More specifically, how do you deal with men who interact with you on the hope of hooking up? Or maybe, how do you not let it affect you?

I’ve been climbing for 2 years, and every once in a while, the cycle repeats. I meet a guy climbing, everything is chill, and then they ask for my number or I mention my boyfriend or etc etc, and they go totally cold shoulder, no longer want to interact with me (a guy the other day told me “there was no point in climbing with me” after I told him I wouldn’t give him my number bc I have a BF).

It’s gotten to the point where I just straight up do not climb or interact with men at the gym. I have a solid group of women I climb with currently, but now kind of find myself… afraid of climbing solo because I don’t want men to interact with me. I wear baggy clothes and headphones if I have to, but it just kind of sucks. I hear about this great climbing community, and want to be apart of it, but I just, straight up, do not trust it.

I want to note that I understand the urge to ask for somebody’s number/try to date people you meet irl. My issue is the cold shoulder afterwards. It’s so jarring to think, “Oh, I’ve made a friend!” to “Oh, he was only interacting w me because he wanted X.”

Am I crazy?

Hi, one gym somewhat local to me is doing a Christmas competition this month. I’m kind of back and forth as to whether or not I want to join.

I started climbing in May of this year and I’d say progressed decently, I can flash some v3 now and have sent a soft v4(indoors tho!, I have climbed at a bunch of gyms in Europe and the U.S. throughout my travels this year and am sending V3 ish in most of them).

I’m kind of thinking it would be really fun to join the comp and get a taste for that side of climbing. but I’m not sure if it would be “worth it” because what if all the boulders are too hard and I can’t send anything? I haven’t really had a chance to try comp style boulders. There’s no categories based on skill level for this comp(or really any in my area). The entry fee is like $11 so it’s not going to be a huge waste of money either way.

Any other beginner climbers tried a comp? What was your experience like?

Fell on a slab route about 6” of the ground. Hit another hold on the way down tesulting in breaking both my tibia & fibula. Surgery is scheduled for tomorrow morning.

First time breaking a bone in my 34 years of living. I do not recommend 😂

I had an unfortunate fall when bouldering and have apparently sprained my knee and can’t climb for 6 weeks 😭 has anyone else had the same experience and if so what do you suggest for healing it well?

Hey y'all! I'm making a trip down south to try some routes in the gunks! Any advice on sport or top rope routes in sunny spots for December?

Background: All in AK. Mostly ice climbing, sport, and top rope. I don't have protection for trad climbs. Bouldering is fun too, but I'm definitely a beginner. Preference for sport and top rope routes. I have the gear I need to be cold weather climbing.

Thank you!

I started climbing in May of this year when a person I met said they climbed but needed someone to go with. Since then we've been climbing together, (and eventually started dating), a few times a week which has been great. Now that it's getting near the end of the year and I'm reflecting on my journey thus far, and I'm proud.

I started out climbing V2 and in the last 6 months have progressed into sending V4 and projecting V5. I feel stronger, more flexible and have a better attitude about my body now which was everything I really wanted from climbing. I'd like to think that even my mind has improved as the problem solving side of the sport gives me a mental work out

Anyways, I'm very happy with how I'm doing so far and wanted to share. It's been a fun ride and I even found a romantic partner during it. I hope to keep climbing and send a V6 by this time next year.

i’m almost 2 months into bouldering and the strength & resilience i’ve been developing amazes me daily. i started from the ground up, having been sedentary and pretty much on autopilot in my body and having 0 muscle mass/coordination. as such it’s been slow progress, but i sent my first V1 yesterday after being stuck on VB & V0, so we’re getting somewhere.

now that i feel stronger and more confident on the wall, i’ve been trying some more challenging or intimidating climbs in my range, and every time i shock myself by getting wayyy further than i thought. that being said, i always get stuck on a move that i know i can do, and end up losing all my confidence and having to jump off. i’ve done a fair amount of falling drills and have taken a number of unexpected falls, and i feel confident in my ability to fall safely, so i don’t know why i get so anxious.

i know it takes time to build confidence on the wall, but i feel like im not even nervous about the moves, im just giving up. i don’t know how to overcome this, and i know i would be making more progress if i could move past it. i almost feel like im afraid of sending these ‘easier’ climbs because then i would have to attempt harder ones, and despite the super cool and uplifting community at my gym i still struggle with feeling like i deserve to be there (anxious girl struggles) if anyone has any tips/advice/stuff that helped you i would super mega appreciate it !!!

Happy every other Thursday!

^(This thread idea is in beta testing so hold tight while we test it out and see how it does.)

