Climbing

Do you ever take a break from climbing sometimes? If yes, how long, and what do you do instead?

Balancing Climbing and Breaks: How I Find Time for Family and Alternatives

Do I ever take a break from climbing and how long and what do I do instead? Yes, usually I do. Over the holidays it's very difficult to kind of maintain a regular training regime so that's a time where you can back off and just enjoy being with family, getting outside and doing things with folks that I want to be with. I generally will not stop doing my kind of back exercises. I broke my back years ago so I can continually need to do that for keeping my strength but other than that I'll maybe just run instead of actually doing climbing training. I clean, I take care of things that haven't been taken care of and just again spend time with my family and enjoy the rest.

Yes, I usually take a break from climbing over the holidays. During this time, I will still do my back exercises and possibly run instead of climbing training. I will also take this opportunity to spend time with family and take care of any neglected tasks.

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Yes, I do take breaks from climbing at times. Typically, during the holidays, it becomes challenging to maintain a regular training routine. During this period, I take the opportunity to back off and simply enjoy spending time with my family and loved ones. I engage in outdoor activities and cherish moments with the people I care about.

However, I usually continue doing my back exercises as I had a previous back injury that requires ongoing maintenance. Apart from that, instead of specific climbing training, I may opt for running as a form of exercise. During these breaks, I also take the time to clean and take care of things that may have been neglected. Ultimately, the focus is on relaxation, family time, and enjoying some well-deserved rest.

What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out in climbing?

Fun and Self-Enjoyment: The Key to Thriving in Climbing

Howdy! If you're just starting out in climbing, one, first and foremost, it's got to be fun! The second, I would make sure that you're climbing for you. If you are a number chaser, meaning I want to do V2, V3, V4, I want to do 510, 511, 5-6, I want to do 6B, 6C, 6 or 7D, or 7A, whatever. If you're chasing grades, I will say that I've watched many people just quit climbing because if you're constantly comparing yourself to everyone else, there's always a million people that are better than you at whatever you're trying to achieve. But if you're just enjoying the journey, having fun every day, enjoying your progress, monitoring what you're doing, preventing injury by listening to your body, you're going to have a great time and climbing is going to be amazing and you'll probably create some amazing friendships from it and have some wonderful adventures. So climb for yourself and be sure that it's fun! www.circlelineartschool.com

Make sure to have fun and climb for yourself! Enjoy the journey and make sure to monitor your progress and listen to your body to prevent injury. You'll likely make amazing friendships and have wonderful adventures along the way.

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If you're just starting out in climbing, my advice would be to prioritize fun! Enjoyment should be your main focus. Secondly, make sure you're climbing for yourself and not solely chasing grades. Comparing yourself to others can lead to frustration and even quitting. Remember that there will always be people better than you, but that doesn't diminish your own progress and achievements.

Instead, focus on the journey, have fun every day, and appreciate your own growth. Listen to your body to prevent injuries and take care of yourself. Climbing can be an incredible experience that leads to amazing friendships and unforgettable adventures. So, climb for yourself and make sure it's enjoyable!

What qualities do you look for in a climbing partner when it comes to decision-making and managing risk?

Choosing a climbing partner: Trust, communication, and commitment

What qualities you look for in a partner when it comes to decision-making and managing risk? Realistically we make all those decisions before we go out and we've already answered all those questions back home We've already answered them in the car. We've answered them on the phone We've answered them in emails and when we both see the situation that we were talking about Present itself we go ahead and revert back to the decision. We already made and then we do it So we either press press on if that's the decision or we call it and say hey this route will be here tomorrow So I look for someone that we can have those decisions where we don't have to backtrack where we can just trust each other and rely on the fact that What we say is what we mean and we're going to go ahead and do what we say.

I look for a partner that is reliable, trustworthy, and able to stick to decisions that have been made. They should also be able to manage risks in such a way that they can make informed decisions based on the situation.

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When it comes to decision-making and managing risk, I look for a climbing partner who has already discussed and answered these questions beforehand. We have thorough conversations at home, in the car, on the phone, and through emails. By the time we encounter a specific situation while climbing, we can refer back to the decisions we have already made. We either continue if that was our decision or call it off, knowing that the route will still be there tomorrow. Trust and reliability are crucial qualities I seek in a partner. We should be able to make decisions without second-guessing or backtracking, knowing that what we say is what we mean and we will follow through with our agreed-upon plans.

