UKC

In the year or two before covid struck I was already beginning to slow down on the climbing front. It’s nearly 4 years since I last on-sighted a VS. I became content with more easy routes, climbed less often, rarely visited crags more than a few minutes from the road, generally made age-related concessions of all sorts and generally gave myself an easy time.

Then came covid. Since then a fairly gentle decline has become somewhat precipitous. I’m rapidly beginning to think of myself as an ex-climber, which for someone who’s been on the crags since the late ‘60s is mildly distressing. This has been accompanied by various little losses which are to be expected such as finding I drop things more easily, have poorer balance, have less general strength and endurance and partly as a result am somewhat lacking in confidence. Several years ago I faced reality wrt winter climbing and sold all my winter gear, and am now wondering whether to do the same with all my rock gear.

I still hanker after climbing, but feel that this is just me wishing I were young (or even late middle-aged) again.  But how would I feel if I had a bad fall and finished up in hospital and perhaps thereby ended  my active life prematurely, all for the sake of a stagger up some indifferent diff.? And I really do want to live long enough to see the tory government humiliated!

I’d be very interested to hear from any fellow wrinklies who may be having similar experiences.

Stasis is death. 

Don't stop. 

Interesting reflections. I've had periods of not climbing, mainly because of work, and have sometimes struggled to get started again.  In recent years I've been part of an email group of oncoming wrinkles and it has made a big difference to getting out regularly.  They are all retired and still keen, although many in their mid- seventies.  I still work, but can always rely on partners and it has got me going well again.  Join us if you like as we do Yorkshire and the Lakes regularly.

I'd say go with what you feel and don't feel bad about it either way. But be very sure that what you feel is genuinely a result of diminishing interest or competence, and not simply the result of a period of inactivity; or worse, an expectation that at a given age you should expect certain limitations.

Keep going if you can, stay active as long as you can, adjust your goals to stay active within your fitness levels

Chucking my winter gear inbthe skip a few weeks ago was very satisfying. I will never hump that clattering rubbish up a hill ever again.

But don't throw your rock boots away. January is grim, and with something as scary as climbing, it's easy to convince yourself that you don't need or want it any more. But when the spring sun comes the rock might look pretty inviting.

Looks like your the same age as my Dad. He doesn't trust his arthritic fingers anymore and for the last five years he has gone second on the rope on the odd occasion when we get a route in.

He's hoping to do Devils Slide at 80, having soloed it at 70.

He also plans to outlive the busterds in power.

Thumbs up!

I know everyone is different but A Grieg, although a few years younger than yourself, came in and climbed 75 climbs to celebrate his 75th birthday last week. His joints are obviously not what they were but he does a little bit nearly every day, it's the keeping going which keeps him going. 

Like others have said, keep going and once the warth of the sun returns I'm sure things will look brighter. There are hundreds of lovely Diffs and VDs if you can keep some fitness to reach them, which are just as enjoyable as those VSs and E1s. You just need a young tiger to carry all the gear for you!

Was climbing indoors reasonably well before Covid shut it down, changed focus to running, especially away from people, and got a lot fitter in the process. When released from Leicester's extended no-travel rules managed to jog round the skyline a couple of times, and lumber around the Derwent Watershed. Have done a handful of grit routes since, and struggled with things I used to solo, and my indoor ability is severely restricted - no arm strength and relatively stiff hips - but still planning to do the Joss Naylor Lakes challenge for old men, sometime this summer, before it is too late. Things do seem to get worse quite quickly after 70,  you have to make the most of it while you can!

I find my climbing is crap after many years of climbing, and get more injuries than I used to. Love it to bits though.

And hey if my climbing is Crap you should check out my cooking, it's completely shit.

Sounds like my dad who did 80 (flat) miles on his bike on his 80th birthday. That is not something you could hope to extend.

We don’t stop climbing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop climbing.

Do you think that perhaps your poorer balance, lack of strength and endurance could be because you've stopped climbing?

As we age keeping active becomes even more important and the benefits of strength work seem to be becoming recognised as more important than we realised.

Perhaps you need to shift the emphasis as your grade inevitably declines, I know during periods when I've not been climbing at my best I shift my focus to visiting 'new' crags and areas rather than the places I'm already familiar with. The sense of exploration is in itself very rewarding.

