Hello,

I've been climbing for 2 years, mostly at the gym. I've been outdoors twice and I led 5.6 sport and I took a lead climbing class. I have done some lead belaying but I haven't caught any nasty falls. The last time I went outside I chickened out leading at all. The people I went with were really nice but they were all very good climbers and I just felt like I was in the way and pretty down on myself for getting scared.

My partner and I are looking to go to Italy next year. I really want to climb there, but it would just be us. My partner is a decent climber and been doing it a long time, but I wouldn't be able to clean any routes and I'm afraid I'd just freeze again and they'd have to do everything and it would be a waste of time.

Has anybody been? Are there any routes you can set top rope without leading? Did anyone hire a guide?

Thanks!

Hey, I am looking for girls to climb with! I usually go to cliffs of id Does someone wants to go climb sometime?

I’ve been climbing at my gym for about 6ish months and recognize some of the people there. I usually climb alone and I’m also very introverted. I want to make friends but I get intimidated because the regular people there are all very strong climbers and I only climb v2’s. How do I make friends?

Hi there! I am fairly new to climbing and would love to make some friends/belay partners. I like to boulder but top roping is my favorite. How does one make friends in the gym? I don’t have any friends that like to go so am almost always alone.

A little kid (probably 4 or 5) was running back and forth on the mats. I asked her to move off the pads so I could work on my project. She looked at me dead in the eyes and said "no. I don't want to" I said "you don't really have a choice I don't want to hurt you if I fall". An employee of the gym came over and said the same thing. She refused to listen to them too and started doing cartwheels. I walked away. Came back a few mins later hoping someone calmed her ass down this kid runs up to me and says "wanna see what I can do?!" I said "No, not really" and walked away. She proceeds to follow me around the gym asking if I want to see what she can do. I almost lost it. Thankfully it was time for the party to move to the pizza room and AT THAT MOMENT her guardian starts talking to her about safety and needing to calm down. What the actual F?! After the dangerous part was over you're going to talk to her about safety?!!? I was livid. As a parent myself I would be so embarrassed if my kid of any age did that, and ashamed of myself for not stopping it. I shot them daggers until they were out of sight. I have never wished harm to a kid before but I am a little mad at myself for not continuing my climb. Natural consequences if I fell and hurt her. Anywho thanks for listening to my rant. I had to get that out, first time I've experienced a truly disrespectful kid at the gym.

I have 4 pairs of leggings from Lucy, circa 2007, that are starting to show some wear. They're thick and soft, and very compression-y. The material is not the slick kinda that you mostly find on running leggings. It's thicker than Athleta's salutation leggings.

Lucy got bought out by North Face sometime ago..and their leggings are not the same quality as they used to be.

Do you have a recommendation for a pair of high quality leggings with thick material? I don't need it to be fleecelined though.

I don't have access to brick and mortar stores anymore, so it's hard to assess the fabric. I just want to get a pair of high quality leggings that can last me another 15 years of abuse in the gym. Thanks!

I'm hoping someone can provide insight and help me better understand these moves and what I need to do to improve them. Basically any kind of move that involves my foot in a somewhat high sideways position driving the force from mostly my toe feels pretty uncomfortable for me. Moves like a rockover where the only point of contact is my toe area (but also similar non-rockover positions). When I do this I don't feel very strong in the movement, my hamstring feels very tight, and sometimes my calf is a little sore afterwards.

This doesn't come up a whole lot so I don't get to practise it that much, and often in these positions I can substitute with a heel instead which is much easier for me. But I'm wondering what the muscle mechanics of this are and if there are exercises or stretches I could be doing to improve this.

I'm not sure I can express this clearly but hopefully someone knows the kind of movement I am describing lol. Apologies if it's not very clear.

Long time lurker, first time poster.

I got into climbing because my boyfriend was into it. It honestly seemed like his whole identity at times. I went from being terrified of intro routes to now climbing 5.9s and working on getting to the next level.

I’m sure you can all see where this is going. We broke up and now I can’t find any interest. When I went to the gym last night, it was like there was no color on the walls. I couldn’t bring myself to perform above a 5.7 because I felt too weak. And the spark was dead. Maybe I associate it too much with him.

When we broke up, I gave him back all the gear he bought me. I had been just beginning to climb outdoors. I was so excited. And now I can’t look at anything he’s ever gotten me and it’s hard to even see the small empty space in the closet he left. Who is going to be proud of me when I finally learn lead? When I climb that 5.10?

Is something I really enjoyed just dead now? Has anyone else dealt with this?

As the title says. I injured the root of my right toenail during my first class. I'm guessing I should've cut my nails even shorter. A part of the skin seems to have separated/peeled back from the nail and was bleeding at first. Now it's just red and doesn't hurt at all, but it still looks like an open wound. Does anyone know what to do with this?

Edit: Thanks for the answers! My mom wanted to take me to the hospital lol.

Hi everyone (:

I have suspected endometriosis and adenomyosis. Recently, I’ve noticed that bouldering seems to trigger my back pain and pelvic pain to the point that I can’t go through sessions without having to pop painkillers or leaving halfway through. It happens even on days where my pain level is at a 0 at the start of the session. When going lead climbing outside this doesn’t seem to happen as much.

Is anyone in a similar situation or does anyone have tips? I’m tired of leaving the gym defeated and grumpy because of the pain.

Good idea or bad?

I've been indoor bouldering 1-2 times a week for 4 months now. Nearly every session ends with me in tears or walking off the mat in frustration. Even at V0/1s, I feel weak and inept, even compared to other beginners. I have yet feel happy or satisfied, which I think is a bigger problem than any physical progress.

