The Climbing Wall, Inc.

...or why your hands should be callused and your forearms beefy.

Before we left for China I had been going to the Climbing Wall on a weekly basis. I had built up some nice calluses and was starting to feel like I was actually excelling. Then we went to China for six weeks and all of the skills I had picked up vanished. I was willing to give it another go, knowing how much fun I had the last time around. I arrived at the Climbing Wall with some friends and set to work. For the next two hours, it was nothing more than pain and suffering. Everything I tried seemed to kick my butt, my hands hurt, and I just wasn't having a good time.

This past week I debated whether or not to try again. My usual climbing buddy was out-of-town and I could easily use that as an excuse to skip it.
But thankfully something in the back of my head said "You'll pay for it later". So I told myself to shut up and I texted a few other friends who had been going. I walked into the bouldering room telling myself I was there just to build up my calluses again. After a bit of a slow start, I picked up some confidence from completing a few routes. I decided it was time to conquer one route that I hadn't been able to do since before China. It would be just the boost I needed to kickstart myself back into climbing. So I started up, and got to the same point I always had but couldn't go any further. I jumped down defeated. I tried a few more times and decided today wasn't the day. I moved onto a few more routes and was mad that I hadn't been able to suck it up and finish.

Then a guy came in and started looking at the same wall I was. He brushed off some of the holds and I told him to go ahead as I was just looking, at my defeat. He proceeded to ascend a V5 (bouldering is rated on a "V" scale at the Climbing Wall, from VB for Beginner to V0 through V16), not with total ease, but enough to recognize that he was experienced, and impressive. My friend and I started to talk with him, receiving some pretty nice advice about general climbing. It made me realize that this was the day, no matter how much it hurt and how scared I was of falling. I stood at the bottom again, and said I was going to hit the top. I grabbed and reached and got to the same point and pushed myself to the next hold. I got to the top, and then navigated back down. I was scared and unsure on the wall, and my hands were burning, but, like any triumphant after many failures, I had a smile of sweet satisfaction on my face with my arms held high in a "V" for victory.

The pain of climbing

The Climbing Wall has been a great activity, especially in the dreary Pittsburgh winter. It has many different skill levels and routes that are constantly changing. Though I may have made it sound like I am hardcore with that story, I am still only at the VB/V0 level. They also have a top ropes course and classes. I really don't want to link their website because it is quite appalling, but with great reservations here it is, please don't judge it by its website quality, or lack there of.

If you are in the Pittsburgh area and interested in going to the Climbing Wall, we go every Wednesday, which is Ladies Day (half-off).