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I tend to stay far away from them, actually.
The North Face/Savannah Cummins
No thank you, not in a million years.
Bungee jumping off a bridge?
Hard pass for me.
(Still sends chills up my spine when I think about it.)
How did I get there, you ask?
But I wouldn’t know unless I tried.
By the time we headed to Joshua Tree, I felt confident in my climbing skills.
But for some reason, it really surprised me just how scary it was.
By scary I mean terrifying.
Like, my-whole-body-was-shaking terrifying.
I thought my hard-earned confidence climbing in the gym would translate 100 percent.
I realize now that it was unrealistic for me to think it would.
She pointed out that, for starters, theres the fact that the gym is a controlled environment.
Plus, at the end of the day, the stakes are higher outside, she adds.
Its normal that you may feel afraid about the possibility (no matter how small) of the latter.
Itd be surprising if you didnt.
But once we went outside, things felt very different.
We also use static ropes, which stretch up to about 3 percent, he explains.
Its not any less safe, it just feels that way.
You might think climbing isnt for me, its too scary!, says Harrington.
But its scary for everyone, its intimidating for everyone, even for me, Harrington says.
I still have days where Im afraid to fall and am intimidated.
That happens multiple times a year and thats just what climbing is.
After all, humans arent meant to be dangling off the side of cliffs, she says.
Try a less-complicated route than the ones you climb inside.
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Rock climbing is safe if you have the right equipment and its all set up properly.
What needs to be done to set up the top rope?
Are any parts missing?
I learnedclimbing commands, like on belay?
climbing, and up rope, that help a climber and belayer communicate.
And I dont want my safety to be in the hands of someone like me.
Bolella suggests hiring a guide your first time; when I climbed outside, I was with professional climbers.
If youre unlucky, theyll crumble a little when you attempt to grip them.
(It depends on the bang out of rock youre on.)
That first crumble was probably when I really started to get nervous.
If your only experience climbing is in a gym, the lack of obvious hand holds can be jarring.
In a way, its more creative being outdoors because youre not following someone elses vision of a route.
Harrington says that many people arent aware of how well climbing shoes actually work until they go outside.
A lot of times in the gym, youre just standing there on massive holds.
Its meant to help your feet grip onto tiny crevices.
The more you trust your shoes, the better youll be.
You just have to push through your nervesand be confident in yourself and your gearto get there.
Oh, and give yourself a break.
You’re scaling a mountain, after all.
It’s more than OK to check your ego at the door.
