What I Wish I Knew Before my First Climbing Trip

Before my first climbing trip, I knew nothing about outdoor climbing, and would have been perfectly happy being a gym climber for the rest of my life. If you know me at all, you'd know how funny that is to think about (I'm outside as much as I can be considering I'm a Florida climber). My friend Liz and I went out together, and she had only been on one climbing trip before this, so we had a bit of a learning curve to face. After a few more trips, and meeting more people to go out with, we managed to figure it all out. To make your life easier if you're about to head out for your first trip, here's what I wish I would have known before my first climbing trip:

Do you remember how bad your skin hurt the first time you ever stepped foot in a climbing gym? Be prepared to experience that all over again. The rocks can be very sharp, and your first time out it can feel intimidating, but over time you'll adapt and it gets much better, I promise. So be prepared for it to be a bit painful, but know that in time those sharp crimps will be your favorite holds.

On that note, outdoor climbing feels vastly different than those comp-style gym routes you've gotten used to. Make sure to manage your expectations, you may struggle up some V0's even if you're a V5 climber in the gym, but as you spend more time outside you'll even out, it's all about having fun! In my opinion, the movement outside feels much more natural and less force; you can see the variations in the rock and see more potential holds. Along with this, outdoor climbing tends to be much less contrived. In a gym you have so many restrictions "this is on, but that's not, and that one volume isn't on..... " where as outside it's more "get from that bolt to that bolt to the anchors" and the rest is up to you.

I also learned that having cell service is a rarity, so don't expect to be able to look things up as you go. We learned this the hard way, but luckily we got justtt enough service in one area of Rocktown to access mountain project and take screenshots for the day. With this in mind, I recommend downloading the mountain project app so that even if you don't have cell service, you can access the information about the crag or boulder field you are at. Also, guide books are not dead. They're incredibly helpful because they have maps and pictures of the routes, so if you can borrow one from a friend, do it. (side note, the routes are not labeled, I've recently learned that some people were surprised by this).

I cannot stress this enough: PACK SNACKS. Like a lot of snacks. Obviously healthy foods that will fuel you to climb hard, but cheez-its are a crowd fave, just saying. You're likely used to at maximum 3 hour gym sessions, and you're about to be out all day; not only are you going to want snacks, but you'll find it very easy to make friends when you have a box of cheez-its in your hand.

What took me by surprise was the amount of hiking involved, especially at some of my favorite sport crags. Be ready for a 10-40 minute hike at some locations, and I highly recommend having a pack that has a waist strap to alleviate the pressure from your shoulders/back, and shoes you can hike well in (I honestly live in my chacos if it's warm enough). However, not all areas are as intensive, so if you're looking for an easy approach, do your research beforehand, because there are some areas where you can walk up and climb, and some where you have a pretty intense hike just to get to some rocks.

Liz and I camping at Sandrock

Lastly, don't be afraid to camp, even if you're new to it. Our first few trips we stayed at a hostel, and don't get me wrong, It was awesome (and always is), but it can get expensive. We've made some AMAZING friends through staying at the Crash Pad in Chattanooga, however I know that money can be a barrier for a lot of us climbers, so even if you don't have camping gear, borrow from a friend to save some money and give it a shot. So even if you feel like you're too tight on money to go out on a climbing trip, I promise you can find cheap ways to do it. Borrow gear, try camping, phone a friend for advice

(or stay tuned for a future post(; )