UKC

What has climbing done for you?

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I have my own views on this but thought it more valuable to trawl some UKC views before going into print.
So what benefits or value has climbing given you?
 jezb1 03 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:
Fun, goals, friends, tons of stories, excuses to travel, frustration and a job.

Plus lots of other stuff.
Post edited at 21:41
 Rob Exile Ward 03 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Some of the best moments of my life - topping out on Cemetery Cates, Vector, Gervasutti Couloir and Mt Blanc.Some of the most dangerous - belay nearly failing on Great Slab when my mate fell off, going off route (!) at the top of the Gervasutti, crossing the Crocodile couloir, belaying my mate below a detached fridge on the Pelerins. Some of the most gruelling - descending from some horrible winter climb overnight in Glencoe, camping in a desert for 3 weeks in Peru, a couple of 24 hour days in the Alps. And some of the most beautiful - climbing at Tremadog in the autumn evening sunshine, with the jackdaws cawing and the peewits calling from the Morfa; soloing 20 --30 routes on spring evenings at Brimham, playing Pigs with my mates and a French girl in the Savoy Bar in Argentiere when we were all laughing so much we couldn't speak.

Not sure what values you can extract from that lot, but as experiences go I'm glad I had them.
 Goucho 03 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way...
 Bulls Crack 03 Dec 2014
In reply to Goucho:

Yes, yes, yes but what have you done on Grit?
 Jon Stewart 03 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Where to start? This is going to sound over-serious, because I've just been on the philosophy thread about 'what makes a person' and I'm now in that mode...

It's given me something to do with my time that is entirely positive. I have amazing experiences that I'll remember forever and that shape who I am...as such it contributes to my identity in a positive way (apart from the times when I'm asking myself why I'm so crap at it, usually after spending an hour failing on a boulder problem). It's given me loads of friendships, obviously, being a passion to connect with someone else over, and intense shared experiences, plus long drives and evenings camping where you get to know each other. It's given my life a sense of progress when I wasn't getting it from work or relationships. Even if I'm not going up the grades, I'm gaining experience of new, more serious, more meaty, climbing environments. It's kept me fit and healthy, and that makes me feel happier. The contribution climbing has to my wellbeing is enormous.
abseil 04 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Taken me [with friends] away from a lot of cr** to wonderful places, and given me some of the best experiences and memories of my life. (But also sometimes frozen and injured me. On balance, very good though).
 Dandan 04 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

It has broken the tendons in 3 different fingers, it has dislocated my shoulder 5 times, it has given me my top 2 near-death experiences and it has given me endless days of aching muscles and raw skin.
But it has also taken me to places I would never have otherwise visited, some of the most beautiful places i've been to, it has made me stronger and healthier, it has made me whoop with pure joy on several occasions and it has introduced me to so many great people, including, notably, my wife.

I've never done an activity that has such a low frequency of nobheads, the people I have met climbing are overwhelmingly good, friendly people, some of which I hope will remain friends long after I have stopped dragging myself up rock faces.
My average for keeping up a hobby is 2 years, i've been climbing for 10...
 ericinbristol 04 Dec 2014
In reply to Dandan:

> I've never done an activity that has such a low frequency of nobheads, the people I have met climbing are overwhelmingly good, friendly people, some of which I hope will remain friends long after I have stopped dragging myself up rock faces.

+ 1

 Chris Craggs Global Crag Moderator 04 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Kept me sane, reasonably fit and inspired to explore for over 40 years,


Chris
 jkarran 04 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Taken me some great places, brought me some great friends and experiences, given me chronic foot pain.

