage was very short-sighted of me. Anyway, my first hiking venture around Lake Tahoe was up to Eagle Lake by Emerald Bay. Since the hike was fairly easy I suggested trying to find a way around the lake. When we approached an area of very large boulders I suggested that we “scramble” over them and try to pick up a trail on the other side. If I did not have my experience as a climber, this would have been terrifying! But with the knowledge of how to navigate using hand and foot holds and knowing how to position my body, I had a blast! The drops between boulders did not scare me because I was secure in my ability to traverse this terrain. We were a blt jealous of all of the climbers in the area, but then again, the climbing they were doing was way above my skill level. Sadly, we did not make it around the lake. We got across the boulders to a tree-filled ravine. We could not see the bottom of the ravine and we couldn’t see what was on the other side—we may have needed so climbing gear to be able to traverse the next area. While I was fine on the rock, I was not fine with the “bottomless” ravine. So we turned back. Maybe we will tackle the ravine another day when my comfort level with this terrain is a little bit higher. Other than this specific experience, climbing has helped me in so many other areas of my life. Yes it has helped with hiking, but it has also given me perspective with problem solving, knowing my limits, and knowing where I can push (physically and mentally). The best benefit of climbing though has been introducing me to a community of people whom I love and adore. We miss you all so much. BTW, our next big “scramble” will be at Castle Rock as soon as nesting season (falcons) is over. Or maybe will will find something else along the way.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. thedihedral says: Reply

      I Love this Rhonda…did you see the post “Blue Boar”? There is a little shout out to you you guys! Can’t wait to get up there and hike/climb with you. I’ll bring some extra gear just in case the goods are still in storage! Miss you!

      Like

  4. Olympus Mountaineering says: Reply

    Very nice post!

    I have been going to the mountains for years and each time I was trying to follow the stepper possible route, up to the point I had to start climbing. At the beginning I was climbing to high peaks from III UIAA routes, but each time I wanted to climb a bit more difficult.

    On that point, I have decided to go and get formal rock climbing training in order to understand better the climbing techniques but of course all the safety procedures one has to follow for a safe climb.

    Again, very nice post!

    Liked by 1 person

  7. PeteB says: Reply

    Growing up in the Scouts introduced me to the outdoors. But training as an Acrobat and Cheerleader helped me with the moves while i am climbing. I have always climbed over the years on trips with scouts or friends. But my working life of an Industrial Abseiler came well before i got into rock climbing as a hobby of my own. Which meant i picked up the rope skills quickly and i was scared of hanging just off one rope that is running over an edge with no rope protection on it. Also working on ropes every day is one the reasons i am terrified to take a fall and i will always downclimb back to my last clip or a rest spot. Even when i am pushing myself.

    Liked by 1 person

Leave a comment