“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you are right.” –Henry Ford
I love this quote and how it applies directly to climbing. Have I talked enough about the ego busting nature of climbing? How just when you think you’ve progressed you’re brought down a peg or two? It’s the challenge and beauty of this ridiculously hard sport and I think it’s one of the reasons I really like climbers. The egotistical ones don’t tend to stick around for long. I’m not saying there aren’t some huge egos out there in the climbing world, but the nature of the sport itself tends to keep the more humble athletes…the ones who are willing to try to move their arm up an inch for hours at a time. That takes…a certain kind of personality.

Thank goodness for car sharing programs like Modo that let us non-car owners get to the hard to reach places like the Squamish boulders. Some of the boulders are down long and bumpy dirt roads and you practically need a blood hound in order to find the right spots. Others are really accessible on the side of the road. The Squamish Bouldering guide is super handy for those wanting to climb in this area.

Titanic – a classic boulder in Squamish.

I love the new Prisma app and it makes climbing shots look pretty darn cool.
So, after some attempts at various boulders and a whole lot of hiking through the forest with our crash pad and gear, Zeke found me a highly rated easy boulder to climb and at first, I didn’t think I could do it, much to my chagrin (side note – chagrin is such a good word.) But, then Zeke reminded me of this fancy thing I know called “technique” that you know, I use all the time in the gym so why not outside? When I figured out the beta and actually applied this fancy “technique” thing guess what? I fell on my ass and cried all the way home. Just kidding. I nailed the problem! I couldn’t believe it. I set my fear aside and focused on the actual movement and of course had the best spotter ever behind me and voila – mission accomplished. So, it took all day, but I was able to leave with that little boost. And hopefully our next trip up will go even better. Every time I boulder outside I feel like I’m slowly gaining XP points like in some sort of climbing video game. With any luck I’ll gain a few levels in the coming years.
Thanks again bouldering for teaching me to be humble, patient, kind with myself and courageous.
Helpful links
The Squamish Bouldering guide
www.quickdrawpublications.com/product/squamish-bouldering/
Modo Carsharing
Way to go Kris—pushing thru your fear with caution and technique thrown in! And a backup spotter!
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love this post and your writing style so much! Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks so much! 🙂
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