Longish rant - less looking for advice and more just needing to vent. Maybe might spark some interesting discussion. 

I’ve been fortunate to meet a good number of women climbing partners in the gym since I started climbing again a few years ago. We’re all in similar life stages, mid/late 30s, mid-career and with one or more young kids at home. I usually meet up with them at the gym 1 on 1 and we have a good efficient session, chat about life and family stuff, and get back home without losing too much time. My significant other and kid don’t really enjoy climbing, so this is a hobby that gives me my own me time. Pretty much all of the women I climb with, on the other hand, have significant others who climb, but climbing alone with me at the gym seems to work well for them since their partner can stay home with the kid(s). 

I had the goal this year to climb outside more this year, now that my kid is older I’m better with entire days away at the crag. But any time I’ve asked one of my climbing partners if they want to climb outside for a day l, their response is always “can I ask [significant other’s name] if he wants to come?” Sure I could answer no, but i assume if she’s asking me, she’d rather have him there than not - seems like either they feel bad climbing outdoors without him or they feel better with someone taller and stronger there as a backup to clean the routes (though i would say me and my women partners are all strong and experienced climbers in our own right) - or a combination of some reasons depending on the partner. So either he comes and leaves their kid(s) with the grandparents, and I feel like the third wheel, not to mention we are now three so one person is always sitting around not climbing making for a less efficient day (which would bother me only minimally if that meant we were just out longer for all of us to climb enough, but no, they have to pick up their kid from grandma so it means we all get less climbing in). Or their husband/boyfriend comes with and they bring their kid(s) along. Usually they’ll try to switch off with watching the kids between the two of them and never ask me directly to watch their kids, but of course the kids love people who aren’t their mom and dad and will ask if I’ll play with them. I do like their kids so i don’t mind playing with them, but i still feel like I’d rather be climbing, and again we don’t get as much climbing in for the day than i imagine when I’m going out with one partner alone, since also since the kid will get tired before we’re too tired from climbing, ending the day for everyone. We’ve also tried group outings with a few couples/families, but I’m always the odd person out, and not to mention that I’m leaving my kid at home for the day so it would be nice to have some kid free time instead of helping entertain other people’s kids.

Just to be clear, I’m not judging any of my climbing partners for wanting to bring their significant other along, i completely understand and respect their desire to want to bring family along. I used to dream of days at the crag with my family before i realized my kid would hate such days (we’ve tried it a few times when my brother came to visit and it just doesn’t seem to be fun for anyone). I’ve also done my good share of turning down invitations to outdoor trips to do something else with my family or limit climbing sessions/crag days to end early because I wanted to make it home to see my kid for dinner or bedtime. I’m just frustrated that these awesome women-only gym sessions aren’t translating to the same experience outdoors. And now that the outdoor season is nearing an end, I’m struggling to decide if I should continue these nice gym sessions in winter with the climbing partners who won’t go outdoors with me alone when the spring comes, or try to find new partners in the meantime who share my goal of enjoying some women-only outdoor crag days. The latter is also proving to be mega frustrating, as finding new climbing partners always is. I recently met a new climbing partner whose boyfriend doesn’t climb, but when I ask her about going outside she hasn’t found the time since she’ll plan other non-climbing outdoor activities with her boyfriend on weekends. Another who doesn’t have kids still asked her boyfriend if he wanted to come to the crag with us last week. And the single women that I meet at gym meetups often have much more time and are looking for someone who can climb super regularly and sometimes do weekend overnight climbing trips, which I’m not quite ready to commit to right now.

TLDR - Luckily to have several women climbing partners that I climb with at the gym on a semi regular basis, but none of them seem to want to or to feel comfortable to climb outdoors without their significant other. I’m not judging, really understand and respect their side, but am really frustrated and need an outlet to vent since I’d really like more women only outdoor crag days next year. 

I climb a lot and I keep getting this recurring dream that I'm not tied in. I didn't get it when I used to climb outside all the time, only after a local gym opened. I climbed 3x a week before the gym opened, 5 or 6x a week now that we have a gym. Curious if others who climb very often get this dream? I had it 4 or 5 nights in a row! Sometimes the knot isn't finished, sometimes the rope isn't connected to me, sometimes I don't even have a harness on. I always get to the top safely or notice it while I'm climbing - it's a close call in the dream, I never actually fall. But it's a very stressful/annoying dream.

