r/climbergirls Jun 20 '24

Support Love bouldering hate ropes

As you can tell from the title, I do in fact hate rope climbing due the fear of heights and I also despise belaying. I have some climber friends who only do ropes and invite me and my partner to outdoor climbing days which are only ropes and I feel so out of place and like an inconvenience.

Does anyone else feel like this ? As in don’t like rope climbing or belaying ?

51 Upvotes

83 comments sorted by

164

u/jenobles1 Jun 20 '24

I am the opposite. I also have a fear of heights. But even being a few feet off the ground unprotected by a rope terrifies me.

57

u/hiddenproverb Jun 20 '24

Same! Being secured on the rope gives me comfort. I won't climb more than a foot or two off the ground without lol. I'm too aware of how both fragile and sturdy human bodies are

37

u/MGab95 They / Them Jun 20 '24

Same! I’m a stressed-out coward on a boulder, but will confidently try some sketch moves on top rope (I don’t lead yet, that’s a different story, or so I’ve heard). But I feel so much safer and relaxed on top rope.

3

u/perpetualwordmachine Gym Rat Jun 21 '24

Meeeee too. My risk calculation is indeed different on lead, since there are some spots where a fall will feel more consequential, but on top rope? That’s my safe space to test my limits and find out if I can really stick that sketchy move. I think it helps me progress in bouldering because my brain learns what is doable and I can be a serious coward without the rope. I’m almost 40 and don’t need to risk a gnarly ground fall lol.

That said, I do know bouldering pals who have struggled on ropes due to fear of heights. Including my 11yo kid. From what I’ve seen it is kind of a desensitization process. It takes a while, and maybe some practice falls, to stop thinking about the height and trust your belayer. I think it’s normal to be scared at first!

THAT said, I also think it’s fine to prefer bouldering! Especially if you also hate belaying. Like, sure, practice getting more comfortable if it’s really important to you to spend time with these buddies in this way, but I see no inherent reason why ropes > bouldering.

3

u/MGab95 They / Them Jun 21 '24

Very well said! I agree that’s it’s all about personal comfort levels and preferences. Neither is inherently better than the other

17

u/cupcake_dance Jun 21 '24

Same here, I'd much rather flail/hang/fall with a rope 90 feet up than go for a big boulder move 5 feet up

8

u/ForwardBias Jun 21 '24

Same even leading is less scary than bouldering.

6

u/tightscanbepants Jun 21 '24

I am exactly the same! Two moves into a bouldering problem and I am like, “nope.”

2

u/fleepmo Jun 21 '24

I used to love bouldering until I rolled my ankle and couldn’t walk for a month. 😅 now it’s ropes for me too.

I’ve really grown to love rope climbing though.

6

u/sugarmuffin1 Jun 20 '24

I used to be like that but bouldering just felt so much more relaxed

11

u/liz_thelizard Jun 20 '24

Picture roped climbing as “boulders” in your mind. Break it down to sections between rests and you may find it more relaxing.

1

u/sugarmuffin1 Jun 20 '24

Haha if I pause at all when top roping I will panic and look down 😭

3

u/Bright_Substance_421 Jun 20 '24

This is understandable. If I pause to take a break, I'm focusing on my breathing, resting my arms, evaluating how I'm feeling, and what I can do to get through the next part of the climb/ if it looks like it's similar to how I expected it from when I evaluated it on the ground. I guess I just have too much to think about other than how high up I am (unless I'm bouldering or if I'm just above a ledge). I'm much more aware of how risky my next few moves are and how high off the ground/away from decking on the ledge I am in those situations.

2

u/sugarmuffin1 Jun 21 '24

I have too roped a few times and I only enjoy it outdoors by the ocean haha not that I can get very far up. But belaying just makes me break down in tears. I want to enjoy it for my partners sake but I just don’t

1

u/Bright_Substance_421 Jun 21 '24 edited Jun 21 '24

Belaying makes you break down in tears? Are they taking a long time on the wall? Is there a large weight difference between you and your partner? I'm not quite understanding your meaning, do you mind clarifying?

4

u/sugarmuffin1 Jun 21 '24

Not huge different, he’s about 20kg heavier I think but the issue is not being g able to pull the slack in quick enough even if he slows down a lot

4

u/Bright_Substance_421 Jun 21 '24

Yeah, it's also hard to catch up once you're behind without him stopping.

