UKC

We spoke to @reebs.climbs about finding joy in failure and how her persistence, positivity and 'relatable beginners content' have inspired newcomers to climbing.

Rebecca McIntyre doesn't take herself or her climbing too seriously. From describing her climbs as a 'sh*tshow from start to finish' to performing happy dances when she reaches the top, 'Reebs' turns self-deprecation into an art form. When her technique goes 'out of the window', she shares How Not To Do It videos (set to the Wallace & Gromit theme tune). If she's not a 'hot mess' on the wall, she's celebrating small wins with a smile on her face. Failing gracefully is a win. Getting one hold further is a win. Rebecca's motto is: #postfailsnotsends. She aims to show the unfiltered reality behind successful climbs and the journey of a 'below average' climber.

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As someone who has regularly been heard humming the first couple of bars of the Wallace and Gromit theme at the cruxes of hard (for me) trad routes, often accompanied by a good dose of sewing machine leg, I wholly approve of its use for this kind of thing! 

Rebecca looks like an entertaining person to climb with.

I've never meet Rebecca/Reebs (not sure which she prefers?), but this is very much the impression I've got from following her on Instagram. One of my favourite parts of climbing is the fun and laughter I have with friends whilst doing it. It's good to have a sense of humour about our failures, because if we managed to have fun - have we really failed?!

In addition to this, Reebs further went up in my already high estimations when she sent some sloth stickers through for my daughter. Given that I've never met her, such an act of generosity marked her out as someone truly special.

Perhaps unsurprisingly I really enjoyed the article too

One of my more entertaining memories is a friend asking "can we do something with a little less... Grass than last weekend please?" When he got in my car the Friday after we did Great Gully!

This is a genuine picture from the archives, taken from when I did Great Gully (at night) back in 2005. I'm not sure what gear I've actually placed (possibly a hex, maybe a tricam?!), or where I've placed it, as it looks to be more moss than rock - hence the whole setup is a little questionable!!

I did it in a dry spell back in 2018, wore big boots the whole way as there was rather a lot of sploshing about in bog and wet grass. I am not sure I am selling myself as being someone fun to climb with here!

As someone who refuses to dyno and often has to improvise when it gets reachy, I can really empathise with the 'does this count as a proper start' clip!

And when you finally figure out some way of doing it, some helpful person will tell you you've done it wrong...