Anyone just.... stop climbing?

I was super into all types of climbing, until life hit me pretty hard. Different jobs, responsibilities, a move, and suddenly I haven't climbed outdoors since ice climbing last winter. With multiple jobs and other sports to train for it just gets impossible to fit it into my schedule, and I miss it. I always imagined that if I stopped climbing it would be with a bang, like a big fall or something, but instead it has died with a whimper. Anyone else just get steamrolled with responsibilites and quit for a while?

I did, for about 20 years. Just started again this year and feel like I'm right back.

Climbing is a jealous mistress that does not play well with other sports. 

If you want to be the best, you have to give 100%. If you want to live a full human life, you need to give lots of things 65%. Phasic is all good, bro.

10 years out of the game. I still don't climb as much as I'd like to, but I do.

Going through this right now. Moved to a different area, new job. Climbing is way less fun than it used to be since my  old spot (CA) had climbing somewhere just about every day of the year and my partner base was way more extensive. Now, fly-fishing and backcountry skiing take precedent and I’m really excited about getting into sea kayak touring - thought about selling my rack to afford a vessel. I used to want to climb 5.10/11- big routes in the alpine and climb 5.11/12 sport routes. Training for climbing used to be a thing but now I don’t and a 5.7/8 romp up a classic route with a short approach sounds like a hoot. Getting older probably has something to do with as well. I used to love a good suffer-fest but now dang that shit sounds rough. 

I haven’t, but I know people who have. Some for a year, some for a decade, some, seemingly, forever.

It is rarely a big dramatic event that starts it. Most people just kinda fade away. Start with a few canceled trips and skipped gym sessions, and then it becomes a reinforcing feedback loop. What’s the point of going to the gym once this week, if you already know that you can’t go at all next week? That one gym session isn’t going to help much of anything, might as well skip it, until you have time to “really focus” on climbing. Then couple months go by, you are out of habit of going to the gym, you already made plans for 6 weekends out, and before you know it the entire season has slipped by, then a year, and so on.

You have to be excited for climbing, it has to be a goal worth your effort. If you want to do it, you always find a way. We know people who have trained hard while deployed overseas, with nothing but a few scrap wood pieces to hang from. We know people who train through med school/residency/PhD. We know parents who wake up at 5 am to squeeze in a hangboard session, because that’s the only time… and we also know seemingly not-very-busy single guys with a regular 9-to-5 job who claim that they are too busy and have no time…

 If it becomes drudgery, without the positive feeling associated with it, it is unsustainable.

I’ve had thoughts. I love climbing. But lately it just hurts. Something just always seems injured. I’ve got chronic finger pain, now my elbows are are flaring up again. I’ve got a very painful groin injury that won’t go away. I don’t want to stop climbing and I’m not there yet, hopefully I can do something about these problems before I have to quit. I’m not exactly good about preventing or treating injuries...ignoring them seems to be my MO, so I get that I’m a lot of the problem. But it does have me thinking whether at some point I’ll say enough is enough...I’m not exactly young or getting any younger. 

I can quit any time I like. I've quit a thousand times. More!

Steve McGee wrote:

I did, for about 20 years. Just started again this year and feel like I'm right back.

Same here, for almost 20. Started again 4 or 5 years ago. Not quite back where I left off though, but I don't really care about that.

At 53, climbing definitely keeps me motivated to keep moving.

I had back surgery and was afraid of anything that could possibly hurt me, so I quit for about 5 years. Sold/gave all my gear away. Had to re-buy it all, but now struggle to find partners. I almost exclusively TR solo now.

csproul wrote:

I’ve had thoughts. I love climbing. But lately it just hurts. Something just always seems injured. I’ve got chronic finger pain, now my elbows are are flaring up again. I’ve got a very painful groin injury that won’t go away. I don’t want to stop climbing and I’m not there yet, hopefully I can do something about these problems before I have to quit. I’m not exactly good about preventing or treating injuries...ignoring them seems to be my MO, so I get that I’m a lot of the problem. But it does have me thinking whether at some point I’ll say enough is enough...I’m not exactly young or getting any younger. 

I'm right there with you, turn 50 next month and if I try to do anything "hard", or train climbing specific more than 3 to 4 days a week, I end up hurting something.

I still run and hike and cycle multiple times a week but I cannot hangboard and then boulder and hit the gym twice and climb outside on the weekend every week anymore.  If I do my shoulders or elbows flare up or my old ring finger injury stirs.

I've gone about adjusting my goals from dreaming of leading 5.10 trad to really shooting for leading solid 5.8 trad and loving the 5.6 and below Alpine stuff here in Colorado.

Some may call it weak moving the goal posts closer but I am actually coming to peace with it.

Now I'm not saying I'm dead just yet, but I think I need to do this as opposed to going through so many cycles of injury and slowly making my way back to Sport climbing easy 10's and leading 5.7 trad over and over again.

And to the OP, Yes, I quit for 15 solid years during internship/residency/fellowship/deployments/5 kids, etc.  Only came back four years ago but climbing was still there waiting for me and all the stuff I did in between, esp time spent with young kids and family, was well worth it.

Climbing is amazing and grows me spiritually but it is not the end-all, be-all to my life.

Buck Rogers wrote:

I'm right there with you, turn 50 next month and if I try to do anything "hard", or train climbing specific more than 3 to 4 days a week, I end up hurting something.

I still run and hike and cycle multiple times a week but I cannot hangboard and then boulder and hit the gym twice and climb outside on the weekend every week anymore.  If I do my shoulders or elbows flare up or my old ring finger injury stirs.