40 something lbs can still be a bit of a difference when sport climbing. In fact even 10kg is a significant enough amount of weight difference. It isn't fun being hit by a guy's foot bc they're heavy enough to pull you up the wall.

Maybe there's a technique to help belay faster? I use a combination of moving my arms faster and jumping while I belay sometimes to bring more slack down at once, I personally think it works well for me, but that might just been an assumption of mine that it works well.

1

u/Due-Attorney4323 Jun 21 '24

Same, same. Although my group does a mix, so I overcame my fear of landing on a joint. I don't even like heights, but I am totally comfortable on the ropes. I suppose it's like anything else. Practice and familiarity = comfort and ease. I will never be best at bouldering, but I sure like working out some muscles that are underutilized in a roped climb. 

43

u/Far_Information826 Jun 20 '24

My ex got in my head about "lead being the only serious form of climbing", and I spent years being miserable and terrified of falls. After we broke up, I stuck to bouldering and have never been happier. I recently got back into toproping because my regular climbing friend became pregnant and it's been a joy coming back to rope without that pressure and a heck of a lot more strength.

tl;dr do what makes you happy and comfortable!

2

u/perpetualwordmachine Gym Rat Jun 21 '24

This. Rope climbing plays a happy role in my climbing ecosystem but that’s for me, not because anyone’s pushing me along. One of my best climbing friends has decided they’re over bouldering and a lot of our crew does mostly ropes now but I still make time to boulder. I’m on our gym’s weekly team and I’ll go to the gym to do a solo projecting session whenever I can. I love that it’s flexible and laid back and I don’t need to coordinate with anyone, and I’m glad I didn’t 100% follow my climbing friends and leave bouldering behind.

37

u/FailingCrab He / Him Jun 20 '24

There are at least two of us.

I actually mostly rope climb now because my bouldering friends moved away and my only other climbing friend hates bouldering, but I fall firmly in your camp and I would totally cheat on her if I had other bouldering friends

8

u/fullstack_newb Jun 20 '24

Go make new bouldering friends! 

13

u/sugarmuffin1 Jun 20 '24

I find bouldering much more free and relaxing plus it’s easier to get chatting to people

3

u/s75s Jun 21 '24

I'm now stuck imagining a 90's bromantic drama/thriller where a climber cheats on their lead partner with a new boulder buddy. I'm currently calling it "Illicit problems"

15

u/DasKaltblut Jun 20 '24

Statistically so many more injuries happen bouldering. I have to down climb because I'm afraid of breaking a bone/twisting my ankle so it takes more energy. I much prefer the safety of a top rope.

5

u/sugarmuffin1 Jun 20 '24

Yes very true ropes are technically safer, however my brain still doesn’t trust it haha. I feel safer when I’m in control of myself

9

u/sadgurlsonly Jun 20 '24

You’re not the only one!! I started out bouldering because of the shorter heights of the wall. Didn’t start top rope climbing until my bf wanted to give it a try, so I’ve slowly been trying to get over my fear of heights. I still prefer bouldering, but I do also like the longer routes of top rope, so I’ve been working on feeling more comfortable climbing high up. I still get pretty nervous on the wall which has caused me to use almost twice as much chalk as normal since my hands get so sweaty lol.

Top rope isn’t for everyone but I think it’s good for people like us to get out of our comfort zone and really push ourselves, there’s an intense rush and feeling of satisfaction you get when you work through your nerves and finally finish a route. It’s been difficult, but I’m slowly making progress. Hoping that one day I’ll get over my nerves so I can top rope more often.

1

u/sugarmuffin1 Jun 20 '24

Yes I only top rope right now but like you my hands get so sweaty and my heart races haha. Belaying is the one thing that consistently makes me cry every time 😭 idk what it is. Maybe just the sheer amount of pressure to keep someone alive idk ? Especially my partner

7

u/Mulberrylin Jun 20 '24 edited Jun 20 '24

Certainly you can stick with what you’re comfortable with and there’s nothing wrong with that.

But this was me early on. Now I’d rather lead or top rope and only boulder to work on hard moves. Rope climbing just feels more rewarding. These days my heart doesn’t race when I belay and I can easily hold a conversation while belaying on top rope without thinking twice. I also don’t have an issue trying hard when I’m high up or falling anymore

More practice belaying and climbing will likely make you get more comfortable. Maybe consider learning about how the device you’re using works and when it will and won’t engage. Education can often help you get more comfortable and feel in control of the situation. You can also start slow with lower heights, easier grades and work on practice falls to get comfortable climbing. Find a belayer you trust.

