UKH

Maybe about once a month somebody asks to come out climbing with us. Usually aquaintances or even friends and they often come out maybe twice and we never see them again. We even had 2 guys go out and buy some basic gear and they never came back out. This can be frustrating as it feels like time wasted when you don't actually do any climbing yourself.

A diving friend told me diving has the biggest non participant membership of any sport and I'm wondering if climbing is the same. We're getting bored of taking people out as it stops us climbing what we really want. I'll crack the 'people don't actuially like us and not the climbing' gag before anyone else does.

In reply to olddirtydoggy:
I wouldn't worry it's probably not you.
I think only 1 in 10 of first time climbers will go beyond the initial novelty and start the terminal slide into finding walkins, rain, cold, hot aches, tight boots, boring belaying, benightment, looking up till it hurts, twisting hands and feet into cracks, cross wives, missed meals, late nights, injuries, arthritis, climbing walls, bolts! fun.
Hang on come to think of it!!!!!!! Doh

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

I've virtually stopped taking people out, occasionally offer, but most friends either climb/don't, not much in between. I'd start complete beginners at a wall, makes it easier, safer and I don't have to worry about missing a nice day.

Only when someone's obviously keen would I take them out now. And then I'd be clear, maybe get them to meet you at the crag, get there early, do a bit before settling in to teaching mode...

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

I don't mind taking people out tbh. Usually do a multi pitch VDiff or something pleasant. I mostly enjoy dispelling the adrenaline junkie myth. If they badger me to go out again that's cool, most don't. I'm not bothered. I certainly won't be shelving any decent cragging days or trips to take a newbie out so it's no bother to me

In reply to John Kelly:

Did you say cross wives? You wive swap on your climbing trips? Where do you climb?

In reply to olddirtydoggy:
I know people who like being climbers but don't actually like climbing at all. They will drive hours to the crag, or come on climbing holidays but just don't like actually doing the climbing bit. Some of these people probably have 2 grands worth of gear as well. Weird.

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

We have a couple of guys who are climbing semi regular with us who absolutely refuse to buy gear. One has a partial 'swag rack', some of which we refuse to climb on. Sometimes I think we're bloody stupid.

In reply to snoop6060:


It appears that there a plenty such folk on here!

In reply to olddirtydoggy:
I took two guys from work out climbing, went to the wall a few times then took them out on a diff multipitch.
The day was damp but the rock was dry and the climb was very easy. No issues, other than beginners nerves from them.

Anyway the thing is they both immediately decided that they Wanted to climb regular and both bought some gear.

Now one of them I took to Wilton and they wanted to have a lead (they'd led indoor a fair number of times) so we practised gear placing low down and he went and led a HS, no issues.
Now the other lad won't lead anything and only really wants to go indoor.

I think the lad doesn't like the idea of being out away from coloured holds and matted floors. It's the safe feeling that he gets indoor, he needs to climb.

Maybe the people you take out feel the same?

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

I suggest those who ask for a day out climbing with you are not investing enough in it. I've seen the new Southampton Climbing Club pull itself up from an extremely inexperienced membership to a position where probably 30 or 40 of those can now lead Trad safely on sea cliffs. I suspect, in a more established club the small number of beginners don't have to invest anything of themselves to get out for a climbing day, and so don't actually see the rewards of doing so, and as MFB states, that perhaps leads to seeing only the discomfort.

Matt

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

I'm nearly always happy to take novices out, it's good fun (or at least, meant to be). However, what has somewhat irritated me over the years is the amount of people who say "oh, next time you go out climbing, give me a call." Er, no. I go out climbing a lot, and I have long since stopped chasing the keen person who on the day has anything else to do. What I tell them is "if you want to go climbing, you call me." Strangely, they don't seem to follow it up! That said, most novices I have taken out tend to get hooked on it for at least a year or so. Also, a good way of meeting potential partners!

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

Oh since someone else started it - they're the first to bail when the forecast is crap so the only weekends you really get to climb it always rains!

There's no appreciation that you have given up your climbing to teach them - and woe betide if you say no I'm going on my own

Quid pro quo I bailed on a scuba course but at least appreciated and apologised for wasting their time

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

And another thing they never drive and they fiddle with the radio!

