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Nefarius
Big Wall climber
Fresno, CA
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Aug 11, 2008 - 01:42pm PT
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Kupandamingi: Or, as it were, it was explained to him that the only way off was up...
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Billy
climber
Boston, Ma
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 11, 2008 - 02:04pm PT
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Yeah, I just saw a video of someone climbing Lurking Fear. That was...humbling.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8746975685502853820&hl=en
Very sick. Kind of what I pictured...in that "It can't possibly THIS bad" way that you picture stuff. Like getting caught by a bear, or sleeping with Rosie O'Donnel. (I said SLEEPING. Nothing happened. I mean he seems like a nice guy and all, but still...)
So I will be working out and having nightmares for 14 months. No biggie.
Any course of faces in Conway to hit that would prepare someone for something like this?
-Billy
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Bee
climber
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Aug 11, 2008 - 02:09pm PT
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Billy –
Do you really want to be a good climber, or do you just want to be able to claim that you climbed something hard?
Do you really LIKE climbing?
All this advice about what to buy and what to climb first is pretty beside the point. You have to put in the time to become a decent climber. The amount of time varies from person to person -- and your construction of 'decent' will certainly change over time. If you cannot enjoy yourself while you’re at it, savor the beautiful moments, the overcoming, getting shut-down on ridiculous routes, the friends you make, the great lines...just don’t bother. It’s a lot of work, too. Even if you are very talented.
Does it really matter if it takes you one year or twenty to achieve something big?
And if you DO want to be a good climber, don't overlook anything that can help you -- the gym, coaching, guiding, books, old-school mentors, new-school mentors, mental therapy, physical therapy, coffee.... ; ^ )
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Nefarius
Big Wall climber
Fresno, CA
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Aug 11, 2008 - 02:14pm PT
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If, after having a year to prepare, you're really suffering on LF, Billy... Well, you're doing something wrong and should probably retire. LF isn't that difficult.
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Billy
climber
Boston, Ma
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 11, 2008 - 02:36pm PT
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See? Nefarius, THATS what I want to hear.
I'm not sure if I like climbing yet. (I'm not experienced.) But LF would be a great way to find out, right?
That sounds so stupid.
This will definitely be a journey. I'm not plannign on doing push-ups every morning for 14 months and then hitting the rock. That would be stupid.
But I definitely need help/guidance/etc. for this to work, and I'll probably be using this Forum as sort of a diary for this trip. So stay tuned.
-Billy
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Nefarius
Big Wall climber
Fresno, CA
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Aug 11, 2008 - 02:39pm PT
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Others have given great advice here, Billy. If you listen to it (you can tell the serious from the silly), are serious about your goal and put in time on the rocks, you can climb LF in a year, no prob. Your fear of heights will work itself out as you climb bigger things in preparation for your El Cap adventure.
PS - the silly posts are also preparing you for the part of climbing called "shit talking"... Almost a must-have skill....
Cheers!
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Roger Breedlove
climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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Aug 11, 2008 - 02:54pm PT
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Billy, in the "Lurking Fear" video, did you notice how slow everything moved and how much gear there is to keep organized? There is even a shot of a belayer poking fun of how slow the leader is--the leader barely moves in the whole scene.
Besides the climbing skills and the training, you need to find a way to practice moving efficiently around all the gear. You don't need high cliffs to practice this, just steep rock, small stances, and lots of stuff.
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jstan
climber
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Aug 11, 2008 - 03:37pm PT
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One thing becomes clear when you consider all the responses you are getting. All these people feel the time when they were learning to climb was one of the best times in their life. They loved it. Some of this comes out as the noise which I mentioned. Based upon the fact you are already working hard, I think you too are finding it exhilarating.
Now Roger mentioned the need for speed, which is certainly accurate. A caution though. Speed only when you have spent a lot of time, as he suggests, working out how to do things safely. An unexpectedly high number of very experienced climbers run into trouble on rappel. Rappels have very little redundancy and so perhaps give a view of true levels of danger unmoderated by equipment. Looking at those, I feel making the tradeoff between rapid upward progress and uneventful upward progress remains a difficult gray area at all levels of experience. Indeed there are those who feel this is, today, one of the most interesting climbing parameters.
It is going to be exciting, you will have change week by week, and you will find every effort spent well rewarded, as you do things you would have never thought possible. Then when it is all done and behind you, you will remember all of those people you would never otherwise have gotten to know so well.
Look back on this thirty or forty years from now. I think you will find this pretty well summarizes it.
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Stanley Hassinger
climber
Eastern US
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Aug 11, 2008 - 04:09pm PT
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I did exactly what you're trying to do. Here's the brief story:
I started climbing a little here and there in the Fall of 2001. I went and belayed friends and seconded some routes. I was climbing maybe 5.7/5.8 at best. Then I started leading really easy stuff in late Fall of 2002. I got up to where I lead my first ever 5.9 by May of 2003. It was a super easy 5.9 and very short. Around that time my brother showed me how to aid climb. I lead two aid pitches and cleaned two aid pitches. That was the extent of my aid training, and I had only been leading for about 7 months at that point.
