Fear for All

Thanks for a GREAT article Steph! This is where I, as an individual run into trouble – with the “should be able to…” so I love this: “Approach a climb like you are a little kid and it’s a tree. Don’t bring expectations or ego attachments up the route with you. They’re too heavy.”

Great advice, and it’s nice to hear someone else say it

I’m glad if it could help!
It would be great to hear if other people have any tips, or things that have worked well for them….

I once saw an article recommending first practicing falling in a climbing gym in a controlled manner just to get used to the feeling of falling. However, that was a baby step because it was just falling on a top rope which isn’t really that scary at all. Falling on lead is a whole different story – especially on trad gear when you are new to it!

I can’t think of any other tips, because practicing it, along with time and learning to trust your gear and placements are what will make you feel more comfortable – along with a belayer that you are used to working with!

Steph,

How is it that you continue to remember the things that everyone else forgets?

This quote:

“…I never think I “should” be able to do anything….what I mean is, I don’t approach climbs with a preconceived notion of my ability versus the alleged “difficulty” of the climb, and then make that part of the story of my experience on the route….Approach a climb like you are a little kid and it’s a tree.”

encapsulates something I’ve seen in the most talented people in a variety of endeavors throughout my life.

The most talented people look at every problem with brand new eyes, with the full realization that just because they solved the last problem, there is no guarantee that this problem will just roll over and let it be solved by them. They see the challenge every time, and they recognize that they don’t know everything, can’t do everything, and so must apply themselves completely to the thing they are doing…and the problem doesn’t care about your reputation, or the thing you did last time. This is this time, so have at it. If you don’t solve it, whatever it is, try another approach, and keep trying. If you can’t solve it that day, sleep on it and see what a new day brings. The joy is in the trying.

This is also, I think, why kids are often so joyful, and why, as they grow into adults, they often lose that joy. They forget to remember that the point is the joy of doing the thing, and that is it. When a bunch of kids climb a tree, they all end up at different heights, depending on their comfort and ability…the point is, they’re all in the tree ..not which branch they’re on.

http://www.members.shaw.ca/jschindler/cummings.htm

…when I’ve first introduced people to leading on gear, I have a route which lets me set a toprope AND which accepts good gear in a bunch of places…but is not a crack, so it forces climbers to climb above their gear before making the next placement.

I put them on a double belay…..a lead rope and a dynamic (non static) top rope, and send them up. They know that even if their gear fails, the TR will catch them (so they are not going to hit the ground), but they get the full experience (fear factor) of leading above their gear, hanging on with one hand,placing, testing, clipping. I usually leave some slack in the TR so they know it is only a stopgap safety device, not their key fall limiter. The key fall limiter is NOT FALLING and climbing to the next placement.

I’ve found this to be pretty successful at getting folks used to the idea of falling, and used to the tactics needed to avoid falling (downclimbing, rest positions or jams, relaxing, etc)..which makes them better climbers.

Then, I have them take falls on their gear after they’ve placed it…with the TR backup in case it fails. They get to know what placements would work, and which wouldn’t, without any injury consequences. Usually, their placements are bomber, so they leave the experience with confidence that their gear will hold…or with the knowledge of how to improve placements so they will hold.

Cheers.

Some people might need to start at something less scary than falling while leading with the bolt at their waist. If bolt-at-your-waist feels terrifying to you, you may need to start by taking some practice falls on TR, with a tight belay and with a little bit of slack, then on lead when below the bolt.

One of the best things for a beginning climber may be to stop saying “take” when falling on TR. A belayer shouldn’t need any warning to catch a fall — if they do, maybe they shouldn’t be belaying.

One inconvenient thing is that it’s safer to fall on steeper (harder) routes. At least in my area outdoor climbs don’t get overhanging until the 11s (mostly granite and basalt vs. juggy stuff like limestone). So if you’re a 10 climber, don’t fear the 11s (as long as they’re bolted safely, it’s easy to the first bolt and/or you can use your stick clip or ropegun to clip the first one, etc). Or just go to the gym to find the overhanging 8s.

I like what Dave McLeod has written, he’s got a book out, and lots of stuff on his blog, like:

http://onlineclimbingcoach.blogspot.com/2009/07/beating-fear-of-falling-in-5-sessions.html

Thanks for the great tips and great links!
Steph

Steph – thank you so much for writing this!! It really resonates with me, especially the expectations and ego parts. I have a lot of trouble refraining from yelling at myself for not being able to do things I think I should be able to do. I say things like,

“Why are you afraid? You shouldn’t be, you’ve done this before! You’re safe, stop being scared.”

“You’re so silly for being scared, and your climbing is suffering. You should be able to do this!”