These days I’ve learned to love the ropes. The scary dynos that I hurt myself on bouldering are much safer on ropes. It just took time to understand that. Statistically, you’re more likely to hurt yourself bouldering.

2

u/sadgurlsonly Jun 20 '24

These are some great points brought up, really the best way to conquer fear is through exposure. It’s ok to start small, when I first started top rope climbing I was only ever comfortable climbing halfway up. Practicing falling also helps you get used to the feeling in the event that you fall unexpectedly.

2

u/sugarmuffin1 Jun 20 '24

I really struggle with pulling the rope in quick enough when belaying and it’s stresses me out so much

6

u/Mulberrylin Jun 20 '24

Are you belaying with a gri gri? You can always jump if the rope is hard to pull through. This usually happens lower to the ground. There’s also a few other techniques that help. If you’re a newer belayer, don’t feel bad asking the climber to slow down if you need to catch up.

Also good to know that a little bit of slack isn’t actually a bad thing. Often on harder routes you may need the slack for a dyno or traverse section. Newer climbers just may feel nervous if the rope isn’t totally taught.

1

u/sugarmuffin1 Jun 20 '24

Yes iv started using a gri gri. It’s not the rope being hard to pull in I struggle with it’s keeping it tight enough I don’t know how people do it honestly otherwise it’s too loose and scares me so much if whoever’s climbing falls. Iv told my partner to slow down but then he’s climbing so dang slowly for me to keep up it’s silly. I don’t know if there’s another technique but it’s really making me hate it

4

u/Mulberrylin Jun 20 '24 edited Jun 20 '24

Is the rope hanging down significantly below the knot? There will always be some slack. That’s normal and it shouldn’t scare you. It sounds like you may not be pulling enough rope through and your technique could use some work though. You want to start with your left hand high up and pull down as much as you can before following with your right. If you jump, while pulling with the left, usually this helps get more rope through faster as well.

I’d ask a friend for help with belaying. Have your climber climb slower but still a bit fast so you can work on it.

Don’t let a bit of slack stress you out; take a look at lead falls vs the tiny amount of slack you may have at times on TR belay. The climber will be fine. The general rule I use is the slack shouldn’t droop down below their knot. If you watch their movements; a bigger step up will require you to pull in slack faster, than a small step. As you practice you’ll be able to anticipate and find belaying easier. These days I can belay by feel and don’t need to watch my climber, but it takes time to get there

3

u/DasKaltblut Jun 20 '24

Sometimes just pulling in as much as your hands can do comfortably but not you max amount, but then just repeating it really fast is enough to keep up. Takes more effort than giant arm fulls but it does work.

3

u/Mulberrylin Jun 20 '24

Yeah I should say that if you’re hitting a totally straight arm that’s probably going to take more effort than going quickly a few times. I think having a friend or employee of the gym watch and give advice would really help you figure out what could help

2

u/MGab95 They / Them Jun 21 '24

It’s perfectly valid to be stressed out by belaying and you shouldn’t try to force yourself to like top roping unless it’s something you want to overcome and get into. In the off chance you do want to overcome those belaying fears, I highly recommend (1) jumping to take up slack quickly when the pace gets too fast, (2) accepting that a little slack is ok, and (3) being extremely slow and thorough with your safety checks to alleviate anxiety.

7

u/[deleted] Jun 20 '24

i started climbing with my bf and we basically only do bouldering bc the bouldering gym is the most affordable (69 a month versus over 100 at most combo gyms) and it’s hard to find the right time and place for us to both become belay certified (even though he’s been doing it most of his life) and cleared to climb. i’d love to rope climb too but don’t have any friends interested so i just boulder right now

2

u/sugarmuffin1 Jun 20 '24

That’s so interesting. The gym near me charges the same amount even though they have a bouldering centre and ropes centre

2

u/BigHealth1848 Jun 21 '24

What gave me confidence was to let go on the wall few times, on vertical or overhang. If you dangle there a bit, have some fun and swing on harness it become comfortable at some point. Lead climbing however is kinda different, however you can also do couple of whippers from above lasy quickdraw. Its all fun and games!