jk
 Wft 04 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

This is a great thread.
 DerwentDiluted 04 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Most of the above, but it has actually given me the only moments that I've ever felt actually physically graceful. I'm pretty burley and not very delicate but occasionally when a difficult (for me) move is done fluidly there's a profound sense of being in perfect equilibrium. Elusive but all the more rewarding for that, and I can't imagine what else could make me feel like that.
 johncook 04 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Climbing has got me to 65 years old (Unlike one third of my year at school who are dead, mostly of idleness diseases!) It has given me great pleasure (and a few tears.) It has kept me sane (some may disagree.) It has given my life a focus, and all the other stuff has happened around it. It is the only thing I have found that I can concentrate on without wandering off at a tangent (Oh the joys of ADHD, Ooooh look! A squirrel!) Other than a few minor ailments, and arthritic fingers I am still fit and (fairly) healthy. Sometimes it makes me feel immortal and at other times lets me know I am just a small frail human being. It has taken me to places and given me experiences others watch TV for. Most importantly of all, it has introduced me to many people, some of who have become very good friends and supporters in times of stress. It is the most social thing I have ever known.
I am sure there is much more I could say, but climbing awaits.
pasbury 04 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Well, whatever it's given me it's still giving. At nearly 50 I still got as big a pure climbing buzz getting up some problems on plastic two days ago as I got from many other successes on routes 30 years ago.
 james.slater 04 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Climbing has given me an escape from the fuss of normal life, when I climb I am totally focused on my surroundings, direction, safety, technique. It can be utterly relaxing or downright life threatening but both are life affirming. Its given me the best of friendships and the best (and worst!) memories.
 SiWood 04 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Climbing has.......Trained me not to drop stuff.
 duchessofmalfi 04 Dec 2014
A few precious moments of intense concentration when the world has retreated and all that exists is me, movement, a few feet of rock and the rope trailing off into nothing, the wind drops, my belayer's anxious voice fades away into irrelevance, time stands still and I seem to flow through the difficulties.

That and a _lot_ of piss taking.
 Kemics 04 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

this single biggest thing for me is an excuse to travel.

Climbing has taken me to obscure areas of SE Asian jungle, into the arctic circle and deserts in Morocco. Ive met amazing people and been to places few people get to go. It's a reason to go to places i'd have otherwise never heard of. For me it's a sort of catalyst for adventure. You go for the climbing, but end up experiencing so many unique things along the way. It introduced me to people, places and ideas that have radically changed the trajectory of my life....and all i wanted to do was to go climbing
 Skip 04 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

The only thing i regularly do which puts me completely in the moment. As an old mate of mine, a non-climber, once said, after i had talked at length and enthusiastically about climbing, "climbing is Skip's only truth".
 Mikkel 04 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Almost all my friends here in the UK
 HeMa 04 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Sizable dent in my wallet and constant grief of my financial situation...
 RockSteady 04 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Humility
 Rog Wilko 04 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Obviously, all the superb places you get to, all the exhilaration, the enjoyment of using your body in ways non-climbers don't, all the satisfaction of achievement (even at a lowly level). But most of all it's the friends and interaction with them and other climbers. Wherever I've met climbers around the world there's been an immediate comradeship regardless (mostly) of different levels of performance.
How else would you get a group of friends in whose hands you are happy to place your life regularly and as a matter of course?
 Offwidth 04 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

There was a growing hole in my life outside my PhD work and family life. I needed something completely independant to: engage my brain, provide interesting real challenge, keep me fit and strong, make me appreciate life more, generate involvement with interesting people, visit interesting and beautiful places and in all of this be something which I could share with my partner. Climbing was it and became a life within a life.
In reply to GuyVG:

Thanks Guy - I will let it run a bit longer then put in my tuppence-worth.
 Wft 04 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Just nice to see a post that's a) uplifting and b) related to climbing

Nick Bullock's latest blog post is worth a read too for those seeking light on these short days!

http://nickbullock-climber.co.uk/2014/12/02/after-the-event/
 jcw 04 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe: most of the things above I agree with, but without a longing for the hills, a love of the mountains there is something missing.

 Robert Durran 04 Dec 2014
In reply to GuyVG:
> Nick Bullock's latest blog post is worth a read too for those seeking light on these short days!
>
> http://nickbullock-climber.co.uk/2014/12/02/after-the-event/

Brilliant, but why oh why did he have to spoil it by ending with that absurd Alex Lowe quote?

 IanMcC 05 Dec 2014
In reply to Robert Durran:

Come on, Keith, we're all waiting with bated breath.
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:
Thanks for all your contributions - there is a great range of responses but many common threads that echo my own thoughts. Here they are in no particular order.

