[gremlin]

I didn't start climbing untill I was 41 (I'm 45 this year  ) and I'd be really interested in the thoughts and opinions of other climbers who started quite late in life?

In particular, training methods (developing finger strength) and climbing achievements. Is it still possible to reach a high standard without having climbed from being a kid?

No old fart jokes please! 

[jonsse]

Depends what you call a high standard. I only started when I was 27, now pushing 30 i've climbed 7C and can do 7B in a sesh. I don't train, just go climbing once or twice a week, haven't got a "beastmaker".
Helps if you don't have a job sitting on your arse all day. i'm a builder/joiner that also makes classical guitars when someone wants one (pretty fingery shit!)
Reckon i've got 8A in me before i'm resigned to easy trad.
I'd say the key is don't cock about clipping if you want to be good at bouldering.
also i'm blessed being 6' and 10.5 stone... can't put weight on.

[robertostallioni]

Met one of you older types in Erto a couple of years back. He (an Italian, suprisingly enough) started at 42, RP'ed 8b at 50 and was mixing it up with us at 52. He may be dead now though. 
He'd been sporty all his life though.*

*All based on long conversations held in Italsprench as he didn't speak the queens english.

[tomtom]

I climbed from 21-25/6 (E2/3 was my pinnacle..) then pretty much did nothing from 1997/8 until 2006/7 - It felt like starting again! I'm OK around the low 7's... working 7B and upwards... I too hope theres an 8A in me some day, but not quite sure!! Enjoying getting there though... (I'm 42 btw..)
TT

[tesla]

If you're reasonably fit, have the motivation and facilities to train regularly, and are willing to put in the effort, then there's no reason you can't become a competent boulderer later in life. One thing to be mindful of is that it generally takes longer to recover from injuries the older you get, climbing or otherwise (at least that's the way it works for me!), so being realistic in your expectations, listening to your body and being careful not to over train is important I think.

Slight thread hijack: I was actually wondering if climbing when younger, then taking a prolonged break before starting again actually made you more susceptible to injury in some way...or perhaps it's just starting again with unrealistic expectations that leads to injury? I climbed quite a bit from 11-18 peaking at around 7C+ mostly injury free, save for the occasional bout of very mild tendonitis. I then had a big gap until about 25 where I didn't really climb, and spent the next few years trying to get fit again but having regular shoulder / finger problems, before sinking back into ill-health, obesity and laziness. After yet another break, I'm back again, but pretty fit this time, 50lbs lighter and - touch wood - injury free for the past 2 years. I've worked my way back to climbing 7A. I'm 37 now.

[tomtom]

Slight thread hijack: I was actually wondering if climbing when younger, then taking a prolonged break before starting again actually made you more susceptible to injury in some way...or perhaps it's just starting again with unrealistic expectations that leads to injury? I climbed quite a bit from 11-18 peaking at around 7C+ mostly injury free, save for the occasional bout of very mild tendonitis. I then had a big gap until about 25 where I didn't really climb, and spent the next few years trying to get fit again but having regular shoulder / finger problems, before sinking back into ill-health, obesity and laziness. After yet another break, I'm back again, but pretty fit this time, 50lbs lighter and - touch wood - injury free for the past 2 years. I've worked my way back to climbing 7A. I'm 37 now.

I had all sorts of elbow tendonitis problems from overtraining on pull ups when I was younger.. since I've re-started I've had very few problems. I've avoided campus things like the plague and only had a little tennis elbow (spotted it coming) and the odd twangy A2.. which have all healed up after a couple of months.. Mind you, that may be to do with having a job - so not having the time to train/climb as much as I would have then,.... I'm not 9 1/2 stone any more though!

Related - and similarly thread hijacking, I stopped playing sport pretty much at 17 - apart from cycling (so no running, footy etc..) until I was c.29-30 and I've never had any knee, shin splint or leg related injuries. All my 5 a side playing ageing contemporaries who seem to have never had a break turn up with a variety of braces, supports (and excuses!).... 

[fried]

I restarted climbing at 38ish, now 40 and a bit. It definitely takes longer to recover. I'd love to climb 4 or 5 times a week  but I just get more and more injured.

I just hope there's a 7A in me somewhere!

[Oldmanmatt]

Ha! After yesterday in Cresciano, I felt like starting this thread.
You read my mind!

I've not had many injury problems, but I've been on the wall all year and not the rock.

The tender finger skin of yesterday, I can understand.

The cramp, I can't, or the lack of power.

Warm up and burn out?

What's that about?

