http://www.climber.co.uk may–jun 2020 61
I was 25 years old when I thought that
- I was a lead competitor in competi-
tion climbing, I trained on the wall
during the week and I went outdoors
at the weekend. What would I do
differently, if I could start again?
One word springs to mind – fun.
I didn’t miss out on the fun though.
I liked to train, from endurance circuits
to campus board, lifting weights. I loved
going to the crag; always limestone,
overhanging and with tufas if possible.
I liked to feel my progression from week
to week, to assemble one by one the
bricks of my training and to reach my
goals when ready. The fun side – I did
not find it so much in the moment, rather
on the overall. I was following my own
direction; I thought the blinkers that I
put on only helped me to focus.
Looking back, what would my 34-year
old self have added? Some fun. More
precisely, the pleasure of discovery, of
variety and of surprise. It seems to me that
in training, I missed a little pinch of salt. I
am impatient, just like most people. I tried
the daily double sessions, it did not really
suit me, it was too much. Not too much
for my body, it was too much for my mind.
Six attempts at my maximum on routes
day after day, I could do that. But to add
another session on the training board and
give it 100% was too much. I simply didn’t
have enough motivation there.
Monotony has been the limiting factor
of my training. I could not do more
because my brain was exploding, I just
needed some air...
With 15 years more experience, it
seems to me that the solution would have
been to vary more. Indeed, competition
takes place on artificial walls and certainly,
it is hard to see the interest of a slab of
granite, a crack, or a boulder in Fontaine-bleau to prepare for an indoor lead
competition. I wasn’t keen on trying these
‘different’ approaches because they did
not inspire me, I just didn’t see the point.
I could have overcome my lack of
motivation if I had found an interest in
adding them to my training, but I
couldn’t imagine what climbing slabs
would bring me. Better technique? I did
not know that I lacked any.
Looking back, even If they seemed
pointless, I could still have enjoyed the
novel pleasures, except that this variety
put me in danger of losing confidence
in all certainties, it destabilised me.
I did not like the unknown, for in the
unknown I had the impression I lost
sight of who I was.
Learning to perfectly place my feet
on a slab might not help me on every
single overhanging route but it would
have come in useful now and again. 6CLIMBING IN ALL ITS DIMENSIONS
8 James Pearson delicate
on Inuit, a F8b+ slab at La
Pedriza in Spain. James said,
“I think I tried at least as hard
as on a F9a, define not ever
having to use my biceps at
any point!” Photo: Talo Martin4 James Pearson placing
a crucial Friend during the
first ascent of Zembrocal
(F8c+), Reunion Island. Photo:
Riky Felderer/Damiano Levati/
The North Face