49 too old to start climbing?

Nick Sweeney wrote:You don't have to be good at climbing to love climbing and get a lot out of it. I don't consider myself to be a good climber at all, but I have a lot of drive to get after it!

That's my plan..I used to be pretty good, but injuries and abuse have taken a toll.

MAYBE 5.8 this year

"I saved all the easy routes for when I was old and infirmed. Here I am"

No.

Jonathan Cunha wrote:...you may up regretting not starting earlier--you will never know how good you could have been.

My sentiment exactly having started earlier this year at the ripe age of 52. On the plus side I suspect that a beginner finishing an easy rout gets the same benefits as an expert finishing a tough one, except maybe the accolades.

My dad started climbing a year ago at 55 and 6' 235 lbs. He's dropped 30 pounds and is already climbing 5.9+ outside. My guess is he'll eventually climb 5.10+ or maybe 11 but you are in a way better starting position. There's no reason you can't climb at an objectively high level (at least 5.12)

Didn't read OP or anything in here, but

No

Reminds me of a morning at a diner in the ADK, a breakfast before ice climbing. The waitress was going on and on about how her body is falling apart and her husbands' was too, but that "she's 50 now and that's how it is". We sat quietly and listened to her all the while I knew the guy across from me had just started climbing within the last year or two. He was 52 years old.

Your health/ fitness is up to you. Just may be harder for some to get into a healthier/ more active trend. Get after it.

Tom Sherman wrote:Didn't read OP or anything in here, but No Reminds me of a morning at a diner in the ADK, a breakfast before ice climbing. The waitress was going on and on about how her body is falling apart and her husbands' was too, but that "she's 50 now and that's how it is". We sat quietly and listened to her all the while I knew the guy across from me had just started climbing within the last year or two. He was 52 years old. Your health/ fitness is up to you. Just may be harder for some to get into a healthier/ more active trend. Get after it.

This is great. My dad was super stoked the other day because he got to point some teenagers to easier climbing :)

I am 50 and just started climbing. Having a blast!

I'm 47, started climbing at 43. In OK shape beforehand but far from physically gifted. I'm mostly a gym climber, but my gym projects are typically hard 5.11's (completed a couple 5.12-). Not nearly as good outdoors, party because gym grades are soft, partly because I have so little outdoor experience; with kids and all I only manage to get a full day to climb outdoors two or three times a year.

But my point is, you should be able to do at least as well as me, so as long as hard 5.11 is "good enough" your age will not hold you back.

I started at 42 (four years ago), and have climbed steadily since then. My piece of advice is to go slowly with your training. When I first started out, I went a little crazy with pull ups and hangboarding and ended up getting a bunch of injuries.

Climb for the fun of it at first. Don't try any climbing-specific training for a while, maybe a year. It's easy to try to chase grades, but it's not necessary.

I'm 6'4" and 180 lbs and climb just fine. Tall people can have a tough time with strength to weight ratios so don't compare yourself to the midgets in the gym. On the bright side you can sometimes reach past the hard parts!

One of my favorite climbing partners is 65 and easily shows me up.