A real CLIMBING question for once

[cracked]

Often when I'm climbing I get locked into tunnel vision. Examples: on alpine stuff, I'm swinging my tools. When the ice turns to snow, and daggering would be more efficient, I often fail to realize that a different technique would be better. On rock, when climbing a crack, I often don't look around for face holds especially ones that are pretty far away, instead just jamming the crack like I have been for 20 feet. How do you get out of a mindset? Maybe I just need to consciously think about what I'm doing...

[sobo]

cracked said:

... Maybe I just need to consciously think about what I'm doing...

 

In a simple word, "yes".

[whirlwind]

just keep jaming but look where ur going and look for holds above u where ur going to place gear, and or to rest then climb to that point

[chucK]

Here's an idea. Try climbing up the crack until it feels or looks like it is too difficult and that you might fall. This is your cue to look around for other holds that will make the upward progress easier.

 

Another idea is to tie knots in the climbing rope every 10 feet or so. When your belayer tugs and says, "hey wait, there's a knot in the rope, I need to untie it. Are you in a good spot?", this will be a cue to look around and scan the rock for non-crack holds. Try imagining that you are in the gym and the crack is "out".

 

Hope this helps

[Dr_Flash_Amazing]

sobo said:

cracked said:

... Maybe I just need to consciously think about what I'm doing...

 

In a simple word, "yes".

 

Double yes!

[specialed]

cracked said:

Often when I'm climbing I get locked into tunnel vision. Examples: on alpine stuff, I'm swinging my tools. When the ice turns to snow, and daggering would be more efficient, I often fail to realize that a different technique would be better. On rock, when climbing a crack, I often don't look around for face holds especially ones that are pretty far away, instead just jamming the crack like I have been for 20 feet. How do you get out of a mindset? Maybe I just need to consciously think about what I'm doing...

 

In a climbing mag recently they, believe it or nor, had a useful tip written by Peter Croft. He said too often when people climb cracks they only use the crack for feet and this causes the barn door effect. He said put your feet where they are the most comfortable even if its just a smear that enables you to bring your other foot up higher.

 

I'm not saying I've totally alleviated the problem you describe from my climbing, but after I read that I kept it in mind and it has helped.

 

The other thing I always do is look at my feet as much as possible, because out of sight - out of mind. If you look at your feet you will use them more and more efficiently.

[sobo]

cracked,

 

I'll elaborate, if I may... I indicated that you should consciously look around as you climb. I still maintain that you should do this. It may be that you are having such a good time climbing whatever line you're on that you don't consciously think about what you're doing until it doesn't work anymore. WHile it may be great to feel this way while you're climbing, it may be limiting you.

 

Try this (it worked for me): On the two upper crack pitches of Outer Space at L-worth, I started out jamming with all four limbs in the crack. Then I switched to just hands in the crack and feet on the face/chickenheads. Then switched to feet in teh crack and hands on the face. By the time I ended the upper crack pitch, I had all appendages out of the crack and on the face. It opened my eyes quite a bit, made for more interesting and varied climbing, and the climbing was still quite fun.

 

Try it on the next pitch of whatever climb you lead and see if intentionally varying your techniques doesn't get you out of your current mindset.

 

cheers!

 

Yeah, what specialed says about looking at your feet is GREAT advice. Improved my climbing immensely years ago when I "noticed" I also had feet.

Edited May 8, 2003 by sobo

[Alex]

How do you get out of a mindset?

 

You probably need to relax more, move a little bit more slowly and deliberately, and look around. I know alot of people get tunnel vision, and its just hightend when they are stressed out, especailly on lead. This results often in fixating only on cracks, because they feel "more secure", and placing pro when not in a rest stance; for example, simply because you are freaked out and dont want to go *1 INCH* higher, even though there is a great rest 3 feet above you. Godzilla is a great example of a route that is climbable in a variety of ways: stemming the corner on the outside, above the lieback, is easier and less strenuous than jamming the (overhanging, offwidth) crack straight on, but when leading people ofen feel like the crack is the way to go, rather than looking out on the arete for the nice footholds that let you stem.

 

Relax. Feel the moves. Plan the next one. Climbing is alot like chess. Anyone can go move to move, but really good climbers plan ahead several moves. Bouldering helps this visualization a bit. Leading well within your ability helps too, if you consciously run it out... running it out helps you set some goals (like, "how far do I feel going on this 5.5 ground above my last piece? Oo, I see a rest about 15 feet up there, I'll get there and then place a piece). This translates into smoother more relaxed climbing later on harder ground.

 

Alex

[sobo]

sage words from Alex

[Matt_Anderson]

An observation . . .

 

Tunnel vision seems to occur when you are to preoccupied by the current situation to take the time (or energy) to step back (figuratively) and consider alternatives. In other words, if you're pumped, then it may not seem like a good idea to expend further energy on the off chance that you might find a hold where you don't expect it. Instead, it just seems like making do with what you've got may be the most expedient solution.

 

I think I'm decent at not getting tunnel vision and here's how I do it . . .

 

Treat the climb like a series of boulder problems between rests. Take a look, and find the next probable good rest, look at the holds in between and guess what the best sequence will be, making sure you consider all possibilities (looking for, and making mental notes of, atypical holds). Then go climb until that next rest (if it's marginal, you may have to consider a number of possible places where you can rest). Then when you arrive at the next place to stop, do the whole thing over again. It forces you to think further ahead than the next move and allows you to do so from what is (hopefully) the least strenuous position (enabling rational thought instead of panic).

 

Matt