Summer Climbing Project

Climbing is obsessive, yet like most sports remains ulterly pointless. I went to Caley on Wednesday with the aim of working on my summer project; Mr Smooth. This involved a brief warm up on some high easy routes in an attempt to get me used to climbing higher boulders and not freaking out at the top of problems. It was then straight on to Mr Smooth, and I proceeded for the next hour and a half to try the same sequence of about three moves falling off in roughly the same place each time and slowly scraping the skin off my fingers in the process.

I have not managed to complete the climb yet. But I will be back, re-energised and with more skin on my fingers. The thing that struck me today which is really explains the passion I have about climbing is the determination to try a climb over and over again, until it is done (preferably on the day, but sometimes I have to come back to finish it), I get too tired, or realise that the climb is not in my ability. The annoying thing about Mr Smooth it that I managed to complete the hardest move..once, and then could not find a good place to put my foot, even though from the ground there were many obvious places. This is the type of climb I need to complete. It is hard (for me), I can‘t do it easily, but it is within my ability, and I have the height and strength to do it. Every time I fall off, I am annoyed with myself for not holding on a little bit longer, for doing it wrong, for loosing my balance, for whatever it is that is making me fall off. But why do I care so much? I am so close, but not there yet. Doing this climb is not a competition I am having with someone else. It is a competition I have made with myself. It is this process of setting a challenge and then trying to complete it that makes climbing so great. Sometimes the challenge is technical and involves spending time, either at the climb or during everyday life thinking about how to do it. Sometimes the challenge is mental, and is about the fear of falling off/doing a hard move/climbing high up and judging the risks and your own ability. The process of having a challenge is fun in itself and completing the challenge gives a great sense of achievement. Plus the more you climb, the better you become and thus the more you enjoy the sport. 

I will put up a picture of Mr Smooth soon.