You can use this for finding a climbing partner, sharing your business (as long as it is climbing or tangentially related), and to show off those #gainz. There is also r/ClimbingPartners

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To break things down more:

1. Please be careful meeting people from the internet. Climbing is inherently dangerous, meeting people on the internet can be inherently dangerous, both together can be inherently dangerous. This sub is not liable for whatever may happen, but so many subscribers have been making climbing partner posts that condensing them to one area sounded like the best solution.
2. Go ahead and share the link to your Etsy or Red Bubble shop or whatever. Specifically we get a lot of sticker design posts and in lieu of having a bunch of self promo posts on the feed, they should go here.
3. Finally- Physique posts! As we know, all shapes and sizes are welcome, valid, and appreciated in climbing, and especially in this sub! Some members found the posts to be a bit triggering though, so the goal was to put them in a place where they can avoid clicking the link and seeing that content.

Anyone here who climbs (especially bouldering) and has hip dysplasia? I’ve recently started but have some concerns due to climbing movements that can put strain on the labrum. My surgeon (had reconstructive surgery on one hip a few years ago) has advised me to avoid high impact activities. Of course falling off the wall, even on to a mat, is high impact. Any tips for managing unstable hips? Or do I need to accept that this might not be a sport for me?

Do you have any advice/favorites on wool, alpaca etc. or other soft, warm, non-absorbant underwear & leggings?

I found this podcast by the American Alpine Club very insightful. They cover disparity between the growing diversity and inclusion of climbers while the developer community continues to be not so diverse. They also cover accessibility for routes, bolt placements, the whole development process.

Would you like to be a route developer? If so, what's holding you back?

https://open.spotify.com/episode/5E6D1MhvS7P3fZ0pNPHVWB?si=PA_bR1KdTFWZqf7q6Tl0ow

I’ve only rope climbed twice; my bf got me into climbing and he went to a bouldering gym. We took several months off due to our schedules not aligning but want to try this new gym out by his new office that has top rope, lead and bouldering. I’m very much a beginner level climber , like v0-v1ish (our old gym did E, E+ etc instead of v grading).

Found out this week I’m in the very early stages of pregnancy so naturally I’m thinking bouldering is off the table. Is it safe for me to do top rope and auto belay? My bf would be my belay and he’s climbed on and off since he was a kid.

My bf and I have been vanlifing and climbing for the last 6 months. This means he has been my only climbing partner. We do a lot of multi pitches, but also some single pitch and bouldering. He is a significantly stronger climber than me (technically and physically). He's incredibly supportive and encouraging, but I have been struggling and feeling really down about my own climbing. Previously, I would climb a lot with people around my level and it was nice to share some struggles and tips. My bf can flash most of my projects. I admire him and love him, but I can't help be feel... embarrassed? to need to work on these climbs that he can do so easily.

The worst is the multi pitches. I feel like I'm holding him back so much. We would be so much faster if I was better. We could climb much harder/longer routes if I was better. We could climb so many more things if I was better. I want to do all these things with him, but it makes me feel so bad about myself when I have to pull on gear because figuring out the moves would be too slow (he doesn't say this). I feel so much (self-imposed) pressure to be better just to be able to keep up with him, but it's like this obsession with being 'better' has taken some fun out of it. I get frustrated more easily. I cry most times I go climbing because I feel so down about myself. It doesn't even make sense because I know the struggle is part of it, but I rarely see him struggling so I just feel like such a shitty climber. I feel like I made big life changes and spend all my time doing this thing just to be bad at it, and quite frankly I'm embarrassed. It's even harder because he's incredibly supportive and seeing how happy he gets on the harder multipitches brings me joy, I only wish I didn't have to dog them most of the time. I don't want to tell him how I feel and for him to feel bad/guilty and to hold him back even more. I just don't know how to deal with it.

Hey folks! Wondering if anyone has any suggestions for climbing discord groups (rooms? Spaces? lol) for women/non-binary/trans climbers. I’ve done a search in this group but it looks like all the invite links are expired!

I’ve been indoor climbing for almost a year now (a couple months consistently), and my first shoes were the La Sportiva Tarantulas, which were comfortable right out of the box, and I loved them. However, they’ve started to get holes, and my big toe is now visible, so I decided to get new shoes during Black Friday sales.

I went with the Scarpa Instinct VS in a size 40 (US 8.5, my street shoe size). I was hoping more more intermediate shoes(climbing around V4), but when I tried them on, the pain was almost unbearable. My big toe hurts really badly, and the shoes feel tight around my ankles as well. I can barely stand in them for more than a few seconds. Unfortunately, I couldn't try them in-store since they don't carry them in my city.

I'm planning to return them tomorrow but would love some advice: Should I size up in the Instinct VS or look at a completely different shoe? I have Egyptian-shaped feet

Does anyone have recommendations for intermediate shoes that are a bit more comfortable out of the box? I’d love to enjoy my climbing without the pain of poorly fitting shoes.

Hi everyone,

I recently had a serious accident during an instructor-led lead climbing class at my gym, and I’m trying to figure out how to approach the gym about making meaningful safety improvements.

Here’s what happened:

My friend and I have been top-roping for about 3-4 months.

