Overcoming the FEAR Factor
Fear has been my greatest obstacle to overcome in climbing. Although
I have made incredible progress in overcoming fear, and most of the
time have it whipped, it still sneaks up on me once in a while. You must
remember ONE thing: FEAR IS IRRATIONAL. "Fear is
the little death. Fear is the mind-killer." (For all you Dune fans out
there.)
All of our lives, since we were very little, our parents cautioned
us, "Don't climb too high! It is dangerous! You'll hurt yourself!"
We have been conditioned to fear falling. Few people have true vertigo.
Most of us say that we are "afraid of heights." You are not. You are
afraid of falling FROM them. What if you TRULY
believed that you were safe? How much safer can you be than if you are
essentially suspended by an enormously strong rope from a ceiling? Well,
that is top-roping! You CAN'T fall! If you have an idiot for a belayer,
well, he/she may drop you, but the EQUIPMENT won't be at fault. Bottom line:
trust your equipment.
Sometimes all the rational thought in the world won't banish your fear.
The burned hand teaches best. Experience is the best teacher. Use whatever
pithy phrase you like. You have to PRACTICE FALLING
in order to overcome a lifetime of instilled fear. Start easy, however. Get on
toprope and just practice putting your weight on the rope while slowly
letting go in the middle of a climb. Do this over and over until you feel
comfortable doing it. You ought to be able to just let go and FALL on the
rope without being afraid. Also, if you don't trust your belayer, you'll
never learn to let go, so climb with someone whose belay skills you TRUST!
Eventually you will progress to allowing a foot of slack in the rope before
you let go. Then two feet. You're on your way to conquering fear! Later,
you will just let go, without warning, in the middle of a climb. Do that 10,
20, 50, or however many times it takes until you feel confident. The final test
is to get on a pretty hard climb, something you may doubt that you can do, and
test your fear. First of all, if you read this far, you have absorbed the
sequencing and visualization techniques. Use these to prepare for your climb.
Then go climb it! IF you fall (maybe you won't!),
stay relaxed and let your partner catch you. Once you TRUST your equipment
and your partner, you will feel much less fear, and climb MUCH better!
Author's note: In preparation for a summer of outdoor lead climbing,
I lead climb in the gym and when I get to the top, I just LET GO and take a 15 foot fall.
I'm 40 feet up. I won't hit the ground ;-) Seriously, though, the first half dozen
times I do this, I shake like a leaf! But I climb back up and let go, over and over
again until I can fall in a relaxed position. That way when I fall unexpectedly
outdoors, I am in a position that minimizes any injury. Sometimes I just can't make
a move, either, and need to take a fall. If you can control your fall, you'll be
much safer (and happier!).
You don't have to take a big lead fall the first time. Instead,
just climb a foot or two above your anchor and let go,
eventually increasing the distance (and the fall) as you practice.
Stay tuned for streaming video of *me* falling to be added to the site!
A sequence describes the order in which a climber moves
his hands and his feet to different holds on a particular climb.
Many climbs insist on a particular sequence --- if you don't use
the holds the right way, in a particular order, it is likely you
will fall off. Sequencing also involves the alignment of the hands
and feet on the holds, as well as the body position in relation to
the holds and the angle you are climbing.
Despite its physical execution, sequencing is a very mental technique.
Before you climb a route, step back until you can see the whole route,
or as much of it as is visible if you happen to be outdoors. Indoor
routes are usually marked with colored tape, but when you are outdoors,
look for features in the rock that might be used for holds. Also look
for the white chalk left behind on the rock by previous climbers ---
that's a dead giveaway for a hold.
When studying the holds, try to determine
how each hold is oriented. That is, what grip will suit you best here?
Is it an undercling, a sidepull, a crimp, or a sloper? Taking into account
the the direction of the holds and the incline of the route, in which
direction should your body lean in order to maximize the hold? Will you
lean diagonally, climb straight up while hugging the wall, or is there
an undercling that you need to get above and lean out on? (If these
descriptions confuse you, visit the 
Once you have a feel for the alignment of the holds and the angle
of incline of the route, 
Lastly, I suggest that you NOT just climb a route until you reach the top, then
quit. Climb that route 10, 25, 50 or more times until you perfected the
techinques for that route and it appears (and feels relatively) effortless.
Your body will store these moves in a "climbing move database" where your
muscles will retrieve them, often thoughtlessly, when you encounter a similar
configuration of holds and angles.
"I think I can, I think I can!" The little train that could.
That's you! Visualization refers to imagining yourself, in graphic
detail, doing something. In this case, it is making a move. When you
find yourself working a move that seems particularly difficult or
scary, it is all too easy to convince yourself that you will fail.
And you will, more often than not, because you won't commit all of
your physical and mental strength to making the move. Instead you'll
busy yourself with thinking about how scared you are, or how you're
not good enough, and when the time comes to 
Before you even start climbing, envision the move. Do you know
where each hand and foot should be on each hold, and where your body
is in relation to them? Imagine yourself in position, ready to make
the move. You should be able to almost feel the holds you are on.
Now, concentrate on envisioning the hold that you are going for, however
far away or small it may seem. Imagine your body moving to execute the
move, and actually