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Tony Bird
climber
Northridge, CA
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jul 10, 2012 - 09:06am PT
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this is a thread for noobs and those who consider themselves recently out of noobsville.
i'd like to know--and others will as well--how you overcame the difficulties of getting into rock climbing via the common route these days, which generally begins in a climbing gym and often stays stuck there for quite awhile.
did you find an experienced climber to take you under his/her wing?
read a lot of books by john long?
spend a few hundred bucks on a new rack and proceed to (nearly) kill yourself?
spend even more on climbing courses or professional guiding?
or ?
don't be shy now--unless you're an ST bigmouth whose climbing career is 98 percent fantasy. :-)
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drljefe
climber
El Presidio San Augustin del Tucson
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Jul 10, 2012 - 09:44am PT
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Recently I mentored a younger climber who took this path.
I just got an excited text and postcard from him saying he just did his first proper gear leads- The Grack and Cathedral Peak.
Makes me proud.
He wasn't your typical number chasing city slicker though. He knew what he wanted to do.
A trip to the Buttermilks was a key in his progression too. That's right, bouldering.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Jul 10, 2012 - 10:21am PT
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I used to believe that gyms, while they made people very strong, were a detriment to progression to multi pitch trad. I based this on what I saw out in the field. I now believe that gyms, to some extent, attract people who, because of their makeup, are going to have a difficult time transitioning in any case.
There are still plenty of people getting into climbing who fly thru the transitions on their way to becoming great all around climbers.
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10k
Trad climber
Portland, OR
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Jul 10, 2012 - 10:32am PT
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I started by joining a local mountaineering club. I found that I like rock climbing so much more than slugging up a glacier so I stuck with it. Most offer basic climbing instruction and also more advanced lessons for pretty cheap if you are a member. Plus you meet other people who can be your climbing partners.
If you are in a big city in the west coast, chances are there is a club in that city.
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Don Paul
Big Wall climber
Colombia, South America
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Jul 10, 2012 - 10:38am PT
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Most have no interest in transitioning to trad, and don't consider gyms to be a stepping stone to anything else. They are happy with sport climbing and that's fine. You do find noobs in gyms who want to learn trad, but it's one in 10 at most.
Now they even want to put sport climbing in the olympics. So the goal is to win the olympics, not put up a new route on Trango Tower, or whatever. I used to think sport climbing would eventually take over all climbing, and eventually all climbing areas would be grid bolted by some kind of safety police. Ever tried scuba diving or sky diving? Glad that never happened.
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Gary
climber
"My god - it's full of stars!"
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Jul 10, 2012 - 11:56am PT
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I joined SCMA. Nowadays, they are making a slow transition towards more sport climbing.
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j-tree
Big Wall climber
Classroom to crag to summer camp
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Jul 10, 2012 - 02:22pm PT
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I started with a trad mentor and read FotH, John Long, and other texts. Then moved into sport climbing and the gym to get stronger, then back to trad and then ended up where I am now primarily doing aid cragging and bigwall bailing.
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Klimmer
Mountain climber
San Diego
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Jul 10, 2012 - 02:28pm PT
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I started trad. Alpine. Then sport. Then sometimes gyms. Round and round it goes. It's all good.
But didn't Alex H. start in a gym?
Seems it can work gym, sport, trad if you really have the desire and fall in love with the sport.
The all time classic video "SOLO" is what did it for me. Hooked me the moment I saw it.
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Don Paul
Big Wall climber
Colombia, South America
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Jul 10, 2012 - 02:50pm PT
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DickMcFartin - I learned to climb in Boston about 20 years ago, and the Boston Rock Gym was either the first, or one of the first in the country. It was a gutted 4 story chimney-shaped building in Somerville. The climbing surface was just exposed brick. Owner Tom Nones drilled holes in real rocks and bolted them to the walls for holds. A roof and overhanging section made of unpainted plywood. No other technology existed then. My great accomplishment there was to climb one of the brick walls, just on the brick edges with no other holds.
The gym members were about 90% trad, with lots of ice climbers from NH coming down. It was an awesome group to hang out with and very motivating. When they closed it and a new one opened up in Woburn, I heard it was a typical gym scene with all the tradmen gone. But there are definitely lots of good ice climbers in New England.
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Jul 10, 2012 - 03:10pm PT
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I've been climbing too long (45 years) to have begun as a gym climber, but I don't think that self-protected outdoor climbing, and how people learn it, has changed all that much.
