[User deactivated.]

Inspired by the oldies thread.

I thought it was interesting to see what progress people have made as they've carried on climbing, so for those willing, share your best grade by age stats (all ages are invited) and any interesting anecdotes relating to progress.

I'll start:

28: I bouldered outside for the first time and if I remember correctly climbed 6A+

29: my best effort was Demon Wall Roof 7A+, which took 4 sessions and was the first thing I climbed that took more than a single session. I remember at this time I had just started using a hangboard and could only manage +3kg with 2 arms on the Lattice edge for 7 seconds.

30: It took about 6 months to progress from 7A+ to 7B, then I built my first board, got way stronger and jumped straight up to 7C within 3 months of climbing on it. From this point on, I've mostly just used a board and climbed outside once per week on average.

31: 7C+. I discovered limestone and did a few of the local classics (Source of Secrets, Lound Hill link ups, etc). Got a bit stronger.

32: 3 8A's on 3 different rock types (one I thought was easier), despite not really getting any stronger in training.

33: 2 8A+'s on 2 different rock types (one I thought was 8A), getting a bit stronger in training.

34: Much stronger in training, but haven't done my projects. I'm mostly inspired by trying to climb things that I think I probably can't do at the moment. If i'm right, I won't climb anything, but there's still 6 months to get on Remus' list, fuck Fiend's soul climber bollocks

[Duncan campbell]

When was your lattice plan?? 

[Wellsy]

Late 2019, started bouldering with zero athletic base (age 30 I think)

Late 2020, bouldered outside for the first time, 6B and 6B+ not long after

Early 2021, first 6C

Mid 2021, first limestone 7A+ but really probs soft

Late 2021, first proper 7A+

2022, knee injury which I took six months getting back to

Not improved my grade since than really but realistically got a lot more consistent at the 7A/+ level in 2023. Spent a while on my athletic base and now back to trying to focus on climbing.

Hoping to do some 7Bs this year. Various goals at 34/35

[User deactivated.]

When was your lattice plan?? 

For 6 months at age 31.

[Wellsy]

8A in four years is pretty crazy

[spidermonkey09]

Interesting reading Liam; Seems to me like you saw a pretty quick improvement outside once you started climbing on a rock type (limestone) which played to your strengths. Once you saw this improvement and had learnt the 'feeling' of trying and climbing hard you then managed to translate it across other rock types, alongside the fact that you were probably better at moving on rock etc just from having climbed for longer?

I think this is a reasonably common experience and is exactly why playing to your strengths while trying to break new ground is a good idea.

[Duncan campbell]

8A in four years is pretty crazy

Indeed! Very impressive!

[rodma]

1991:  started climbing, max VS
1997: started bouldering,  max 6A
1998-2000 some sport up to 7b ish
2001: bouldering again break through to 7C+
2007: do my first 8As aged 31
2012: do my first 8A+s aged 36
I never got stronger than I was that year
2023: snuck up a (new to me) 8A in font aged 47 and 11/12ths
Who knows, maybe I have more in me yet

There's no chance I could repeat either of the 8As I did in 2007 and a slim chance I could repeat half of the 7Cs etc as well, I'm just completely different

[mr chaz]

Been enjoying these motivational threads atm.

Age13: introduced to climbing - indoor ropes and trad were king.

13 - 18: Much ledge shuffling up to HVS/E1, probably the sketchiest bit of my climbing life when I look back. More gear fell out than stayed put.

18 - 25: Major catalyst events of i) getting a form of motorised transport and ii) becoming a student =  training 4 x a week indoors plus outside most weekends. Slow progression to climbing 7C boulder and 8a sport, think I also onsighted E2 (pathetic!).

25 - 28: No real progression.

29 - 31: Injuries and a child = general regression but still managing the odd 7B boulder.




 

[User deactivated.]

8A in four years is pretty crazy

I did climb indoors for a few years before going outside so it's not really 4 years, but I admit that I have been fortunate to enjoy relatively good progress!

