Tips for Women Climbers

Thanks so much for this post! I haven’t been climbing for long, but the mental work it took to become comfortable on the wall or on the mountain was formidable. I always felt less capable than those able to muscle their way up. Now that I’m outdoor climbing (in Yangshuo, China) I realize that footwork is key to most climbs. Perhaps you can muscle up a single pitch but if you forget your feet on a multi-pitch you’re toast!

One of the moments of breakthrough for me was likening climbing to yoga. The day I learned that the downward dog is a resting pose (with your bones stacked up in balance and your muscles relaxing) I came to understand the point of yoga. The balance of climbing is the same. You stretch to the next hold and then find the balancing place so that your bones are doing as much of the work as possible.

Finally, I was fortunate enough to build a bouldering wall in my garage and had a safe place to feel everything that was going on in my body. Just as in intense yoga sessions, emotion stored in your body can release unexpectedly. There were many sessions with the girls in the garage that ended in tears. Sometimes because we couldn’t do it, but also sometimes because we felt beautiful in a new and exciting way.

My daughter amazes me with what she can do every time we go to the gym, so I know you women are sandbagging us men! I am aware of the different mental hurdles each sex faces while at gym. My wife faces self-image and fear of failure and I get trapped in the ego-fest of difficulty and failure. I also have to laugh at the amount of dudes that take their shirt off in the gym. All the time! How can such a positive feeling experience, turn into such a metered event when rock turns to plastic???

I think the most important thing in climbing is to break free of the feelings of comparison, quantitative thought, and competition. Climbing has a problem as a sport because of the modern grading system which has become some kind of ranking system rather than a means of sharing information, and because of the tendency to compare oneself with others. This can be especially problematic with sport climbing, and inside gyms. Whenever I see people becoming frustrated or not having fun, it’s because of this pressure (internal or external) to “succeed” or “achieve” with climbing. We have to back up a little, and remember why we want to go climbing. Climbing is fun, it feels good, it can teach us a lot of important things, it can allow us to enjoy the feeling of personal progression. That’s why we’re doing it. Climbing for a sense of external achievement or competition is destined to stop being fun. If we can learn one thing from climbing, I think that may be the biggest one.

Eh, I take my shirt off all the time too (the sports bra stays on :p). I usually don’t use chalk so if my hands get sweaty I take off a layer

I think one key is using all the tools available to you. Just because I am a girl doesn’t mean I have to climb “like a girl” all the time. Sometimes footwork is too much work and it’s more fun to just try the dyno, even if it’s not the “right” way to do it or the most efficient.

Oh, and women definitely dial it back when men are around. I’ve been asked to and I’m not even a great climber :/

Dear Ralph,
I am one of those guys that takes his shirt off in a climbing gym along with 50% of other male climbers. I cannot speak for all, but most of the barren guys in my gym do so solely for comfort. It SIGNIFICANTLY reduces perspiration. Not only do we not need to use as much chalk as a result, but we also keep it pleasant for everybody else by not stinking up the building.
I certainly think that it is a bad idea to emphasize gender separation in this wonderful sport. Whether climbing indoors or out I am lucky to be surrounded by wonderful people with a certain sense of unity, without the negativity that “ism” brings. Like Steph emphasized we do not compete with one another. Being in a company of a more skilled climber (whether man or a woman) brings out a feeling of admiration and inspiration, not jealousy and failure which I think are signs of personal issues.

What a lovely & important comment by Leslie, above: “we felt beautiful in a new and exciting way.”

Thanks, Steph, for your feedback. I think it will most definitely be helpful to pass on. I appreciate that you have both acknowledged that there are some natural differences and tendencies for women, but also emphasized that climbing is unique to every ‘body’ and that we can all benefit from simple yet profound lessons.

I apologize if anyone misunderstood my intention as an exclusive or competitive juxtaposition of male and female climbers. I would, however, like to acknowledge that rock gyms can be intimidating (and sometimes irritating) to walk into as a gal, especially if there is a huge male presence, which is precisely why I want to support more women climbing and feeling comfortable in this environment.

The reason I sought out your advice, as a female climber, is because, let’s face it, males have quite a bit of input in how many women move and manipulate their bodies already. I think it’s a simple, yet radical notion for women to redefine their body images according to themselves or other women. I’m excited to offer women more support and training so that they, too, can explore, challenge themselves, and grow in their own physical and mental strength. I look forward to contributing to a healthy-intentioned climbing community, and sharing the bliss of this activity/sport with others, even if it is rather confined to plastic and pandora for now.

Thanks all, for your comments and interest.
Steph, we would love some posters, sent to:
The Rock Dump
1310 Eastaugh Way
Juneau, AK 99801

Absolutely Jess, I’ll send you some. I think your letter is so great, because it started people thinking about their own experiences and perspectives on all of the topics we were talking about. I’d love to hear how your classes have been going!
steph

Steph! The posters are awesome- thanks so much! The classes are going great- I’ve been lucky enough to have a fabulous group of women lately who are having a blast and totally getting into it. One of them is deeming climbing the best post-menopausal activity a woman can do. And its great to see a new variety of experience, skill, body types, ages, etc.. come into the gym.

One particular atmosphere enhancement I recently made was changing the music from the typical reggae to some soulful Aretha Franklin sort of stuff. The results were quite tangible.

Thanks again!

That was a very good idea! Thanks for the update–it sounds like you guys are having a great time:)

It’s really great to read this article as I’m about to go for my second climb after several months break. Feel rather distraught thinking about how women are often portrayed in comics, and both mainstream and underground art/media in ways that make men feel powerful/good about themselves, really fuels my desire to take up climbing again and to feel strong and powerful and enjoy being in my body, as a woman. It’s really motivating to hear other women talk about climbing.