Later during that summer (2003), without having any more training, I did four walls in Yosemite: Tangerine Trip, Zodiac, West Face of Leaning Tower (in a day), and Southeast Face of Washington Column (in a day). It was great. One of the best summers of my life.
So it can definitely be done, but you've gotta have good judgment. The most important thing is knowing when you're ready (or that you're not ready yet).
It's certainly a worthy goal to shoot for. Go for it! But be sure you get in with someone who really knows their stuff or the whole project is doomed to fail. That's the best advice I've got. It makes all the difference in the world when you're starting out to have someone with you to answer questions and remind you how to do this or that.
I would recommend doing one of the easier routes on Washington Column or Leaning Tower to start out with. That way you can see how you like it and whether you're ready. Plus, those routes are lots of fun.
Good luck!
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Nefarius
Big Wall climber
Fresno, CA
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Aug 11, 2008 - 04:13pm PT
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Speed will come with your practice/experience. It will come with you getting your systems down and learning not to waste time at belays, as that is where time is lost. Trying to be speedy or go fast isn't really the point. Being efficient is.
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Standing Strong
Trad climber
almost all the way home
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Aug 11, 2008 - 04:19pm PT
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"P.S. What is a troll? What is trolling? Help out with this?"
okay NOW you've overdone it and given yourself away. done.
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billygoat
climber
3hrs to El Cap Meadow, 1.25hrs Pinns, 42min Castle
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Aug 11, 2008 - 06:47pm PT
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Standing--
Yeah, I thought that was confirmation too, but then I checked my email and the dude sent me a message asking the same question and asking for help. I'm not sure anymore. If he is a troll, he's gone overboard. Maybe we have a RAJMIT reincarnation, but a good one if it is.
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Nefarius
Big Wall climber
Fresno, CA
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Aug 11, 2008 - 07:01pm PT
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"Hey Nefarius,
You and I, NIAD next year?"
The way things are going this year, that'd be a neat trick, Jeff... Haven't been doing much climbing this year. NIAD seems so far away right now... *sniffle*
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dogtown
climber
Where I once was,I think?
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Aug 11, 2008 - 07:41pm PT
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Billy;
You want to do this in good style so read, climb and if you can get yourself a good mentor / partner. But most importantly climb, climb, climb,
El Cap. Was a long term goal for me when I started climbing.The road to the nose for me was seven years of climbing or bouldering almost everyday.I'm sure alot of people have done it in a shorter amount of time.But thats what it took me.
PS. Please do not go outside and kill yourself.
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marky
climber
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Aug 11, 2008 - 07:48pm PT
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it's not as if the government hands out licenses to climb it
just get on it. It either will make sense or it won't. Too many schemers these days, too few doers.
Be a doer!!!1111
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WBraun
climber
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Aug 11, 2008 - 08:33pm PT
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Hahahaha You all have been OWNED by the Billy boy ....
Hahahaha
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billygoat
climber
3hrs to El Cap Meadow, 1.25hrs Pinns, 42min Castle
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Aug 11, 2008 - 09:21pm PT
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Now, now, Werner. Don't laugh too hard. Afterall, you might need to pencil in a body recovery for next October.
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tolman_paul
Trad climber
Anchorage, AK
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Aug 11, 2008 - 09:31pm PT
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Assuming this isn't an rc.com troll, I'd say that's great that you have a really ambitious goal. It's those goals and dreams that fire us up and push us.
I'd also say that you don't have enough knowledge about climbing to realize how much you need to learn and the skills you need to gain before venturing up an El Cap route. It's akin to saying you've been out twice on a bicycle with training wheels, you watched the Tour de France and would like to ride it. It's not impossible, but will be a heck of a challenge.
I'd say most importantly don't get hung up on being able to do that route in a year. It's not impossible to gain sufficient skills and experience in that time, it's just highly improbable. I'd say a more realistic goal would be to travel to Yosemite in a year and get up some of the longer moderate routes such as the regular route on Fairview Dome, or even the Nutcracker, or the Dike Route.
Just moving from the gym, where you don't have to find a route and holds to real rock, and from top rope to lead is a big jump, and takes most folks a year. Being able to place gear on lead, set up anchors, moving smoothly on long routes typically takes folks a few years.
If you lived in or near Yosemite and had a pile of willing expernienced partners to tutor you, were climbing several times a week your goal might be attainable. But after two trips to the climbing gym, well, you've got a long way to go.
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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Aug 11, 2008 - 09:55pm PT
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Just re read the entire thread. I agree with WBraun and SS. Troll material. Billy does alot of back pedaling. Questions don't always ring true.
I appreciate all the great answers, however. I really learned alot. lrl
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Roger Breedlove
climber
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
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Aug 11, 2008 - 10:43pm PT
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Yeah, so Billy sounds like a troll. So what.
The question is still valid. I answered it assuming that Billy was trolling and that 1000 lurkers were waiting for the answer. Who wouldn't want to climb from zero to 'Lurking Fear' in 14 months? Besides it has a poetry of its own given that Phil climbed it "off-the-couch."
Some great advice, except from John--way too hard!
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