Interesting reading Liam; Seems to me like you saw a pretty quick improvement outside once you started climbing on a rock type (limestone) which played to your strengths. Once you saw this improvement and had learnt the 'feeling' of trying and climbing hard you then managed to translate it across other rock types, alongside the fact that you were probably better at moving on rock etc just from having climbed for longer?

I think this is a reasonably common experience and is exactly why playing to your strengths while trying to break new ground is a good idea.

The Keel (7C) was my first proper siege and to this date is still the longest project I've ever had, taking a whopping 14 sessions. Once I was getting close to doing it, I said to myself that it would be the hardest I'd ever climb. I wasn't enjoying it and just wanted to get it over with. I had poor tactics and poor mindset at that time, but those things take time to develop, so I don't regret it.

From 7C to 8A, my tactics improved massively, and I feel like that made most of the difference, along with small but relevant strength gains. From 8A to 8A+ I felt like mindset made the difference. Whilst I'd never made it a real goal, I think that subconsciously I had always wanted to climb the 'holy 8A', and doing a few of them ironically helped me let go of being attached to grades and outcomes. I haven't really been stressed on a project since and I think this and further improving tactics got me further along.

Currently, it feels like strategy is what might help continued improvement, which I think of like tactics but applied to longer time frames. The proof will be in the pudding if I climb some more hard things, but I feel more optimistic about improving to 8B and beyond than I did about progressing to 7C+ a few years ago. 

[Ross Barker]

2017, age 18: Got into climbing. Initially started a crap, cheap, dusty local wall. Wasn't intending on it being a particularly athletic pursuit initially, but after 6 months my friend started coming much less frequently so I just got suckered into bouldering. Seconded a couple easy trad routes, Diff or so.

2018: Climbed a couple 6As outdoors, then took a 6ish month break due to financial hardship. Got back later in the year but nothing harder than 5+ outdoors, 6B+ on the MB2016.

2019: Got really into outdoor bouldering and consistently indoor climbing. Greener Traverse 6B in March, Razor Roof 6C in April, first A2 pulley strain, then Northumberland Wonderland 7A in July.

2020: Couple of 7As at the start of the year, some a little stern but no +s. Lockdown #1 happened and didn't really train much at all. After that, Kyloe In 7A+ in July. Also did Slow Worm later that month but it's not 7B at my height. Started trying more 7Bs and getting more mileage in around 7A/+ as well.

2021: More of the same, eventually culminating in Reckless 7B in August, and Wherever I Lay My Hat 7B+ in September. Possibly a fluke!

2022: The Ramp Up 7B+ in April, a couple others throughout the year, but a good number of 7A-7B things done in a session. Salathe 7C on the MB2016 on NYE with some lank.

2023: Most of it was thwarted by some sort of finger injury or crap weather. Severus Snape 7B+ in May was a rare period of being quite uncrippled. Deep 7C on MB2016 between other bouts of injury. Somehow scraped up Lizard King 7C with some fancy hold dragging while injured. It's probably soft as well, innit.

2024: Quite a few 7A-B things quite quickly so far. Done all the moves on Louisville Lip 7C+, but I think doing them all in a row is the hard bit Feeling a bit less injured, I think I've developed better habits to reduce risk, so once I'm recovered from this hopefully I'll be able to stave of injury better.

[Fultonius]

This might take some serious memory dredging and logbook checks...

I think I started climbing sometime in year 2000. Age 17.

17-18 I just pottered around, going indoors ever month or so until i went to uni.

18-19 I went once or twice a week to GCC with the uni crowd. I was invariable hungover from Tuesday night sessions, but weekends were usually better.

2002: First trad lead: VS. Pretty sure by this point I was leading f6c indoors, maybe the odd 7a, an failing miserably on 6a sport outdoors (knacky, badly bolted Scottish 6a sandbags).
2003:Progressed to E1 quite quickly. Tried an E2, on slate, fell off onto a newly purchased BD Micro brass stopper, the QD caught through my leg loop and I had a bit of a nasty stop. Ripped leg loop mostly off harness. This killed my trad head for a while...
2004. By this point I was getting fitter, drinking a bit less (really drank too much in first 2 years of uni), starting to boulder outside at Dumby and climb more frequently indoors. Mainly just lead climbing, standard route pyramids. Some pullups, some indoor bouldering on a bendcrete wall. (GCC).

