Help? Kinda just feeling over climbing :/

So, I geared all up for a couple month long trip planning to climb, slackline and just enjoy some adventures out in the wilds boondocking, stealth camping, whatever the roads brought my way. It's been an amazing trip but I have had little to no interest in climbing, this has been getting worse and worse for the past couple years, I keep thinking I will feel the pull again but I don't. I can't figure out if I'm discouraged by the amount of consistent climbing it takes to stay at the level I like, if it's a motivation thing or if climbing has just served it's purpose in my life. I know that I love it, I love the problem solving, I love projecting things that seem just out of reach, I love looking for new routes, I love getting in touch with nature. I love all aspects of climbing but seem to have lost all interest in actually doing it, like it's given me what I needed and now it's time to move on.

Have any of you ever dealt with something like this? Where you've been super into climber, took a few years off and found yourself equally or more interested in it again.

I've been worried about this actually but until now just chalked it up to a lack of motivation which I'm fairly certain isn't the case. It could also be this new beard I'm sporting, not sure how that would impact my climbing but I'm open to blaming just about anything within reason.

I know for me a lot of the experience comes from sharing that with a good person/people. Whether cragging or going off on a multipitch adventure, I always have a better time if I'm doing those things with good people. When I was bumming around for partners I never had that great of a time - you don't know the person, they climb too slowly, you make all this small talk, and you know you are not going to see them again. It's just better to have these stories with friend that you will see again.

Don't know if that's the case with you or not, but it matters for me.

ditch the beard

get busy living or get busy dying!

Haven't read any of the other posts, but you should consider reading The Beckoning Silence by Joe Simpson. He deals with losing his enchantment with the mountains, specifically big and dangerous routes, but it might be good to have some company while you figure out what you want from climbing.

Also, try something different. Get on a longer, or shorter route. If you usually do long alpine trad, try some sport or bouldering and vice versa. Even consider just going into the woods and looking for boulders, or going some place without a guidebook. Find some adventure, consider some long easy solos instead of harder routes. Change it up, see if you can find a route, area, climb etc that sparks that desire again.

I was a serious cyclist for over 25 years. I rode several times a week and went on biking vacations. I surfed road and mountain biking websites. I thought I'd keep riding until I was 90. But once I hit my 40's, something changed. I didn't feel like riding no matter what the weather. Anything longer than a 50 mile ride started to feel like work. I tried BMX racing and even bought a beat-up old trials bike to try to renew my interest. Nothing worked for very long. Then I found climbing, and it stole my heart. I still ride occasionally, but I'll go climbing over biking just about any day. So, if climbing has lost its appeal, try something else. Perhaps it's time to move on.

Adam Block wrote: Have any of you ever dealt with something like this? Where you've been super into climber, took a few years off and found yourself equally or more interested in it again?

It can definitely be done. I took 7-8 years off due to a shoulder injury and generally douchebaggery. I came back more stoked than ever. However, being 8 years older had it's challenges for sure and now I lament missing out on all I could have done in that time (although I couldn't have done it without the surgery anyway).

I definitely go through the same type of funk you're going through, I just got back from a road trip and got super stoked on alpine again, but couldn't bring myself to want to sport climb. Like others have said; dabble, find new partners, take time off. there's no right answer.

I get what you're saying about the time commitment to stay at the level you want to be at, I'm not happy unless I'm at my top performance, and that takes a lot of time/work/dedication.

Best of luck, glad to hear it's not just me.

Adam Block wrote:So, I geared all up for a couple month long trip planning to climb, slackline and just enjoy some adventures out in the wilds boondocking, stealth camping, whatever the roads brought my way. It's been an amazing trip but I have had little to no interest in climbing, this has been getting worse and worse for the past couple years, I keep thinking I will feel the pull again but I don't. I can't figure out if I'm discouraged by the amount of consistent climbing it takes to stay at the level I like, if it's a motivation thing or if climbing has just served it's purpose in my life. I know that I love it, I love the problem solving, I love projecting things that seem just out of reach, I love looking for new routes, I love getting in touch with nature. I love all aspects of climbing but seem to have lost all interest in actually doing it, like it's given me what I needed and now it's time to move on. Have any of you ever dealt with something like this? Where you've been super into climber, took a few years off and found yourself equally or more interested in it again. I've been worried about this actually but until now just chalked it up to a lack of motivation which I'm fairly certain isn't the case. It could also be this new beard I'm sporting, not sure how that would impact my climbing but I'm open to blaming just about anything within reason.

If you don't get excited about climbing anymore, then move on. Life is too short!