I climb with my husband, who had been climbing for years. He stopped climbing in-between until I expressed interest in trying bouldering. The physical and ability progress he's made is amazing in 4 months. When I struggle with a problem, he'll show me a few betas and try to workshop it with me. It honestly makes me feel so embarrassed and guilty that I can't progress on V1s with such a supportive partner.

I have a base level of fitness. I run 2 miles 5-7 days a week and pair that with weight machines 3 days a week. I eat healthy and I'm diligent about my fitness goals. I've never been an athletic person but I think with discipline and diligence you should be able to achieve your goals eventually.

However, bouldering has me feeling totally demoralized and... dare I say, humiliated? I'm afraid to allow myself to quit. And yet I feel no matter how hard I try I've made no progress— mentally or physically. I think it's tied to feelings of self-worth, body image, accepting failure, which I'm sure we all struggle with. For women climbers who deal with these overwhelming feelings, what do you do? How do you coach yourself through these thoughts? Have you found a way to approach climbing to make you excited to keep trying?

Side note: maybe I should try climbing alone? How many of you climb alone? I feel so ashamed when my husband is there trying to help me, maybe it'll be better without that extra mental overhead?

/////

EDIT (11/9/24): WOW, so many long, thoughtful replies. Thank you for your sincerity! I thought this might resonate with some, but not so many and so deeply!

To summarize suggestions that struck me:

1. Distill why I want to continue climbing. Quit without self-judgement, if I don't like bouldering.
2. Try roped climbing. My gym is bouldering only but I think it's worth trying another gym that offers roped climbs.
3. Take a class, climb in different social settings
4. Get in touch with your body, such as yoga, as bouldering demands not only strength but attunement.
5. Try earbuds

Many of you asked why I want to climb if it's giving me so much self-doubt. I was drawn to climbing because it seemed like a unique balance between creativity, self-actualization, and adrenaline! But in addition, it's also been about mental health, developing your relationship to yourself, and letting go of ego. I was surprised by these latter challenges but they are also why I want to stick with climbing a bit longer. These are truly meaningful challenges.

As one commenter asked, are you dealing with loss or mental health problems? We've been dealing with a difficult pet health issue that meant we couldn't travel or get out for the last 1.5 years. We are now considering putting her to sleep. I honestly wasn't considering this as a factor when I started climbing but I think it's a reason why I was drawn to climbing. To reflect, I think some of the tears are for things other than my climbing ability. Or perhaps climbing has drawn other parts of my life out into a strange convergence.

Anyways, I'll finish reading all the comments thoroughly. Again, I really appreciate hearing from all of you.

Anyone else read it? I haven't gotten very far yet, but holy cow! I should have read this book even before I was a climber!

I sprained my ankle while bouldering yesterday (fell off and rolled it) I was wondering if anyone has any advice on how I should climb while I’m recovering. one footed? Campusing? Any help greatly appreciated😀

Hi, I know questions about pants have been asked many times, but I'm wondering if anyone has experience with any of these climbing pants:

1. E9 Aria2

2. E9 Hit

3. Patagonia Hampi

4. E9 Mia - S2.4

I’m looking for comfortable, not too tight pants for bouldering in the gym. These models are currently on sale in my local shop, so I am thinking about buying a pair.

Thank you!

Hey ya’ll! This might sound crazy or really stupid or both, but I want to see if anyone here has any experience with plasma donation.

I am currently in college and work evenings once a week because I’ve got extracurriculars and events that happen almost every weeknight. I love the flexibility my current job offers but once I graduate I want to be able to live in my car and just climb. I have almost no savings and don’t currently have time to just work more and save, and my degree is not in a field that will allow me to pursue remote work.

I’ve been considering donating plasma for a while just because it really is easy cash… I know it’s exploitative and probably not great for my body but it seems like a decent solution right now. I’m not sure about the long-term effects.

Has anyone ever tried this? I have a feeling it will affect my climbing performance but I’m not sure by how much. My thought was always donate in the evening or on rainy days to give me some time to recover before the next day. Obviously taking iron supplements as well would help, right?

I just want to climb as much as humanly possible before I become a real adult with real responsibilities and don’t know how to be able to feed myself and pay for gas. I don’t need much for income; $100-200 a week will probably cut it for me. I can eat for pretty cheap if I need and have no other regular expenses after school.

I guess I need someone to either talk me out of going in this direction or just provide some insight on how it will affect my climbing performance or my body long-term.

Officially got lead certified last month, so after plenty of indoor practice, my boyfriend and I decided to take our first outdoor climbing trip! Didn't climb anything crazy, but I'm really proud since we've been working towards this goal for a while now. Can't wait to go again!

This week I strained my FDP tendon and won't be able to climb for 2-3 months...bummer! What are other activities y'all do to keep sane and move your body?

My go to is usually running, but I have been having some chronic knee pain that keeps me from running right now.

Ideally I would love something that helps keep my fitness and strength up, I was climbing about as hard as I ever have before this. Pilates? Suck it up and start cycling?

Thanks, folks.

thinking about it. wondered if there might be people with relevant experiences in this sub. what was your recovery timeline like?

Hi all, I live in the East Valley and looking for anyone who wants to go climbing. Im a beginner who wants to get more into top rope and try and stay consisent. Im a sinlge mom who tries to get in gym time around my kids extras, but really id only be able to go on Friday nights or the weekends.