First foreign trip: font, then ceuse. Didn't quite manage any 7As in Font, but from memory got very close to a few - got Font Elbow for the first time.
 Managed Medecine Douce (6c+) in Ceuse, as a flash - no idea where I pulled that from! Go to the last move of a 7b quite a few times.
Later that year progressed to f7a+ rp at Dumby.

2005: Got stuck into my first proper project, Hamish Teds at Upper Cave (7b+) first extending my grade totem pole. Climbing was still predominantly "having at it" with no real structured training. Maybe doing up-down-ups on the lead wall by this point? I guess I had a good indoor pyramid, just not outdoors.

2006: mainly just getting stuck into trad and winter, some ice climbing up to WI4. Getting more into outdoor bouldering in Scotland in Skye, Dumby. 6B-6C level.

2007: First 7A at Dumby (Pongo). Spent loads of time going to Dumby, mainly bouldering. Once or twice a week when the weather could cope.  On M7 flash and WI5s in Rjukan.

Indoors: mainly rope climbing, outdoors: mainly Dumby bouldering or trad. Up to E2, loads of trad mileage. First hebrides trip. Some E3s, first E4 onsight (retro upgrade!)

2008: Loads more trad. Finished Uni, briefly moved up to Aberdeen and bouldered a fair bit on the coast. 7A, 7A+, more dumby 7A and 7A+s, first 7B. Sport: 7a. Subluxed my left shoulder at Dumby - first bigger injury from climbing.
Font trip: 4 x 7A, 1 x 7A+

2009: Another 7B at Dumby, winter climbing (Eagle Ridge - first big VI). More E4s, tried first E5. F7b at weem in a day, 7b at Dumby. Still not really "training" but probably did do various additional exercises, nothing particularly structured.

A mega year of trips/trad/big stuff. Took 7 weeks off work and did a Hebrides trip, followed by 3 weeks in Lofoten and 3 weeks in Squamish. First 5.11c onsights. (Freeway lite) . More 7B at Dumby, first 7B+ (long traverse thing)  First E5 6b onsight. First f7c+ sport (Awaken at Dumbuck - 5 bolt PE overhanging bolted bouldering basically).

Then had a bad car crash in the winter, smashing my knee and needing surgery (PCL, PFL, LCL rebuild).

2010: Fingerboarding and knee rehab.

2011: back to easy tra, building up fitness. Mainly indoor roped climbing, trying to get back to fitness. Got psyched by Mark Macgowan doing 6a to 8a in 180 days or something like that, so decided to push my sport level while the knee was rebuilding. Managed to do Sufferance at Dumbarton as my first f8a (low in the grade, but seems to resist the downgrade).

E5 miltpitch.

First 7c in a day (3rd go, El Chorro).

I seem to remember this being off the back of doing repeaters and trip-routes, but it's hazy. Was definitely psyched at the time, low stress job.

2012: due to job shuffles I had chance to take 2 months off, went to Chamonix in the winter for skiing and some alpine winter stuff. Met my partner. October: quite job and moved back to chamonix!

Kind of ticking along at this stage, trad up to E4, still doing the odd 6C+/7A, f7b+ routes. Multipitch 7a onsight (Riglos)

Winter: First Wi6 with Nuit Blanche. M6 winter alpine. "Cross training"

For the next 3 years I lived there, got supremely fit, but lost power. Could climb trad E3/F6c for hours, head was the best it has been. Tried one harder sport project (Reve de Singe, 8a) but never really got anywhere. Ticked off a pile of summer and winter alpine routes.

Went to Yosemite for the first time, mainly did aid (Zodiac, Half Dome in a Day). Climbing highlight was The Rostrum.

