UKC

So a few weeks ago I posted about my trad epiphany (I'm pretty new to trad) - it was about how a committing route gets right into your head and a leaves you buzzing when you top out. Amazing.

Part 2 is about that moment when you're the width of a cigarette paper from toppling backwards off a sloping grit stone top out, right on the edge of balance and friction. It happened yesterday and I would have decked if I'd gone. The feeling this time was so different - relief? YES. Hysteria? No. Satisfaction? Hmm, maybe a little. Elation? No, surprisingly. After thinking about it for a day or so I now think it was more a sense of having gone through an experience that has changed my view of what trad climbing is. Yes, it's about movement, freedom and the act of climbing on rock but more than that it's about understanding and accepting risk - that's the commitment bit everyone talks about. It's about acknowledging risk before laying hands on rock, embracing it as part of the climb and pushing on with faith in your abilities. And of course part of the deal is knowing you'll have to cope with the darker side if your ability on the day isn't enough.

I understand now why so many climbers don't venture beyond their comfort zone with trad. I suspect it takes an experience like this to make you realise what you're really doing. We climbers must all go through it at some point and either back away and say it's not worth it, keeping to the safer zones, or accept it and carry on. Each to their own and we should always respect a climbers route choice because that individual is the one taking the risk.

It won't stop me pushing into the extremes but now I know what's being asking of me. I know what I'm committing to when I tie in and step on.

I think this post is more cathartic than anything else, something I wanted to put into words. Thanks for reading and above all enjoy your climbing

In reply to GargoyleFeet:
Agree you have to be aware of the risks but it depends on the route - there are plenty of trad routes out there which are reasonably safe.

In reply to Misha:

Yeah, totally agree. I didn't mean to say trad is always a terrorfest Sorry if it came over that way!

In reply to GargoyleFeet:

Always pick established well protected stuff to push your grade on. Common sense really

In reply to GargoyleFeet:

Trad needs more converts - great that you've found it - and i'm sure they're will be plenty of envious readers for whom such discovery is all too passé. After climbing for > 3 decades I don't see the trad / sport distinction so clearly; ie. the adventure of pushing the limits on either can be just as vivid and dangerous tho admittedly it seems to be safer on bolts for the most part.

The pleasure for me is the solving of a problem with an added dimension - making your rack fit the requirements. Or in fact - making someone else's rack fit. I was recently on Pfalz sandstone, when some friends with a 'real' rack quit for the day. But it was only 6pm and and with time and energy to spare we had continue. The catch - a rather broken rack - 2 x No1 friends and 1 x No. 4 friend, some wires and a bundle of hexes. I don't often climb trad anyway so was doubly nervous - but we got our ticks - placing more hexes in two routes than perhaps I have placed in the previous decade.

I'm tempted to think that I forget how to place gear, but in fact it could that this skill is deeply ingrained (after some early years) and that rather - its the trust which is forgetten ??

In reply to Cheese Monkey:

Well yes, you'd think so and I usually do but I hadn't looked at the top out. Came as a bit of a surprise, which I guess is what happens sometimes when you spot a line you want to climb from the bottom of the crag.

In reply to LeeWood:

Oh I'm converted! Such a powerful, humbling, amazing sport

I agree that there's risk with sport climbing but the route I was on had no placements in the top half so a bit different to my sport experiences so far. Had plenty of whippers off bolts (and enjoyed them).

In reply to GargoyleFeet:

Great post, I enjoyed reading it.

The two things I try and remember when looking at dangerous trad routes is...

Not doing the route isn't risk free. Everyone climber or not lives with risk and trades risk against reward. A lot of non climbers don't acknowledge that.

One fall/mistake could be very serious. Just because I got away with the last fall doesn't mean I will every time.


In the end it's all about ballance.

In reply to Greasy Prusiks:

Thanks

That's what I was trying to say - I learnt an important lesson and climbing keeps handing out new ones all the time. That's a big part of what makes climbing (trad/sport/bouldering) so special for me, you can't take it for granted no matter how good you think you are.

Bloody hell, I need to get out again now...it really is an addiction.

In reply to Greasy Prusiks:

I would add that things can simultaneously feel easy and be dangerous. Don't be fooled by the fact that you are having a good time.

In reply to davidbeynon:

Yeah that's really important. Doesn't matter if it's a sunny vdiff or a IX in a white out, if you're not tied in correctly and you slip....

In reply to GargoyleFeet:

Take care dude

In reply to GargoyleFeet:

Fantastic post and very well written too! Very close to the heart of most tradsters I would think.

*And never ever be bothered when you bail and leave £20 worth of gear. Everyone spends more than that in the pub afterwards. Have fun

In reply to GargoyleFeet:

As a matter of interest - what was the route?

In reply to Michael Hood:

It was Looking for Today (HVS 5b) -

In reply to GargoyleFeet:

Good post. This is about when things don't quite go to plan. Yes you got up the route and if you managed to keep a cool head then I guess that is perhaps something positive to take from the experience, but in general scares like this teach us to be more careful in future. Much of the satisfaction and elation in trad comes from successful management of risk, hence why you didn't feel those emotions strongly.

In reply to GargoyleFeet:

More thorough research before you go to the crag would have helped in this instance. The logbook comments describe the top as a bit of a frightener. The risk management can start with UKC!

In reply to Kafoozalem:

We learnt this lesson to use UKC for risk management after considering VDIFF to be soloing territory

Heaven Crack (VD) would have been a mistake to solo -finishing mantle is downright scary and particularly hairy. Thankfully UKC made us aware

In reply to Kafoozalem:

Yeah, I realised that when I got home and updated my logbook. Another lesson learnt