Working Memory and Climbing

Latest research into cognitive processes and climbing ability: working memory

Consider a climber on the wall in a climbing gym, as they climb they are interacting with a lot of stimuli all around them: the climbing holds, their own body position, the sensation of height, the music and voices of other climbers. All of this input could be processed by the brain, but that is a lot of effort.

Our attention selects what information goes to the centre (think of this as the control room) which then sends it to different places to be processed. Some of that information might be committed to long term memory (e.g. a memory of how the holds look and feel), some of it may be directed to the task at hand (e.g. the hold is slopey, I need to tighten my grip). All of this is unconscious, though it can become conscious depending on how it is processed by the brain. 

It follows that our ability to process all of this information instantaneously, as we climb, would be helpful for our performance in the moment (as well as in the future). However, the research so far on working memory and how this relates to climbing performance specifically is curious.

Garrido-Palomino et al (2024) investigated the relationship between working memory and climbing ability, taking into account sex, age, education level and climbing experience.

When controlling for these factors, they observed a significant negative association between working memory capacity and on-sight climbing ability. This means that those participants with a larger working memory capacity, had a lower self reported on-sight ability. The more highly skilled climbers had a smaller working memory capacity. 

What does this mean?

What our brains are doing is just as important for climbing ability as what our bodies are doing. 

But, just because you have a large working memory capacity, does not mean you are processing the ‘right’ information. It just means you’re processing a lot of information. For example, Garrido et al suggest that higher working memory capacity may lead to increased focus on dangerous and emotional stimuli that may be unhelpful for climbing performance. 

If we think of attention as a filter, having strong attentional skills means you only select the most useful information to go through to the control room for processing. This means less effort for your brain in total. If your filter lets lots of information through, your working memory has a bigger job to do. 

Garrido et al suggest that a smaller working memory capacity may be a strength gained from better attentional control and long term memory learned from repeated practice. 

What does this mean for climbers?

More research is needed to understand these relationships but attention training, especially for more novice or below expert climbers could be really beneficial. For example, memorising routes and sequences and training ability to focus on the most helpful information through repeated practice. 

That’s why our performance plans include a measure that accounts for attentional control as well as several other psychological skills. We use our knowledge of sport psychology applied practice and research to train psychological skills in climbers to improve performance.  If you want to know more about our performance plans and psychological assessment, or climbing and psychological coaching for climbing, get in touch. 

References

Baddeley AD, Hitch GJ. (1974). Working memory. In The Psychology of Learning and Motivation: Advances in Research and Theory, ed. GA Bower, pp. 47–89. New York: Academic

Garrido-Palomino. I., Giles, D., Fryer, S.,González-Montesinos, J. L., and, España-Romero, V. (2024) Cognitive function of climbers: an exploratory study of working memory and climbing performance, The Spanish Journal of Psychology [online] 27, e24, pp. 1–10. Accessed 02/10/2024.

Fear and Risk

When I posted a couple of these videos on Instagram I got an interesting response. The main theme was along the lines of ‘that looks sketchy’. This is partly my fault for having the pad out of view in a couple of videos, but it’s still an interesting reaction. In the guidebooks, many of the first ascents were soloed and there are multiple pictures of climbers soloing without pads at this location. So why the reaction? Why did I choose this approach? But maybe most importantly, how did I manage this approach?

I filmed four of the routes I climbed on this day, and in each video I have a single pad beneath the physically hardest part of each route. My feet are never higher than 4m from the pad on the hardest moves. Each route is well within my climbing ability. 

Why did I choose this approach?

Each of these routes gets a trad grade, from E1 5b to E4 5c, implying that gear, a rope and a belayer would be essential to ascend the rock. My interpretation of this grade is that the safest way to climb the rock is in this style. Climbing without this level of safety likely ups the adjectival (E) grade.

These routes go up to 9m, which is much lower than many highballs that get boulder grades. A famous example of this is Bishop, CA where the boulders can be well over 15m high and a huge bed of stacked pads is usually used for an ascent. I only had one pad, which means that the height of the crux comes into play when deciding which routes are possible for me. 9m is not a comfortable height to fall from, especially with just one pad, but it likely wouldn’t cause death, maybe not even broken bones. If the difficulties are low down on the route and the climber is unlikely to fall above, then climbing above pads becomes a viable option. I chose to boulder/highball/solo the routes because I knew that physically I could; and on this day I was after a mental challenge, not physical. I also didn’t have a partner to climb with!

