UKC

Evening all,

Last year I decided to change my climbing a bit and experiment with training for a specific goal over the autumn/winter. (Perilously close to sport climbing I know but I thought I'd risk it.) Overall I enjoyed the training bit and the feeling of satisfaction I got from seeing myself climbing moves that felt (for me) really hard was great. However yesterday I finally completed my goal and it didn't really feel as I expected, in fact if I'm honest it felt a bit flat. Not in a really bad way but I'm definitely thinking about "What next?" more than anything else. I'm sure that if I hadn't enjoyed the training I'd be feeling like it wasn't worth doing.

What do you do after you've finished a goal and how did you feel? Do you have something lined up for afterwards or do you take a 'break'? I'd be interested to hear any vaguely related opinions and musings.

In reply to Greasy Prusiks:
You really need to tell us what that goal was, to get some context, Alex Honnolds dream goal was a free solo of El Capitan, he will be milking this for years and after achieving this probably quite content to move his focus on to something a little more safe, but pushing his technical grade , sport 9a or some such and so it continues.

Some goals achieved are life changing, some you buzz for a few weeks, others you wonder what the fuss was all about.

In reply to Greasy Prusiks:
Could you look towards combining your new level of technical ability with some kind of adventure?

Possibly the only alternative to always having a goal of some sort on the horizon, or the plan of having a new goal after a break, is doing something spiritual like being a Buddhist.

In reply to Greasy Prusiks:


I recall being invited to a last Munro day, and the chap was asked to say something, how did he feel.
'Deflated' he said and immediately started a new round of Munros and Corbetts together.

In reply to Greasy Prusiks: i think this is pretty typical across sports. Whilst some people may be lucky enough to have a specific dream, for most people the journey is as important as the destination and you soon start asking whats next.

Fergal - weird dig at Alex Honnold - I doubt his thoughts on achieving his goalposts were along the lines of great, time to get minking it. ITS a dream ambition, target, and while hes a professional, with an attendent media circus, you dont do routes like that without a genuine desire to do the climbing

In reply to Greasy Prusiks:

I definitely know this deflated feeling.

What about setting yourself a whole series of goals? One in immediate range, requiring, say, specific training for a year, another one possible, a third just about doable, maybe requiring a change in life style, and one big pipe dream?

If you pick the goals cleverly (i.e., that they require training that is still enjoyable!) this would keep you busy for a while.

CB

In reply to Greasy Prusiks:

Well done for finishing your goal!

What I normally do after achieving one: Take a break and go onsighting random routes I may not have tried otherwise. It's a lovely liberating feeling.

If I get tired from the above I normally jump on something out of my league and the process repeats itself. It's lovely!

In reply to wbo:

Not even the slightest dig at Honnold, just trying to use an example of how a dream goal can be life changing and of course he will be *milking it... for all it's worth .. wouldn't you..

*tongue firmly in cheek

In reply to Greasy Prusiks:

I'm very goal oriented and extremely familiar with that sense of deflation you describe. It usually arrives for me shortly before the goal is reached, when the final moment looms close instead of the far-fetched ambition it once seemed.

Chasing Wainwrights taught me this lesson in my teens and early 20s. I recall what a huge challenge climbing 214 peaks appeared to a 14 year old in south London catching the coach up to the Lakes. As I neared my goal 10 years later it dawned on me how underwhelming it felt to secure that final summit.

It strikes me as very unimaginative to repeat the same goals. I've never wanted to compleat the Munros or Alpine 4,000s. As others have pointed out, it's the journey that matters. The good old Lakeland fells were the right challenge at the right age and since then I've had other big challenges and continue to set new ambitions.

Building a business, raising a family, landscaping a nature reserve, the experience has been the same. At once both intimidated and inspired by the scale of the challenge. At the end, deflated and seeking the next objective.

And yes, a rest is essential. I think it's important that your next dream comes to you over time. Don't rush into something that is just the old challenge in new clothes.

In reply to Greasy Prusiks:

Read Steve House's book 'Beyond the Mountain'. He talks a lot about the sense of loss that accompanies the achievement of a long held goal.

In reply to cb294:


I am discovering the pleasure of doing this with running ... the manageable goal is a marathon in September, the possible one is a sub-two-hours half marathon in October (speed is so much harder than distance!) and I have a really daft but possibly possible goal for 2018.

Spreading out the goals seems to help so there's another summit beyond the next one. And effective rest (i say this with feeling on a tired day!) seems to be essential.

In reply to Greasy Prusiks:

I remember this feeling. 1976, my second year of climbing, my major goal for the whole year was Cemetery Gates (E1 5b) when I climbed it in the April, I didn't know what to do next, just packed my sack, hitch-hiked home and didn't climb for a couple of weeks.