First 7A flash - harry spotter at Cresciano. Sport: 7a onsight level.

At the stage I was the lightest of my adult life, but generally ate like a horse. 73-75kg. Did lack power for bouldering, and didn't get much focussed training in while in Chamonix as it was just so easy to go and ski powder instead....

In the final summer we packed up our stuff and did a van trip around Europe. Not totally climbing focussed (partner only just getting into it then) but had a dolomites trips planned in the middle which wanted to get fit for, so managed to build up from a low base (Pulley injury earlier that year). Managed to scrape up a F7a+ onsight in Slovenia (which I now realise was a good effort given how savage the grades can be!) and then did the Brandler Hasse with Andy!

The came the 30s...

Dad passed away.

Moved back to Scotland, went back to uni. Got too focussed on this, had first ever anxiety and shit sleeps.

New job, stressful.

TCA newsroom had opened by this stage and I got quite into training, reading up on things, trying new stuff but I think probably spending too much time still under-fuelling thinking being light was important, which I think hampered any gains for the next 5-10 years...

And since then.... pretty much been in a plateau ever since!

I have, to be fair, since then also onsighted my first 7bs and got very close to another 8a at Dumby (11 sessions in, have been through the crux but dropped it higher up)

Also had a good few years of trad onsighting, with 10-15 E5s, another F7c at upper cave and another 7c+ at Dumbuck, and 3 x E6s (worked). Some 7A+s in the lakes. First VIII in winter.

In this period I have various stabs at more structured training, a period of more running (build up for the ring of steall skyrace) but I think my life situation / work stress / diet / drinking habits were all holding me back from making much gains, also had various injuries, tendonitis (TE and middle finger extensor insertion) etc.

2022 was a better year, mainly as I had quite my job and started bumming around and doing some very limited freelance work. I was burnt out and couldn't throw myself into climbing / training, so just needed to be nice to myself!

Still generally climbing 7b in a day, close to 7c and had a 4 week trip to Canada  to try to do some stuff in the bugaboos.

Nearly cut my finger off in 2023, had to climb first half of a costa blanca trip with that finger taped, but did manage a 7b+ by the end of the trip.




And at the end of all that.....


I'm now 40, 41 in a month - much more satisfying job, not stressful interesting, flexible and 4 days a week. No kids, no plans for. Quite excited about the next decade given the other stories of gains in the 40+ group.

I suspect my genetic potential is around 8b.I'm pretty big framed, 182cm, currently 81kg. I seem to be suffering a lot from nutrition issues just now - basically I think I tanked my metabolism from years of eating <2500cal, often 2200 or less form back-calcs. But I never really got that hungry, but also never really lost much weight just got tired and grumpy and injured.

If I eat what is deemed "enough" for sport gains, I have more energy right up to bed time, feel better in the mornings, more psyched for training, but definitely carry some extra kilos. I suspect this is just the body I have to deal with...

[User deactivated.]

I'm now 40, 41 in a month - much more satisfying job, not stressful interesting, flexible and 4 days a week. No kids, no plans for. Quite excited about the next decade given the other stories of gains in the 40+ group.

I suspect my genetic potential is around 8b.I'm pretty big framed, 182cm, currently 81kg. I seem to be suffering a lot from nutrition issues just now - basically I think I tanked my metabolism from years of eating <2500cal, often 2200 or less form back-calcs. But I never really got that hungry, but also never really lost much weight just got tired and grumpy and injured.

If I eat what is deemed "enough" for sport gains, I have more energy right up to bed time, feel better in the mornings, more psyched for training, but definitely carry some extra kilos. I suspect this is just the body I have to deal with...

I think mindset and momentum count for a lot, so it sounds like you're in a good place to have your best performances still to come. I share your weight loss issues in that I just feel weaker if I lose it, but I'm now comfortable with being a bigger climber. People have built up to pulling over 100kg on an edge with 1 hand. I figure that if I can do the same then as long as I weigh less than 100kg I should be ok.