How did I manage this approach?

Before and during each climb I had a range of tactical and mental strategies that I used to keep myself as safe as possible and manage the risk levels. 

Climbing at height with limited protection is clearly a higher risk than climbing on a rope. I believe that for anyone to do this type of climbing a strong awareness of abilities is required. I chose routes that were well below my physical limits. The grading scale was very useful for me here, with a focus more on the tech grade rather than the adjectival grade as I wasn’t using gear to protect myself. E1 5b to E4 5c seems like a much bigger jump than 5b to 5c.

When considering each route, I did several things. I looked for the hardest part of the route, assessed how high that section is and the options for how to climb it. I also looked for potential escape routes. The first route I climbed was the most likely downclimb from a couple of the trickier routes I was considering. After successfully climbing up and down this route, I chose progressively more difficult routes to build confidence in my climbing and adjust to the style of climbing. This approach allowed me to build expectations about what each route might feel like and knowing I had escape routes allowed me to be calmer.

My final preparation before each route was focused breathing and going through my routine of putting my shoes on, chalking up and thinking about key aspects of the climb I was about to attempt.

In each of the videos here there are sped up sections when I’m not moving. I call these times ‘decision points’. I establish myself in a stable position, not necessarily a rest, but stable, where I can evaluate where I am and the next section of climbing. It’s key for me to actively think about at least the following points, not necessarily in this order:

• Can I fall off?

• Can I downclimb?

• Can I see what to do next?

• Is the risk acceptable to me?

• Do I have a backup plan?

• Is the rock solid?

I’m making risk assessments on the fly, in addition to what I have considered from the ground, figuring out what I am able to do with an acceptable level of risk for me. To be able to go through this process I have to be calm enough to make decisions, which is why other mental strategies are vital. 

While on the wall I continued to make sure I was breathing at a consistent pace to keep my heartbeat and adrenaline under control. Another way I was doing this was by focusing on the texture on the rock under my fingers or feet. Often focusing on something outside of yourself can have a more calming effect than focusing on something internal. This also brought my focus into the fact that I could be in positions for quite a while and had time to think through my risk assessments. However, on this type of rock, especially when rarely climbed, there is often a lot of dust and grit around, so this option was not always the best!

Although many of these techniques or strategies might be put into the ‘tactics’ category, rather than ‘mental’, for me, all of these techniques or strategies have a calming/mental stabilisation effect on me while climbing.

Why the reaction?

What I’m trying to get across is that risk assessing is a good thing and more climbers should be doing this, no matter which type of climbing you are into. In the videos here, the main focus is on the ability of the climber, requiring a solid awareness of the climber’s ability. However, risk assessments should usually go far beyond this. I see many people sport and trad climbing without knowing that they are putting themselves in danger, doing things like leading above ledges or having their leg behind the rope. Climbing is an inherently dangerous activity but there are plenty of things we can do to lower that danger if we are aware of the danger.

I believe this lack of awareness is why I got the ‘you’re sketchy’ reactions, in the same way that many people think Alex Honnold has a death wish. There is a fundamental lack of understanding of the preparation and techniques that go into managing this type of situation, as well as understanding that other people have different skill sets. I know I’ll never solo El Cap, but that doesn’t mean Honnold is crazy for doing it.

I think it’s pretty cool that we can choose our own level of risk when rock climbing, but if you want to be safer while climbing but aren’t sure how, then get in touch.

If you want to understand more about the mental strategies I used on these routes or other mental strategies then get in touch for a session with Kat.

Expectations and Emotions

Let me tell you about an experience I had climbing. I love climbing. The sun was out, I had been working all weekend, and the opportunity to sport climb outside was there, so I took it. It was the week before my period. I know that for me this is a time when my head game is weaker, committing on lead is harder for me and my emotions can run high. So I chose a climb below my max. I had climbed the route in the previous week, just not on lead. My aim was to do fall practice and build up to having a redpoint go.  My secret aim was to send the route quickly and move onto trying the route next to it. 

