starting from ground zero

Hi all,

I just discovered this forum in my search for a way to break into the bouldering/climbing world. I'm very new, only having climbed at The Spot in Boulder twice and passed a belay test a long while ago. I prefer the simplicity of bouldering and want to find someone/a group that would be willing to share some knowledge to a newbie. Some tips on climbing, movement, spotting, maybe trips to actual outside spots, etc would be ideal.

I do have a few friends that climb but they are light years beyond me in ability and also live on the Western Slope, not exactly down the street. Anybody local that's willing to meet at The Spot to climb with a rookie?

thanks!

Spending time in a gym is the quickest way to meet partners, plus when they arent from the internet they're less likely to turn you into a skin shirt.

good point. I guess I was hoping for more insight.

what's a skin shirt?

"it puts the lotion on it's skin"

If you are genuinely supportive and most importantly POSITIVE (even when you are having high gravity days), you should have no problem meeting partners in the gym.

Don't fall victim to the 'blind leading the blind' scenario.. there are plenty of goobers out there with shiny new racks itching to be someones mentor (scary).

Finally, don't let the douches with super inflated ego's turn you off. Just laugh because it's all pretty silly, regardless how hard you climb.

Hey, Azuki - I'm on the other side of the country, so I can only offer advice - I'd keep going to the gym, even if you're not going with anyone you know. Try and meet some people, watch how they move... Pay attention to how they balance and move their feet. Ask for beta (advice) on how to do certain moves, then practice them. Try and get as much mileage climbing as you can, even if you're just traversing, you're building muscle memory on how to move. There are also some good books out there you should get too. I'd look at The Self Coached Climber by Hague and Hunter - it's particularly good resource for learning and understanding movement, and Rock Climbing: Mastering Basic Skills by Luebben provides a good overview of all things climbing.

azuki wrote:good point. I guess I was hoping for more insight. what's a skin shirt?

Skin you. make your skin into a shirt. wear said shirt.

Insight:
If you want to get invited on trips/climb, learn to spot and belay and do both well. Always be willing to do these two things, and you will be in high demand as a climbing partner.

Don't jump in with the first crew to invite you out for a sweet boulder sesh, as dirtbag mentioned they could be anywhere on the scale from obnoxious to downright dangerous. Spend some time getting to know who you are climbing with and your experiences will probably be more pleasant as well as safer. This only really should require one or two gym sessions.

Thanks guys, for the advice and recommendations. It seems like the best way to jump in is to just get going, skin-shirted douchebags be damned!

Larry, thanks for the note on the value of traversing - especially at my level.

onward to get some climbing mileage...