Comment by brailsafe

Comment by brailsafe 6 days ago

There's a few that come to mind, but none that feel actually as daunting intellectually as much as they are qualified by other factors.

I'd like to go from indoor bouldering to rock climbing, but coordinating with a belayer doesn't seem super interesting and otherwise it's just a matter of expense, gear, and a slight pivot in my leisure time to start going at it.

Otherwise, the skill that seems most out of reach is keeping a job for longer than a year. I'm in a decent spot now, after a year and a half prior of being unemployed, and I feel like this might be my last real shot at a career of any kind. Other people seem to handle it fine, but this is the thing that seems most out of reach. Unlike engineering problems that are made up of abstractions with ways to break them down and piece together systems, keeping a job is as opaque of an abstraction as I'm aware of, that doesn't necessarily depend on a measurable skill or even on anything within one's control. I've never once felt stability or been able to bet on money coming in next year, and if I had the money for a mortgage, I'd be stopped by the knowledge I can't count on an income flow at any time in the future. I'm thankful for what I have and what I've learned nonetheless.

jonah 6 days ago

I haven't done much climbing at all but I would encourage you to go for it. Being outside is a whole different level and a great excuse to spend time in nature.

Start by talking to people at your bouldering gym. If you hear anyone discussing going out climbing, ask if you can tag along and just watch for a few times. Watch some videos about climbing basics to get an overall feel for it and some of the concepts and terminology. I'd say you should start out "top roping" on smaller walls. As for equipment for that you don't need much especially since your partner will probably have a rope and gear to build an anchor, etc. You'll need, shoes, a harness, and a helmet.

Going from gym bouldering to outdoor climbing _does_ require being a little more social. It's a minimum 2-person sport usually. But going as a small group and rotating roles and just hanging out watching works too.) You just need to find people you like hanging out with and you can trust. (If you don't find them at your gym, try another or ask around at outdoor stores, your local university rec department, etc.)

About jobs, I can't help you. I tend to stay too long if anything.

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brailsafe 4 days ago

Thanks for the advice! After re-reading my comment, I should have articulated the thought differently. I've already been taking the path you and the sibling commenter described, all the variables are already more or less in-place, and I already have a strong love of the outdoors, long day hikes with sketchy scrambles, many wall climbers met, invitations received, etc.. So what I meant was, "One of the things I'd like to do is outdoor climbing, but I have a pretty clear path with no particular hurdles in the way of going for it, it's not as abstract as not getting fired or laid off from a job"
That said, I appreciate the sentiment nonetheless; more encouragement to get out and do hard, rewarding things, especially social things, should never be frowned upon.

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- jonah 3 days ago
  
  Motivation and prioritization can be hard!
  Personally, I love hiking. I like getting out in nature, seeing all the things I can observe along the way, and getting good exercise. That being said, I don't get up and go on my own as often as I'd like. My wife OTOH, also loves hiking but is adamant about going once or twice every weekend if at all possible. So, I take advantage of that extrinsic motivation and am the better for it.
  
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thorin 5 days ago

I would encourage you to speak to the wall first in case they run outdoor sessions or see if there are any clubs in your area. This assumes you live in an area with some outdoor climbing. Outdoor bouldering can be done with little equipment, but you need to start way easier than what you'd do at the wall. The ground is surprisingly hard and I've seen someone break their ankle right in front of me a few times and it does not look fun.

Outdoor sport climbing is pretty easy to get into if you have bolted climbing in your area, but as you get higher the ground gets even harder so make sure you know what you're doing. Lots of good books and resources available.

If you really want to get into trad climbing be prepared for a longer apprenticeship, take your time and start easy.

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brailsafe 4 days ago

Yep, this is pretty much the process I had in mind for going about it, and yes all the other variables are conveniently in place. I have a lot of respect for nature, mountains, and difficult potentially dangerous recreational sports, so I don't mean to trivialize the endeavor. I should have articulated the thought in a slightly different way, such that I meant something more akin to "One of the things I'd like to pursue is outdoor climbing, but I have a sense of the path to doing that, it's not as much of a mystery as this other thing"

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