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.