Yes if you do two 5 hour journeys per year with naps then listening to nostalgic poppy singles might sustain you the journey but some of us do it every weekend and have heard them all before and were quite looking forward to the nuanced introspective journey of listening to an obscure album in its entirety actually

In reply to trouserburp:

oooh, and adjust the heating/air conditioning to their own comfort while youre occupied with driving...my pet hate! haha , not specific to novice climbers that, though!

In reply to trouserburp:

I felt very tempted to do this with 2 separate colleagues somewhere on the A38 on multiple days last week, unfortunately I didn't feel that my boss would have been as understanding as other climbers...

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

Myself and my young daughter are plastic climbers. We get lots of invites to go out climbing on ropes and tbh we would be similar to the examples mentioned above. Have a go, but tbh we probably wouldn't return. I just don't have a comfort zone outside and I know for a fact my young daughter, although very talented climber, hates the faff and time it takes.

I would rather take the positives out of it. We love the climbing scene, she will hopefully one day go off with her mates and learn the spiritual side of climbing outside and get the fulfilment. I on the other hand will sit indoors worrying and chewing my nails until she returns home.

In my eyes any time spent showing people any climbing is time well spent and although you don't feel much reward is coming your way, perhaps you are slowly sowing seeds.

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

Theres multiple reasons for going out. I just love getting out on the crags or mountains because it's switch off time and one of the few places I can genuinely unwind. There's a lot of faff with trad but the buzz on the climb and the idea I can ascend something and leave nothing behind is wonderful. Indoors the buzz is different and that has its place but I can't understand why some never move outdoors, surely just sticking to plastic in a dusty, old warehouse/factory has its limits?
We've taken indoor climbers out for the first time and rarely they want more. Faffing is the #1 issue with it.

In reply to olddirtydoggy:


Initially it takes a lot more effort and can be a lot more intimidating than just going down the wall. It was for me. My first outdoor climbs, sport and then trad, were more scary than enjoyable, but for some reason I wanted to do it enough that I stuck it out.

In reply to gribble:

>. Also, a good way of meeting potential partners!

Absolutely. Many of the regular climbing partners I've enjoyed climbing with over the years are people I originally helped introduce to climbing. Perhaps only 10% of those I've helped as beginners have taken up climbing seriously, but even at that "rate of return" it's really worthwhile.

Martin

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

I wonder if thats down to how a person gets into the trad climbing. Personally it was an evolution of hiking then backpacking and wildcamps to scrambling and a desire to climb a bit harder. I wonder if somebody coming from the bouldering walls initially might not feel a natural pull through the process as much.
That was a thought, not an opinion.

In reply to olddirtydoggy:


I'm sure a lot of hillwalkers don't end up rock climbing. So a subset of both gym climbers and hillwalkers feel a strong enough pull. It was more intimidating to me than indoor climbing or hill walking.

But I'm not sure what a 'natural pull' is really. I guess both groups are aware of the existence of outdoor climbing, you either decide to do it, or you don't.

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

For some it's the 'moregasm' effect where you do something and the only thing that will bring you satisfaction is MORE. The more you do the more you want and eventually it becomes so often that to get that high you push a little bit more. Some just enjoy what they do such as hillwalkers who just continue doing their thing and thats all good. Is the progression through the whole thing a bit like drugs? I try weed and move on to pills because it gets harder to get the high. We'll all end up on heroin here evenually. I don't do drugs.

In reply to olddirtydoggy:

Seems a bit extreme to take out novice climbers.

Everyone's got to start somewhere.

In reply to olddirtydoggy:


Not exactly I don't think, for me at least.

The move from indoor, to sport, to trad, to multi-pitch feels like a progression where you need to learn new skills and deal with more risk.

The drugs seem just individual and unique, you want to see how the different ones feel, not sure there was a mentality of progression as such. It's just obvious to start with the ones you perceive as less risky, or maybe that have a less extreme effect. Not sure the move onto other drugs feels like a personal progression, if that makes sense?

In reply to John Kelly:
This is exactly it.