Evaluating Weaknesses: Physical and Mental Strategies Unveiled

How do I evaluate my weaknesses when it comes to climbing? Obviously there's two types of weaknesses. There's physical weaknesses and mental weaknesses, so physical weaknesses I can go ahead and put myself through a series of tests to figure out my flexibility to figure out how much power I can generate My pulling my hand grip grip strength my flexibility all that kind of stuff I can evaluate measure it and then I can go ahead and make a training plan and then I can grow it That's pretty easy pretty simple Mentally I can go ahead and assess Whether or not I'm being positive what my outlook is kind of what my strategy for success is and I can go ahead and Break those down as long as I have a structure to go ahead and assess it against And usually that might involve others kind of getting other people's opinions, so I can do that through others As I don't have a direct coach to go ahead and assess how I'm doing I can't ask them, but I can assess my wife and my peers because they'll tell me how I'm doing

To evaluate physical weaknesses, I can put myself through a series of tests to measure my flexibility, power, grip strength, etc. and then make a training plan for improvement. To evaluate mental weaknesses, I can ask others for their opinions on my outlook and strategy for success.

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When evaluating my weaknesses in climbing, there are two types to consider: physical and mental weaknesses. For physical weaknesses, I can put myself through various tests to assess my flexibility, grip strength, and power generation. Once I have measured these aspects, I can create a training plan to improve them. It's a straightforward process.

When it comes to mental weaknesses, I can evaluate factors such as my positivity, outlook, and strategy for success. By breaking down these aspects and having a structured assessment framework in place, I can identify areas for improvement. Since I don't have a direct coach to provide feedback, I rely on the opinions of my wife and peers to gauge how I'm doing mentally.

Overall, evaluating weaknesses involves assessing both physical and mental aspects of climbing and utilizing the input of others to gain insight into areas for growth.

What are some of the top highlights of your life?

From Climbing New Skills to High-Level Performance: Life's Top Highlights

Top highlights of my life? I mean if we're looking at climbing highlights, physical achievements, I would say my Thunderbird route, my Yosemite route, these are big wall climbs, my roof cracks, what else? That's about it, I guess. Things that are highlights for me are things that took me out of my norm. Like if I did something that I was already good at, it was just more of an execution of something I should execute. But taking me to the next level of doing a new skill and then performing it at a high level is a highlight. And some of those big walls with the danger factor and the difficulty factor and then the roof crack factor, those were all brand new skills for me to go ahead and apply and do it really well or a high level for myself.

My climbing highlights include my Thunderbird and Yosemite route climbs, as well as roof cracks. These are all highlights because they took me out of my comfort zone and required me to use new skills and perform at a high level.

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Some of the top highlights of my life? Well, in terms of climbing achievements, I would say my Thunderbird and Yosemite routes were definitely significant. These were big wall climbs that pushed me beyond my comfort zone. Additionally, conquering roof cracks stands out as another noteworthy accomplishment. For me, highlights are often associated with stepping outside of my usual routine. When I take on a new skill and perform it at a high level, that's when it becomes a highlight. The big wall climbs offered a combination of danger, difficulty, and the opportunity to apply new skills effectively. These experiences allowed me to elevate myself and achieve personal success.

What is the longest amount of time it has ever taken you to onsight a route?

From seconds to hours: The varying challenges of onsighting routes

What is the longest amount of time it's taken to onsite a route? Well, I've onsited big wall routes that are 15 pitches long, so that takes, I don't know, 8-10 hours. I've onsited sport climbs, trad climbs that are single pitch, and sometimes that can take 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the type of route and what is necessary. And single boulder problems, again, a few seconds. There are only a few moves, so it's kind of an odd question. Maybe be more specific next time and we can give you better information.

The longest amount of time it can take to on-site a route is 8-10 hours for routes with 15 pitches. It can also take 45 minutes to an hour for single-pitch Trad climbs, and a few seconds for single Boulder problems.

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The longest amount of time it has taken me to onsight a route varies depending on the type of climbing. For big wall routes with 15 pitches, it can take around 8-10 hours to onsight. Sport climbs and trad climbs that are single pitch can take anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the route's difficulty. On the other hand, single boulder problems typically only take a few seconds since they involve only a few moves. It's worth noting that the question is quite broad, so more specific information would be needed for a more precise answer.

Rob Pizem answers your Climbing questions. See all the advice Rob Pizem has and get answers to your own Climbing questions.

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Rob was born in Ohio and didn't even learn about rock climbing until after graduating high school. Having his first climbing experiences at the New River Gorge, West Virginia gave him the climbing bug and he has been at for over 30 years. He continues to travel the world for climbing and adventuring, always seeking the ever elusive perfect route. His passion is establishing new climbs big and small. His favorite places to climb are in the Italian Dolomites and in Zion National Park. He has been teaching high school science and engineering for over 20 years. Rob now resides in Grand Junction, Colorado where he is a proud husband and a father of two boys.