“Keep your mind open to change all the time. Welcome it. Court it. It is only by examining and re-examining your opinions and ideas that you can progress.”
- Dale Carnegie
I look pretty happy in this photo don’t I?
We had just got to the top on the Troutdale Pinnacle and I was pretty pleased to be there; ticking off 1/15 of my Lake District Classic Rock route challenge!
I had a ton of messages in reply to my Instagram stories yesterday from people telling me how brave I am or how scared they would be if they were to go climbing… so I wanted to do a post to explain a little bit more about my learning!
I had two ‘moments’ on the route yesterday where I felt scared; on both occasions it was driven by a combination of feeling exposed coupled with feeling insecure on the rock.
Feeling nervous before traversing across the exposed slab
I am pretty confident that I will become more comfortable with the exposure the more I am exposed to it… and with help from Ade, I’m learning to trust my feet and my holds. I’m also now learning that climbing is as much a mental sport as it is a physical sport because you’re constantly challenging yourself to overcome the climbing problem, which requires mental strength and confidence as well as the physical strength.
Problem-solving, being able to overcome self-doubt and having the confidence needed to make every move are all essential for climbing!
A rather exposed belay on the pinnacle!
After the climb we chatted about the two sections where I had felt scared. I had told Ade how I was feeling at the time so he was able to coach me through the sections. It also meant that we could discuss and reflect on the two sections afterwards in order to unpick, understand and learn from my experience.
The key take away for me from this climb is that I need to stay open to changing my perceptions and ideas if I want to progress!
Anyone who has done this route will be familiar with the final few move… I was on the rock, my feet felt secure but my hands weren’t great. The moves I needed to make to finish the route were onto two foot holds that did not ‘look’ to me to be very good… sloped and polished.
My perception as a novice climber was to be hesitant to put weight onto a small sloped polished foot hold for fear of slipping off it. Ade’s perception (like many other climbers) is that I should put all my weight over the foot so that it does not slip. Great if it works, but in that moment the logic couldn’t compute!
When I feel scared my thinking and cognition slows and I found this yesterday – it's like a mental block!
After a few minutes hesitating and deliberating about the move, I realised I couldn’t trust my feet but I could trust Ade, so with mediocre hand holds and an airy drop below, I made the move and when I did… it felt great and safe and very secure, just like he said it would!
It had taken me a while to overcome my mental barriers to make the move but in doing so I learned that my foot not only held but felt secure. Its very cliché, but the more you listen to fear the more power you give it and it is only in challenging your fears that you regain control over them. Exposure is hands down the best way to overcome something that scares you and by repeatedly exposing ourselves to things that provoke fear (ideally in a positive way) we gradually reduces that fear response.
I thought the main challenges for me were going to be related to a lack of skill or strength… but apparently it’s all in my mind!
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