UKC

Butterflies in your stomach. Summit Fever. Post-fall hissy-fits. Redpointing can be a highly stressful process, reducing even the most gregarious climber to a gibbering wreck, bringing out a dark side in the most cordial character or causing a grown adult to regress to the temper-tantrums of the terrible twos...

Sports psychologist Madeleine Eppensteiner answers some questions about redpoint stress and offers ways of dealing with this frustrating pre-climb anxiety.

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In reply to UKC Articles:

I didn't realise the phrase 'summit fever' had been co-opted by sport climbers. Doesn't seem very helpful - historically it has meant (and still does) continuing on when the 'right' decision (whether due to daylight, snow conditions, bad weather, altitude/health problems, the opportunity to help someone else etc) would have been to stop, not just not wanting to blow it on lead.

In reply to UKC Articles:

an interesting balance of articles, there is Jamie Andrew, where no climber could fail to admire his determination for a whole pile or reasons and couldn't even begin to imagine the psychological changes he has experienced. And now we have this, butterflies, summit fever, anxiety and hissy fits over clipping a few bolts.

In reply to UKC Articles:

Really good article. Despite the above pedantic moans about terminology, it's actually very well written and contains some useful insights for anyone serious about sport climbing or bouldering (if you're not, read something else.)

Thanks

In reply to UKC Articles:
There are lots of quotable lines in this piece:

"I personally discovered breathing"

"From a medical and ethical perspective, you are advised to consult a physician when injured to be told how long you£ll need to make a break."

Okay - I thought there would be more. I'm not sure the article lives up to the introduction, and the only bit that mentions 'summit fever' is the blurb and one of the questions.

Generally it's a sports psychology piece on being positive, maintaining focus with some breathing techniques thrown in. The over dramatised part at the start is from UKC.

In reply to FreshSlate:


What did you expect? An ABC on how to climb 8a?

In reply to Michael Gordon:

A broader interpretation of "summit fever" is a loss of sound judgement when getting close to, and thinking about, summiting. Going further, it's a focus on the desired outcome over - and possibly to the detriment of - the present moment.

Not a bad description/analogy of what happens post-crux but before the chains IMO. Thoughts and excitement of getting the route done at last flood in, and can easily lead to careless mistakes. Of course the consequences are different from in the greater ranges, but failure is still failure.

In reply to UKC Articles:

(Insert moaning and negativity)

...grumble grumble grumble

In reply to Siderunner:

I think you're over-stretching the meaning somewhat. A better comparison with keeping it together after the crux can be found in just about any professional sport where the enormity of something about to be achieved leads to a loss of concentration and consequently failure.

There really is little common ground at all here with summit fever, particularly since one is failing to achieve something when you should and the other is achieving something when you 'shouldn't'! It's not failure but the unwillingness to fail, which in contrast is so essential in mainstream sport, that can lead to someone's undoing when summit fever kicks in.

In reply to Siderunner:
How can you have summit fever without a summit. It's just abuse of the English language IMO. But I have no issues with the article in general.

Al

In reply to GridNorth:


...or a metaphor? Doesn't work so well in this case, but I can imagine e.g. astronauts getting "summit fever" when headed for the moon.

By that rationale you can't have it in the greater ranges either ... unless said mountaineer has an elevated temperature?!

Apologies to all for yet another grammar hijack (YAGH?).

Agree the analogy with top-level sport is a useful one. E.g. tennis where some players have the psychology to smash through match points and play their best, where others seem to grab defeat from the jaws of victory.

I'm sure Moffatt mentioned an archery book he read on this subject, recommended by his mum, just before starting his winning streak in the comp scene. Anyone got hold of that, is it worth the effort? So far Rock Warriors way is the definitive read on rock climbing psychology for me - it made a noticeable difference to my cragging.

In reply to faffergotgunz:

Are you feeling OK? You're still not making sense but you're using real words.

In reply to thom_jenkinson:

Did I expect more? No. Did I think the article was more measured and practical than the slightly hyperbolic introduction that attracted criticism? Yes.

In reply to UKC Articles:

Good article,thanks. And some interesting thoughts for those of us operating at lower grades as well!

I usually remember to breathe (!) and find the "what's the worst that can happen?" a positive thought process if I'm having a wobbler.

In reply to Michael Gordon:


I've never heard the phrase applied to sport climbing either. However having done a fair bit of redpointing in the past I instantly understood what was meant by it without it seeing it explained. So I'd say it's as useful a concept for sport climbing as it is for mountaineering, even the meaning is a little different.

In reply to UKC Articles:

Stress was going 'over the top' on the 1st July, 1916!

In reply to stp:


Remember Café Libre at Lower Pen Trywn where there was a chipped hold just below the belay so (I seem to remember) the belay was lowered? What I do remember was Perry Hawkins saying that it lacked that 'summit experience'. And that was back in the 80s.