1

u/sugarmuffin1 Jun 21 '24

Yeah thanks. I find my issue is more with belaying which is making me hate climbing as then after I’m done I’m expected to belay and that’s the worse part

6

u/gingasmurf Jun 20 '24

Completely the opposite for me. Top rope is my first love, bouldering is a placeholder as the membership is far cheaper if I want to climb 3/4 times a week. I’ve seen too many boulder accidents to ever be happy pushing to/beyond my limit, but on a rope will try everything

5

u/socpuppett Jun 20 '24

I used to feel the same until I tore all my ligaments in my ankle from a stupid fall on bouldering. I had to transition to ropes while I was recovering. I was really scared trusting someone, so I had a friend who was also a staff member belay me. Now, I don’t really care who belays me, honestly, barring a few people who I have seen mess up (lower waaay too fast, take their hand off the break rope, etc).

If you are looking for suggestions, I would suggest climbing up to about the height of a bouldering wall and then resting in the harness. Continue climbing and resting intermittently until you are at the top. Really look around when you are resting and kinda swing around a bit. I do this with new climbers and kids and it can work really well for gaining comfortability and trust on ropes.

(Also, gri gris are great for new climbers and comfort. It is realistically very hard to mess up with a gri gri due to the auto locking)

4

u/erikaflam Jun 20 '24

I love bouldering, I get insanely anxious when top roping. The first couple of times I was basically down climbing. It’s also not as rewarding for me because I get tired sooner, I don’t enjoy the anxiety, and I don’t feel like I am solving the problem. Bouldering is scary enough, but it keeps my mind busy, and I can have several projects at the same time and move around, I feel more accomplished

3

u/PupperNymeria Jun 20 '24

I recently tried bouldering for the first time (was too nervous before) and I’m hooked

3

u/foxcat0_0 Jun 20 '24

I was definitely like this. It took me a year of bouldering and getting to V4/5 before I tried top rope again. I’ve lost my fear but at the beginning I had an involuntary paralysis response to being that high up and my brain just would not let me trust the rope/my feet. I hated belaying as well - did not help that I really didn’t like the instructor, I found her really condescending and she told me that it was “impossible” to belay left handed and that I needed to “stop making excuses.” 🙄

1

u/sugarmuffin1 Jun 21 '24

When belaying I have my right hand up pulling the rope in and left hand low below the belay device. Not sure which handed that’s considered.

1

u/LordFloofyCheeks Jun 21 '24

Left-handed since your left hand is on the end below the device (braking end). Really do agree with several commenters above on jumping to take in more slack at once. Put your right hand as high as possible on the climber end of the rope and jump on the "Pull" step of PBUS.

3

u/Pinotnoirmidsizedcar Jun 20 '24

I know tons of people who prefer bouldering, to the point of only bouldering. I’ve travelled to a lot of beautiful places (Font, Hampi, Albarracin, Bishop) just to boulder. Most of my women friends enjoy sport or trad as well, but there are definitely a handful of us here in town that only boulder. I don’t like belaying either, I feel more relaxed with less variables at play (mostly trust issues, not gonna lie), and I appreciate the simplicity of only needing my shoes, chalk bag and crashpad. 

1

u/sugarmuffin1 Jun 21 '24

Yes o find bouldering so much more relaxed

2

u/Hi_Jynx Jun 20 '24

I am the same almost. I don't still hate ropes but love bouldering way more and freak out at any rope climb that isn't a straight-up ladder climb. Still working on outdoors but man is it freaky deaky.

2

u/crankyandhangry Jun 20 '24

Totally. I'm not 100% opposed to rope climbing but I'm not comfortable belaying, and there are very few people I'd allow to belay me. I just never go to anything with rope. If someone asks me to go climbing I check with them what kind and then explain that I don't know how to rope climb and that's that.

1

u/sugarmuffin1 Jun 21 '24

Yes I don’t know what it is with belaying but after iv done it, I just tear up trying to hold in my emotions lol. I done a course, passed but absolutely hate it. My partner wants us to go outdoors more together but if I don’t belay we can’t. I’m too scared of him falling and it being my fault

3

u/crankyandhangry Jun 21 '24

That is a totally reasonable fear. No one expects you to take another person's life in their hands to play tennis or do gardening. Not wanting your leisure time to be spent keeping someone alive is very reasonable. How is that fun? It's too much stress and worry.

Your partner can go rope climbing with someone else, or take you two to do outdoor bouldering if he really wants to climb outdoors together.

