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[apbt1976]

Ha ha..

Being new to climbing learning Trad is pretty much my sole reason for climbing. I also find myself pondering all the same questions at the moment. I have to remind myself to slow down "that it is the journey not the destination".

The aging 34 year old man in me is in quite a rush to be honest as i have some high aspirations while my body is still operating at 99.9%. I have a feeling some of the things i aspire towards a 45-60 year old body may have a hard time with!

Maybe not but i don't really wanna wait and find out the hard way!!

You know I was thinking about this thread and it dawned on me that Laura and I saw a kid snap his leg in half bouldering at metro rock a few weeks ago. I'd never seen anyone break their leg... and he was just bouldering a few feet up in a gym! With a squishy floor! Bouldering in a gym is probably safer than pogs. It just goes to show you that in all sports you can sustain injuries and I don't think you can predict "if" and "when" you're going to break bones.

BTW, the best climbers I know are over 50, 60, and 70 ... that's why I climb with them lol

For some reason they seem to share the same approach to climbing as us. Its our peers/younger that we sometimes have difficulty climbing with.

For some reason i have also gravitated towards people 10-20 years older than me all my life. When i was a aspiring pro cyclist and 25 it was 50+ masters guys i was able to learn the most from. Now at 34 and learning to climb i find the 50-65 age group being the ones i also am able to learn the most from and offer a mutual respect. Something that makes you feel safe climbing when someone had decades of experiences to fall back on. Plus i think in all that time they pick up a thing or two about how to effectively teach. Add to that a humble attitude as apposed to that young guy something to prove full of them self attitude and i am very happy with the older generation of climbers.

[sneoh]

BTW, the best climbers I know are over 50, 60, and 70 ... that's why I climb with them lol
For some reason they seem to share the same approach to climbing as us. Its our peers/younger that we sometimes have difficulty climbing with.

I am in that age group.  Not sure about good at anything.  I can say the prevailing attitude I find among my peers is avoid getting injured as much as possible.  Body parts take so much longer to heal once one's age is north of 40 or 45.  Live to fight another day and being able to climb for as long as possible into the future become one's major consideration.  And, yeah, and have as much fun as possible while at it!

[mechanicalchris]

BTW, the best climbers I know are over 50, 60, and 70 ... that's why I climb with them lol
For some reason they seem to share the same approach to climbing as us. Its our peers/younger that we sometimes have difficulty climbing with.

I am in that age group.  Not sure about good at anything.  I can say the prevailing attitude I find among my peers is avoid getting injured as much as possible.  Body parts take so much longer to heal once one's age is north of 40 or 45.  Live to fight another day and being able to climb for as long as possible into the future become one's major consideration.  And, yeah, and have as much fun as possible while at it!

Well put and as it relates to Champoing's initial topic of risk assessment, I think the ones still climbing into the 40's, 50', 60's and beyond are who we can learn the most from about good risk assessment habits.

[apbt1976]

BTW, the best climbers I know are over 50, 60, and 70 ... that's why I climb with them lol
For some reason they seem to share the same approach to climbing as us. Its our peers/younger that we sometimes have difficulty climbing with.

I am in that age group.  Not sure about good at anything.  I can say the prevailing attitude I find among my peers is avoid getting injured as much as possible.  Body parts take so much longer to heal once one's age is north of 40 or 45.  Live to fight another day and being able to climb for as long as possible into the future become one's major consideration.  And, yeah, and have as much fun as possible while at it!

Well put and as it relates to Champoing's initial topic of risk assessment, I think the ones still climbing into the 40's, 50', 60's and beyond are who we can learn the most from about good risk assessment habits.

Again you summed that up very well in regard to "risk assessment habits".

That and having being good teachers as they have taught more than one person to climb really seems to go a long way.

Being 34 i am already starting to figure out the body suddenly has it's limitations. More than i want to finish some hard route/line i much prefer to be able to go for a run, bike ride the next day and continue on trying to get out as much as humanly possible. Being really good also sounds good but i go nuts sitting on me ass injured!!

[strandman]

Feeling good ? I wasn't doing to bad until south Co got a quick 22" dump of snow .... back is feeling it now.

[Jack_Dorsey]

This is what I did! Well change bowling to running!

If you are worried about the risks in climbing take up bowling!!

Like many of you it's part of my makeup to analyze the risk of what I do and how it affects other things in my life that may be more important. At this moment my training for the Vermont City Marathon is far more important to me than climbing. Thinking about the risks I decided that I don't want to rock or ice climb until after the marathon.

I chuckled a bit about some of the age worry comments in this thread. In 24 days I'll turn 70. From my prospective I'm not old. It's been a great year. I'm happier than I've been in years.

On Monday I ran 10 miles and averaged a 8 1/2 minutes per mile and felt like I was flying. Thirty years ago I would have been 2 1/2 minutes a mile faster but it wouldn't have felt any better. I was happy with my "speed workout" because it's what I can do now.

Jack

[Admin Al]

If you are worried about the risks in climbing take up bowling!!

right on Jack... I totally agree!

[slink]

Do not let Jack fool you.He is a hiking machine.We have done back country stuff together and he is a great partner to climb with.When is this marathon Jack? I should be healed up and ready to get back on the rock by then'.
 Keep on training and you will be young forever

[tradchick]

Jack, you are an inspiration.....and hard to keep up with on the trail.  We'll need to weigh you down with both ropes.

[punxnotdead]

Although I miss climbing with Jack right now. I am psyched for his marathon.

Of course, there are many times when I have pulled on a suspect ice axe or made some low percentage slab moves. But the risk analysis machine is always running .

Climb on, climb smart and try to keep up with Jack on a bushwhack!

Bill Keiler

[sneoh]

Risking sounding petty or coming across like a jackass, Al, there is a difference between being worried about the risks in climbing and, as Bill so adeptly puts it, making sure "the risk analysis machine is always running".
Case in point - I was bouldering the other night absent-mindedly and taking things way too casually, slapped for a sloper but could not control it and came off.  I had no idea where I was going to land.  Bad mistake - landed on the edge of the pad and rolled my ankle. That was it for the night for me; had to limp home licking my wound and feeling like a total fool.  Lucky for me, my ankle was back to normal in 2 days but it could have been uglier.

[PG]

Risk assesment or listening to your inner voice. One time I didn't listen and it almost killed me. Another time I listened and it saved my life. And yet another time I listened and it transformed my life. I guess you have to just get out there and have fun but when that voice speaks stop and listen.

Pete

[Admin Al]

I am always listening to that inner voice and I never have a problem backing off something... I know I've hiked up to Hunting half a dozen times in the past 20 years, looked around and said "well it was a nice day for a hike".

[strandman]

Sounds like you guys are hearing a lot of voices   

[JBrochu]

I only hear one voice. It keeps saying "one more beer isn't gonna hurt anything..."