UKC

...if you could travel back in time and give yourself one piece of advice about your climbing career what would it be? As serious, silly or technical as you like. Please no flaming or usual UKC style disagreements - hey who am I trying to kid?

For starters mine is - no matter how hungry you are, or how tasty they look, don't eat the left over ham sandwiches which have been at the bottom of your pack all day. If you do you'll spend the next two days attached to the bogs or in bed with a fever wishing you could die. You would have thought I'd learn my lesson after the first time too.

In reply to Bobling: I was thinking mines would be more along the lines of actually helping my climbing...

Would be to give up being a bit of a bottle merchant at times, sometimes it can crash and burn. Never a good thing.

Although I've just started so have a while to sort it out !

In reply to Bobling: Start younger.

In reply to Bobling:

don't try to speed up an afternoon descent on a snow slope by attempting to slide down whilst self arresting.

WALK DOWN!

In reply to What Goes Up:

That.

And lose some weight you fat bastard.

In reply to Bobling:
COLINS TOP TIP.
always go to the loo before setting off.
for some reasom after a long walk in ,i need to go to the loo before i start climbing ...ruined no end of underpants to wipe my a**e and had to climB commando style.
appendage has popped through zipper on many a climb.
end up stuffing stained apparel in my backpack in sandwich wrapper then forgetting about them till the next outing.
do i need to draw a picture ?

In reply to Bobling:

Stop pontificating!

In reply to Bobling:

My advice would be "When JAK asks you if you want to go climbing in 1998, say yes."

In reply to Bobling: Don't overtrain.

Going back in time to my 16-18 year-old self and telling me to get outside and climb more, as I'll never be that lightweight and agile again.

In reply to Bobling:

Mine would be: the gear is OK and you're climbing about 4 grades below your limit, for God's sake man up and go for it!

Not sure I would have listened though.

In reply to Bobling:
Don't fall off.

That, and loose some weight

In reply to Daithi O Murchu:

Either that or "don't spend all day walking down a slope when you can glissade to victory in half the time".

In reply to Sharp:

guess id summarize all my advice to my younger self, as be patient and walk down, but get down long before the afternoon

glissading will ruin your knees and prematurely shorten your time in your hobby

In reply to Bobling:
Sport climbing is not the devil.

I hate to think what I'd be able to climb now if I hadn't been such an anti-bolt luddite for so long

In reply to Bobling:

I'd go back to just before I decked off a severe and tell myself, that just cause it's an 'easy' trad climb, you still need to be careful and put plenty of gear in and not rush.

In reply to Bobling:

In common with many of the above 'get some weight off' and 'any step up is a step in the right direction'.

In reply to Removed Userajones:

I dunno, you get 70 year olds climbing 8a and things, I guess it's possible to be as lightweight if you're carefull, it's kind of why i've not given up all hope for my elbows, i'm only 32.

I'm not living for them recovering, but they might do all the same.

In reply to Bobling: Climb like a ninja watch those feet and breath.

In reply to Bobling:

Never believe yourself when you think to yourself "I held on as long as I could".

In reply to Bobling:
Climbing girlfriends are the holy grail - get one sooner, friends that climb harder than you will make you better & stronger quicker than trail blazing for your self. And dont drop off bouldering too much on poor mats etc if you want your knees to live as long as your torso.

If i'd started earlier, but then the opportunity wasn't there when I was a kid, so a pointless piece of advice if I were to go back in time.

In reply to Bobling:

Stuff work, go climbing!

In reply to Bobling:
When you start out choose your climbing partners carefully ....... They may well be your best friends 40 years later. (Cheesey but true!)

In reply to Bobling:Mine to myself would be to stop training if you're injured! Ouch!

In reply to Bobling:

Warm up properly before doing a bouldering comp. Then you wouldn't be sitting here now with a bad back unable to climb. Dumbass.

In reply to Bobling:

I have three rules, the first is the one I would offer:

1) When stuck think feet.

2) When in doubt, place more gear.

3) When climbing, climb fast (as in from rest to rest.)

In reply to Bobling: Look after your shoulder(s)

In reply to Bobling:

“Climb if you will, but remember that courage and strength are nought without prudence, and that a momentary negligence may destroy the happiness of a lifetime. Do nothing in haste; look well to each step; and from the beginning think what may be the end."

Edward Whymper

In reply to Bobling:
Don't try to reverse the irreversible move!

In reply to Bobling:

It's not that important.

In reply to Bobling:
Start at the bottom.

Sxx

In reply to Bobling:

Mine would be to always tidy your mats up between goes on a boulder problem. If I'd done that I probably wouldn't have screwed my ankle up highballing!

In reply to Bobling:

Mine would be "It's all about technique, push yourself to your limits, you're perfectly capable....


and here are next Saturday's winning lotto numbers"

In reply to Bobling:

the pice of climbing advice i would give myself is better knowledge of the Nepalese language reduces the chance black toes