I can almost relate to what you're going through. The more time I spend climbing, the stronger I get, the harder it is to find motivation to go out and climb. I really like the progression, but I don't like the way climbing has slowly started to resemble the three letter word that starts with J. But... that's with any kind of sports - if you look at any athlete, they work hard and they've accepted it as the way of life.

My motivation and inspiration are the many climbers in their 60s and 70s who live in my area and who are still going hard at it. One of the main reasons they're still in this game is that they go out and do something every single day. I've also seen their peers who let themselves go by simply skipping a day or two here and there.

Tom-onator wrote:ditch the beard

When I grew out my beard from December - June, I noticed I became more lackadaisical with the passing months. Running, surfing, and climbing all dwindled to a saunter; then I shaved and well.... not much has changed, except that I miss my beard haha! So who really knows, best of luck in your search!

I'm going on 71 and have been climbing for 57 years, with a considerable variation in intensity over that period, from every day to a few times a year at the outer limits of the spectrum, with the longest layoff seven months to recover and rehab from ACL surgery.

I agree with Dolgio and others who say that if you want to climb at a high level, you have to do it all the time. If "high level" means near the standards of the day, then I haven't climbed at a high level for twenty or more years. For a long time, I climbed at the same level and the standards just advanced, but then the level I could manage started to decline as well.

None of this seems to have mattered much to me. In fact, climbing near one's limits imposes physical and especially mental pressures that can, over time, become oppressive---it can be mentally draining to continually confront difficulties (and perhaps dangers too) at the limit of your abilities, and that is certainly the case for me as a septuagenarian.

I don't want to be pulling so hard that tendons snap, I don't want to feel super insecure move after move after move any more. Been there and done that. A lot. It was fun then, but not so much now, and if that was all there was to climbing, I'd probably have quit by now, as have most of my contemporaries. But bank the difficulty down a grade or two from my current limit and I have a vast selection of climbs to cruise---with some challenges to be sure---but not the intense pressures imposed by maximum difficulty.

There is another component to my situation, which is that climbing was never the only thing I was passionate about; I was never a full-time climber. There was a period when I climbed pretty much every day for three months during the summer, and every summer I started feeling a bit burned out as the end of August rolled around. The wind rustling the leaves in the Aspens would remind me of Fall back East, and I'd feel the pull of other activities and interests drawing me back home and away from climbing. And so in my case I've kept up climbing as long as I have because I don't have the pressure of it being the only thing in my life and so don't feel any "obligation" to go climbing when I don't really feel like it.

There is no way for me to know whether any of this is of relevance to anyone else's connection to climbing, and I'm certainly not going to try to turn a personal journey into advice for anyone else. Looking back, I'd say my longevity as a climber came from a love of a large spectrum of climbing activities, from bouldering to alpine mountaineering, at all levels of difficulty and danger, and the fact that climbing, important as it has been, was never the only thing in life drawing me onwards.

Rich is being way modest. I have to probably crank up my intensity and dedication ten times right now to be able to perform at the level he does at his age with his career, family and various other interests. Still cranking one-armed front levers for your birthday, Rich?

rgold wrote:I'm going on 71 and have been climbing for 57 years........There is no way for me to know whether any of this is of relevance to anyone else's connection to climbing, and I'm certainly not going to try to turn a personal journey into advice for anyone else.

Thank you very much for posting your perspective. It is good to hear from someone with experience and I take away a lot from that. I am super stoked on climbing right now, and I don't see that changing mainly because, as you said, I have other interests. I am liking having climbing at the top of the list right now. Thanks again for your post.

I have competing priorities in my life that are pulling me away from climbing. I know I'll be back at it soon but I'm working on a project that will not end for another year and a half. I probably could still climb and train as hard as before but then I'd have to sacrifice time from other areas of my life, such as kids.

This is the first year that I have climbed exclusively with my wife (she officially reached climbing partner status). I have not had the time to climb every day, or even every week, so I plan day and weekend trips with her to maximize our time together. Instead of trying to pack climbing into every waking moment I plan out time to spend with my wife that is climbing related. Its rewarding climbing together and she is improving so that when I have more time she'll be able to really get after it with me.

I've never felt like climbing defined me, it is something I enjoy doing but it isn't who I am. If there is ever a time climbing is my only identity I'll probably give it up.

Adam,

I started playing guitar seriously in my early teens. I played *a lot*. I wrote songs too, over 100. I played and played, and by my early 20's I was pretty much played out. Sold most of my gear and started to focus on other things. I still play guitar every now and then, and sing some of those songs for people who've always liked them. I'm not as good as I once was, and though that's slightly frustrating, sometimes it's just nice to sit and play.