Nothing will speed your physical (and mental) decline more than stopping taking exercise.

Maybe this will inspire you?

https://gripped.com/news/legendary-climber-marcel-remy-dies-at-99/

You might be over t'ill but that doesn't mean you have to rush down t'other side 😁

Excellent! I love an extended metaphor.

No doubt there may be such a feedback loop in operation, and I haven’t completely given up hope. However, my climbing (and life) partner is feeling the same.

What if t'other side is a chossy precipice with only dodgy abseil anchors?

At 78 you've done well to still even be thinking about climbing but my observation of elderly family members (and people in general) is that those who lived the longest with the best quality of life are those who retained an interest in life and kept active. 

Those who gave in to old age went downhill much faster.

If you give up climbing have you got something else to replace it with?

Very apposite.

It's a good question. Still walking (if not up anything even half big). Still cycling (with electric assist). Playing bridge twice a week (good mental workout and close interaction with other people). Gardening (surprisingly tiring, even with a no-dig policy). So a fairly full and varied life, I'd say. Still hankering, though...

One thing I forgot to mention in the OP (which that illustrates) is short term memory decline. I'm hoping that a crossword a day and bridge may help with that (though I'm only a Bridge NGS level 8, if that means anything to anyone). More worrying with respect to climbing is how my general degree of safety, such as in setting up belays, tying in, etc may be affected. I wouldn't my incompetence to lead to injury, or worse, to others.

"When you rest you rust..." Peter Habeler.  He skins and  skis every day according to the piece I read last week.  You can always do something mate. The indoor wall in Harrogate is good socially and fitness wise. I've decided to bag hills as a way of maintaining my slightly obsessive nature.

When I was part way through the Wainwrights I discovered all the other subjective & objective lists that could be applied to the Lakes - and that all the details were on a spreadsheet (DoBIH). Not sure that was a good move but I'm now most of the way through most of the bumps in the Lakes that very few other people go to.

It's a good way of getting yourself "off grid". I'm often completely on my own in the Lakes and Dales, not to mention the North Pennines,   which is good as it stops me getting on people's nerves.

I climb on average once a week with a group of friends ranging in age from 62 to 77. In the winter we usually visit a climbing wall in the morning then do a 5 or 6 km walk in the afternoon. In summer we will usually spend all day at a crag. We climb mainly diffs and v.diffs, with the odd severe, have lunch, lots of banter, mickey taking etc. It’s one of the highlights of my week and I try not to miss it even if injured. Just modify your expectations and targets, look after each other so if you do make a belaying mistake they can pick up on it. I look at the routes that I have led, and soloed and marvel, then am thankful that I am still here and, relatively sound in mind, if not in body. Many aren’t as lucky as that.

That is inspirational. 

Then inspect them very carefully, backup, and have a partner in case th7nfs go wrong  

It's a worry when you're in your 70s - much more so than when in your 60s - there seems to be less light in the tunnel, less time to relax and recover before it's all gone. I'm 75. I dislocated my shoulder 2 months ago (off-road running) and I still can't do even ONE pull-up, so no chance to climb anything at all. And I NEED to, because that's how I define myself - if anyone asks - I'm a climber. I daren't run, I take a stick when we're  out walking, it's pleasant,  but there's no BUZZ! I sing in a choir - but so what! It hardly replaces  the feelings we all get, leading even an easy Severe or a 5a in the quarries! Because, as Big Ron used to say, it's fantastic - f-cking fantastic. That's why we do it - at any level - so DON'T give up!

72 here.  I'm doing my best to keep climbing fit, but last summer HVS was my peak (two classic repeat leads at Froggatt) whereas 5 years ago I was confident at HVS and managed the occasional E1. But I've already decided that I'll try to enjoy climbing for as long as possible at whatever grade I can safely manage. 

I keep fit for climbing at the wall - alongside others of similar vintage - and haven't seen my standard significantly reduce, but I noticed hill-walking and scrambling in Wales last weekend that I'm finding things I don't do as regularly are becoming more difficult. 

I'm certainly in agreement with the sentiment someone expressed above - "Keep climbing to stay young".

Martin