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language barrier when living/climbing abroad

Original Post
T.L. Kushner · · Salt Lake City, UT · Joined May 2009 · Points: 5

so i'll be graduating from college in may, i've got a job lined up for the summer but have no plans after that. the two big options i've been considering is a huge nationwide road trip, or living in europe for 8 months to a year. i'm leaning more towards option 2 because the road trip would be cool and i'd get to climb a bunch but it's something i feel like i would be able to do later in life, should the desire arise. My question to those of you who have lived in another country is how much did the language barrier hinder your finding partners/going climbing. I was leaning towards any german speaking country because i speak decent german as it is and i know many europeans speak great english but i was hoping to hear any first hand stories or even better, some advice for living in another country and finding partners, belay calls, ETC

ThreeDee · · Manhattan, KS · Joined Sep 2010 · Points: 5

This is funny because I was going to ask the same thing! I'm moving to Italy this fall.

Alex Whitman · · Chattanooga · Joined Sep 2009 · Points: 440

Well, it's not easy. I lived in Spain for six months last year and had a little trouble finding partners. I wasn't very proactive about the matter but it was a bit intimidating to climb with a language barrier. It is all good until something goes wrong, so multipitch was pretty much out of the question. But I would by no means have traded my time in Spain for six months of road tripping. I've lived in the car and climbed everyday; Europe is better. Also I would say I learned more Spanish hanging out in the gym than in any of my organized lessons, so it can be a great relaxed atmosphere to learn the language like a native. I say go, your car and Rifle will still be there when you get back. If you decide to come back, I sure didn't want to.

Ryan Williams · · London (sort of) · Joined May 2009 · Points: 1,245

It completely depends on where you are, sometimes down to what street you are on or what circle of people you hang out with. In my experience, many climbers are happy and able to get around whatever language barrier there might be by just going out and climbing. Even in places like Spain, where everyone seems to climb, people are still excited to meet other climbers and willing to show you around. More often than not, they are very interested in trying to speak as much English as possible, for the sake of their own education. Sometimes this impedes any progress you try to make in learning their language, because they always want to speak English!

What I learned in SE Asia is that having a laid back and open attitude toward every moment of your life makes you very enjoyable to be around. There were times when I was absolutely lost in trying to find a bus to a tiny village or a ride out into the middle of nowhere - all in the name of climbing. But once I showed people my gear and mimicked a climbing motion, they became interested - usually enough to try and help me find my destination, just to see what the hell I was going to do.

Beyond that, just make an effort to communicate and be respectful. A smile goes a LONG way in most parts of the world.

PS, they speak German in many amazing climbing areas in Europe. Go to one, and become fluent. Being bilingual will most certainly benefit you more in life then any climbing trip will.

bergbryce · · California · Joined Aug 2009 · Points: 145

I learned to climb in Germany. Most Germans have near perfect English so the communication part wasn't much of an issue. It was cool to learn all the commands in German and to use meters instead of feet too.
I also spoke some German which helped because I used a German climbing forum to find my first and main partner. Learned a lot from that guy, good partner.

There was a local climbing shop I met people at too, as well as a gym that was also a good source for partners. It's not impossible, but knowing some of the local language will help.

Edited to add: This was in the Heidelberg area, southwest Germany not too far from the Sudpfalz climbing region, as well as several smaller, local crags. There is no shortage of climbing in the rest of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, which in my experience, those countries were easy to navigate with English and some German. Chamonix is also an option, English works fine there, but less so outside of Cham. There's plenty of other stuff to do too if climbing doesn't work out for some reason. There's always bouldering too or rope solo-ing.

Jon H · · PC, UT · Joined Nov 2009 · Points: 118

Hey TL,

Bummer we never got a chance to climb together after meeting what, 2 years ago? Hopefully we can rope up this summer though!

Send me your number, I've got some insights for you, but no time to type it all out. I can give you a ring on the way home when I'm in the middle of my commute though.

Tready Ready · · Bozeman · Joined Aug 2008 · Points: 0

If you've not travelled internationally a whole lot, particularly by yourself, it'd probably make the most sense to go to a country where you speak the native language. Yeah, a lot of Europeans speak English, but as you get away from larger cities, that number tends to shrink.

Depending on your finanacial situation, it might make the most sense to head to Germany for a month or two, and then venture out from there?

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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