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Gym to Rock
Mike's Question:
Is the transition from gym to"real" rock climbing difficult to make? Should I have an instructor for my first outdoor climb?
— Mike Pingicer
Don's Answer:
Ah... the most asked and, perhaps, the essential question in climbing today. I want you to think about the transition in three different ways.
First, the physical techniques. The gym is steep, and the holds are obvious. Real rock is often lower-angled and much more subtle. At first, it will seem as though there are no footholds whatsoever. Then, as your eyes adjust to the demands of the new terrain, footholds will be everywhere. Of course, some of the steep (limestone and sandstone especially) sport climbing is similar in some ways to climbing plastic, but the outdoor environment lacks the obvious line of dots you follow in the gym. No artifical wall can duplicate a Yosemite slab or a parallel-sided Indian Creek Utah hand crack. Indoor climbing is simpler and more intuitive, usually more strenuous. Outdoor climbing requires a longer apprenticeship as you gather inobvious tricks.
Second, understand that the outdoor world is much more dangerous. This isn't necessarily a problem; in fact, risk is part of climbing's allure. But remember that rock can be loose, weather unforgiving, routes ill-defined or inaccurately described. A mature climber is always playing defense, testing every handhold, suspecting every anchor point, positioning belays and rope piles out of the line of fire from rock fall, planning an escape route even when all is going well. This is more than a change in technique. It's a transformation of attitude. And obviously, you aren't a lead climber simply because you have clipped closely spaced bolts in the gym. Outdoors, you either place your own gear (a very serious proposition) or you rely on unknown bolts (installed by both experts and idiots, some in just the right locations, others spaced so suicidally distant that the climb is more a solo than a lead).
Finally, put away the Walkman and the quest for high grades. Look around, and smell the air. Make sure you appreciate the uncertainties of outdoor climbing as essential to the whole experience. Yes, the route might be hard to follow and, in your opinion, cruelly undergraded. The anchors might be hard to arrange and the descent might be torture. The elements of nature may well seem huddled in a vast conspiracy to make your life miserable. But that is the real beauty of real climbing: immersing yourself in the environment, learning the geology and the birds, noticing the colorful lichens, treading gently, and relishing the depth of friendships forged when things are hard.
Don't make the mistake of comparing the indoor world to the outdoor world. If you do, you'll be dissatisfied with one, the other, or both.
As for seeking professional instruction? Time and money well spent. Talk to a local shop or look for the American Mountain Guides Association.
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