In reply to Greasy Prusiks:

Thanks for the replies everyone, I'm glad it's not just me!

My goal was to climb a certain font grade (7A). In retrospect I didn't put enough thought into choosing it (basically it came down to bouldering being the only climbing near me). Targeting a grade rather than a specific problem was also a mistake because it meant my first 7A was a bit reachy and probably soft.

Looking through the replies I think the plan is to take a couple of weeks to think of a new goal (probably something off my trad wishlist) then use my new fitness on that.

Thanks for the replies.

In reply to Andy Clarke1965:

On a personal and emotional level I'd be luxuriating in having done it, it must be such a great buzz he's on at the moment, it's something I've wondered about being humanly possible before (but not for me!).

I'd possibly be using it to help gain more sponsorship, & speaking tours etc. If climbing is your bread and butter, it might seem daft not to make the most of it. I have a business man for a Dad though. I'm just glad he didn't fall off. Nice one dude.

In reply to Greasy Prusiks:

This is definitely something I experience. For me it's more so with sport climbing projects, which can run on for a while, but are ultimately over in a few minutes and feel insignificant. It always seems to feel easy on the final go, and I'm left wondering why I found it hard to begin with.

For me I've rarely just had climbing a grade in mind, it usually needs to be a specific route I'm motivated by. Occasionally it might be that I want to be solid at a sport grade, with a trad route in mind at the end of the process. Generally I've found trad goals more rewarding, but perhaps because they're more intense and tend to be done onsight.

Here's a blog I wrote about this feeling: http://gwirion.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/sardine-and-injured-pride.html

In reply to Greasy Prusiks:


It can take a lot of effort (physical and mental) and even though I enjoy the journey (mostly) it's also really fulfilling to achieve something personally.


Not a break from climbing. I might make the next goal potentially easier or harder, depends how I feel after the last one. But there's always something.

In reply to BnB:

That sounds a lot like my Dad, he's always had a 7 year business plan (and plans in general), things never went to plan, he's said, but it's what has kept him moving forwards. It strikes me as a good way of getting things done, and ending up somewhere positive, if different to where one sets out to be.

I guess it depends on the individual, he seems to feel one drifts without plans.

In reply to drysori:

I don't normally like blogs but that was really good. Definitely a feeling I can relate to at the moment.

Thanks for sharing it.

In reply to Greasy Prusiks:

Cheers, good to know someone appreciated it!

In reply to Greasy Prusiks:

The highs for me come more from climbing really well than the actual finishing of a project. If I can climb really well, and the project is not above my ability, then I'll naturally get to the top anyway. But climbing really well on something that's close to your limit I find very difficult. There's so many small mistakes you can make from forgetting a move, to not being perfectly focused or lacking sufficient aggression, precision or timing on certain move. On the rare occasions that things do just go right I'm pretty psyched regardless of whether I get to the top.

If the goal is not at my limit then sure there's a bit of an anticlimax. The positive thing though is it means I can do something harder which is exciting in itself and raises the question: if that's not so hard then what should I try next? Also if something is easier than expected it usually implies doing it faster than expected which is also satisfying.

But as the old saying goes: it's the journey that's important, not the destination. And climbing is a lifelong journey.

In reply to Greasy Prusiks:

When I achieve something I am happy for a day or two then get a bit depressed because it clearly wasn't challenging enough and I should have set my sights higher.

Unfortunately this is actually true.

In reply to Greasy Prusiks:

Thoughts about about setting goals for climbing.... A good mental trick I use to avoid being deflated and disappointed after success is to have a big prize waiting for attaining the goal. Not just 'cake' or booze but more like that thing I'd never let myself try until I'd finally done this or....that area I'm not allowed to visit until I've....done this first. Instead of wallowing in success you might be more excited and focused on the next thing. Another thing to me it seems like there is always less disappointment if your goal is for quality not the grade. It's hard to force yourself to realize the route/problem is more important than a subjective or nonexistent number attached to it. Unless you think that the number is more important.

In reply to Greasy Prusiks:
For what its worth my thoughts about 'goals' is that they work best when they are aligned to an overarching sense of purpose and that if you can define what that is then the achievement of goals is always contributing to the greater aim. This should prevent the feeling of emptiness when contributory goals are achieved.
A useful exercise to use to identify that purpose is the 5 'Whys' - start with 'Why do I want to ......complete this climb?' and answer it with an 'In order to.....' statement. Repeat the 'Why do I want to .....' process four more times. That should get you to a Sense of Purpose. You can do this on your own but it works best if you do it in a discussion with a close friend who can help you refine your answers. They ask the 'Why...' and you provide the 'In order to....'