Scared of Falling
- November 2012
- Climb
Hi Steph!
My name’s Jourdan, I’ve been climbing sporadically for about 3 years and regularly for the past few months. I wish I could say I’ve been climbing non-stop for that long but, I live in Florida so my ability to climb has been limited by the proximity of climbing gyms. Now that I live in an area with a gym I get to do what I love all the time! I just recently learned to lead climb and got “certified”(I’m allowed to lead in the gym now) last Friday! My problem is, I’m so scared to fall on lead. During the lead class the instructor makes you take a fairly small fall, and a pretty decent whipper. My climbing buddies are awesome and will belay me to just go up and take practice falls, but even knowing that I’m falling on purpose they really scare me. What can I do to get over my fear? I’m also still building up my confidence belaying on lead, but since I’m so much smaller than my climbing buddies (5 feet tall and like 90ish pounds, I’m a pretty little girl/young woman whatever lol) that kind of scares me too? Is it just a matter of practice now or is there anything else I can do? I’m thinking of maybe trying to get on a Summit for Someone climb of Devil’s Tower next summer and I really want to more confident in my skills by then (then I’ll only have the exposure to be afraid of lol). Thank you so much for even taking the time to read this, I really look up to you a lot!
Safe travels! Happy climbing!
Jourdan
P.S. I love High Infatuation, can’t wait til Learning to Fly comes out!
Hi Jourdan,
Thanks for writing 🙂
It sounds like you are doing a good job of dealing with the fear bit by bit, taking practice falls and getting friends to help you practice. I think if you just stick with it, you’ll find that it gradually improves. And for belaying: it can definitely be intimidating when you are much lighter than the leader. When I’m belaying someone heavier, I make sure to stand directly at the base of the wall (unless it’s super overhung, in which case I get straight under the first bolt), and I also make sure to be wearing my hiking shoes and have them laced up firmly. That might sound funny, but if you’re in a gym or at a crag, and you are switching turns climbing, it’s easy to end up barefoot, in flipflops/clogs, or in unlaced shoes while belaying, and then if you get pulled up against the wall it’s not ideal to be in that kind of footwear.
Stick with it!!
🙂 Steph
Use that fear to make you a more calculated and proficient climber the real aim is to not fall. And if by some chance you do find yourself in a fall it won’t matter as when flying through the air their is not a lot you can do, as long as your protected, by way of a rope. It I feel is a head game fear is what keeps us alive
Also, when you climb with people bigger than you, you might have to remind them that you are tiny, and that means they might (well really, most likely) have to jump–and/or be paying very close attention– to give you a soft catch–something you don’t have to worry about belaying them. It might sound silly to remind the of this, but it’s better than getting a hard catch and going hard into the wall.
remember, the best dynamic belay is done by gently moving forward, not by jumping!
JEEZE I wish you could explain this to our gym’s owner. I feel like i have to sneak a few steps away from the first bolt when belaying my girlfriend… i have catching her softly down to a “gently moving forward” science, but he has the most bizarre obsession with keeping me under the first bolt– which means i end up having to be “looser” with the rope than is probably ideal.