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Obsessive-compulsive sport climbers

Original Post
Jay Knower · · Plymouth, NH; Lander, WY · Joined Jul 2001 · Points: 6,036

A post Mono made on another thread got me thinking. Are sport climbers more likely to be obsessive-compulsive than other climbers? If so, what kind of obsessive-compulsive tactics have sport climbers been known to employ?

(BTW, I stopped short of calling it O.C.D. because of the word "disorder," which, to me, implies real suffering. I want to be sensitive to the fact that O.C.D. affects the lives of millions of people in a really profound and difficult way. I am asking about tendencies, not disorders.)

Jon B · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2007 · Points: 105

They seem to be obsessed with bolting any and every rock available!

Jeffrey Arthur · · Westminster, CO · Joined Mar 2008 · Points: 290

This is my experience:
1) Went to bed early the night before.
2) Laid off the crappy food.
3) Made sure when I clipped the draws they were all facing a certain way.
4) Kept up with Cardio to reduce the extra load.
5) Kept dragging my belayer to my project.
6) Would always put my left shoe on first.

I would say most people do #1-5 when projecting, but #6 is more obsessive-compulsive than anything else. I know inside that I'm going to succeed, or fail regardless of which shoe goes on first, but it always seemed like a bad omen if I switched up this ritual.

Monomaniac · · Morrison, CO · Joined Oct 2006 · Points: 17,295
  • I know back in the day it was chique to clean your shoes with rubbing alcohol between burns.
  • Using rest-steps on the approach to prevent leg hypertrophy
  • Skin treatments of all sorts: scissors, sandpaper, mysterious foosball ointments...
  • Using
    Manly Bulges powers over the right side of the bulging black streak. to temporarily fasten the clipping end of quickdraws in a more advantageous position
  • I've seen people with the handle cut off their toothbrush
  • duct-taping rubberized kneepads to shaved legs
Jay Knower · · Plymouth, NH; Lander, WY · Joined Jul 2001 · Points: 6,036
Monomaniac wrote:**Skin treatments of all sorts: scissors, sandpaper, mysterious foosball ointments...
Did you every try the Antihydral Mono?

  • Wearing yellow shoes at all times.
  • Cooling fans on hangboards.
Monomaniac · · Morrison, CO · Joined Oct 2006 · Points: 17,295

The tube is in my pocket as we type.

Jasmine Kall · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2008 · Points: 40
jarthur wrote:This is my experience: 1) Went to bed early the night before. 2) Laid off the crappy food. 3) Made sure when I clipped the draws they were all facing a certain way. 4) Kept up with Cardio to reduce the extra load. 5) Kept dragging my belayer to my project. 6) Would always put my left shoe on first. I would say most people do #1-5 when projecting, but #6 is more obsessive-compulsive than anything else. I know inside that I'm going to succeed, or fail regardless of which shoe goes on first, but it always seemed like a bad omen if I switched up this ritual.
I am of the other type. Trad climber...

1) Stayed up late the night before cleaning and organizing gear
2) Found half eaten cliff bar from trip two weeks ago.. Breakfast
3) Check and double check each piece to make sure it wont walk back
4) Hiked 4 hours to get to base of mountain.. Hope that burnt off the 6 pack from last night that was consumed while organizing gear
5) Partner trades pitches up Mountain
6) Always put right foot in first
Joe Huggins · · Grand Junction · Joined Oct 2001 · Points: 105
Monomaniac wrote:*I know back in the day it was chique to clean your shoes with rubbing alcohol between burns.
"back in the day"? When was that? The nineties? Sorry, I have a friend who's always using that expression, it makes me peevish...by the way, there is no que in chic.
Monomaniac · · Morrison, CO · Joined Oct 2006 · Points: 17,295
Mike Anderson · · Colorado Springs, CO · Joined Nov 2004 · Points: 3,265

I think certain people are more likely to be OC than other people. What style of climbing they prefer is irrelevant. I run into far more sport climbers that don't pay any attention to training, skin preparation, number/length of burns, rest time, shoe care, wake up time, etc. than those that do.

There is plenty of OC behavior in other genres....

I've heard of alpinists not bringing a toothbrush to save weight, making Excel spreadsheets to calculated the weight of their pack, and sleeping on top of a ski resort to acclimatize before heading up to Alaska.

I knew a trad climber who would spend more time driving than climbing in a weekend just so he could get to this obscure crag to get the jump on FA's...he was convinced that some anonymous rival was lurking in the shadows waiting to snake his "uber-classic" lines.

One guy once cross country skiied into Castle Rocks SP in Idaho in the winter after high-centering his car to lead routes on gear before the bolting ban was lifted so he could get FAs before everyone else.

Then again, I've known sport climbers who carry thermometers to the crag and scrutinize 8a.nu to see if people think their project is "soft" or not.

Come to think of it, those were all the same guy.

