Working My Climbing Head Game
I’ll be honest: I’m struggling with my lead climbing head game, and it has been a serious struggle this winter. The last two winter seasons I have spent in Phoenix, Arizona, working four days a week, 12 hours a day, and teaching two weekly yoga classes on my off days. My winter season (November - April) typically doesn’t include any time for self-care. There is hardly any time to practice yoga, climb, or do anything other than chores and rest up for my four intensive workdays, and because of this, my climbing has suffered. More specifically, my head game has suffered.
In the last few weeks, I quit my full-time job, sadly quit teaching classes in Phoenix, and my partner and I have moved back to Ridgway, CO, near Ouray and Telluride. We’ve only arrived a few days ago, but during our moving period, we spent a few days climbing in Flagstaff, Arizona, and are getting back into the swing of things in the San Juan Mountains (the weather is iffy, so we are climbing when the weather is nice). Several of my last sessions have been climbing Trad (traditional climbing) on a top rope. Trad climbing isn’t my favorite, but I’ve been trying to keep an open mind, and I’ve found some really enjoyable routes. Otherwise, when we go to sport climbing areas, I’ve been top roping. I have only lead twice this winter on very easy gym routes; I haven’t been able to bring myself to lead outdoors again. With my lack of consistent climbing, I know this plays into why I haven’t led outside yet.
If you are struggling with your lead climbing head game, I get you! This topic doesn’t seem to be talked about a lot. If you feel this way and want to talk to someone, please reach out! It’s easier when we all support each other.
Steps I am taking to try to get back into lead climbing:
Climb consistently. I finally have a schedule where I can get out consistently; it helps a lot that I have outdoor rock climbing as close as a 2-minute drive and a 2-minute hike from the parking lot.
Top-roping is completely fine! I am climbing routes of all sorts of grades and styles on top rope, even if I fall continuously. This is helping me get stronger and realizing that I still have it. Even if I am not where I was at the end of the summer season, I can get back there.
Lead climb on the easiest routes I’ve done before. This one is happening this week. I made plans with my friend to climb. I told her that I need to climb easier routes, where I’ve been before, to get back in the swing. It also helps that I know she understands how important being a supportive belay partner (and friend) is.
This is where I am at right now. That is okay. I’m hoping to progress my climbing and see where I am at in a few months. Kindness to myself is key.
I do want to share before we left Arizona. Just hours before, we set off to Priest Draw one last time for me to try “The Bat Cave V3+”. This is a problem I first tried about a year ago as we drove out to Ridgway last spring. I’ve been to Priest Draw four times in the last year. I’ve made it to the mantle spot at least once every session but couldn’t top it out. This time, I climbed but skirted to the left, making it easier, and topping out. I couldn’t help but feel I didn’t actually send the boulder problem. I looked at Mountain Project and sure enough, it said to go through the center of the roof.
So, I tried again, straight through the center of the roof and fell a few times. Time was dwindling, so I decided to give it one more chance. This time felt different. My brain was quiet, I accepted that it was my last chance and I might not get it. So I started climbing, Nate spotted me. The first few moves were hard, I was upside down, my hands in slippery giant pockets and my toes crammed into the same pockets my hands were previously on. I was breathing, I was moving, I was…surprisingly not thinking. Just present. I popped my hand into this amazing pocket, I knew I had to move my right hand, my left hand, and left hand again to the great jug rail to get to the mantle. Bam, it happened. I had my right leg up on the jug rail shelf along with my left hand and right hand. Now I was struggling, mantling after all that roof climbing was hard. I was breathing, Nate was telling me to just hang on and recoup. As long as I held on I had a chance. I thought about giving up. I haven’t climbed a V3 outdoors in so long, years actually, I’ve hardly climbed over the winter, I wasn’t as strong as before, I had all these thoughts swimming around. Then I remembered that I had already topped out today, the top out that didn’t count. Well that top out mattered now. I knew I could top out, if I just gave myself some time to rest.
I shook out my arms, back and forth, back and forth, and took a moment to remember how I topped out the first time. Pressing my left hand down into the rock allowed my right hand to reach up high, searching for that amazing two-finger jug that would allow me to stand. I found it, I stood up, sat on the top and I asked Nate “I think that counts right?” I can be really hard on myself when climbing, or doing anything really, so it took a few moments to soak in that I finally sent another V3 despite my lack of preparation for the winter. It was my mind that I had to keep right.
That for me is the hardest thing. Getting my mind right when climbing and being present. Which means I am just focused on my steps above and keeping a positive attitude when I am climbing, and I’m hopeful that I can get back on track to progressing in my climbing.
Side note: I believe my head game was much stronger when I had a consistent yoga practice. Yoga helps train your brain, staying in postures for a long time, or trying challenging poses, or falling out of poses. All of this helps calm your mind and be present. So keep doing yoga! Regularly!
Feel free to reach out if you want to have a conversation about your head game, or if you have questions, or about anything you might want to share.
Until next time, happy climbing!