If you just don't want to climb anymore, don't. Maybe you'll want to again someday. Maybe not being able to climb at the grade you can now won't matter, because you'll just be doing it for fun. Maybe you don't need to "fix" how you feel about it. Don't define who you are by you hobbies. Just enjoy life!

rgold wrote:There is another component to my situation, which is that climbing was never the only thing I was passionate about; I was never a full-time climber. There was a period when I climbed pretty much every day for three months during the summer, and every summer I started feeling a bit burned out as the end of August rolled around. The wind rustling the leaves in the Aspens would remind me of Fall back East, and I'd feel the pull of other activities and interests drawing me back home and away from climbing. And so in my case I've kept up climbing as long as I have because I don't have the pressure of it being the only thing in my life and so don't feel any "obligation" to go climbing when I don't really feel like it. There is no way for me to know whether any of this is of relevance to anyone else's connection to climbing, and I'm certainly not going to try to turn a personal journey into advice for anyone else. Looking back, I'd say my longevity as a climber came from a love of a large spectrum of climbing activities, from bouldering to alpine mountaineering, at all levels of difficulty and danger, and the fact that climbing, important as it has been, was never the only thing in life drawing me onwards.

Very well stated, rgold. Thank you for your perspective.

There was a time in my mid 20's when climbing was ALL I did as well as it being my lively hood as a single mother.

Life changes, like college, being introduced to a theater stage, the need to get a full-time job with benefits, etc., all took me away from climbing, and though I missed it, I realized other passions in life, pursued them, and continue to bring many of my passions to life, even climbing.

I took nearly 10 years off, and have gotten back into it again, slowly,(in terms grade) over the last 5 years. For me, I nearly always WANT to climb, but admit at times my "fears" hold me back, make me nervous and keep me on the ground. The upside is, every time I have faced my "fears", roped up and climbed, I feel like I have conquered not only a mental obstacle, but have also really ENJOYED moving over rock again, and that, to me, is liberating, making climbing addictive, once again. Ohhhh, the cycle.

Adam, I don't know you, but keep the beard.

I moved to WW Kayaking for a bit (~4years ago) and know I am getting excited about pulling my climbing gear back out from storage. A vacation from anything is never bad!

No matter what : NEVER SELL YOUR GEAR !

Adam Block wrote:Have any of you ever dealt with something like this?

Many times. I am new to climbing, and quite passionate about it for the moment. But then Snow Skiing was my first passion, then off-road motorcycle riding and Enduro Racing, scuba diving really got me going. All this while pursuing a career, then the kids came along and they became my new passion.

Diversity is the spice of life. If you are slowing on the climbing so be it. I still ski, not as well as when I was at my prime, I still ride, not as well as in my prime, I still dive, but not as well as when I was in my prime.

So relax. You'll either get your mojo back or move on. And as Rgold put it " never the only thing in life drawing me onwards."

I would say I get this, and it is partially due to not finding compatible climbing partners. For me, I am a husband and father with a wife who lets me get out and do things, but I am finding the friends I have that are at the same point in their lives don't quite have the same liberties. This tends to push me towards activities that I can do alone (mountain biking, running, swimming). While over the years I have climbed with every type of person (and have had fun), I find the fact that I am Mormon tends to drive other climbing partners away, as I don't go on the full weekend (Sunday) trips, I don't use certain language, and I am obviously not one to share a beer with you at the end of a day of climbing. This is definitely a buzz kill for some people, and although I have shared some great belays and had good trips, having different world views causes us to drift in opposite directions. I had one friend who I climbed with a lot over the years and just having so much in common and similar backgrounds (even our majors in school were the same) made the experience of climbing so much fun, but now he has different obligations that keep him from going anymore. I imagine my activity in this sport will fluctuate based on who I can find to climb with because I don't see myself bouldering or soloing anytime soon.

There are a few moments, after you pull the compass out, that the needle is spinning and snapping around wildly. It settles down, and points in a specific direction. If the compass happens to be a human being, that wild spinning can go on days, or a few months. But still, it settles.

Kind of sounds to me like you prepped for a road trip, and cut your anchor, so that you could go someplace new. Climbing was the motivator-the reason, the tool that got you to cut the line, but maybe the trip isn't actually about climbing, but about other aspects of life.

At one point, I got back into climbing, got super motivated, got ready for a road trip, and climbed my way across the U.S. with every intent of a fast drive back once I'd got to the other coast. I knew at the time that I intended to cut my anchor and take a trip. What I didn't know was that I was going to get to the other side of the country and stay for twenty years, and live in a place much more suited to my heart.

You could soldier on without motivation, but where is the love, where is the joy? Maybe it's time to keep a journal, or a sketchbook, just record what you see. Just sit with your discomfort, and observe. And maybe you'll see that thing that sparks your motivation, the thing that makes your heart sing.