Paying attention, feeling fitter and feedback

Having felt a bit under the weather last week, I managed to allow myself a chance to rest up over the weekend, and had a picnic in the sun one day.  As I sat looking out at the view and eating my picnic, I noticed how difficult it was to a. maintain my attention fully on one thing and b. how much richer the experience was for either fully focusing on what I was eating (sushi - yum!) or the view (the mountains in all their rich greenery).  Modern life has us multitasking at every turn, but to my mind this is not helpful for a number of reasons; firstly, we never fully have our mind on the job, and secondly, we get out of the habit of paying attention.  You can see how this is not helpful when we are climbing when we need all our mind and body focused down on the rock and the movements we need to make.

The second point I want to make is how important it is to listen to your body and mind.  This weekend was gorgeous weather and a part of me felt the pressure of not 'making the most of it' and going climbing.  The reality was however that I wasnt really well enough to go, I needed a rest and a break and to allow myself to just relax for a change.  Climbers are notorious for pushing themselves forwards regardless of how they are feeling, and I think its important that we try to tune in a little more.  Because I was able to allow myself to rest, this week I feel far fitter and more motivated than I have in a while, and enjoyed some bouldering and route in the Pass with some enthusiastic friends, whereas if I hadnt taken the time off then I might still be feeling under par this week.

Finally, I received a couple of sets of feedback this week from this summer's clients.  Both have managed to continue to put into practice what they learnt, have taken some falls and been able to go up a couple of grades.  But most importantly, they talked about a sense of freedom and enjoyment which had been absent prior to their session with me.  I get as much enjoyment seeing other people improve as I do from climbing myself, so its been a great boost.

Playful climbing

Thought I would add a little post on my trip to Fontainebleau.  It was my first time there, and I was blown away by the numbers of problems and the thoughtful attention to creating circuits at all levels, so that there really was something for everyone.

The rock took a little getting used to, but with kids circuits, beginners circuits and plenty of mid-grade circuits, it was always easy to find something to help you work up to the next level.  The people I climbed with helped me find a sense of fun and play, and following the circuit arrows around the vast areas gave the days an exploratory feel.  Rather than ticking off problems, I found myself trying anything and everything that took my fancy, and once we had located the area we wanted to climb in, it was easy to throw off the guidebook and open our eyes to what the rock provided.

A really great way to explore a different way of using my body and mind, and it left me wanting to go back for more!

Emotional evening - seconding is hard!

This evening, I went with my friend who had the accident back up to the quarry to climb a route next door to the one where he fell back in May.  For me as belayer, being the first time since the accident to belay him, it was a hugely emotional and terrifying experience.  I could feel the tension mounting in my body as I experienced a huge wave of negative thoughts and flashbacks to a few months ago.  I didnt want to transmit this up the rope, so focused on breathing calmly so I could talk calmly to John in case he needed the support too.

Relieved that he topped out without incident, I thought I could relax an breeze on up the climb, one I have done a few times before.  However, I totally underestimated the effect of holding that tension whilst belaying on my ability to second.  I pretty much dragged myself up the route, my body feeling clumsy, tight and awkward, and found myself still feeling the effects of the adrenalin from belaying.

I think its important to raise this as I know many of you will be belaying either nervous partners or people who are climbing at their limit, and this vicarious tension can have a huge effect on your own performance, whether seconding or when it comes to your turn to lead.  As a belayer, you may need to use the anxiety management techniques as much as when leading!

Well done John for a composed lead, and I am glad that the 'first time' since the accident for us to climb together passed without event, making the next time easier :)

Article on this summer's open workshop

Its been really hectic recently, so I am a bit behind on the blog posts, but hoping to catch up this weekend.  For starters, check out the write up on the open Smart Climbing workshop from this summer (when it wasn't raining!) in Outdoor Enthusiast  p36, written by Sarah Stirling.  There are some great pics and the write up gives you a flavour of what was covered over the weekend and what people got out of it.

Keep checking the blog, coming soon are write ups about a client who improved their grade considerably after a private workshop, and my Font trip (done in summer no less, how untraditional!) which taught me the value of playful climbing :)