Don’t you hate it when you can’t pull your weight as a climbing partner? You want to be an equal team member. But how do you deal with being less skilled than your partner?
This is a recurring theme our students are curious about. It’s a painful issue for them because they want to be an equal contributor to the success of the partnership.
Knowing how to build a supportive partnership is important. It’s part of your climbing mental training program. It’s important to pull your weight. It’s also important not to overextend yourself. You need to find a balance between these two. Let’s dig into this to find a way to navigate it.
Dig into issues like this in more depth in our new Falling & Commitment Online Course.
Belaying climbing partnerA simple example is when there’s a big weight difference between the climber and the belayer. In other words, the belayer ends up being a lot heavier or lighter than the climber.
A heavy belayer struggles giving the proper dynamic belay. A light belayer struggles with being pulled up too much. Solve these two situations with a little skill development.
If the weight difference is too great it can be impossible for a heavy belayer to give a proper dynamic belay. This can create an inappropriate partnership.
You’re not an equal partnerLet’s back up a step. The goal here isn’t to be an equal partner. Your skill sets are different. So what you’re seeking is how to be a better climbing partner.
The first thing to do is accept that your skill sets aren’t equal. Second, outline the skill sets for each person. That knowledge gives you the foundation for creating the partnership.
Overextending yourselfWhat you don’t want to do is overextend yourself. Sure, this can happen sometimes. You might be halfway up a 1000-foot wall and your partner is injured. This challenges you to step up and do your best to get down successfully.
Beyond this type of situation, accept the boundaries around your own skill set. Your boundaries define what is an appropriate risk for you. Knowing your boundaries helps you exert effort without overextending yourself.
Inappropriate partnerships
Earlier I mentioned that you can find yourself overextended. You need to anticipate this. Think of all the consequences that can happen. Then think of your skills to deal with those consequences.
In other words, you don’t want to rely too much on your partner’s skills. For example, your partner is very skilled at multi-pitch climbing. You don’t have any multi-pitch skill. Getting on a 1000-foot wall wouldn’t be the best first step. You don’t have any skills in case your partner can’t guide the retreat process.
There’s an emphasis in outdoor climbing that you should be able to self-rescue. If you intend to do multi-pitch climbing, then learn self-rescue skills. Apply this logic to all aspects of risks you intend to engage in. Learning these skills is an important part of being a better climbing partner.
Stay focused on applying your own skill setSo far you’ve accepted and outlined your skill sets. Now, the final step is applying your own skill set. Remember, your focus is not to create an equal partnership. It’s to create a better one. In other words, you shouldn’t be an equal partner based on the skill set of the stronger climber. You should be an equal partner by how you exert effort.
Each of you can get out of your comfort zone equally. The point is, both of you are doing your best to apply the skill set you have for the success of the partnership.
As you probably know, it’s important to focus on what you can control. You know your skill set and your boundaries. Focus on that to exert the best effort you can to be a better climbing partner.
ConclusionThe steps to creating a better climbing partnership are:
These 3 steps help you build a supportive partnership. It’s an important part of your climbing mental training program. Feel confident in the skill set you have. Contribute to the partnership from that foundation. Applying these 3 steps eliminates the pain of not feeling like an equal partner.
These mental training concepts are so important. They help you perform well and enjoy climbing. Dig into them in more depth in our new Falling & Commitment Online Course. Explore these concepts at your own pace. You’ll find more purpose and meaning by doing so.