Eight and a half years into my climbing career I finally lead a 5.10a sport route. This is the kind of climbing level attainable by most “weekend warriors” who train over a period of more than a few years, less if you are talented and young. Up until the 1960s, the difficulty scale for rock climbs, which starts at 5.0, was closed, ending with 5.9. In the decades that followed grades went up to 5.10 and beyond (currently up to 5.16). This is attributed to advances in equipment, the advent of climbing gyms, and improvements in training methods.
Just last fall, I led my first 5.9 sport climb. I hung on every bolt, but I got it done. I had not expected to pinkpoint a 5.10a by Memorial Day weekend.
Leslie Evans, Greg Zamule and I had planned a climbing trip to “somewhere” for the weekend. It turned out that a group of climbers from the Explorers Club of Pittsburgh were headed for the Red River Gorge. This is one of my favorite places since it offers climbs in the lower grades side by side with very hard routes. Driving to the Red ahead of the ECP group, Leslie stayed in cell-phone contact with Ron Edwards, so that we would be able to meet up with them the next day. We agreed to climb in Muir Valley. Ron’s ECP group would leave the campground by 7 am. OK then. Coming from a motel in Campton, Leslie, Greg and I pulled in to the parking lot at Muir at 7:45 am. Surprisingly, ours was the only car there. Where was Ron?
We hiked in to the area we were planning to climb first, thinking Ron’s party would be close behind us. Greg led a pumpy 5.7, “Glory and Consequence”. Some warm up. While Leslie and I were toproping it, other people started to walk in. Every time we heard someone approaching the crag, Leslie, video camera in hand, was poised to film the arrival of Ron and the ECP crew. But, no such luck. People came and went, but where was Ron???!!!
Another lonesome climber walked up…not Ron, either, but a climber named Bram from Lexington. One climber doesn’t make a climbing team?! Bram said he was there to meet Judith Scanlion, another Pittsburgh climber with the ECP group. No Ron and no Judith either…so Bram paired up with me, and asked me what I wanted to climb.
There is a 5.10a on this wall, “Dynabolt Gold”, 70 feet, 7 bolts. It has always looked to me like I should be able to climb it. Yet, two years ago, when I had first attempted to toprope it, I couldn’t pull the crux move. At that time I had also tried to go around the crux on the left, but I couldn’t climb it that way, either. I remembered how frustrating that was, having a climb look so doable yet being so un-doable. Today seemed like the day to try it once again.
Bram led up quickly; clearly, a 5.10a lead was no problem for him. When it was my time to toprope it, and I got dumbfounded by the crux once again, he advised me not to break too far to the left in trying to avoid the crux, as I had done before. That worked! I got past that section climbing it just a little to the left of the crux, and made it almost all the way to the top before I had to take a hang because I got too pumped.
The cliff was getting more and more crowded. Bram wanted to do some harder stuff, and I belayed him on that, then I went back and did the 5.7 again. The ECPers finally arrived. Now many routes got taken. So, when it was my time to climb again, I decided to do “Dynabolt Gold” one more time. On this go, my goals were a) to pull straight through the crux without breaking left, and b) to finish the climb without hanging on the rope by finding enough rest positions on it. Bram was a super coach, talking to me along the climb and reminding me of possible rest spots as I made a clean ascent.
I was very pleased with myself and all smiles when I touched back down. Bram immediately said, “You get a half hour’s rest, and then you’re going to lead it”. I sort of immediately went into shock. I know the theory, if you can climb it, you can lead it. But 5.10a seemed to be so far above anything I had led before. All I could say was, “No, no, no, no, no way….”. Bram kept talking, and I started rationalizing. I had just toproped the climb twice, once without any hangs; I never fell. Maybe this was indeed the day for me to lead it. Bram suggested he’d put the draws back up, making it a tad easier for me because I wouldn’t need to muster the extra strength to clip the quickdraws to the bolts; all I’d have to do would be clip my rope in. As he did climb the route again, he kept talking, pointing out the moves, and where I had previously rested, so I would remember. Meanwhile I was actually getting more and more nervous.
When I had tied in to the sharp end of the rope, Bram asked if I liked talking or if I’d rather climb quietly. An excellent question, that. I rather like it quiet when I lead. Extra talk by my belayer sometimes breaks my concentration. But Bram meant something else entirely from what I thought. He immediately turned around and announced to the entire crag at the top of his voice, “Listen everyone, Regina is going to lead her first 5.10a. Could we have some quiet here for a minute, please?!” Arrgggh. Now everybody was looking at me! And Leslie came rushing over with the camera. Pressure was definitely on.
The start is overhanging and we had pre-clipped the first bolt. I got up on the ledge to my first rest. I was pretty excited, and tried to get my breathing under control. I also noticed that the smell of my sweat had changed. Maybe this is how animals can tell when you’re scared of them?!
I took a very long rest, then told Bram I’d just step up to clip the next draw, which is in the crux section, step back down, and regroup before attempting the crux itself. He was with me. After I pulled the crux move and clipped the 3rd draw, I got into my groove. I “almost” forgot that I was on lead, and executed the climb as before on toprope. I made it to the shuts without falling! I cleaned the climb, came back down. I felt exhilarated! Many thanks yet again to Bram for his encouragement, attentive belay, and superior coaching. This was my first 5.10a! Eight and a half years is a lot of training, you may think.
Serious climbing requires serious training which requires serious life-style adjustments. Thus, what ability I have, I gain from climbing twice a week in the gym. I also climb outside every weekend. I run twice a week to keep my weight down (climbing is a strength-to-weight ratio sport); I do weights to train the antagonist muscles; and I also do yoga for flexibility.Expert level achievement in pretty much anything takes ten years of deliberate practice. Here are a few of my personal examples of the well-studied “ten year rule”. Astronomy…I knew I loved it when I was 9 years old. It took me another 18 years to achieve expert level, which is a doctorate. Piano…I started lessons when I was 4, and took them for 12 years, but after about the first 2 years my passion was gone, while my mother drove me on. She was right in making me continue, because that taught me another important lesson, discipline, but she was wrong in thinking I’d ever love playing the piano again.
It takes perseverance to achieve expert level in any pursuit. Discipline is definitely one ingredient to perseverance. But there is something else. Something needs to feed that drive to achieve and to maintain the discipline of a decade of deliberate practice.
Passion is the fuel that can motivate us to persevere.
Who knows what climbing is yet to come for me…or maybe I’ll take up figure-skating?
Photo credit: Leslie Evans.
Well, I remember that when you were a little girl, you were quiet good in figure-skating......but today, I guess that climbing is a more suitable discipline for you, my dear!
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