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Any beginner with a modicum of physical ability should be capable of climbing 6a on a wall quite quickly.
As a climber myself... I would have agreed with this, but its easy to forget how hard 6a's can be. Some people I've seen have been climbing for years and 6a is their limit / target. Its like Dave McLeaod saying "Oh yeah anyone could climb 7c with a coupla months practice". Right, Dave...
6a indoors is quite a lot different than the same grade on a crag, I would not make the same comment about routes outside.
The 7c comment is probably pushing it a bit though! Although I once knew a guy who went from beginner to 8a in one winter.
hmmm excited thinking about it. Going down Ratho later.
EDIT: On that note, a pal went from beginner to E3 trad in a year. He's good to climb with, just gets on with it.
ianv - Member
Any beginner with a modicum of physical ability should be capable of climbing 6a on a wall quite quickly.
Hmmm, not so. 'Any'? Don't forget 6a used to be at the very top of the grading system. Yes I know at the time it was outoors and gear/fitness/technique have improved. But, just go back 20 years and Joe Average was climbing 4c at his best and the better club climbers were on 5b/5c's.
If you regularly climb 6a and above, you've forgotten how difficult it is to get there.
BTW, for reference I worked my way through the grades through to 6a (and beyond) and am getting going again after a lay off through injury. No waving just setting a reference benchmark.
jimmy - Member
hmmm excited thinking about it. Going down Ratho later.EDIT: On that note, a pal went from beginner to E3 trad in a year. He's good to climb with, just gets on with it.
And he could easily. Depends who he climbed with, how often, how much training, aptitude etc etc.
I was just questioning the 'any' comment as there could be a large number of people feeling a little inadequate if that were the case. 🙂
Just a quick hint for all those struggling with a route but don't want to "cheat". Just "borrow" a better hold from another route. As long as it's in the vicinity of your proper hold your body will be learning and developing. When you get stronger or your technique improves you will be able to move onto the proper hold.
The point of this is that it allows you to keep flowing up the wall rather than developing the psychology of failure (I can't do it becomes I can almost do it I just need to borrow this hold) and saves you from hanging on the rope repeatedly failing on a move that is too hard for you at the moment.
Hope someone finds this useful
Green Room
If that is a quote from Dave Mc, it's probably worth remembering that his idea "couple of months practice" is more likely to be 2 months in Spain or Dumbarton doing little else, rather than 2 months of going to an indoor wall after work twice a week.
The any comment was not made to make anyone feel bad. It was made in response to the comment at the top of this page that the OP should be climbing 6a but 5a and work through the grades.
Still thinks its true though!
I'm a bit of tippler but very direct. Old friends think I'm a chameleon that lives in a cave wall that had a hard start. Suzanne thinks I'm a black heart bastion and shouts "off with his head" as I'm dragged to the guillotine direct.
My favourite British routes. I couldn't climb them anymore though I might just get up Suzanne.
I've been playing at climbing for about 10 years (also not constantly, mainly about 5 mojnths each year then a spell of virtually nothing and now just getting back into a regular climbing routine) - pretty much just stumbled my way through it so I've got virtually no technique and no real ability to read a climb...hence why I'd class myself as a beginner.
I've got very little upper body strength and climbing seems to be getting to the next hold rather than planning my way up the entire route - so clearly I've got a lot to learn - which is why I'm still classing myself as a beginner.
The wall in question has a fair few 5's and 6's with 1 7 and I think 1 4 - I've climbed the 5's and I'm now looking at doing the 6's as a way to measure my progress...the 5s also get climbed but I'm not really interested in being able to tell folk I can climb at level 6c+ or whatever, it's purely as a measure for myself to see if I am improving...each week has improvements which is good, but I was asking about what constitute completing a graded climb so I would know if I have actually done it 'properly'. Also, I suspect this wall's grading will be totally different to another walls so I may be able to give 6a's a bash here but probably would seriously suffer if I tried on another wall - no issues with that, variety helps improvement.
I've not really got any interest in climbing outdoors - mainly down to the fear I have of finding I enjoy it too much and have another expensive hobby to fund - my biking costs me enough as it is!
Thanks for all the chat/debate and info...
I've not really got any interest in climbing outdoors
You really should - more faffing (for me at least) but much more rewarding imo.
If you can split it with a partner the cost of a rack etc is not crazy, especially compared to biking.