Confidence - having been a total wimp at PE in school the discovery that I could be good at a physical activity gave me a huge boost.
Positive Mental Attitude - before climbing I often saw the negative outcomes of change and avoided it. Now if I feel down in the dumps I go to our local wall and always come back feeling uplifted.
Adventure - until I began to climb I was very risk averse but I started to explore new things with relish - building on the two previous points.
Problem Solving - I realised through climbing that I was getting better at solving problems and realised that most life skills were transferable to a wide range of activities. While working as a Trainer I used climbing as a metaphor for creativity & problem solving to promote personal development.
Satisfaction - I get a huge buzz out of completing a climb in good style - doing something well is now as important to me as doing something harder. Yes it is good to push the limits and learn new things but difficulty is now less important to me than quality.
Fun - lots of this - sometimes on its own but often after hardship or near disaster (Never death threatening luckily). I once had a reputation for being serious but this was now balanced with an ability to very frivolous.
Fitness - being now a 'veteran athlete' (cringe) it is climbing and walking that help keep me active and reasonably fit. I saw my Dad deteriorate rapidly when he retired as he no longer had physical activity in his life - I doubt this will happen to me.
Mates - lots of them over the years including Mrs Ratty. Indeed most of my long term friends have a climbing connection. When we moved to Scotland I knew no-one locally and going to the climbing wall was a start of meeting new people that has been really enriching.

Once again thanks for your thoughts - keep them coming.
 IanMcC 05 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Thanks Keith. See you at the wall for some serious p**s- taking.
 Bob Bennett 05 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

It has provided me with an interest in lifeover and above anything else I have experienced
 Wft 05 Dec 2014
In reply to Robert Durran:

> Brilliant, but why oh why did he have to spoil it by ending with that absurd Alex Lowe quote?

I would assume that for once it wasn't a throw away line used by those seeking a defence. Y'know, when you can see it right before your eyes which in this case is the camaraderie of a busy sport climbing cliff. They are still not the best though. . . he's over on the 5.14 impressing your girl.
 tlm 05 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Amazing friends. Visiting places that I would never have otherwise gone to. A different approach to problem solving and also what I am capable of achieving (much more than seems possible at first glance). A husband! Better health overall, although also, swollen sore finger joints and knees. Good outdoor kit. A familiarity with climbing areas around the UK and the world.
 tlm 05 Dec 2014
In reply to Chris Craggs:

> Kept me sane, reasonably fit and inspired to explore for over 40 years,

> Chris

What about a bit of an income from all that writing?
 Chris Craggs Global Crag Moderator 05 Dec 2014
In reply to tlm:

Indeed - getting paid for what you love doing - beat that!


Chris
 steve taylor 07 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

It's helped me have a purpose in life. From that first day traversing the brick edges at Liverpool university back in 1985 to now much of what I have done has been climbing related.

Many of my best and oldest friends have come from climbing, including the guy who showed me how to climb that very first traverse!

For the last two years when I have been working a long way from family and home, the people I have met through climbing have made it all the more bearable. It seems climbers all over the world are carved from the same block. As someone has already said, there seem to fewer knobheads in climbing than in other sports.
Rigid Raider 07 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:
Climbing shaped my life, completely. From the age of eight I was taken up mountains and climbing continued right up to my forties when ski touring and mountain biking took over, the latter being much better suited to parenthood and a busy lifestyle. After that road riding took over and the fitness derived from that makes me hopeful that after retirement in 7 years I will be able to go back to mountaineering, rock climbing and ski touring.

Facing the dangers of mountains has given me courage and the ability to see the greater picture as well as a calm and rational outlook. The aesthetic side of me is almost completely informed by mountains, the outdoors and my other hobby, photgraphy.

If anybody ever asked me: "What are you?" my reply would be: "I'm a mountaineer".
Post edited at 06:47
 BusyLizzie 07 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

I am a climber of very basic abilities, but so much of what has been written here rings true for me.

I am a most unlikely climber: boring middle-aged lawyer, no good at sport ever. I fell into climbing 4 years ago, aged 48, almost by accident - like many of us, had a bit of a go at it alongside one of my children, but with unexpected results. And I think it's fair to say that it changed my life.

I am fitter, at 52, than I have ever been. Days out are snatched from the very heavy demands of job and family, but they are life-giving. There are windows in my mind through which I can step and feel grit under my fingers, the wind in my hair, the sunshine on a mountain top. And the kindness and friendship I've been given through climbing take my breath away.

Times have changed. For my mother at this age life was all permed hair and coffee mornings and housework. I have an exciting job AND I get to go climbing. Amazing.
L
 Darron 07 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Climbing has give me 40yrs of enjoyment..........but it also took my twin brother.
 flopsicle 07 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

It's given me back my hard hands and a place to be me. I don't get to climb outside often but do when the chance arises. I feel immensely grateful for the indoor walls, they give me the freedom to play in an hour or two, to try - that's what I love, I love the sheer damn effort.

