NaBloPoMo...and Falling!!!

-Post 1-

What the hell is NaBloPoMo?  National Blog Posting Month.  I read this on my friend Heather's blog.  It started in November of 2006.  She said that the rule is you have to post once each day to your blog.  And while from what I've read the actual "month" is November, she's done this the past four years in December and it's proven to be a good way to close out the year.  I agree, and have decided to give this my best shot.  I mean, seriously folks...those of you who know me probably think this won't be very difficult for me to accomplish.  Whatever.  You're reading this so apparently it's of some entertainment value.  So without further delay here's today post:

 Falling!!!

We're talking about climbing (and falling) here folks.  A fairly accurate saying for climbers should really be, "I climb, therefore I fall."  Falling is not failing.  Everyone who climbs, falls.  Whether that's on top-rope, sport bolts, or trad/aid gear all of us fall.  But the fear of falling is the #1 factor that holds climbers (particularly trad climbers) back from pushing their limits and realizing their climbing potential (and having more fun cuz that's what it's all about!). 


I won't go in to all of the psychological mumbo-jumbo that is behind the fear of falling other than that it's a natural instinct of self-preservation.  Ya got that?  What we do as climbers is technically pushing against our natural instincts.  Only through repetitive exposure do we become more and more comfortable with heights.  The same thing is true with falling.  Only through repetitive falling do we become more comfortable with falling.  Confront your fear with truth, knowledge, and experience and you will see progress.

(I should add here that climbing is a dangerous sport and falling is certainly a very dangerous part of that sport.  Don't be a dumbass...do your safety checks EVERY TIME.  Trust, but verify all gear.  Climb smart and safe.)

Some climbers will say that they are perfectly happy climbing 5.6 and 5.7 routes and never falling.  If this is you, ok.  You may go out every time and have a great day and never think twice about it.  But there's a few things worth mentioning.  One thing is that you've probably very rarely taken any lead falls and likely have never worked much on taking lead falls or practicing them.  So the problem may arise one day when you do take what should be a clean lead fall on a 5.7 route only you don't fall cleanly because you don't know how to react properly.  You haven't practiced.  And when the fall comes it happens one of two ways: either shit just hits the fan and you slip or you know it's coming and you pretty much just shit your pants.  In the first scenario, you have no automatic conditioned responses built up through practice.  If it's a big fall, you might even end up "rolling down the windows" (flailing both arms simultaneously in a counter-clockwise motion as you fall).  If so, please fall somewhere near where I can watch you and laugh. :-)  In the second scenario, you will tense up and be rigid instead of relaxing and breathing properly...accepting the fall and being ready to swing into the wall.  You likely won't have evaluated your fall zones.  But most importantly, you won't understand that FALLING IS NOT YOUR ONLY OPTION.

So, you're in a tough section of climbing and are struggling.  What are some possible options when faced with a potential fall?

-Downclimbing - you should practice this regularly and make it part of your normal workout routines.  You could downclimb the entire route or just to a good rest stance where you can evaluate your options again.

-Placing gear and lowering off

-Building an anchor

-Have someone lower a top-rope from above

Not all of these options are always available, but almost always at least one of them is.  Just knowing that you have options helps you more clearly evaluate the risk.

But back to actually falling.  How do you get better at this?  You practice in the gym.  If you don't already lead climb in the gym, take the necessary classes and get lead certified.  You will have to do some falls in the class and that will help.  But falling is like any other skill.  If you don't practice it regularly it will diminish.  So when you go to the gym, set a goal for yourself while leading.  Take at least 5 falls in a session once a week.  Tell your belayer about this (or don't...you should trust them enough to catch your falls no matter what).  He or she will appreciate it.  And if they don't want to do it then they need to think about what they're doing lead climbing and lead belaying.

Your first falls should be easy.  You're at least 3 bolts into the climb.  The bolt is above you and you've clipped it with the rope.  Look down, evaluate your fall zone (it should be clean with nothing to hit), tell your belayer, "falling" and let go.  Work on lessening the hesitation to let go.  Exhale as you let go.  Eyes open.  Hands out. Feet out a bit.  You are relaxed and ready for when the fall stops and you contact the wall.  Your feet legs should contact first and absorb most of the impact.  Now go do it 4 more times in your workout.

When you are comfortable falling from below the bolt, move up to being even with the bolt and fall.  After that, move just a bit above the bolt (6-12") and fall.  Keep increasing this until you can be comfortable at about 10'.  This means you need to be up fairly high on the climb.  Taking a 20' fall will give you enough time on the way down to actually think, "huh, the ground is coming up pretty fast."

Continue to work this into your routine.  Get to the point where you don't even say, "falling" anymore.  Your belayer should be paying attention and be ready for a fall at any time.  If you don't have faith that your belayer is ready, they shouldn't be belaying you.

Trust is a critical aspect in climbing just as it is in our regular lives with friends and family.  As a climber you trust the harness, the rope, the gear you place, the bolts on the wall (and by extension to bolter), and last but not least, you trust your belayer.  In my experience, I've found that as I've pushed myself harder and harder, the belay partners I have that I really want with me on hard routes where I know the risk of falling is high are people I trust and really know.

One last thing.  I would never say that you should practice falling on gear placements.  You should be confident in your gear placements.  You should bounce-test them while on top-rope.  And you should always ask your follower what they thought of the placements.  I do that to this day and sometimes I actually get told something was crap that I thought was good (and vice versa too).  But purposely going out and falling on your gear placements is not a smart idea in my opinion.  Keep climbing hard and you'll fall on your gear soon enough. 

If you actually commit yourself to falling practice I guarantee you will improve your climbing abilities.  You will not hesitate as much through cruxes.  You will evaluate your fall zones faster and more accurately and you will start to read the rock better.  In the end, you will become a more well-rounded and confident climber.  Now get out there and start climbing...and falling!

Excellent falling compilation:

For more on falling, especially the psychological aspects, check out Arno Ilgner's books "The Rock Warrior's Way" and "Espresso Lessons" and Dave McLeod's book "9 Out Of 10 Climbers Make The Same Mistakes".