Can Everyone Climb 5.14?

[Shamis]

I did run into a chunky young chick at the gym the other day who was giving me pointers on the v8 I was attempting. She had the body of a milf porn star...so i guess anything is possible.

[Clevis Hitch]

Basically it boils down to this...If you read this you will never climb 5.14.


The reason you ask? Because you are reading this instead of climbing.

[ynp1]

I am still on the side of, no.

But I did read, Fall of the Phantom Lord, by Andrew toddhunter. The book is about Dan Osman. Dan O talks about how he was not naturally talented as a climber, and it took him 6 years to climb 5.12... And he did in the end reach 5.14.

I think he was more naturally talented then he perceived, and I would think that many of us are...

Can every body climb 5.15? Because in 1980, I would guess that everybody would say no to the 5.14 question, and in 15 years what are people going to be asking?

[pigsteak]

Louisville just got named the 8th fattest city in the US...methinks that this Hester's crew is more an anomaly than they think.

be realistic is not akin to being pessimistic.

[kafish2]

Being fat is not a hurdle that cannot be overcome by the average person. Excepting a few that suffer from medical issues being overweight is a life choice. This is not the product of genetics here, but of life choices. While the climbers at hesters are not average compared to the general population, that can be said of anyone that is active, it is still hard to believe that there is a gym with 100% of its population being genetic anamolies.

As I understand it, the question Lee is asking is not weather the average person can everyone climb 5.14 right now... He seems to be asking do we all have the potential to reach that level.

[kafish2]

I also do not know of any 5.14 climber that thinks that what they are doing is a product of genetics. I do not see too many people saying, "yeah I was just a natural bad ass, a genetic mix you cannot hope to match." My guess most of them, if asked would say it took a lot of time and hard work and it was well earned. Perhaps setting yourself up for failure by declaring a upper limit to your ability is a limiting factor. Maybe a lack of willingness to learn from these individuals is the biggest set back in not achieving your goals. How many people have taken the advice offered up by Eric Horst, Mike Doyle, O-dub and the Power Company, Dave MacLeod etc... to heart and really did what they say and have found a plateu they cannot pass. I bet if you say yes to this a consult with Kris would correct your perception really quickly. Go on and hire Kris and let him show you where you are not hitting on all cylinders.

[nik]

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[Shamis]

I think the biggest issue for normal people is the amount of time it will take to get there. A naturally gifted climber might do 5.14 in his first 2-4 years of climbing. That is probably coupled with consistent workouts 3-4 times a week, 10-11 months out of the year.

For the 'normal' people it probably takes 2-4 times as long. And that number grows much bigger with the inevitable training gaps that show up in a normal lifetime. So you have to take out a lot of time for injuries/work crunches/family stuff etc. And those gaps take huge dents out of your progress. The longer it takes you to reach your goals, the more interruptions there will be. So I think in the end something that may take a gifted climber 3 years to do, may take a normal person 20 years to do. This may bring the 'normal' climber into the upper 5.13 range, but now he's got to take the big step up to 5.14 and he's probably nearly 40 at this point. Maybe another 5-10 years of training/climbing? Now he's 50. GG.

If you climb 5.14 and it took you less than 5 years to do it, and you don't think genetics had anything to do with it, you're probably an asshole.

[kafish2]

For the 'normal' people it probably takes 2-4 times as long. And that number grows much bigger with the inevitable training gaps that show up in a normal lifetime. So you have to take out a lot of time for injuries/work crunches/family stuff etc. And those gaps take huge dents out of your progress. The longer it takes you to reach your goals, the more interruptions there will be. So I think in the end something that may take a gifted climber 3 years to do, may take a normal person 20 years to do. This may bring the 'normal' climber into the upper 5.13 range, but now he's got to take the big step up to 5.14 and he's probably nearly 40 at this point. Maybe another 5-10 years of training/climbing? Now he's 50. GG.

I agree with all this but again these are lifestyle choices. If the average person wants to climb 5.14 it will take time and sacrifice, of which most are unwilling to make. Doesn't mean they couldn't just that they wouldn't which is probably the right choice. Family, success and fulfillment in work, a close community of friends are all things I would see as being more important that climbing 5.14 and actually provide a lot more happiness.

[pigsteak]

kyle: you bring up a good point. I don't think Kris has climbed 5.14 yet he trains like a fiend. When I see these guys busting a nut and staying focused, it just seems like "not worth it" for such a small improvement. Let's say for a second that Kris finally plateaus at 13d, would that convince you that perhaps, just perhaps there is something else at work in the equation? but most of us, myself included, fall back on switching up the routine, there's always next year, maybe try a bit harder, etc. we live in the future at all times to keep that dream alive. hope does spring eternal, but I can assure you that there are thousands of climbers with crushed dreams that have nothing to do with just believing it into existence. and many are not lazy either.

then as spicey jackson would say, it really does come down to being with friends and having a good time.