Bouldering outside: a battle with 'the fear' and unwanted advice...

 

                                        (You're not actually allowed to climb on that one ^^^ )

Have you ever been out somewhere on a walk, and seen something odd? A giant moving rectangle in the distance, probably brightly coloured, taller than a person. As you get closer you might see that it has legs and every now and then some arms appear at its side. It was probably a climber carrying a bouldering mat, on the hunt for a boulder where some terrifying climbing problem awaits them.

Climbing inside came about because of people climbing on real rock outside, wanting to be able to train when the outside conditions weren't so good. Climbing outside should be the most natural way to climb, but to me, it does not come naturally.

It is a constant battle to stay warm most of the year in the UK and then in the summer it is a battle to cool down the skin on your hands, not to be so sweaty that you slide off the rock. It is always a struggle to find somewhere to go for a wee, especially at a busy crag. Hikers and walkers might not always realise a boulder is place where people might be climbing and they might think it's a good spot for a quick release when nature calls, and then some poor climber is wondering why that bit of rock is wet... You have to carry all the things you might need, which usually means a copious amount of snacks and water.

However, most of these things don't bother me, especially carrying snacks, that's fine with me.

I am not yet totally comfortable bouldering on rock, especially Yorkshire Grit which is notoriously savage and shreds your hands up. It is very different to plastic for obvious reasons, but it's just harder to hold when you're bouldering. That's what I find anyway!

Then you have 'the fear' - the rising panic of climbing exposed with terrible landings (even though you have a mat) , that you might slip and bash yourself, or fall and die, even though you're not even a metre off the ground. It's logical to be wary when climbing outside, even with safety measures in place but 'the fear' is something else. I'm pretty happy on a rope, but unfortunately we don't own a rope yet, so it's just bouldering for now.

I am trying to get better at climbing outside by just making myself more familiar with the rock, just doing short sequences, not very high off the ground, getting used to what it feels like to climb. Today we visited Brimham Rocks and we didn't take mats or climbing shoes. We just walked around, looking at the bouldering routes (using the guidebook, there are A LOT of routes there) and had a go on some of them to see what they were like. Being sure not to put our muddy feet all over the nice rock because that would be bad manners to those having a proper go. There's nothing wrong with just taking it easy, seeing what it's like. Dave MacLeod has a great video on his You Tube channel about starting climbing outside which I can highly recommend.

This doesn't happen very often, but when we're climbing outside and I'm just having a go, I find it REALLY off putting when other climbers who are trying to be helpful tell me the next move and how I should be doing it. When I explain that I'm just having a go, I'm not hugely comfortable climbing outside yet, they seem to think I'm talking in some alien language, pretend I haven't said anything, and carry on telling me how to climb the problem. It's not that I don't appreciate their advice, I do, but when I am very explicit that I'm just getting a feel for it - people need to listen! I think the same goes for interacting with beginner climbers indoors. I'm not talking about safety matters but rather the learning process of how to climb well and in a way that suits an individual. Unless a beginner asks you for your advice or if they tell you they're just getting used to it, leave them be. They're likely uncomfortable enough figuring out what climbing is all about without people forcing advice on them, no matter how good the intention. As climbing becomes more popular, the climbing community needs to be mindful of who is part of it, and how they can best welcome new climbers. Of course be friendly, chat to people, find out about them and their climbing! But be patient, understand that they are going at their own pace and learning how they like to climb, it is not for more experienced climbers to force the process of learning on a new climber. It is for the new climber to figure it out on their own terms.

I will keep practising outside, trying to get more comfortable bouldering outside and please talk to me, I love to chat to new people! But if I tell you I am just getting used to these certain hand holds, or what the feet are like, let me do that at my own pace.

Em
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