What grade do you climb at?

[SA Chris]

I usually find it difficult to extricate myself from these conversations without coming off as a total patronising cunt.

I do that most of the time anyway. You get used to it.

[robertostallioni]

I usually find it difficult to extricate myself from these conversations without coming off as a total patronising cunt.

I do that most of the time anyway. You get used to it.

Don't patronise him, you cnut. 

[dobbin]

Further to what Dob says, this phrase usually sniffs out non-climbers who once went to a wall or someone talking about their mate who goes to the wall once a week, (he is REALLY good), and is bound to be better than you.

This is a common occurance, and I never know what to say. I mean, it seems massively self aggrandizing (is that a word?) to come out with it and say what you have actually done but its rude to say nothing. I usually try to deflect by saying that I do allright based on the time I have or something (which sounds cringeworthy reading it back!).

Everyone knows what grade you climb at though Dob as you write about all your bouldering successes and failures in great detail!

Erm, excuse me - when have i written about success exactly? 

[SA Chris]

I usually find it difficult to extricate myself from these conversations without coming off as a total patronising cunt.

I do that most of the time anyway. You get used to it.

Don't patronise him, you cnut. 

Are you sure that patronise is really the word you want to be using?

[cowboyhat]

I usually find it difficult to extricate myself from these conversations without coming off as a total patronising cunt.

I do that most of the time anyway. You get used to it.

Don't patronise him, you cnut. 

Are you sure that patronise is really the word you want to be using?

I don't think either of you have met me? - I am sure people who have would confirm that the problem spills over into conversations about other things too.

[dobbin]

you might have met Roberto Char - he looks like a dark Ian Vickers

[cowboyhat]

Harry Potter?

[robertostallioni]

you might have met Roberto Char - he looks like a dark Ian Vickers

From the neck down eh?
i think we both know both Jude is often mistaken for myself...

[Davey_C]

...this phrase usually sniffs out non-climbers

This is probably a fair comment….I agree that it is a bit of a crude thing to ask – I thought that myself when I read it back on Saturday morning. Although its probably a phrase that is banded about more by beginners when there is a lot more of an obsession with being better than they currently are.

Anyway I don't really think of myself as a climber, more someone who enjoys going to a wall once or twice a week. It's more of a hobby than a lifestyle, and if I'm being realistic that’s all its likely to ever be. As I mentioned in my opening post I've been "climbing" for about a year and a half – but that's really just turning up at a wall once a week and climbing with no particular plan or focus for about an hour and a half. More recently I've been going a bit more often than that – but not necessarily applying any sort of structured training plan, I do it simply because it's more enjoyable as a means of keeping fit than to, say, going to the gym.

(I think) the question I was trying to get across (in my drunken haze), is how long has it taken you to get where you are now?  But it actually came across as a cringe worthy piece of crap where I have a pop, for no apparent reason, at people from Sheffield – I've been there a couple of times myself and I've got nothing against the place.

As it seems a lot of you on here live the climbing lifestyle and have been doing it for a long time –I was wondering how 'good' I could get and whether it would be unrealistic to expect that I'll get much better than I currently am unless I change my approach. Also (I think) the reason I mentioned my age was because I felt that by only starting to climb in your mid-thirties would make it a lot more difficult to condition your body than someone who started as a kid / teen.

Again I apologise for the drunken ramblings, when drunk you can formulate fantastic questions in your head that you think are of great intellectual importance - but in the cold light of day you just come across as a twat. But my post does at least seem to have been taken in the vein it deserves!

[dobbin]

The thing with climbing is that for most its a massively obsessive activity which once youve started is hard to put down. When you first start you improve fast, then usually plateau out when your body makes its initial adaptations to the demands you are placing on it. The next improvements come from skills increase which are gained over hours put in rather than any mentalist training scheme!

Volume is key to getting better, and from the sounds of it you're already starting to ponder the what ifs that lead to obsessing more and more about it. I would say that once a week aint enough, even if all you were doing was for fitness - if you went to the gym once a week its still better than doing nothing at all, but its not really enough to expect anything other than slow improvement (or no improvement at all). BUt, demands of life and family may restrict your time and so on - its not always easy to get the volume you'd like.

I think a lot of people transfer to the climbing lifestyle because as an activity then climbing is one which is really social, so once you move your friends into it (or become friends with people who go) then going to the wall is less about training, more about seeing your mates and so on. Which isnt to say you are 100% climbing, but that its easy to be absorbed when going to the wall is for more than fitness.

Talking of which I am going now. Bye!

[clm]

i usually climb at the grade the route/problem i am attempting requires me to...

[a dense loner]

no you don't

[Mr Cat]

I've had search through the forum and I can't find a topic similar to this, even if I did it would be out date by now!

I've been mooching about on the forum for about a year now, but I've not really participated in many threads because.....quite simply I've found it to be a bit of a "Sheffield" club and thought there's no point participating! But then I thought that it's an internet forum, lets try and make it a bit more open!

So to open the thread my simple question is what grade do you climb at and how long you been climbing?

I'm sure for most people on here they already know the answer to what all the regulars are going to post, but at least for the non-regulars they'll know a bit more about the other users.

For the record.....I've only been climbing for about a year and a half (I'm 36 - I wish I started when I was a young'en), I've been taking it seriously for the last 6 months or so and according to the grades at my local bouldering place (Climb Newcastle) I'm at or around 6b/6c (font).

**edit**

Embarrassed to say - I haven't climbed outside yet. I Intend to rectify that next year!

don't take it personal what the regualrs have said on this thread...most of them are a bunch of cunts and treat most (if not all) newbies the same...

haven't a clue why...

[Jaspersharpe]

Yeah that'll be why Davey C has +2 Karma from 25 posts. Have you even read the thread? Why have you ressurected it just to chuck insults about?

 

[Mr Cat]

well, it's just my experience (as a newbie on here) of asking questions and the responses I got back...friendly bunch... :D

[richdraws]

Doyle.

[Jaspersharpe]

Based on your experience of being puntered for being a cock, all new members are treated badly by the cunts who post regularly.

Great logic there.

[Mr Cat]

like I said...friendly bunch!

[Jaspersharpe]

 

[SA Chris]

Indeed. Self fulfilling prophecy.

[Bubba]

Bah, locking this shit.

UKB is one of the friendliest forums around - but fools aren't suffered... If you think this place is unfriendly then you've led a sheltered life in regards to web-forums.

Even the O.P. admitted this topic was naff.

FWIW Mr Cat, you used to post some good stuff on here, and I've always followed and liked your Flickr photostream - shame you've come to feel this way about this place