[Ti_pin_man]

If it helps I've started about 9/10 weeks ago whilst waiting for my next contract.  I've managed 2/3 sessions a week and managed a 6a at the weekend.  I think it was a low rate font.  But still impressed myself. 

I am 42, 43 in a month.  Been mountain biking for 20 odd years so keep myself active.

My next contract starts soon so the climbing will reduce.

I'm pretty happy with my progress even though I suspect my progress will slow but I like the combination of mental/physical challenge. 

I think I could get better and age isn't going to hinder me.  I half think it's all in the mind and once you think you're old it will hit ya!  Keep climbing!  Keep going!

[shark]

If it helps I've started about 9/10 weeks ago whilst waiting for my next contract.  I've managed 2/3 sessions a week and managed a 6a at the weekend.  I think it was a low rate font.  But still impressed myself. 

More impressively posting within 10 weeks on UKB - that's what I call progress !

[Ti_pin_man]

  

Google'd for technique clues and landed here!

[BB]

UKB is the Internet equivalent of taking your shirt off. Gains you a least a grade.

[Oldmanmatt]

Ha! After yesterday in Cresciano, I felt like starting this thread.
You read my mind!

I've not had many injury problems, but I've been on the wall all year and not the rock.

The tender finger skin of yesterday, I can understand.

The cramp, I can't, or the lack of power.

Warm up and burn out?

What's that about?

That was quite incoherent...

I guess you shouldn't post while on the shuttle from Gatwick south to the long term...

A more reasoned response to G's question and the injury question would be:

I'm 41.

I started climbing at 8.

I went off to do " Mountains"  from '94 to '00 (ish) along with surfing, diving etc the pure climbing took a back seat.

Spent '00 to '08 in the Mid-East mainly diving and canyon running /Deserty type stuff.

From my daughters birth in '05, work and family got in the way...

I put on 10kg...

When No. one child started walking, we began to get out again, number 2 came along in '08 at the time we returned to the UK.

Looking for something to do with Number 1, we started bouldering in spring '09 and regular visits to the wall...

I'm back down to 77kg, 183cm tall and strong as buggery.

I'm manking all over the forum because I couldn't tick a 7C+ in a single, hour long; session and that having tried, I couldn't then manage a tricky sit start on a 7B+... With a bunch of lads, the oldest of which was 28 and had been bouldering full time for over a year. Having never even seen the venue before, let alone the problem!

Thank you for the perspective, chaps.

We are all able.

I know a guy, who is going to be 77 this year, has Limes disease and leads 7a, red points 7b...

[Oldmanmatt]

Actually, I was doing a lot of " mountains" from about '89 on, just mixed up with the sport and Trad...

[tregiffian]

I don`t do entirely relevant but google Admiral K.M. Lawder, he won`t mind. He had an A40 van `cos he didn`t like to grovel about in the standard grey minivan of the era.

[Ti_pin_man]

UKB is the Internet equivalent of taking your shirt off. Gains you a least a grade.

Puts shirt back on -- thought it was drafty in here. 

[gremlin]

I don`t do entirely relevant but google Admiral K.M. Lawder, he won`t mind. He had an A40 van `cos he didn`t like to grovel about in the standard grey minivan of the era.

Have we got a robot here?

Anyway, back on topic. Sounds like there's hope for me yet. I'm fit and reasonably strong but it's the finger strength that takes time I guess and the older one is the longer it will take to develop. I think I'm doing all the right things; training regularly (bouldering and leading), strength training in the gym and a bit of supplementary finger board stuff. So, if I stay the course and dont get injured, I may just be able to get to 7a and beyond? Who knows!

[Jaspersharpe]

To answer the long lay off / injury susceptibility question I had about 12 years off climbing from age 20 to 32.

Got back into it pretty quickly as luckily I hadn't put any weight on and my fingers were still ok strength wise. However, after rapidly progressing to 7C I started picking up niggly injuries here and there and as people have mentioned, it's the recovery time that's the problem. That coupled with the fact that each time you have a layoff it's harder (or at least as hard) to get back to where you were make things psychologically difficult.

When I first started back I rode a massive wave of psyche and quick gains but in the last couple of years injuries (generally not even climbing related) have meant I've had weeks off at a time which have developed into months because of a lack of motivation. It's hard enough finding the time to train when you have work (I pretty much work 2 jobs at the moment), family commitments etc but finding the time and motivation to come back from square one again and again can get really hard.

I know people who have continued to climb while I wasn't and most of them get injured just as much if not more. Perhaps they find it easier to come back as it's more of a natural thing. I suppose I'm trying to say that it's all in the mind.