Joe Huggins · · Grand Junction · Joined Oct 2001 · Points: 105
Monomaniac wrote:back in the day
PF!(painfully true; maybe this will catch on)The older I get, the better I was. Of course, we mustn't forget the ultimate OCD pre-climb ritual-the pre-excuse...Back in the Day it applied to things such as not having any chemical support, if you know what I mean.
Mike Slavens · · Houston, TX · Joined Jan 2009 · Points: 35
Jay Knower wrote:Are sport climbers more likely to be obsessive-compulsive than other climbers?
No, I don't think sport climbers are more OC than other types of climbers. Alpine climbers drill holes in their toothbrushes to save weight. Trad climbers are practically meteorologists because they obsess over the weather so much to avoid the rain. Gym climbers spend more time making sure their outfit makes them look cool then time they spend actually climbing. Wannabe climbers watch climbing videos like NFL players watch game film to make sure they can drop a pro climbing name at the right time. Everybody has their OC tendencies. Besides EVERY climber moves their hands along with the holds when describing a particular squence, its particularly funny when a heel hook is involved.
Jay Knower · · Plymouth, NH; Lander, WY · Joined Jul 2001 · Points: 6,036
Mike Slavens wrote: Gym climbers spend more time making sure their outfit makes them look cool then time they spend actually climbing. Wannabe climbers watch climbing videos like NFL players watch game film to make sure they can drop a pro climbing name at the right time.
These aren't examples of obsessive-compulsive tendencies. These are examples of your stereotypes.
Jay Knower · · Plymouth, NH; Lander, WY · Joined Jul 2001 · Points: 6,036
Ian F. wrote:They seem to be obsessed with bolting any and every rock available!
Yawn.
kachoong · · Atlanta, GA · Joined Jan 2010 · Points: 180

Climbing in general is an activity that has potential for people doing things the same way every time... clipping bolts the same way, tying knots the same way. The techniques employed need to be addressed systematically as part of safety.

Trad climbers actually have more gear to become OC over. Something like having the same racking system on each climb is more an efficiency issue than compulsive.

OC behavior however is observable. What do climbers do before they leave the ground that isn't really neccessary? Other than the "mandatory" safety checks? I've seen quite a few. Make sure laces are neatly tucked in or the same length on each side. Hands in chalk X-amount of times. Blowing on hands after chalking. Pull on tie-in knot repeatedly (after already checking it). Touch toes. Make sure helmet is exactly centered.

Watching the olympics recently my wife and I chuckled a few times at the "ticks" some athletes had as part of their prep. A few striking ones were in the womens ariels. Touching the helmet repeatedly to get in the zone was one... if they were distracted or had to wait a few more seconds, they'd touch the helmet again and again. Is that considered OC behavior or is it instinctive and part of their "routine"? They perhaps believe they wouldn't do their best without doing it.

Interesting topic!

Will Butler · · Lyons, CO · Joined Sep 2005 · Points: 56

I get way more OC about projecting Trad routes. I think it's the "projecting" in general that gets people into these routines, regardless of which game they choose to play.

Jay Knower · · Plymouth, NH; Lander, WY · Joined Jul 2001 · Points: 6,036
Will Butler wrote:I get way more OC about projecting Trad routes. I think it's the "projecting" in general that gets people into these routines, regardless of which game they choose to play.
Good point. I think the whole idea of a project is to find a climb where everything has to be perfect in order to send.

This whole idea of perfection really gets me obsessive: My shoes have to be perfectly clean. My hands have to be perfectly chalked. The draws have to be hanging in the perfect place. I have to climb during the time of day when the conditions are most perfect.
Jeffrey Arthur · · Westminster, CO · Joined Mar 2008 · Points: 290
Jay Knower wrote: These aren't examples of obsessive-compulsive tendencies. These are examples of your stereotypes.
My thoughts exactly.
Schiffhauer · · Bakersfield · Joined May 2004 · Points: 90

I'm glad to know I'm not the only "right foot first" person. And I do this with all the shoes I wear, climbing or not.

J. Albers · · Colorado · Joined Jul 2008 · Points: 1,926
Jay Knower wrote: Good point. I think the whole idea of a project is to find a climb where everything has to be perfect in order to send. This whole idea of perfection really gets me obsessive: My shoes have to be perfectly clean. My hands have to be perfectly chalked. The draws have to be hanging in the perfect place. I have to climb during the time of day when the conditions are most perfect.
Thats interesting, because I always send my hardest routes when I am NOT obsessing. In other words, when I am obsessing I am too nervous and I am over thinking as opposed to reacting. Thats not to say that I don't have my beta dialed when I send something hard...usually when its at my limit, there are a certain set of subtle moves etc. that I need to do correctly to make the route feasible. However, I often end up sending when its just a "mileage burn" at the end of the day or a burn when I am convinced that I won't be sending that particular go; when this happens, I usually climb more relaxed and I am simply letting my body react as opposed to over thinking. I sure wish I knew how to get into that mindset and out of the obsessive overthinking/nervous one.
Mike Slavens · · Houston, TX · Joined Jan 2009 · Points: 35
Jay Knower wrote:These are examples of your stereotypes.
And a thread title of "Obsessive-compulsive sport climbers" is an example your sterotypes.

Sorry, the attempt at poking fun and a bit of sarcasm was a mis-fire.
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Sport Climbing
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