After the formalities of paperwork, I got changed and headed up to the bouldering section of the gym. I was met by 20 or so climbers demolishing the bouldering problems. Needless to say I was a little intimidated. The climbers were in their groups and had established their sections of the wall. Seeing as it was a little cramped for space I decided to warm up with some dead hangs, pull-ups, push-ups and ladder climbs.
As some of the climbers cleared off I found a V2 route. I tried tracing a sequence however I got lost at about 2/3 of the way up. At this point I just wanted to climb so I though “Stuff it lets just see what happens”. Sure enough I was stuck at 2/3 and fell after losing a hold. It was clear to me my sequence finding was quite poor and my visualization capacity was quite limited. Having never employed these techniques, I wasn’t too disheartened 🙂
As I was resting on the bench, these two girls no older than 6-8 years of age; hooked themselves onto the overhang and began sending a V3 route…with ease!! Neither of them completed the route, but their climbing was so smooth and effortless! I was very tempted to ask them for advice but my pride got the better of me!
Drawing inspiration from their climb I was pumped for my next attempt! As I was strapping on my bright yellow shoes I peered down the lane where the climbers all sat and noticed something that made me laugh. Each of the climbers had their shoes and chalk bag sitting next to their feet, looking well worn; however that wasn’t the funny thing. What I found humorous was that I was this noob with all the gear and no idea, standing amongst these seasoned pros! I couldn’t help but chuckle at my red cheeked, fish out of water situation.
But rather than assimilate through climbing competency, I opted for a more immediate solution. I grabbed a handful of chalk and dusted up my gear -_-‘
After laughing at the absurdity of what had transpired, I felt much more relaxed and was able to focus on my climbing. Toward the end of the night I had found an awesome V2 climb. I had worked my way to the crux of the climb but was too tired to continue. Mission for my next bouldering session!
Project 5.12a 