Anyhow, after the best part of a year of the above I'm finally injury free, full of psyche and looking forward to enjoying my climbing again. Fingers crossed.

gremlin, there's no reason why you can't get to that level. Take it gradually and as long as you're enjoying it and don't get injured too often you'll continue to progress naturally.

[gremlin]

Touch wood, (touches wood) I haven't been injured yet. Maybe I'm not trying hard enough? 

[SA Chris]

gremlin, there's no reason why you can't get to that level. Take it gradually and as long as you're enjoying it and don't get injured too often you'll continue to progress naturally.

What he said. Then find something that is a known soft touch, plays to your strong points, get all the beta you can, spend some time on it and job's a good un.

[Pebblespanker]

Hi Gremlin

For what it's worth I'm 50 this year, climbed a lot between 80 and 89/90 peaking around E3 on grit and limestone, then dropped out of climbing for some time - lots of partying, beer, socialising etc. - became a fat knacker (nothing changes does it Shark!) beer monster; the odd bouldering session if I was in an area with rock and I remembered my boots and I basically did nowt until in my 40's and around 2006 when I discovered a mate at work was going to Notts wall - so got involved and started again. What a depressing education that was ... I may remember being able to boulder around soft tech 6b in the past but my body certainly wasn't able now; 4c at the wall was desperate and being a couple of stone overweight did NOT help. Probably explains the finger injuries/tweaks too ... mind thinks yes, I try to claw my way up and the body says feck off have an injury

However dieting and starting a more structured training plan in 2009 helped with the injuries and steady progress was made. One thing I learnt was recovery is slower and injuries easier to achieve at my advanced age lol. I have a Metolius board in Notts and a Beasty in Scotland ( I split my time between the two locations) and am loving the Beast! Progress has been steady and upwards and the boards have helped in conjunction with regular wall visits and being careful about when to push myself - always be sure you are not tired, carrying a tweak etc or you will pay the price

Currently I manage V4/5 regularly and am aiming for V6/7A this year if all goes well. Have also started sport again and have managed to get up to 6b quickly depite lack of mileage indoors etc - again the aim is to reach 7a or as close as I can manage this year weather and time permitting One thing I am proud of is that I now boulder as hard or harder than I did in my 20's, certainly in terms of recorded problems - goes to show that age should not be seen as a barrier or an excuse for failure. If I can be on a rising performance curve then so can anyone lol

Don't let age be a barrier - look at Steve Haston as an example of what can be done post 50! Remember if you struggle the problem is not hard you just need to train harder so MTFU! Be realistic and do as suggested when going for a new grade, find ones that suit your strengths and dont just try the ones your buddies are playing on. Once you've ticked that new grade you can look to consolidate at the grade afterwards etc.

Good luck, H

[tomtom]

gremlin, there's no reason why you can't get to that level. Take it gradually and as long as you're enjoying it and don't get injured too often you'll continue to progress naturally.

What he said. Then find something that is a known soft touch, plays to your strong points, get all the beta you can, spend some time on it and job's a good un.

+1

And.. wait for a cold day, when you're light (and have a couple of diuretic expresso's) have good skin and are feeling strong.

[Fiend]

Exciting topic. Big up to the all the old cunts. I feel fucking old when I look at all the kids climbing today. Got seriously worried this year with health issues and weight gain and a looming sense of inescapable degeneration as my body struggles to cope. But just so syked for climbing that I'm keeping fighting and it seems to be working. Reading about you OAPs keeping ticking and keeping syked is pretty damn inspiring 

[SA Chris]

Did my first bouldering comp in years recently. Up here veterans are 45 and older, so i was competing against whippersnappers 18 and up. Held my own on the technical vertical stuff and slopers, but got spanked on the steeper army stuff by kids half my weight and on things involving climbing upside down with feet by your hands.

[tomtom]

Did my first bouldering comp in years recently. Up here veterans are 45 and older, so i was competing against whippersnappers 18 and up. Held my own on the technical vertical stuff and slopers, but got spanked on the steeper army stuff by kids half my weight and on things involving climbing upside down with feet by your hands.

Last years summer bouldering league thingy in Leeds had the seniors category as 40 and over... I didnt enter - but probably will this year - might squeeze a top 3 and win a pair of boots/T shirt etc..

[SA Chris]

I think almost everywhere in the UK it's 40 and older.

[webbo]

Did my first bouldering comp in years recently. Up here veterans are 45 and older, so i was competing against whippersnappers 18 and up. Held my own on the technical vertical stuff and slopers, but got spanked on the steeper army stuff by kids half my weight and on things involving climbing upside down with feet by your hands.

