Rediscovering that Rumney Rocks
Last winter, I committed myself to rock climbing. I bought books like The Self Coached Climber and The Rock Climber’s Training Manual, developed a training plan, devoted my time to going to the climbing gym, and even focused on trying to make my weaknesses strengths (I still can’t crimp, by the way). All of this led me to make bold proclamations about my intentions to climb something hard, at least by my standards, before I turned 40.
By the spring, I felt more than merely strong; I felt more confident on the rock, and I was climbing more intelligently than ever before. No longer purely physical, I was thinking more about my climbing, seeking out mid-route rests, moving more efficiently, and, while I may not have been climbing my hardest, I believe it was the best I had ever climbed.
In mid-March, I went on a climbing trip to Red Rock, just outside Las Vegas, Nevada, with my wife and Doug. While we didn’t tick any of the long trad routes we lusted over, we did manage to climb a bunch of fun, moderately rated sport climbs, which led me to believe that I just might get that hard ascent I was hoping for and left me stoked on climbing.
That is until I returned from Las Vegas, bought a mountain bike, and watched all of the energy and enthusiasm that I’d had for climbing immediately transfer to the bike. In fact, until a trip to Rumney last weekend, the last time I had climbed outside was on that trip to Red Rocks.
I’m not sure that I’ll ever be as into training for climbing as I was two years ago, but I have once again made the climbing gym part of my routine. And, after one trip to Rumney, I can say that I’m feeling reasonably strong and confident in my climbing. I even got the bug to climb hard; I took a few burns on a route that I always find difficult, and, after a few tries, I managed to clip the chains with a clean ascent.
Although I have missed my window to climb something hard before 40, at least there’s still time to climb something hard-for-me after 40.
Set yourself up for sport climbing success this spring and make sure you have all the essential equipment before reaching the crag by reading our goEast Gear Checklist: SportClimbing article.
By Tim Peck