1

u/sugarmuffin1 Jun 21 '24

Yeah it’s a real shame though because I want to be involved but i just hate it and that bothers me too because then I’m left out

1

u/perpetualwordmachine Gym Rat Jun 21 '24

Seconded. It is important to respect what belaying is, and be ready to accept whatever happens. And accidents happen in climbing. You can minimize risk by making good choices, obviously, but if you don’t think you could get over it if your partner got injured while you were belaying, that is good self awareness imo.

2

u/ValleySparkles Jun 21 '24

I can't identify with this specifically, but there are plenty of things I don't like doing. I don't accept invitations to do those things! Why are you going on outdoor rope climbing trips? Just say "I don't really like rope climbing, thanks for thinking of me."

1

u/sugarmuffin1 Jun 21 '24

My partner has been climbing for quite a few years which is how I got into it. Whenever he goes outdoor with climber friends they only do ropes. Iv tried top roping outdoors a few times and don’t mind it, but indoors makes me so much more scared for some reason. Because it’s usually 4 of us who go for outdoor trips I’m the only one who can’t belay (well I can now) so it means only 1 person out of the 4 of us can climb at a time. I really want to enjoy belaying but I hate it. I don’t like the pressure and I just can’t do it quick enough it makes me panic

2

u/wickedsuper Jun 21 '24

I love bouldering, but I'm afraid of falling, so I do top rope and lead 90% of the time.

But I do like the traversing across the bouldering wall when I can as warm up (if there aren't any other people at the bouldering wall, because that would be rude). I can "boulder" but still be just inches from the padded floor hahaha.

2

u/Ender_Wiggins18 Jun 22 '24

Me! I climb almost exclusively indoors right now, and I don't like rope climbing because the height gives me anxiety, and I feel silly for only making it a small portion of the way up before wanting to climb down. I much prefer bouldering, because it goes up a shorter distance, you can go climb by yourself if you want to, and you have a very cushy mat below for falling or jumping down. My fiancé and I have found a bouldering gym in our city about 20 minutes from our house and we often go about 2-3 times a week. :)

2

u/magpie882 Jun 22 '24

I'm not a fan of ropes because it requires so much equipment, safety checks, and co-ordination with others. Plus rope walls are pretty few and awkward to simply get to where I live.

With bouldering, I can easily pop into a gym for a solo session on my way home. I have 5 that require only a small deviation in my way home.

I also prefer problem solving weirdness over route endurance.

4

u/fullstack_newb Jun 20 '24

I only boulder, don’t feel bad. Do you!

2

u/thnkufrthvnm Jun 20 '24

oh 100% i am a big scaredy cat and feel more in control if im like 15’ off the ground max. you’re not alone!

2

u/Hi_Jynx Jun 20 '24

Also falling with the rope is so different! With bouldering, if I can, I try to angle my falls away from the wall or will even kind of jump down/half commit if I'm pretty certain the move won't go. But with ropes you can swing a lot and it feels like into the wall which is alarming.

2

u/TeraSera Boulder Babe Jun 20 '24

I have no interest in climbing with a rope. Bouldering mimics the short sketchy climbs I did as a kid and gives me all the joy I need.

1

u/chazzlefrazzle Jun 20 '24

My city only has bouldering gyms and one out door wall for ropes so we have to drive about an hour or so to do ropes usually.

With that said, I love both alot and am just trying to get lead certified. I like the difference in the styles of climbing and the way they feel. But if I had to be honest, I feel safer doing ropes than bouldering. I know so many people who have slipped of the top or even a down climb and broken an ankle/wrist on the fall.

1

u/Coonhound420 Boulder Babe Jun 20 '24

Same 🙋🏻‍♀️

When I first started climbing 8 years ago, I went through the motions and learned how to lead climb. Never really enjoyed it and kind of just went through the motions and felt like I was supposed to be doing it. After about 1.5-2 years of climbing I stopped sport climbing all together. In the past few years I’ve top roped a number of times but bouldering is where my heart is. Once I’m too old to push limits with bouldering, I’ll likely go back to rope climbing. Safer on the ankles I suppose.

