This spooky season, let’s be un-spooky. During In the Spirit of Halloween II, we discussed some really scary ways to face your climbing demons. I propose we let our demons enjoy their holiday this year and instead we highlight the safe, comfortable aspects of climbing. Climbing is terrifying at times, but we all have to admit, it isn’t always.
- Warm-up climbs. Is there anything more comfortable? When you climb something easy, you just flow through each move, hardly even noticing each hold. Even better: pretty, easy, warm-ups outside. You’ll get this amazing view after climbing 5.fun without the fear and anxiety. Pure joy!
- GRIGRIs. We all have different belay device preferences, but no one can deny the allure of the GRIGRI. When I belay with the GRIGRI, I feel secure knowing that I probably won’t get bad rope burn or get my hand sucked into the device. When my partner is proficient with it, my mind is more at ease knowing that there’s at least a little back-up for them. There are risks to any device, but the assisted braking feature at the very least assists me in the mind.
- Gently used gear. When gear gets really worn out, you worry that it might fail. If it’s brand new, you worry there could be a major manufacturing defect. When you’ve used it a few times, you feel like you’ve tested it out enough, yet you don’t feel like you’ve used its entire life. This balance maximizes trust, and again, adds much peace of mind. Whether it’s scientifically justified or not, you feel at ease.
- Close bolts. Some of you may complain that you waste energy clipping a bunch when bolts are super close together. For me, I save energy by not over gripping out of fear. Not to mention how nice it is to feel safe on the wall. Hence, close bolts is always a win for me. No matter the move, I really don’t mind trying it when my last draw is nearby. That’s freedom!
- Beefy anchors. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve had to use old, rusty anchors for a TR anchor or a rappel. The bolts will be in good shape, and then out of nowhere the anchors look like they are from the wrong century (in reality they were all probably not that old, but alas, fear isn’t always logical). Conversely, I cannot tell you how many times I’ve gotten to use the most massive, clean, and strong-looking anchors. One look and you know there is nothing you could physically do to make these bad boys fail. Even if you ate a lot of snacks that day. Once you’re on those anchors, all fear seems to float away, and it’s just you and the beautiful view behind you.
What else acts like an anti-spook while climbing?
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