Last years summer bouldering league thingy in Leeds had the seniors category as 40 and over... I didnt enter - but probably will this year - might squeeze a top 3 and win a pair of boots/T shirt etc..

Dream on unless no one turns up. You've now got the likes of Bitcom and Swanny competing in the vets cat.

[gremlin]

Met one of you older types in Erto a couple of years back. He (an Italian, suprisingly enough) started at 42, RP'ed 8b at 50 and was mixing it up with us at 52. He may be dead now though. 
He'd been sporty all his life though.*

*All based on long conversations held in Italsprench as he didn't speak the queens english.

You say "older types" like we're a different species! 

This Italian geezer is inspirational! 

[gollum]

Did my first bouldering comp in years recently. Up here veterans are 45 and older, so i was competing against whippersnappers 18 and up. Held my own on the technical vertical stuff and slopers, but got spanked on the steeper army stuff by kids half my weight and on things involving climbing upside down with feet by your hands.

Last years summer bouldering league thingy in Leeds had the seniors category as 40 and over... I didnt enter - but probably will this year - might squeeze a top 3 and win a pair of boots/T shirt etc..

Dream on unless no one turns up. You've now got the likes of Bitcom and Swanny competing in the vets cat.

You might be in with a chance................Bitcon is a shadow of his former self and Swanny doesn't compete much. 

[scribble]

As someone else said, depends what you mean by 'high standard'. Putting it another way, I've found big improvement is possible in late 40s without a background in training. I'm 50. I've been climbing on and off for over 20 years in the VS-E1 occasional E2 range and never trained, never bouldered and did only the occasional F6a sport climb. Age 47 I decided to blow the cobwebs away, get some decent shoes and have a proper go at redpointing. Did my first F7a after a few months, first F7b and F7b+ after a year, first F7c after two years, so age 49. I'm aiming for F7c+ this year. The main limitation for me is not psyche, time or energy but proneness to injury if I overdo it at all. So, go for it, but carefully!
PS: ukb delurk alert.

[Oldmanmatt]

The funny thing is...
When I signed up to UKB, I choose the moniker "Oldmanmatt" because I thought I'd be amongst the oldest using the forum.

[scribble]

I know a guy, who is going to be 77 this year, has Limes disease and leads 7a, red points 7b...

I am seriously determined to be that guy (minus the Lymes disease). I cannot imagine not being psyched to climb. More psyched than ever after more than 20 years.

[fatdoc]

happy to say I'm pretty sure I'm still one of the fattest

[Fiend]

I challenge you for that title!

[shark]

Toby recognised and had a chat with 65 year old Lee Shaftel when we were in Kalymnos in October




He started at the age of 32 and redpointed his first 5.14a at 59

[Fiend]

Like watching young gymnasts or ice skaters, it’s lovely and fascinating to see children and small lizards scampering up unimaginably difficult walls, but it is definitely not what I would call “inspiring.” Since none of us will ever become younger or a small reptile, these impressive feats do not give anyone who is not in that demographic anything to aspire to–and can also make you question if it’s possible to even try….

Yeah fuck the wee reptilian shites and their V11s at 10 years old 


Edit: really nice article in general.

[tomtom]

Did my first bouldering comp in years recently. Up here veterans are 45 and older, so i was competing against whippersnappers 18 and up. Held my own on the technical vertical stuff and slopers, but got spanked on the steeper army stuff by kids half my weight and on things involving climbing upside down with feet by your hands.

Last years summer bouldering league thingy in Leeds had the seniors category as 40 and over... I didnt enter - but probably will this year - might squeeze a top 3 and win a pair of boots/T shirt etc..

Dream on unless no one turns up. You've now got the likes of Bitcom and Swanny competing in the vets cat.

Mick was 1st/2nd for a while... not turning up was part of it, there were a couple of seniors who got some great scores but didnt do all the rounds... I recon if you can climb 7A-7B and went to every round you'd be in with a good chance at the Seniors... tell you what, I'll race yer this year

[webbo]

I think I'd be in a diffrent cat something like grand super old knackered veterans vintage class. Senior sounds like its for kids.

[tomtom]

I think I'd be in a diffrent cat something like grand super old knackered veterans vintage class. Senior sounds like its for kids.

I think I'd qualify for the immature category

[webbo]

Did my first bouldering comp in years recently. Up here veterans are 45 and older, so i was competing against whippersnappers 18 and up. Held my own on the technical vertical stuff and slopers, but got spanked on the steeper army stuff by kids half my weight and on things involving climbing upside down with feet by your hands.