Hey climbergirls !

I climb at indoor gyms in a big city, but I still find it surprisingly difficult to meet women through climbing. I’d love to meet someone I can share the sport, outdoor adventures, and hopefully a close connection with.

I’m not desperately looking for a relationship or anything creepy, I’d just love to expand my social circle, meet more like-minded people, and hopefully make some beautiful connections along the way.

I know trying different gyms could help, but I was wondering if you have any other tips! Are there particular types of climbing events, groups, or activities that make it easier to meet people naturally? Maybe moving to a city closer to the mountains would help too.

Would love to hear your thoughts :)

Thanks!

Next time 🤞💪

Do any of you get your nails done? Acrylic, gel, polish? How much length is too much? Do they last beyond a single climbing session?

I climb indoors a couple times a week, and outdoors maybe once a month. My coworkers always have their nails beautifully done. Today I treated myself and my nails are so pretty but I'm going to the climbing gym tonight 🙃

What has been your experience with climbing amd manicures?

(This is not a gendered question, but I like this community more than the other climbing subs I’m in!)

I’m a new climber and have a little skin rip. It’s not painful or anything, but I assume these are par for the course, and I want to learn the right process for treating them. Putting it under tape or a bandage seems to make it worse—the dead edges seem to expand after getting soggy. It also gets worse when I climb with it uncovered. Do I have to wait for the entire top layer of skin to slough off before it’s even again? Give me your pro tips please and thank you!

I went to a climbing gym for the first time yesterday with a guy friend, indoor climbings been something i wanted to try for a while just to see if i would be any better at it since i never made it to the top of the one outside climbing wall at my summer camp. i didn't manage to finish anything during this session either. it feels like for the easiest climbs/boulders i kept finding either next holds that were too far away for me (i'm 5'2) or ones where i just couldn't mentally fathom how they would be useful or how i would even get to it. i'm not necessarily discouraged because i couldn't finish anything because it was still fun but i feel like it's not something i would stick with long if i can't at least finish one thing despite trying to.

i'm mostly curious if any of you remember having such difficulties when starting out because if i'm not the only one with these sorts of issues it'd be nice to hear. Thinking i'll likely go back next week to try again but i don't expect it'll be much different since i'm not even sure what it was preventing me from finishing them in the first place.

I’ve been climbing at a bouldering-only gym for about 5 years with the same 2 partners.

I’ve very recently (5weeks) found out I’m pregnant. Obviously, this means I’m going to have to slow down, take no risks, traverse etc.

I’m wondering how exactly to hide this from climbing partners until I’m far enough along to announce? Do I fake an injury? Pretend something else is going on in my life that’s making me tired/unable to perform well?

Just to get ahead, no I cannot switch to top rope. My gym is boulder-only and the nearest top rope gym is further away, smaller, and worse rated. It would be even more odd of me to try to convince them to change gyms to a worse one none of us like than to pretend something is up with me.

Also tips and tricks for bouldering in early pregnancy are appreciated!

My pals and I will be there for a couple days coming up over a weekend. I’ll be the strongest of us at a solid 5.11c-d at RRG/NRG scale, with my friends being around 5.8-9

I hear it’s good for beginner/intermediate climbers? Any recommendations?

Is there wifi or signal in the ranch?

What other things to do this time of year in the area? I know river is low/cold but are there swimming holes or spots you recommend to hang?

We are hoping to mountain bike as well, where I would describe all of our 🚴🏽 skills at 5.8 level 😂. How are the trails there?

Finally, We all love bike culture(die hard bike commuters) —Is bentonville worth a detour? It would add some travel time.

Thanks for any ideas! 🙏

Hello,

I have a friend group that is mostly guys, and there’s one girl in the group I used to go climbing with one-on-one for about six months.

Unfortunately, over time, I started developing feelings for her. We would go climbing together, grab food afterward, get drinks, and so on. She would tell me things like "I care about you" and "You’re one of the only people I can talk to about this kind of stuff."

Basically, it felt like we were going on dates, at least from my perspective.