And yeah different walls are graded pretty differently. I started at Kendal which seems to have pretty soft grades compared to most places.
Agreed, full days out on the crag with mates.... unbeatable. Even better than biking though shhhhh!! 🙂
Even better than biking though shhhhh!!
Think you should be [url= http://www.ukclimbing.com ]here[/url]
I've done a lot more climbing o late than biking. Unfortunately I'm a stone heavier than not-so-long-ago because of it - not good for working up the grades 🙁
DickBarton, have you tried Alien Rock in Edinburgh? In an old church but atmosphere is friendly with quite a few overhangs and plenty of routes on each rope. There's a good selection of routes from 4's all the way to 8's. Just try to avoid nights when clubs go as it gets crowded. Routes are set by a few people ranging from medium to tall in stature so you'll get a good cross section and there's always ones to aim for.
Was never keen on Ratho as there are (or originally was) generally only a couple of climbs on each rope meaning you had to queue and tended to cool down after just getting your muscles warmed up.
Have to get back into this myself, managed a 7a once but injury means that'll never happen again, would be contented with 7c consistently but will have to start back at 4's I guess.
J
I've got very little upper body strength
Shouldn't matter. I'd bet money that your limitation now is technique. Key to progressing is feetwork, balance and body positioning. Good feet work leads to efficient climbing, and when you do that, you use less strength in your hands and arms, and don't get pumped (so easily).
This is why kids and ladies tend to be better climbers initially than men. They don't have strength or height, so they need to use technique, and kids and women have a better instinct for this. Blokes just thin: "climbing, you need big guns for that", and then proceed to haul themselves up without grace or style.
Obviously you reach a level where you need strength on top of technique, but if all you develop is strength without technique, you will pleateaux very quickly.
Climb with your feet. Scan first for the feet placements, then look for handholds that let you use them. Beginners spend too much time looking up for handholds, when they should be looking down for feet holds.
Instead of a taking a big high step, see if you can take 1 or two imtermediate steps with your feet to get to the same place. More controlled and less strain on the arms and hands.
It's like walking up stairs one at a time, instead of 3.
Also think of climbing a rope ladder. The weight is on your feet, and your hands just give you balance. The upwards movement is from your feet and legs. Imagine how hard climbing a rope ladder with hands only would be. Try and translate that to climbing.
Try to conciously put as little strain on the hands and arms as possible and let the feet and legs take the strain.
If you get pumped on a climb, keep trying it until it becomes effortless. Work the moves until you don't get pumped, understand how to your your feet and body position to take the strain from your hands.
When you do need to put weight on the hands, try to get the arms straight, not bent, this uses tension in the torso and big muscles of the back, which is more efficient and sustainable, rather than the bicpes and lats and stuff. Hang back off the arms to get the arms straight. THis laso lets you have a better look at what you are climbing.
Trying to climb relaxed is also a good thihng to get into your mind. Remember to breath! Climbing a good route well should feel feel the way I imagine yoga to be. Calm, relaxed, measured controlled effort, flow, concentration, at one with your body blah blah.
If it requires a huge athletic effort, then the technique isn't quite right. Not that climbing is effeortless, just that you should be able to manage and control your effort, cruise when possible.
Don't think of going to the wall as training or getting stronger, think 'practicing' and getting better.
All easier said than done I know, but just some theories and insights of mine.
Not been to Alien Rock - as it was originally just something to get me out the house, I was happy not to travel the 40 minutes to get to another wall...Falkirk was far enough with Hadrian's Wall - might not have been the best but it had a lot of variety.
I'll stick something in the calendar and head over to Ratho and also Alien Rock and see how I fare...thanks.
I think a lot of it also depends on your style, I haven't climbed for a year due to a shoulder injury, but within 3 months I was climbing 6b's, but having said that I've been to a sandstone wall and couldn't get more than a foot of the ground on a 4b but shot up the 6a!
I don't have a conventional climbing style and often have people watch me as I do things differently (quite often for their own amusement), but I do sometimes find holds/routes others don't. I quickly found on medium to hard routes I was matching the experienced climbers and beating them on some, but like I said I struggled with some of the easier routes.
My main climbing was on a super tech wall which was all finger tip work and I tend to stretch and contort myself to get to holds, which may explain where I do well and where I don't (when climbing elsewhere).
I forgot to answer Elaine Anne's question - I attempt to climb at that grade because all the 'easier' stuff I can already climb at this wall...