I started bouldering in Converse tennis shoes around White Wolf and elsewhere in YNP before I was a teenager. A friend and I climbed a class-2 peak when we were 15, and I discovered Roper's Red climber's guide, and Voge's High Sierra Guide, that same year (1966). This let me know quite a bit about climbing in the Valley, and mountaineering in the Sierra, and piqued my interest sufficiently to check out Mountaineering: the Freedom of the Hills from the local library. I learned from reading, and from going on short trips to local crags (almost exclusively top-roping) with friends who learned to climb from Rich Calderwood and Ax Nelson.
As I got to know more experienced climbers, I got invited to go on more difficult climbs and learned much by watching and trying to imitate.
While there are many at the gyms that have no interest in doing anything else with climbing, every gym I've visited has plenty of outdoor climbers, at least some of whom would be happy to take a beginner climbing. Read ask around, and go climbing with an experienced climber. That method works, and hasn't changed since I started.
John
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photonez
Trad climber
Mountain View, CA
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Jul 10, 2012 - 03:23pm PT
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I like drinking beer and happened to drink some with people that climb. The first year I thought drinking while climbing was the norm. Then joined a gym after two years and realized I was wrong. Booh to the climbing gym, they need beer.
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photonez
Trad climber
Mountain View, CA
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Jul 10, 2012 - 03:29pm PT
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True that, stainless water bottles work well.
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apogee
climber
Technically expert, safe belayer, can lead if easy
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Jul 10, 2012 - 03:33pm PT
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'Dick Mcfartin', huh?
10...9...8...7...6...
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Jul 10, 2012 - 03:34pm PT
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I am working my way from multi pitch trad, to sport, to bouldering, to the gym as I get older and fatter.
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nutjob
Gym climber
Berkeley, CA
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Jul 10, 2012 - 03:35pm PT
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People who want to trad climb will find a way more easily now with gyms, and those who don't can enjoy a pretty cool alternative to traditional exercise routines.
I think climbing gyms are a great thing. And so are lichen-spitting granite ball-bearings-in-your-underwear bloody-kneed bushy thrutch-fests where nobody will hear you scream. Ahh, the memories conjured by the fragrance of bay leaves, ozone, formic acid, and aluminum.
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Jul 10, 2012 - 03:39pm PT
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Ahh, the memories conjured by the fragrance of bay leaves, ozone, formic acid, and aluminum.
Great quote, nutjob!
John
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frog (the real frog)
Trad climber
San Diego
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Jul 10, 2012 - 03:45pm PT
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Started in my 50th year ... a little bouldering at Santee (San Diego) ... then while watching some climbers on Jam Crack in Yose they asked if I wanted to try - first time I ever put my "want ads" Chouinard bod harness on ... fell off the crux, then sent and was hooked ... progressed to TRing ... then trad up to 5.9 ... joined gym ... now 20 years latter mostly gym 'cept when I can get to Yose (in 2 1/2 weeks!!!!)...
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Bob Culp
Trad climber
Boulder, CO
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Jul 10, 2012 - 03:55pm PT
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I get quite a few students who are right out of the gym and interested in getting into trad climbing. Sometimes they have done a little sport climbing too. Seems like trad climbing is becoming the new fascinating thing.
Anyway, people who are willing to spend $$ getting instruction tend to be careful sorts. And I get all kinds. Some of them are no way close to being able to get on any level of trad climb, others who just gobble up everything I tell them and put it into play immediately.
I had two of those last week and it was a really satisfying thing for me. They started out learning gear placement, asked good questions, picked it up right away and moved on to mock leading with a top rope - then leading easy stuff.
That kind of lesson makes it all worth it for me.
Then there are a few where I have to tell them maybe they better not be doing this until they get a little better.
Kind of like all the guys who were learning same time I was.
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Brandon-
climber
The Granite State.
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Jul 10, 2012 - 04:09pm PT
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It's such an individual progression. Lots of people live in urban or suburban areas where a gym is the first introduction to the sport. When that happens, it's more difficult to learn about climbing history, ethics, etc. But, they still enjoy the movement and focus involved, I'm assuming.
I feel fortunate to have learned to climb in NH in the early 90's. There was one gym near Rumney, where I learned, but I wasn't aware of it.
So yeah, I started sport climbing, but I learned my history and moved on to trad.
I still really enjoy sport, but prefer trad.
Wait, what was the question?
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Jul 10, 2012 - 04:10pm PT
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Bob,
I particularly appreciate your post and perspective on this issue. We are very lucky to have posting here people of your stature within our sport.
John
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