Where the hell do you find climbing partners?
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After moving to the US (NYC) about a year ago it's been a constant struggle to find a willing and able climbing partner. Nobody wants to take road trips or go out to the rock both days of the weekend. Heck, nobody even wants to go bouldering in the Central Park after work. Trying to get together a road trip for a long weekend? Impossible. Getting together for a training session at the gym is a project in itself. People are too busy for the "rock shit" and I am probably too old to find people that have time :( |
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Move out west |
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Marek Sapkovski wrote:After moving to the US (NYC) about a year ago it's been a constant struggle to find a willing and able climbing partner. Nobody wants to take road trips or go out to the rock both days of the weekend. Heck, nobody even wants to go bouldering in the Central Park after work. Trying to get together a road trip for a long weekend? Impossible. Getting together for a training session at the gym is a project in itself. People are too busy for the "rock shit" and I am probably too old to find people that have time :( I am not looking for a mountain woman. I am not looking for a mountain man either, not even for a mountain hamster. How about a climbing partner that actually wants to climb outdoors and climb harder?Gimme a pm, Marek. I'm in brooklyn, psyched to climb, psyched to train, try to get out every weekend when the weather is good, have car, have rack, have lots of time off from work, am not flakey, etc. |
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Agreed. It seems like it is way more difficult than it should be (even out west). |
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That´s like asking "how do I get a girl?". Those that can don´t how they do it and those that can´t have no idea. |
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sounds to me like Charles is your new partner. have fun climbing together. |
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Austin Baird wrote:Move out westPretty much the only real answer. Or you'll just have to be more self motivated. Finding compatible partner(s) once you climb harder or get more serious becomes infinitely harder. Other than living at a destination, places like Boulder/SLC are pretty hard to beat for the sheer number of crushers. Occasionally, some hard pulling lucky SOB finds a compatible life/climbing partner combo. I wouldn't bet on it even if I was a betting man. |
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Look for students and the unemployed. They have the best availability and can be easily motivated with food. |
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Does the partner finder match up area here do much good? I met one person through discussions here several years ago, and met at Red Rocks for a day or so of climbing. Often you just go to the right places and you will run into people to climb with. I've never been shut down at the Red..either at Miguels or at Muir Valley parking lot to find climbers for the day. |
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I've been in DC for almost three years and found that it was a lot harder to meet serious climbing partners than it was out west until I realized that there is a strong tradition of club-based sports and outdoor activities in the East and North East. In the DC area I've discovered a lot of great climbers through clubs like this one potomacmountainclub.org. I'd recommend looking around for some local clubs. With the 'Gunks and 'Dacks in your backyard, I'm sure there are plenty of serious climbers near you... |
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Finding trad partners that want to climb 5.11 is really really hard over here on the west coast too. I even considered quitting climbing because I was tired of being the one who had to provide all the psyche and had to constantly 'bully' lazy climbers to get to JTree. Unfortunately the answer seems to be to hang out with the younger up and comers who have energy and don't have a solid job or girlfriend yet. As soon as they hit 27 or so most climbers seem to disappear or become weekend warriors (like me now). Its tough being a climber. It's a lot of energy output not only for the climbing but also for the trips out to the crags. You have to have a lot of passion. Or just wrangle noobs into holding on to the end of your rope. |
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+1 for move west.....it's really your only option....ever |
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Jon Hartmann wrote:Finding trad partners that want to climb 5.11 is really really hard over here on the west coast too.Try harder than 5.11 & it becomes almost impossible. Having lived in the bay area last summer, all of my valley partners (that I met over the summer) ended up being either from Colorado, had lived in Colorado for a long time, or thought long & hard about moving to Colorado. Kind of made me realize how good I have it here. |
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Woodchuck ATC wrote:Does the partner finder match up area here do much good?I've met partners here on MP and are now consistant and have been long term partners. I know who to call for sport, weekday trad, and long trips to places. It's a great tool that have worked for me. |
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I had far more partners when I lived in the New England area than I do now living out west, although I am in southern New Mexico.... |
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Based on this and on your other post about how you don't like NYC gyms, do you think maybe you're putting out kind of a negative vibe that is interfering with your ability to get partners? |
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Optimistic wrote:And even if they're not as badass as you, wouldn't a day of hiking 5.6 still be better than staying home?Possibly, but in that case, why would you need a partner? |
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reboot wrote: Possibly, but in that case, why would you need a partner?There you go: yet another constructive alternative! Or go TR soloing... Or go with the gumby, but set a goal of dragging him/her up 30 pitches in a day or something, sharpen the ol' alpine skillz. All better than saying how much everything sucks. |
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People suck. Climb solo. |
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We get up early,don't ever work,climb all day and yeah, it may be Kentucky but we got headlamps here too you know.... |
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It's been many years, but if I couldn't find partners hanging at the Uberfall I wasn't trying. If I wanted to climb harder, go to millbrook |