So, I pulled through the beginning crux and did fall practice as planned. I did all the moves on lead and felt ok falling. So far, so good. I had a rest, and my next go came up. I tackled the crux and came to the last sequence, a deadpoint over a lip to a crimp, match and then a second deadpoint to a higher pocket. I could not do the last move. I could feel frustration rising in me like a swelling tide. I tried over and over again, tears streaming down my face. Each time I tried and failed, the angrier I became. I could feel heat radiating from me and a voice inside (and outside) my head bullying me with jibes. ‘Why can’t I do it’, ‘I did this before’, ‘it doesn’t make sense’, ‘I’ll never be able to do this’. It felt like the route had been stolen from me. With much persuasion from my belay partner I pulled past it and continued with the rest of the route until I could not hold my emotions any longer and had a full on crying fit on the route. Again, after persuasion from my partner I came down and stopped for the day. 

I came back to this route a week later and sent it on my first redpoint go. I had my foot too high and needed to leave it one step down to make the move. At some point I placed it higher and was unaware of this vital foot change. 

So what happened? My goal was to do fall practice, and try the route. My expectation was that I would be able to do the moves, but that I would get scared (hence the fall practice). When I did not meet my expectations my emotions took over. My frustration overwhelmed me and I stopped thinking clearly and could not see other options. 

Drawing from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) I could describe what happened as “fusion” - my thoughts and my feelings fused with reality. I could not understand anything apart from what I was thinking and feeling at that moment. There were no alternative explanations. I felt as if someone had changed the route, and it was no longer possible. As though a setter had sneaked in and moved the rocks around when I wasn’t looking somehow. 

So what can I do about this? And what could you do about it? 

The first point I want to make is that you (and I) are not alone, many climbers experience this. Many people experience this outside of climbing also. However, everyone is different and will respond to different strategies. There is sadly no perfect solution that works for everyone but understanding and accepting your own mindset and psychology is an essential first step.

In this instance, being aware of my secret goals and expectations may have been helpful. Any good coach will help you set realistic goals. But there is a difference between hoping to do something, and expecting to do something. A question I ask myself, and my clients, is whether a goal or an expectation is helpful or not. What are the consequences of holding on to it? In this instance, my expectation of being able to do the route pulled me away from my goals of doing fall practice and trying it on lead. I couldn't try anything, I was too upset. 

Accepting who you are as a climber and as a person is important. I am an emotional person, and this understandably is a part of who I am as a climber. It  makes me an empathetic person, and coach. It also means I get to feel all the joy and pleasure of climbing. But, if my thoughts and feelings have become fused with reality in an unhelpful way (i.e. not helping me achieve my goals), then how do I un-fuse them? Again, taking from ACT, diffusion means accepting those feelings and thoughts but not being overwhelmed or succumbing to them. Neither avoiding or fighting them, or giving into them. Merely acknowledging they are there and observing them from a more detached perspective. Easier said than done, but there are ways of training this mental ability. 

In hindsight (that beautiful thing), I could have registered how upset I was at not achieving my secret goal, or meeting my expectations, and chosen to take a step back. I could have sat on the rope or come down, observed what was happening and tried to diffuse my thoughts and feelings from reality. I may have been able to see my mistake, or acknowledge that I had an unhelpful expectation that was pulling me away from my goals. 

One thing I like to do with my own climbing and with my clients, is focus on what has been learnt, rather than grade or performance. I learnt that I cannot fully avoid my emotions when I’m climbing, but I do need to put in the work so that I am not overwhelmed by them and still able to choose my actions. For me, this means looking at diffusion and other elements of ACT for workable mental training strategies. I do not expect to develop this ability overnight but I hope that being honest with myself about what I am experiencing, and sharing that vulnerability with others, will bring me a step further.

If you are interested in mental training for climbing or learning more about Acceptance Commitment Therapy, I recommend the following resources. Better yet, book a coaching session with me 🙂

Harris, R. (2019) ACT made simple : an easy-to-read primer on acceptance and commitment therapy. Second edition. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications, Inc.

Hegarty, J., and, Huelsmann, C. (2020) Act in Sport: Improve Performance through Mindfulness, Acceptance, and Commitment. Dark River UK. 

Williams, R. (2022) Climb Smarter: Mental skills and techniques for climbing. Sequoia Books UK.