Last years summer bouldering league thingy in Leeds had the seniors category as 40 and over... I didnt enter - but probably will this year - might squeeze a top 3 and win a pair of boots/T shirt etc..

Dream on unless no one turns up. You've now got the likes of Bitcom and Swanny competing in the vets cat.

You might be in with a chance................Bitcon is a shadow of his former self and Swanny doesn't compete much. 

You need to stop using technique. Who ever suggested it was clearly trying to ruin your comback.

[scribble]

The usual words of wisdom from Dave MacLeod on his online climbing coach blog:
http://www.onlineclimbingcoach.blogspot.com/2012/02/distracted-from-task-at-hand.html

"I wouldn’t take the message that this [various injuries] is a necessarily a sign that you cannot train as hard as others you observe, just that you cannot do it yet. Big difference. Injuries are much less often caused by a high training load per say, rather it’s sudden increases in the training load or where it is distributed across the body that is more important.
It’s true that some respond differently than others to training stress, but I’d say this is a distraction from the real problem that people run into, which is failure to adjust training load carefully enough and failure to adjust the quality of the recovery to match the change in training load.
If you are used to sitting at a desk all day and training a handful of hours a week, getting stressed, not sleeping enough and drinking a couple of beers every night to forget about it, and then switch to full on climbing many more days on with intense work for elbows and fingers, no wonder the body gets a fright and isn’t able to catch up.
2 years of climbing is nothing. The body takes many years, like ten, for some just to get used to hard training. That is, just to get into full gear and then really start. There are no shortcuts. My advice to anyone in this situation is to use extra time they have to get out and climb in as many different laces as they can. The adjustment needed in the elbows and fingers to train harder will happen along the way, and meanwhile you will actually learn to be a good climber, a process that takes tens of thousands of routes under your belt."

[fried]

If you are used to sitting at a desk all day and training a handful of hours a week,  getting stressed, not sleeping enough and drinking a couple of bottles of wine every night to forget about it, and then switch to full on climbing many more days on with intense work for elbows and fingers, no wonder the body gets a fright and isn’t able to catch up.

What're you spying on me!

[scribble]

If you are used to sitting at a desk all day and training a handful of hours a week,  getting stressed, not sleeping enough and drinking a couple of bottles of wine every night to forget about it, and then switch to full on climbing many more days on with intense work for elbows and fingers, no wonder the body gets a fright and isn’t able to catch up.

What're you spying on me!

Ha! Exactly the phrase that went through my head too!

[Muenchener]

So I'm not alone here in being an old cunt who admittedly didn't *start* climbing in his late 40s, but resumed after a long (> 10 years) hiatus.

Luckily for me I was always a hopeless punter (E1/2 trad, sport 6b/c) so regaining my old level wasn't too much of a challenge when I decided, after a couple of years pottering with the family, to put a bit of effort and structure into training. Exceeding it should be possible too - and there I find time and family commitments are more of an obstacle than injury (*). I'm fortunate in that there are wonderful climbing possibilities within easy weekend range of where I live: Frankenjura 2 hours, Sella Pass 3 hours. But I don't get that many family-free weekends, and there's basically nothing decent within evening/afternoon range. So I go to walls a lot, and focus my attention on onsighting because I don't have a local venue that I get to regularly enough to make it worth having redpoint projects (**). Which probably limits my rate of progress.

(*) although I did get my only ever ring pulley tear within a few weeks of resuming training, and my elbows get rather sore if I do too many steep bouldering sessions in a row

(**) Yes I have seen the video in which Adam's dad drives from Czech to Catalonia several times in the space of a few weeks so that Adam can work on his project. Good for him.

Did my first bouldering comp in years recently. ... Held my own on the technical vertical stuff and slopers, but got spanked on the steeper army stuff by kids

I did a bouldering course last year in which I found that I have reasonable finger strength compared to Kids These Days - thank you Manchester University MacDougall Centre - but am clueless at any kind of hanging-from-feet shenanigans.

[gremlin]

I'm glad I started this thread as it's given me some hope and encouragement for the future. I think I just need to be more patient and realise that improvements come more slowly with age but they will come if I stay sensible and dont push too hard.

[SA Chris]

Well I hit the 12 st mark on the scales this morning after being 13 at Xmas. Got it shifted surprisingly easily. And first time under the 12 1/2 st mark for about 3 years. Didn't take much effort either, just a bit of self-discipline.

[Fiend]

Good effort. How did you do it?

I am still 12.4-ish. The difference being I am not 18 foot tall 

[gremlin]

 

This is about age, not weight!