FIRST, GETTING OVER THE FEAR OF HEIGHTS!

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It’s been exactly four weeks since Justin & I got a membership at Movement Climbing Gym and WOW, I have never appreciated time & dedication more (I never felt this way about school or work…ever).

I honestly thought climbing would be easy to take on because I used to love climbing those Mobile Climbing Walls at carnivals or festivals. But flash forward 15 years later and I now have a slight fear of heights and I hate how my toes feel so crunched in those climbing shoes! The first time I rope climbed outdoors, I was so terrified when Justin was belaying me down, I clung to the wall and was too scared to let Justin, let me down!

We decided to get a membership at a climbing gym because I wanted to learn, but the outdoors wasn’t cutting it because a lot of the routes weren’t beginner level and lead climbing is NOT something I should be jumping into right now whether I’m climbing or belaying outdoors, nor did I have the confidence. We are going to Moab this weekend, and it will be the first time I climb outdoors since I really started to become consistent with climbing. 

The first time I climbed at Movement Gym, I was begging Justin to let me down because I wasn’t “comfortable” on the wall, but of course, he forced me to finish the route. The thought of falling terrified me and I would only pick easy routes, like really easy; 5.6, 5.8, and I was still terrified of being on the wall! After the first couple of weeks of climbing at a gym and being in a more controlled environment, I slowly started to gain more confidence and have less fear of heights. I started taking more risks and trying 5.9 & 5.10A’s. 

Throughout the first couple of weeks, my forearms felt like jello after every climbing session. After a while, I started to notice them becoming stronger and they didn’t feel overworked after a climbing session. That’s when I started getting interested in climbing routes with overhangs. These routes honestly terrified me and the thought of being upside makes me really nervous. The first route I tried with an overhang, was a little out of my league but I was luckily able to find a route that was a 5.10A with a few small overhangs.

It took a few trial and errors but I made it to the top! The climbing gym that we go to has a huge selection of routes and I can probably only complete 1/10th of the routes but it has also motivated me to want to improve since I have already seen so much growth in my climbing!

 

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