Tim and I joined an indoor rock gym a few months ago and I love it. We had an excellent climb last night, during which I realized that I’ve gotten a lot better since we started. Routes are graded on a scale that I don’t quite understand (I think it’s this but I’m not sure). Anyway, at the gym they range from 5.6 to 5.12 I think. When I started there were only two marked routes I could do at the gym; mostly I just climbed up using whatever holds were convenient, and I couldn’t make it up over back-sloping walls at all. Then I could do all the 5.6 routes and started tackling 5.7s. Last night it occurred to me that all the ones I regularly climb are 5.7s because 5.6s are not very challenging anymore. Most of the time I can do them without too much trouble. I’ve been working on one 5.8 for a few weeks - I usually fall in the middle but I can do it with a few tries. And last night I decided to try another 5.8 that looked like fun and I was quite successful - it’s going to be my new favorite climb.
I’m at a point where I’m not totally sure what I can do - often I’ll be halfway up a wall looking for my next move, and think that I can’t reach the next hold or can’t pull myself up. Then I try it anyway, and most of the time I can. I’m always surprised when I swing over sideways to a hold, or hoist myself up with my arms. It feels good! My favorite routes have a lot of side-to-side motion; I think it requires more thought than brute force but it’s also a challenge to move side-to-side when there may not be very much to stand on. And I like climbs that require me to place myself in unusual positions; it’s fun to see what my body can do.
The other neat thing about climbing is that it’s a social activity. Encouraging your partner on a climb is an art, and it really makes a difference when you’re the one trying to make it up the wall. I go mostly with Tim, but occasionally with my best friend from my class, who’s been climbing for much longer, and she is so encouraging that she ends up pushing me way past what I thought I could do.