I’ve progressed to climbing 5.10, while she recently started working on 5.8.

Encouraged by other climbers, I decided to sign up for the gym’s lead climbing class. My friend decided to join as well.

The class was structured across two weeks, with each session lasting two hours.

• Week 1: We focused on tying knots, discussing bolts and clipping techniques, and practicing clipping the rope while being top-rope belayed.

• Week 2: We began climbing with the instructor belaying us and teaching the non-climbing partner how to belay.

During this session, we also practiced falls, first with the instructor belaying and later with our classmates belaying each other. There was a significant weight difference (about 50-60 lbs) between my friend and me.

The first time I belayed her, I was pulled up to the first clip. The instructor then discussed how weight differences affect belaying and catching falls, as well as techniques like spotting feet on the wall and executing hard and soft catches.

We moved to a different route, and the instructor had me climb past the 3rd or 4th clip to practice unannounced falls so my classmate could catch me.

Unfortunately, during the first of these falls, I swung hard into the wall. I immediately saw something happen to my ankle and felt intense pain, so they lowered me.

A trip to the hospital revealed a severe injury: I broke bones in my ankle, required surgery, was in the hospital for 4 days, and have another surgery scheduled this week.

I won’t be able to walk for months due to the extent of the injury.

The gym reached out to talk about the incident last week, but it wasn’t a very productive conversation. They didn’t really apologize or acknowledge the need for changes, saying the structure and instructors are fine and that my accident was a fluke.

Once I am more mobile, I plan to go into the gym to watch footage of the incident (they won't release it externally, but will let me watch it onsite). I would also like to have another conversation with them. I think this could be an opportunity for them to revisit their class structure, pairing protocols, and training for participants and instructors. I really want to approach this constructively and advocate for changes that could prevent similar accidents, but I’m not sure how to proceed.

I’d love to hear your advice:

Have you seen or experienced similar issues in climbing gyms, especially in lead climbing classes?

What safety measures or policies do you think could help address situations like this? (e.g., better pairing protocols, stricter skill assessments, factoring in weight differences, spreading content across more sessions, etc.)

How would you handle a conversation with a gym that seems resistant to change?

I’m not here to bash the gym (hence posting from a throwaway to not identify myself or them), but I do feel strongly that something needs to change.

Thanks in advance for any insights or ideas!

Apologies if this question has been asked before. I'm a relatively new climber, I have maybe climbed (just bouldering) like 5 or 6 times in total so far so I can't really go past a v3 at the moment. I feel so awkward and embarrassed climbing by myself, especially since I often can't do the climbs I try. Everyone at my gym is really good and I constantly feel like people are judging me for falling or for having bad technique. I've been watching videos and trying to practice technique but climbing just still feels so awkward for me. Has anyone dealt with feeling like this before? Do people actually judge in climbing gyms or do people usually not look at others?

Will rr18 come to redbull tv, and when if yey? Does anybody know?

This a recurring post every other Tuesday for the purpose of discussing training!

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Some idea prompts include, but are not limited to:

• What have you been doing for training?
• What would you like to add to your training plan?
• What has been working for you? What hasn’t?
• Ask for advice regarding something you want to train?
  • ex: How do I improve my lock offs?
• Share your home training plan / equipment / routine
• Review training programs you've purchased or completed

Hi guys!

I LOVE giving gifts (def my love language) and couldn't help but think of the employees at the climbing gym I frequent at least 3x a week - they are so so lovely and encouraging.

I'm struggling to think of potential gift ideas for a semi-large group (probs 10-15) - do you guys have any ideas?

Definitely will include a card expressing my thanks, but the only other ideas that I came up with were some climbing themed games on etsy (grip strength competition like machine and go-fish adjacent game) that they could play behind the front desk (common for them :)), or a large amount of money on a gift card for them to get dinner all together.

I appreciate the help!

Together with two colleagues I am founding a company for the climbing community. We will be focusing on multi-pitch climbing. We have been doing tons of validations around our problem, built several prototypes and are making sure that the business model is solid.

I am super happy about that for many reasons but a big one is that we will be a mainly female-founded company (yey!)

On a long shot I am reaching out here and trying to find out if there is anyone else who founded a company in our (small but growing) sector and who'd be willing to exchange experiences?

EDIT: We are not founding a guiding company. We are building a software for tour planning and execution (didn't want to put more details as this is not meant to be an advertisement)

Hello, I've recently climbing this year after recovering from a TBI and I've really enjoyed it.

However a couple of weeks ago I took a big fall while bouldering a V3, I'd topped it and slipped on the way down. No injuries, except embarrassment, and I successfully rolled out of it. I took a break for work reasons and now I'm back at the gym and I'm absolutely terrified. I really don't wanna give this up as it's helped massively in my rehab and recovery.

I've really taken a huge knock to my confidence, I'm shaking and sweating so much.

Anyone had any similar experience and any tips to help get through it?