I did a recent post at larockclimb.wordpress.com regarding how I got into rock climbing and I was interested in hearing other people's stories regarding their own experiences getting into the sport.

My dad always took us hiking as kids, but we usually only used ropes for handlines and for lowering packs. We still did some 5th class stuff.

As far as real rock climbing goes, I went with my friends Josh and Mike who worked at the scout camp with me when I was 17 years old.

Rock climbing after that was sporatic and depended on when had partners. Other than canyoneering, I didn't do any rock climbing at all between 1996 and 2004.

I am too out of shape for serious rock climbing now, but I do like to hit the crags and mountains for some rock, mostly lower than 5.9 in difficulty.

In these days where the typical progression seems to be gym to toproping outdoors to leading indoors to leading sport outdoors to following and leading trad outdoors, my story raises some eyebrows.

I used to hike a lot in the mountains and got bored with trails, so I started wondering what I might see from the top of that mountain behind the lake I'd hiked to or where the ridge might lead from the pass. So before I ever knew what the YDS was, I had scrambled some easy 5th Class routes.

Then I discovered there was rock climbing just 15 minutes from home, so I got a helmet and some shoes and started free soloing all the easier routes. Eventually, I wanted to climb harder stuff, so I took a couple courses on the basics and on anchors. Then I learned how to toprope and lead solo, and I was off.

My favorite thing is easy/moderate multi-pitch trad and alpine, but I now live in a place dominated by single-pitch sport climbing, so I mostly do that.

One regret now that I am almost 50 and I didn't really get into it until 41 and now my body is protesting is that I didn't get into it back in my 20s when I first started exploring the mountains. Without ever training in the gym, I've gotten to leading 5.10 trad and 5.11 sport, and I might have some 5.12 sport routes in me, but I fear I've basically plateaued.

Not that it matters so much since what I really love is hours and hours of 5.6 multi-pitch where the climbing is just spicy enough to be interesting and I can enjoy the movement and placing the gear. I'll take 8 pitches of 5.5 over redpointing a 30' sport 11b any day.

Bob Sihler wrote:One regret now that I am almost 50 and I didn't really get into it until 41 and now my body is protesting is that I didn't get into back in my 20s when I first started exploring the mountains.

Ha, ha, ha. I didn't start until I was 56 and I also regret not starting when I was younger. It took about a year for my arms to stop hurting.

I was 14 and turning into a bit of an ass. Together with other kids my age, we caused a lot of trouble. One day, when police brought me home after we got busted again, my mom thought that I needed some challenge and a bit of danger in my life.

She recalled some old friends of hers who still participated in this crazy activity called rock climbing. She got me in touch with some of them and...they actually treated me like an adult. Said you want to go and solo this easy route, just go and do it...I was hooked. They were good teachers and I stuck with the activity for 56 or so years.

I still climb, not hard anymore, but that is not the issue. Being in the outdoors, enjoying movement over rock, being in the mountains, I would not have it any other way. I hope I can do it for a while longer. Climbing and alpinism are such great ways to live ones life. No other activity (for me) even equals it...

asmrz wrote:Being in the outdoors, enjoying movement over rock, being in the mountains, I would not have it any other way. I hope I can do it for a while longer. Climbing and alpinism are such great ways to live ones life. No other activity (for me) even equals it...

You nailed it.

I only get out to the good stuff 1-3 times a year. In the meantime, I mostly have to settle for short sport routes, though that beats nothing.

There is one local route I often run to after work when I have only about an hour. It's a 5.8 on slick limestone, but I know every move and solo-lead it with the first two bolts as anchors. The route has 5.9 and 5.10 variations that I then enjoy doing on solo TR.

It's such a better way to end my day than sitting in traffic is.