And boy does it mess me up. That kind of self-talk is so defeating, and I’m guilty of it almost every time I climb. The hardest part is accepting the fear and finding a way to deal with it on my own terms – that it’s okay to want the same belayer all the time, it’s okay to take it one step at a time.

I’m going to try the start-with-a-tiny-fall concept next time! It’s funny, being on lead terrifies me, but bouldering doesn’t scare me at all.

Hi Steph! Thank you for your wisdom. You are an inspiration.

One thing that I have become fascinated with is fear. I came to challenge my own fears when I began racing motorcycles a few years ago. In that sport, decisions are made in 10ths and 100ths of a second. However, over time, those decisions became instinctual through repetitious training. It’s an amazing feeling of when you cheat death and never thought about what to do, rather just did it. That was 2 years ago with a near miss with a car head on. It was a long process of mental recovery, but it was good to get back to basics and reprogram myself.

I had to repeat this process when I took up climbing. My first lead climb was a sport lead that I did, like 5.6 slab, on my second climb ever! I was never thinking about the consequences, rather just wanting to do it! Then over time, I read and heard about the consequences and the fear began to build.

I’ve been sketched out on leads and in retrospect, I realize that it wasn’t a hard climb, it was my mental strategies that weren’t solid. I realized that I was too focused on being runout, than being focused on my technique. My stretched out shoes at the time didn’t help either. Since I got my new shoes, I’m climbing way better and I feel way more confident.

The first time I did an offwidth, a 5.6, I led it! I almost backed down until I figured out the technique. The second part was a 5.7 finger and fist crack. I was standing on a ledge with 6 feet to go. I was so exhausted from that OW that I was really scared of taking a whipper as I had no gear left for the size I needed. I focused on breathing. It took me like 10 mins to realize that the proceeding 6 feet was like a 5.5 flake. Then I was like, “DOH!” and just walked right up it practically.

When I we did the Royal Arches, I was relying on the fact that we’d have an extra ropegun that could take over if I was feeling tired or sketched out. Well, he forgot his harness and shoes at home! So he made a harness out of webbing and wore my trail running shoes and made it through the climb! So that meant I had to lead the whole thing! I had already felt anxiety in the days leading up to it and that was evident with a nightmare I had the night before the trip.

I was doing okay the first 5 pitches and was beginning to feel drained. I wanted to give up, but I realized that had to finish the climb, since retreat would be a big PITA with only 1 rope. So after a pitch or so I got into this sort of speed rush as I was more concerned about the incoming weather than anything else. Over the remainder of the climb, I was getting faster and faster with less and less pro. I was constantly focused on my technique and not on being run out. There were a few times where I thought, “oh s@#$, I’m runout!” (like 60 feet!). But I looked for the next placement and made that my goal. With each “goal,” I felt more and more accomplished, with that I felt more and more confident. This built up to the psychological crux of the climb, a 50′ or so slab traverse with one bolt at the start. There was no way around it. “Fawk it!” I focused on technique and I felt very little fear, if any. I made the traverse to a slick area, then down climbed to a ledge. Finally, it was over!

That was the most victorious I have felt on leading a climb. I know where my mental limits are and have yet to find my physical limits.

I won’t talk about whippers as I don’t want to jinx myself. (knock on wood)

[...] – A MUST read from Steph Davis: Scared to fall? You are definitely not alone:  http://www.highinfatuation.com/blog/fear-for-all/ [...]

Solid article!

I believe it’s good to have a partner that shares similar fear of falling. This way the climbers can “compete” against each other and falling will be a part of the game. Before they know it, they are both better in climbing and the fear of falling is long gone.

[...] the incredible Steph Davis, climber, BASE jumper, wingsuit flyer, blogger and writer: The best way to dull fear is to practice [...]

First, thanks for the advice and inspiration, Steph, do it for the love is definately a great tip!

I haven’t read all of the comments, so forgive me if someone else already mentioned this tip. I read once that when you panic, it’s your body’s defense against death so you may not really be thinking of death, per se, but if you replace the panic (I beleive fear, or at least some of it is good) with a scene in your head of what you will drink, eat, or other pleasantry after you finish climbing then your body’s fight/flight system will cool down and you will go back to climbing well.

Three deep breaths is a similar, but very simple, techniques, but I also wanted to add that I often find that fear (and sometimese even panic) charges me up for the difficulties ahead. When I remember that, I can allow it to wash over me, and subside, then carry on with even more energy and motivation!

Thanks Peter!

Wow, what an incredibly all encompassing encouraging and wise answer. Thank you Steph!

That’s a real great and encouraging reply, I’ve been leading for maybe a month or so and I took two huge falls for my first falls actually… Fell about half the wall, still terrified when I get on a lead wall, my climbing literally just degrades due to the fear. Hope I can overcome it soon enough.

i hope so too!