[spidermonkey09]

This is an interesting thread. I started climbing at 18 when I went to uni in 2011...

2011-15 : mostly trad climbing. Definitely extremely dangerous a lot of the time. I was a good bold climber but useless when things got a bit pumpy. Best effort was probably Great Wall on Cloggy when neither me or my partner had climbed E4 before. A bit of bouldering up to 7A (Trackside I think) and sport up to 7b ish.

2016: Australia. Climbed loads of trad and got really fit and slick. First 7c on Taipan Wall (even if it only given 7b+...)

2017 - moved to Leeds and started sport climbing seriously. Did Raindogs as first 8a.

2018 - Did Zoolook, Supercool as first 8a+ and Predator as my first 8b. First grit 7Cs and a few 7B+s, mostly at Almscliff. This was a decent year looking back! I did train a lot and did very little else the entire time. The minimum work that was necessary to keep my job and minimal social life away from climbing 

2019 - spent the whole year trying and eventually doing Bat Route as my first and likely only 8c. This is very likely a raw performance high point for me. Went to Spain for a few months after and filled out the pyramid a bit. Did Demon Wall Roof Left Hand which I still consider one of the hardest problems I've done.

2020 - covid. Filled pyramid out a bit in low 8s sport. definitely got a lot stronger due to the enforced period of training during lockdown but didn't push bouldering grade.

2021 - Did Austrian Oak and The Great Escape 8b+ at Malham. The latter in particular was pleasing as it didn't require a protracted siege, so definitely getting stronger in hindsight. Maintained the level around 7B+/7C bouldering. Fair bit of trad climbing including a few E5s onsight which is a high water mark.

2022 - Mostly did sport mileage. Had trips to Ceuse and RRG. Did a few grit 7Cs, my first for a few years, and did them in a session or two. if Grand Opera counts as 7C+, then did my first 7C+. Still training a fair but but definitely no stronger than I was in 2021.

2023 - Tried and did not do Unjustified. Sustained bouldering level.

2024 - Managed on paper hardest grit boulder (Ill Gotten Gains) which is prob around 7C/+ I guess.

Looking back I think in raw numbers I was probably strongest around 2021, with the knowledge that I could climb hard and better tactics/strategies to do so. I'm probably not a million miles off when I put a decent training block in over the winter though.

I'm 30 and light. I suspect I could climb harder sport if I could be bothered to put the effort in but ultimately am not sure I can. I am psyched to keep pushing myself around 8b+/8c though as theres good routes in that range in Yorkshire. Bouldering wise I would like to climb 8A (purely for the number) but haven't yet committed to putting the time in. Maybe next winter...

[Fultonius]

Forgot to say - my youth/background was a mix of some team sports (rugby), dinghy sailing (competitive
), downhill mountainbiking (competitive) and a lot of general arsing about, skiing, snowboarding etc. Not your typical intro to climbing.

[jwi]

Nice job everyone! I could write down my eh... 'progress' .. year-by-year but that would give the impression that glaciers are moving rapidly

[User deactivated.]

Nice job everyone! I could write down my eh... 'progress' .. year-by-year but that would give the impression that glaciers are moving rapidly

Progress (at any rate), lack thereof, and regression could all make an interesting read, if only to look out for what to avoid! Contentedness with any of these options would also be nice to read.

I think slow progress over a long time frame is perhaps even more impressive. It must require a lot of dedication and attention to keep subtly refining everything.

[jwi]

I did start in my late twenties without a muscle in my body and no athletic background in any sport and have slowely clawed my way up to 8b+ and 8a o/s without ever having been injured really in 25 years. I have also put in a lot of money and time into "sitting in tents while it is raining", as a friend calls alpine rock-climbing.

[duncan]

My progress posits the importance of social influences (Dave Mac “move to Lochnagar”)

1976 - 1978 - Schoolboy explorations whilst living in rural Somerset.