I've gone about adjusting my goals from dreaming of leading 5.10 trad to really shooting for leading solid 5.8 trad and loving the 5.6 and below Alpine stuff here in Colorado.

Some may call it weak moving the goal posts closer but I am actually coming to peace with it.

Now I'm not saying I'm dead just yet, but I think I need to do this as opposed to going through so many cycles of injury and slowly making my way back to Sport climbing easy 10's and leading 5.7 trad over and over again.

And to the OP, Yes, I quit for 15 solid years during internship/residency/fellowship/deployments/5 kids, etc.  Only came back four years ago but climbing was still there waiting for me and all the stuff I did in between, esp time spent with young kids and family, was well worth it.

Climbing is amazing and grows me spiritually but it is not the end-all, be-all to my life.

Im a big believer that as long as you are pushing yourself, you’re doing awesome! Cool to hear your experiences. 

I climbed a lot from the mid-70s into the mid-80s, then quit for nearly 30 years. Part of it was burnout, and part because a new career took me to Florida where I discovered road cycling. I did the competitive cycling thing until 2010, then rediscovered climbing about 7 years ago. Now that I’m back with the tribe I feel like a kid in a candy store with so many options: new climbing areas/routes, the safety of sport climbing (a new thing for me!), all the new gyms—I like it all. Modern gear is amazing and there is just so much good information available these days on techniques, anchors, belays, training, etc. 
Burnout, in my case was probably tied into ego and chasing grades (although I never climbed particularly hard even when I was younger). Perhaps if I had just dialed things back and climbed classic 5.6 lines for fun and sun for a time maybe I wouldn't have burned out on climbing… 

So, maybe a lesson for those who may be struggling with burnout… travel the country with the goal of climbing nothing harder than 5.6… take photos, enjoy the company, enjoy the view, the sun, the breeze, the birds. There are so many ways to get satisfaction out of climbing—doing progressively harder routes is just one option. Then, sure, when the motivation returns, start pushing your limits again if you like.

Started climbing in 1990. In 2000, inspired by my now spouse, I picked up bike racing, and although I’d mix the two, by the mid aughts I spent most of my time on the bike with only about half-a-dozen gym sessions and at most two trips outside each year. During that time I also spent a year in Iraq, running and riding a trainer in my spare time. Then, in the spring of 2010 we decided to splurge, and did a training camp in Mallorca. On recovery days we’d go clip bolts, and we remembered just how much fun climbing was. And that was that...time on the bike slowly faded over the next few years, and today, once more, 90% of our leisure time is spent by climbing and training for climbing. 

At least once a day. 

Yes.  Climbed throughout my 20s until early 30s (trad/sport/ice/boulder/alpine).  Climbed at a high level in most disciplines but started getting nagging shoulder and elbow injuries.  Elbows got really bad and had to stop (10+ year hiatus).  This was hard but ultimately the best thing for me.  Consequently, I pursued a new career path and found all kinds of interesting hobbies/passions.  In my mid-40s now and the body feels good.  Fitness is probably better in some areas than when I was climbing 13+/14.  I climb rock & ice a little now, but it just hasn't inspired me as it did before.  I've pondered why, but I don't have any solid answers.  Climbing is cool, but if it was my main focus I'd be bored.  

One thing I've realized (for me) is that climbing really is a "type 2 fun" sport.  Lots of work for a small payout.  

*If I lived next to great rock (15min), I could see myself getting more involved.  The drive time really kills my enthusiasm.  I'd climb a lot more if I could have a session in 2 hrs (door to door) and then get to other interests and daily goals.

I started climbing in the late 80's. I am 65 years old. All of my early partners have quit. I have quit ice climbing after my 3rd close call. Huge pillar fell down, barely missed us.  A month ago I had a total hip replacement. I was climbing 5.10 the week before.  My  range of motion is already better than pre surgery.  Not planning to quit till I die,  too addicted

No, never stopped. I'm 46 and have been climbing constantly for 22 years. I can't even imagine voluntarily stopping. If I can pass anything along about "how to stay healthy and keep on enjoying climbing" it's to say: key to me was learning trad, and the craft (dark art) of gear placement instead of just focusing on working through the sport climbing grades. It was ego-boosting and joyous to send my first 11.a., and after 3 years a few 12a routes, but 19 years later I still haven't sent 12b. And I'm at peace with that! I've never even tried to lead a 12b. I have no chronic injuries from overuse or trying to exceed my limits too often, I love to boulder, clip bolts or place gear, and that diversity of climbing has helped keep me healthy and engaged in climbing all these years.

I know some climbers who never learned trad, and when when they plateaued as sport climbers they either 1) lost interest because they were no longer rising through the grades or 2) they developed chronic injuries from hard sport climbing. Somewhere in my 40s I learned to keep from obsessively trying hard moves if they hurt. I've made peace with my ego and accepted I should just let some problems or routes go, no matter how much it hurts my pride to not send some weird V3 when otherwise I should do almost any problem at that grade. Listen to your body, not your ego, and above all stop comparing yourself negatively to other climbers - that's a shallow pool of motivation.

Just an interesting anecdote... a couple of days ago, in our local gym, I ran into an 81-year-old guy named Paco who was working the autobelays. Get this: he started climbing only six months ago. Apparently, his daughter asked him what he wanted for his 81st birthday and Paco said he always 'wanted to learn this climbing thing, so how about a rock gym membership?" So, I guess you could say he quit climbing some time after his terrible threes (all kids climb at that age) and didn't get back into it until 78 years later.

Climbing and mountain biking was my life for a while, set both mostly aside for ~17 yrs of family/military life. I'm nowhere near as fast or strong as I was 20 yrs ago, but somehow it's still just as much fun! 

Now I'm training for retirement...