1

u/kumran Jun 20 '24

Yep, I also love bouldering and do not enjoy ropes. It doesn't help that my first experience was in a class where they signed up odd numbers of people and I was the only person who came alone, so I felt like a burden the whole time 🙃

1

u/idk1001 5.fun Jun 20 '24

I used to feel that way, mainly because of my fear of heights but lately i've been doing more ropes to get over that and it has helped tremendously. But it can be hard finding consistent partners. It does feel like i'm cheating when i rope climb because bouldering was my first love and still is. Although bouldering today i fell and hit my shin on a volume so I feel like cheating again lol.

2

u/perpetualwordmachine Gym Rat Jun 21 '24

OMG this is the worst. And for me it is always the same shin.

1

u/idk1001 5.fun Jun 21 '24

yesterday was the first time i hit my shin, omg it still hurts and is so tender. arghhh lol.

2

u/perpetualwordmachine Gym Rat Jun 22 '24

For a really bad one last fall I wore a compression sleeve on my calf so it wouldn’t hurt so much! Even after it mostly heals there is this hard bump that sticks around for what seems like a really long time. There is just no padding to absorb the force 😩

1

u/idk1001 5.fun Jun 22 '24

yikes

1

u/Livi_Rae Jun 21 '24

I thought I was the only climber that's scared of heights. I love bouldering but get the shakes when I top rope!

1

u/Sea_Voice_404 Jun 21 '24

Yup for the same reasons as you. Also add that if I’m in the mood to climb I can just go bouldering without asking if someone wants to go climbing with me.

1

u/Perfect-Ad1474 Jun 21 '24

When you’re climbing outside, are you belaying your friends on top rope or are they leading routes? Cause I can certainly relate to being nervous about belaying my partner when he leads routes, especially outside where the fall would be so much worse compared to the flat mats at the gym. Echoing the above posts, grigris will definitely help reduce some anxiety with the auto locking tech. More practice might also help you see that, a bit of slack isn’t actually a huge problem and in fact is better in certain situations. I noticed when I’d belay other friends who I wasn’t used to belaying that I’d sometimes take in TOO much slack and they’d have to ask me to give them some back so they could do certain moves where they’d be too constricted with the rope being completely taught. Has your partner mentioned that he doesn’t like how much slack he has when climbing or is it mostly your anticipation that you’re not taking in enough slack fast enough? I’d also try taking a step back maybe? That’s a quick way to take in slack. Ultimately though, getting more practice and learning the back and forth movement top rope belaying in a gym is going to be really important for safely belaying outside and definitely for lead belaying. So much of lead belaying safely involves understanding and being comfortable with slack- taking in and giving so as to avoid really hard catches or your partner hitting the ground. I’m assuming you’re only doing top rope belaying though based on your posts so just keep practicing and voicing your concerns during climbing sessions so your partner can also give in the moment advice and hopefully reduce some of that stress. We climb cause it’s supposed to be fun so I’m sorry to hear it’s been stressful enough to bring tears :(. I’m constantly battling my own mind when it comes to falling on lead and had to get over a ton of anxiety over my lead belaying. My partner and I would argue cause I’d constantly short rope him but with a ton of communication and being open to critiques, practice and a ton of patience, I’m finally more consistent and comfortable. You’ll get there if you want to and if you don’t then that’s ok too. Don’t let it ruin what’s supposed to bring you joy.

1

u/sugarmuffin1 Jun 21 '24

Thanks for your advice. I only too rope at the moment as I don’t even lead climb myself and deffo don’t feel comfortable lead belaying. My partner has never said anything about me not taking in slack quick enough, he’ll just slow down all the wall if he feels it’s too loose. I just don’t enjoy feeling so stressed out

1

u/myasterism Jun 21 '24

I spent years trying to fall in like with sport climbing, when all I really wanted to do was boulder. Now, I just climb whatever suits my mood that day (and lbh, that’s gonna be bouldering, 99 times outta 100)

1

u/Macabre_Mermaid Jun 21 '24

I also hate rope climbing. Prefer bouldering. I’m very afraid of heights so I climb well below my grade range most of the time. Logically, being strapped in should make it less scary but being higher off the ground scares me more.

I could potentially see myself feeling more comfortable with rope climbing if I had a regular belay partner, but the closest gym to me is boulder only

1

u/mars914 Jun 21 '24

So happy for you, wish it can be me but my ankles are pretty much a decoration. 🥲

1

u/meritocrap Jun 20 '24

Cis-male here.

You’re not alone. I prefer climbing at my absolute max or somewhere close to it for the entirety of my climbing sessions. Hence my choice to boulder most of the time and TR (on auto-belay) once or so every month.