April 1976 - TRed Severe 3+ (Various in N Wales)
March 1977 - Led/Soloed Severe 3+ (Cheddar; Uphill)
Sept 1978 - Led VS 4+ (First climbing trip, to Borrowdale. Woden’s Face Direct, Woden's Cheek)

Early October 1978 - moved to Sheffield, fell in with the right crowd.

October 1978 week 1 - Led VS 5 (Noah’s Warning)
October 1978 week 2/3  - Led HVS 5 (Tody’s Wall, Valkyrie, John Peel and many others)
October 1978 week 4 - Led E2 5+ (Brown’s Eliminate)
Early November 1978 - Led E2 6a+ (Alcasan)


April 1980 - Second trip to Verdon, a big confidence boost

April 1980 - Led 6b+ (Dièdre des Rappels, l'Escales)
May 1980 - Led E3 6b+ (Mad Dogs and Englishmen)
May 1980 - Led E3 6c (Laurin)
May 1980 - Led E4 6c+ (Our Father, a big deal at the time)


September 1981 - July 1982 California, living and climbing with The Boss and other wads.

October 1981 - Led 7a and 7a+, possible E5 equivalents (Crimson Cringe, Separate Reality, Butterballs)
May 1982  - Led definite E5 equivalents (Astroman, Space Babble)

September 1982 - Led E5 in the UK (Changeling, Right Wall)


Climbing and intermittent casual work Bristol/Melbourne/California

1983 - 1984 - Led hard E5/easy E6s (West Route, Anxiety Neurosis, Tales of Power; all around 7b. None of these were flashes so arguably I hadn't got any better just relaxed my morals).

Injured, moved to London, got a proper job, had a 10 year sabbatical.

1994-2024 - Occasionally reached but never surpassed previous standards.


I did the same training as a Severe or E6 leader: pull-ups and traversing stone walls. I upgraded to the Broomgrove Road Wall (7a+) sometime in 1980 or 81 which may have helped.

I got better when my peer group changed or I moved to climb somewhere new. The magic combination of both happened in October/November 1978 when I moved to Sheffield and started climbing with folk for whom E2 was not that big a deal. I went from leading Severe to E2 in about 6 weeks. In September/October 1981 I moved to Yosemite and hung out with a bunch of wads who led 5.12. Guess what happened.

I need to move out of London or go on a long trip with better climbers.

[SA Chris]

My progress posits the importance of social influences (Dave Mac “move to Lochnagar”)

I think you mean Lochaber. Although living on Lochangar would get you honed on winter stuff, and you could tick your way through the scary classics on Dubh Loch.

[Wellsy]

Nice job everyone! I could write down my eh... 'progress' .. year-by-year but that would give the impression that glaciers are moving rapidly

Progress (at any rate), lack thereof, and regression could all make an interesting read, if only to look out for what to avoid! Contentedness with any of these options would also be nice to read.

I think slow progress over a long time frame is perhaps even more impressive. It must require a lot of dedication and attention to keep subtly refining everything.

I feel like if my top level hasn't gone up, my consistency has. I can consistently do things I couldn't always do before, indoors and outdoors. It wouldn't surprise me if this Summer I tore it up on Limestone, relative to past performance. Suits me much more than grit.

[andy moles]

(Dave Mac “move to Lochnagar”)

I think you mean Lochaber.

I thought this was a pleasingly absurd deliberate pisstake of Dave Mac's leftfield belief that living in one of the wettest parts of the Highlands is the golden ticket to maximising one's climbing potential.

I have lots of friends who live in Lochaber who climb, and I'm pretty sure none of them considers the location (in itself) to be a winning ingredient in their climbing performance.

[spidermonkey09]

Increasingly, the phrase "Dave Macs left field belief" could refer to any number of things.

[Fiend]

Not as left-field as putting bloody sport grades on good honest Great Brexitish Traditional Routes with not a proper tech grade in sight  This is making me very angry 

[andy moles]

Increasingly, the phrase "Dave Macs left field belief" could refer to any number of things.

He'd make a great subject for a folk song. Take note any troubadours out there, you could rhyme 'belief' with 'beef'.