RRC Archives

Artsay;
How can you even ask this?? Look at poor SCIN- he is about to run completely out of climbs. This could be you someday. It could be any of us! How can you look at him and not go for it? Do it for your man!
M.

More often than not, I'm in the up or off school-in good part because there isn't much risk in me getting hurt on a bad fall on the sport route I get on. Although I have been known to wuss out.

I used to always keep going. But since my bad fall I tend to freak out easily when I lead, then even if I'm not really pumped I sometimes chicken out and take. I'm trying to get this out of my system though. It makes me mad that I take or downclimb when I know I can do it.

So as of now I take. But hopefully soon I can work on something and get it through my head when I start that there are no bad falls and just make myself keep going.

There are 'bad' falls. Learning where they are not and then going is where you want to be! Where we all want to be! Safely on the rock having fun!

Although I have been known to wuss out.

It's all a matter of perspective. Being on the front end of the rope on a route that is at your limit already places you in a category where the "normal" person would think you're nuts. Climbing is a personal thing. What drives me to get out there and take the risks is different than what drives you. I'm not competing against anyone but myself and certainly, if I don't send a route that I think I should, it pisses me off. The thing is, I'm on it for myself, not anyone else. If I go for the move or take, it shouldn't matter to anyone but me.

When someone posts that they finally got a project that they had been working on, there are several who do the congratulatory slap on the back. I'd like to think this is being done to celebrate their success.

There's nothing like celebrating the accomplishment of a climber who just got their first climb, proving to themselves that they too fall in that category of being nuts; but have the where-with-all to do something they never dreamed possible.

Make it a great day!

Wussing out is a personal thing-I don't consider it wussing out if I get scared and take. To me it is more when I get lazy, and the thought of having to jug back up again is just not very appealing. There is a grey area between the two, and whether I take or not is going to depend on how I feel at the time-given, of course, that it would be a clean fall.

just from my observations at the crag, most of you are lying, if you are representative of the crowds. 9 out of 10 times you hear "take" ..only one in ten do you see the climber actually airing it out when wigged. I think we all like to "believe" we have bigger gonads than we really do...

again, I am talking on site here, which I would say the majority of climbers really don't practice because of the fear involved. It is much easier to take, and justify that you were "only working the route", or say that you were only intending to redpoint it anyway...just an observation folks...

how many of us actually walk up to a route, announce with conviction (to our belayer) that we are going to onsight this route, and that no matter what, do not let me take? nope, usually, it comes with the disclaimer, "o, we'll see how I do", and at the first sign of hard and uncharted territory, we bail...am I the only one who does this?

No, it looks like there are two others. One other if you are one of the two.

make that three..I'm with you Piggie.

Yea, piggie, that's kinda what I was getting at with my post. The question isn't about the send....it's about the instinct inside of us.

I was inspired when I saw Johnny scramble up this FA crack, the crack end, him enter a belly flopping scruntched up position on a small and narrow ledge, heard him make claims that the rock was rotten while setting some pieces that wouldn't do much of anything, and saw the look of determination to continue on his face. His instinct is to keep going. It's beautiful, really. I don't feel the majority of climbers have that instinct. I know Ray does and can rattle of a few others as well(Wes, for one), but I don't think most climbers have that in them.