It's a fantastic community, 17 to 70 there's people that have helped me along the way and I try to pay it forward where I can.

Best of all is my hands though, because through all my youth they were hard as hell, and then I grew up for a bit, they got soft and I got sad, now they're 'getting there' again...
 Rog Wilko 07 Dec 2014
In reply to BusyLizzie:

This is quite a moving tale. Well done!
 MartinPL 08 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Don't ask what has climbing done for you, ask what have you done for climbing ?
 John Workman 08 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Can't match the eloquent replies above but I echo the sentiments.

Climbing - to quote Mark Twight - The Gift That Keeps on Giving - 50+ years for me now.
Falung 08 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Given me long-term finger pain.
 BigHairyIan 08 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

I met my wife to be through climbing. That was 27 years ago. We have been married for 22 years and have three teenaged children. So, climbing has given me the life that I enjoy today...
 3B48 08 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Strained aching shoulders on a regular basis.
A sense of achievement on a regular basis
The ability to manage stress at work and put it in perspective in the greater scheme of things ... I don't let that eat at me like it used to.
An idea that what I want to achieve will happen if I work at it, not like actual work where working hard or training is just a tick box exercise of drab disillusion.
A sense of self reliance ... When I mess up I have to sort it
Looking after my health better and having a reason that I really want to do so.
There's probably more...

 BusyLizzie 09 Dec 2014
In reply to Rog Wilko:

Thank you!

 paul mitchell 11 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Climbing has taught me further to keep my mind open to seeming impossibilities,in all areas of life.Maybe I had a touch of that spirit before....
 wintertree 11 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

It taught me that self belief really does make a difference to what I can accomplish. It gave me a deeply intuitive understanding of this. Until I started climbing I considered such sentiments to be utter claptrap.

Now I've progressed, I realise that self belief is not an enabling power, but that self doubt is a limiting power. So in a sense I was never wrong to disbelieve the power of believing in ones self, although that could be argued to be semantics.

Regardless a humbling lesson in the negative force that is self doubt.
Andy Gamisou 12 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Almost bankrupted me and contributed towards an alcohol consumption that I consider makes me a borderline alcoholic. On the plus side I do have a firm handshake.
 doz 12 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Gets me cold, wet, scared and deliriously happy on a regular enough basis to keep my sanity levels within socially acceptable parameters
This probably saves the government a lot of money..
 Jycalv95 12 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Given me more confidence in myself and my abilities, gives me a purpose to get healthy angain(recently had a bad flare up with my crohns and was in hospital for a week. Was then at my local wall 3 days after coming home and haven't looked back) helped me meet and make new friends, scares me, breaks me, but I still love it!!!!
 lowersharpnose 12 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

I particularly like the answers of Jon Stewart, Chris Craggs, johncook, steve taylor & BusyLizzie.

The mental 'other'.

Someone once asked me why I climbed, I answered "because I have I have to".

I think climbing kept me alive. It filled and fills an existential hole.




 Lucy Wallace 13 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Self confidence, got me fit, taken me places. It has given me incredible memories, exciting plans, and taught me to live in the moment. Found me a husband, and some of the best friends anyone could ever have, then took one of those friends away.
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:
Ok so here are the results of the analysis.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/16284939@N04/15391076954/
Hope you find it interesting.
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread - I really never thought it would generate as many replies as it has done.
I have copied them all - with credits - just to keep them together and I have summarised them using the visual Wordle programme.
One clear theme is that climbing has been a positive force in many people's lives. Is this just because those people are more likely to respond or is climbing a genuine positive force for personal development? I firmly believe it is the latter.
Keep them coming please.
 Goucho 14 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Climbing has given me some of the most brilliant and memorable experiences in my life - both on and off the rock.

It has given me moments of pure undiluted joy, and also moments of pure undiluted fear.

I have woken up on alpine bivis relishing what the day will bring, and I've woken up on alpine bivis dreading what the day will bring?

I have laughed with friends so much my ribs ached, and shed tears for those no longer here.

It has enabled me to travel to the most beautiful places on earth, and to enjoy adventures which will remain etched in my mind long after the body has become frail.

