Well, the day has finally come…it’s course day at CragX! I never thought I’d be so nervous yet so excited to learn new skills. It just feels like there is so much riding on this training so I want to be able to absorb everything for the test later on. Ultimately though, this course was a blast! I ended up having an amazing time and the hours just flew by. By the end of it I was feeling pretty good about myself and my partner (Anju from @DirtbagDrive). We had a fantastic instructor named Sarah. She was very informational and encouraging. She managed to really drive home points about safety and how to have proper technique while making the experience relaxed and enjoyable.
For this week’s post, I’ve split it into two parts. The first, my experience and main takeaways and the second a bunch of information about what we learned from it. You can find Post 2: Info Overload here.
Before we started climbing we spent about 30 minutes going over the basics (tying in, clipping methods, etc.). It was great to practice our clips and go over all of the reviews before hitting the wall. We also went over how to let out rope when using a GRIGRI. It took out a lot of nerves! After the review, we took turns practicing clipping as we climbed up the short walls (again, a great way to warm up and to feel more comfortable). However, once the climber was at the top they were to down climb so that the belayer could get used to letting out rope and practicing the movements when they came to a clip. It was good practice as the belayer but exhausting as the climber. Down climbing is a notable way to build up endurance, for sure. While I was climbing on lead, I found it freeing. It felt so good to not have a rope in front of my face the whole time. I felt like my technique was better and I felt stronger even though climbing on lead takes more energy.
Next we moved from the small walls to the big wall. It was so exciting! Anju wanted to go up first, so I took the first belay. I found a groove with the rope in one position but need to work on my transitions between the climber clipping and going back to slowly feeding the rope (two different rope techniques). When Anju took the first small fall, my timing was off. It was fine, but it just meant that it wasn’t as much of a soft catch as it could have been. For her medium and large falls I felt better about it. I was lifted into the air a lot more and it was kinda fun although stressful. On the last fall, my timing was there and I was square on to the wall so my feet were properly positioned. This is still something I really want to practice before our test.
Then it was my turn to climb and fall. I thought I’d be nervous but I wasn’t. I trusted the equipment, Anju, and our instructor (it did help to remind myself that while on the wall). And well, falling was SO MUCH FUN! The hardest part was hanging and waiting for the instructor to give me the OK to fall. My first fall was the small one, it was a bit jarring but that’s normal for a small drop as there isn’t as much rope to take up the force. Then I climbed a bit higher, the medium fall felt good but my favourite was actually the longest fall. It felt exhilarating! Like being on a rollercoaster and finally feeling the drop. I even got to do that big drop a second time! Anju did a great job during that final catch, it was so soft. Then we each got a second turn on a slightly harder route.
Video by Grant Francis
I am so grateful for my climbing partner (Anju), for our amazing instructor Sarah, for this opportunity to work on something I care about for this free inquiry and for my partner Grant who has been coaching me on the side and made me feel pretty prepared for this experience.
By the end of it both of us were quite tired but also fired up! We confirmed with Sarah as to when we could come in next week for our practice test. So that will be happening Tuesday! Now I’m really excited and nervous for next week.
“Pick an objective, go until something stops you, retreat, learn, and try again. That’s the formula for success.”
Will Gadd