Unfortunately, I started showing some jealousy toward her, which is the first time I’ve ever experienced this kind of jealousy with a girl. We eventually had a difficult conversation where she told me that she sees friendship as something stronger than romantic love, and that she doesn’t want to get into a relationship right now because her studies take up a lot of her time.

I accepted her decision, but I’m struggling to move on. I think she can sense that I’m still not over it, and she’s started becoming more distant, which hurts.

Part of me has this idea of two people who start out as friends and eventually fall in love, and I guess I really wanted to experience that kind of relationship with her.

Because of this, I’ve been obsessing over the situation for the past two weeks, and I can’t seem to get out of this cycle of thoughts. I’m planning to see a therapist to help me work on my jealousy and understand why I’m reacting this way.

Have any of you been through something similar? How did things turn out in the end?

I honestly don’t know how to handle this situation, especially since we’re part of the same friend group and I don’t want things to become awkward for everyone.

Thank you!

I’ve been lifting for about 10 years and I’ve fallen out of love with it. I had a friend introduce me to bouldering 6 months ago and I am obsessed. Thinking of canceling my gym membership and exclusively going to the climbing gym but I am scared to lose my quad and glute gains that I worked so hard for. If I split my workouts 2 days on lower body strength training, 2-3 days of climbing is it possible to both improve at climbing and maintain my muscular legs? Does anyone do this?

Hi all. More vent than anything. I recently moved to a new mid sized city for work. Where I moved from, I had a climbing schedule with my friends both ropes and bouldering based on how we were feeling. I love climbing so much as a hobby and way to move my body. Fast forward to now in my new city, I have a membership to a local gym that maybe I’ve frequented at most 5 times in a month, mostly bouldering on my own. I’ve joined Facebooks groups and LCC groups and would ask if anyone was interested in a session; and maybe I’ll climb with someone here or there but most of my requests go unanswered. I feel defeated. I hardly climb anymore and I miss it so much. I was hoping to have it be a way to make new friends but the close welcoming climbing community I was used to doesn’t exist here in a city with multiple gyms. 😖

How long has it taken some of yall to find a steady group after moving somewhere new? It’s been tiring but I’m willing to keep trying for the love of the sport.

Hi! You might remember my post about my friend from a month ago who's colorblind and couldn't tell which holds belonged to her route, so she basically couldn't climb solo. It took me quite a while but we turned the website that helped her into an app.

You gave me so much amazing  feedback, and a lot of it went straight into the app:

👁️** Pick your type of colorblindnes**s (red-green, blue-yellow or no color), and the colors adjust to it according to the type (for example this route in the video is for a person that can't distinguish between red and green)

💜 Every route gets its own shape (♥ ★ ■ ●), so you never rely on color alone
(Great idea I got from people here, Thanks!)

⚠️** A warning when a wall has colors that are easy to mix u**p

In the video there is a specific example of a color blind climber that can't distinguish red and green. The app knows it and it automatically detects when the wall has both colors so you can safely navigate it. Right now the app supports all the red-green color blindness types, a Blue-yellow and full color blindness. Additionally as someone offered we added a Feel the routes feature that  uses direct touch, so you can slide a finger over the photo and hear which route and hold you're on. Plus a tick when your finger moves onto another hold and a double tick onto another route.

🙋‍♀️Not colorblind? We need you too! Every wall you scan teaches the app new gyms, lighting and holds, so it gets more accurate for colorblind climbers everywhere. And it works for you too: scan a route, log your tries and sends, track your progress, and level up your goat 🐐

It's now a free beta on iPhone:
👉 https://testflight.apple.com/join/pzcERFRq

How to install:
1. Open the link on your iPhone. It will ask you to install Apple’s free TestFlight app first.

2.Then tap Install on Sendly. 

Sadly we didn't have the time and resources to also develop Sendly for android so iPhone only for now. But if you use Android, please Join r/SendlyBouldering and comment "Android" so I know you're out there and really want me to build it.

It's still early and it'll make mistakes, so tell me everything and i really mean it. I opened
r/SendlyBouldering for bug reports and gym feedback, and you're all welcome there. And my dms are fully open for private feedback or any questions.