It has challenged me physically, mentally and emotionally, and most of the time, I have been able to meet those challenges, but the times I haven't, have probably been the most informative and important.

It has provided clarity when real life was overly complex, and an escape back to sanity from the madness of the street.

Climbing has been my constant mistress, and despite periods when I have been seduced by other things and deserted her, she is always the one I come back too time and again, because she gives me that 'special magic', that I've never managed to find anywhere else.

Friends and lovers can come and go, as can material things, but the crags and the mountains are always there, a huge playground of adventure and experiences, just waiting for our imagination.

 Rob Naylor 15 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Taken me to some fantastic places, scared me shitless on occasion and, by far the most important, has brought me into contact with loads of fantastic people who I otherwise would never have met, and who I'm proud and deleriously happy to have as friends.
 Jimbo C 15 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Aside from the fitness, strength, friends, good times, etc. climbing has given me a sense of perspective. There are a myriad of problems in everyday life that could easily stress a person out, but compared with getting the fear on a big run-out or solo, everything else is small stuff.
 machine 16 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Climbing has given me focus and a reason to try and better myself mentally and physically. It has also helped me to channel my aggression into something constructive and probably kept me out of prison. I have travelled to fantastic places many people would never go to.
 Rog Wilko 20 Dec 2014
In reply to machine:

Kept you out of prison! Blimey, that's some payback! Pleased to hear you say that. )
 Nathan Adam 20 Dec 2014
In reply to Jimbo C:

I always think that way when I get scared doing something other than climbing that gives me worry, nothing else seems quite as scary after that thought has ran through my head.

To OP;

I think I have probably learned more about myself in the two and a bit years I have been climbing than I did in the nineteen before. I moved away from what I seen as a dead end life and totally immersed myself in climbing and the outdoors in general, I wouldn't change it for anything.

I just love a day out with my mates talking about utter shite, getting scared, smiling and laughing and getting each other through the hard bits. Then coming home at the end of each day safe and happy, that's what climbing is all about for me.
 johncook 20 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

This must be the thread of the year. So much positivity. Thanks for starting it. My response was written straight off the top, with no editing. I would hazard a guess that all the others were written in the same way. Straight, with no ego-tripping.
In reply to johncook:

Thanks for your kind words - I have learnt a lot from the threads and been pleased that it was not hijacked by negative responses.
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

First climbing taught me that I wasn't completely physically incompetent after being terrible at P.E.

Then bouldering at indoor walls taught me to not be scared of humans again after an assault left me hospitalised.

Then it struck again and saved me from a potential career in Mathematics...

And Physics.

And Geology & Physical Geography.

It's arguably brought me a lot of student debt and no degree.

More importantly, it's chosen my life, partner, career, relocated me to Fort William, persuaded my in laws to buy a church, introduced me to hundreds of really interesting people and given me a path that lets me do what I enjoy!

And all that, before you even think about the climbing itself?

Shame I'm not very good at it!



 solomonkey 21 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Climbing saved me from a life of 70 hour working weekends, Christmas e,c,t
I now have a low paid job, no chance of ever owning my own house and prob no pension to retire with , thank God for Climbing as I now have a life to remember not 60 years of work for nothing ! Quit your job - 5ten motto !
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Still best mates with the buddy I started climbing with 35 years ago.
A grit apprenticeship which is one of the most enjoyable and exciting things i ever did.
Still pushing a physical activity at 55, which never, ever gets boring.
Moving to Sheffield all that time ago so I could spend as much time climbing outdoors as possible.
Meeting the most varied and uplifting lunch of people I've ever come across.
Far better holidays than sitting on a beach (unless the crag is on the beach)

Good times
 Caralynh 21 Dec 2014
In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Climbing has taken me to beautiful places I wouldn't otherwise have visited (Torridon, the Andes etc.)
It has let me see things I wouldn't otherwise have seen (amazing ice formations, cloud inversions, sunbathing seals at the foot of sea cliffs, moonlight glinting off crystallised snow in the dead of night, a bird's eye view of remote valleys).
It has led me to meet amazing friends.
It has given me a purpose and healed me after a bad time in my life.
It has helped me understand more about nature and the environment.
It has made me a wife and mother.
Ironically, being a wife and mother means I'm temporarily grounded, but hope to get back on the rock next year!

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