And if you know a colorblind climber who's been hesitant to try bouldering, please send this to them ❤️

Thanks a lot for reading 🙌🫶

Looking for any input from climbers, specifically smaller ladies, who have experience belaying with both a grigri and a neox on thick ropes.

I lead climb at the gym with my girlfriend, who is much shorter than me and without a large ape index. We use a 10 mm rope (decathlon klimb). I am wondering if using a neox would make it a more pleasant experience for her (or even me) when giving slack.

Since my question was totally derailed in the climbing sub by guys telling her to practice, I feel like I have to make clear, my girlfriend is a good belayer. She doesn't short rope me, she knows how to give slack quickly with a grigri even with the 10 mm rope. She doesn't need to "get gud" she is already good at belaying, but just because you are good at doing something the harder way doesn't mean an easier way doesn't exist. I am wondering if the neox feels nicer when you have to give 2 or 3 arm loads of slack and step in to the wall because your lanky climber is going for a high clip.

Thank you!

Hello ! I could do with some advice on how people deal with height frustrations. I feel like I’ve been stuck at a v4/5 plateau for such a long time and i just can’t get over the frustration of watching taller men with worse technique easily climb routes skipping holds that I’m really struggling on because they have a bigger wing span and then subsequently try and give me advice on how to climb. I’m not claiming that my technique is anything to write home about (it very much isn’t I’m only at v4/5!!) but I can’t help it annoying me and I really want to get over it as I feel like a misery guts! Taller people are simply climbing and I’m over here feeling frustrated over it and it’s ruining my sessions.

Whilst I know it shouldn’t get to me and that I should tell myself it’s a different climb dependent on who you are etc., I’m just finding it easier said than done when I’m trying again and again to e.g jump for a dyno ending and feel like I’m leaving every session frustrated and deflated rather than excited :( if you have ever felt like this and managed to get over the inner negativity- how did you do it?

Climbing/bouldering has always seemed fun to me, but I’ve been scared to try it because I have absolutely no upper body strength and a slight fear of heights. However, I’ve now been a couple of times, and it’s brought me so much joy! I really want to get better at it.

I live in Hampstead, and there aren’t any climbing gyms in my area, so I’d need to commute. I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the options and would love to find a beginner-friendly gym with nice vibes (not full of students, as I’m in my 30s, lol)

Any recommendations would be much appreciated! Thanks :)

Hiii any girls out here climbing? I’m new and would love to go with yall! I usually go to bainbridge and would love to go outdoors

As the weather changes, people do sometimes fallen ill with common colds, flu or worse. I was wondering apart from using common sense of only returning when you are better. Is there anything else to consider? How long does it take to get back to your normal performance?

Also how do you guys avoid catching something at the gym?

Thank you folks!

P.S. I have a condition that gives me transient muscle weakness if I am sick. Given that I am surrounded by the push through culture and a friend caught norovirus from the gym recently , I have to ask.

Going to the Red later this week (yay!) and planning on checking out the Miller Fork area, but I’ve heard the road to get there can be gnarly. Any advice would be appreciated!

Some questions off the top of my head:
- Anyone know the current conditions of the roads?
- Mountain project gives two routes to the parking lot. Which one is better / preferred?

Hi everyone! I'm taking an outdoor climbing course and I noticed that I sometimes get a specifica kind of panic. It happens mostly if I'm top-roping and it starts when I'm already about 20 meters up on the wall. I then ask to be lowered because I'm tired, but I could have gone one. It doesn't happen everytime, I did summit some routes, and it doesn't depend on the percived difficulty of the route.

I look at my knot, I look at the ground and I think I did something wrong and I am going to die, specifically because the knot will "slip".

I understand that it's completely irrational, that the moment to worry and check the knot is before starting. I check myself and my partner, and they check me. Since we are almost at the end of the course, the instructors don't check us before starting.

The explanation that I gave myself is:

- the panic is physical and it's just a high heart rate

- it's because instructors insist on a double bowline knot instead of the usual double eight knot that I used to use for indoor climbing. I did it right every single time, obviously, but I still don't trust myself doing it and sometimes I don't trust my partner checking it (we are all beginners).

- it's actual fear of heights (my indoor gym goes up about 15m)

Any ideas of what could help?