In the past couple of months I have also seen several women climbing groups developing, advertising videos targeting women and even women-only events.

Women climbers can be weak or strong

There are several reasons why women become avid enthusiast of the sport of rock climbing. Some do it because they love it, some do it because they find a sense of accomplishment that helps them become stronger people in their overall life.

Just because you see a woman climbing, does not mean that she started by being a strong person to begin with. Just like in any sport, people like you who choose to rock climb, can spend a lot of time training, practicing, and overcoming certain fears that come with the risk involved in the sport. Managing all these different aspects of the sport is what makes most climbers, better athletes. So you don’t have to be born strong to climb, you just have to work hard on your goals with determination and desire to be successful at it.

Why women choose to climb with other women?

Most women, are naturally born with a nurturing personality. The fact that women were created to multitask, understand, analyze, and nurture children creates a bit of an advantage when communicating and interacting with other women. But this does not necessary mean, you are better off training or climbing with just women.

We asked a few women, why would they choose or prefer to rock climb with other women and here are a few answers:

I am married and my husband does not climb, so it is better for the relationship for me to share my outdoor activities with other women.

I feel more comfortable climbing with women, because they are more supportive of each other.

I don’t have a particular preference. I don’t think there should be a separation of the two, both men and women climbers can motivate each other.

I like climbing with people I know are experienced enough to help me accomplish my goals without having to over worry about whether or not they are being safe. Gender is not a factor for me in this equation.

I think women are more patient. I feel more stress and pressure when climbing with men, vs when I climb with women.

So there you have it. There is not a clear “cookie cutter” answer for what is best. Everyone has different goals, desires and living situations that are particular to their choosing of partners.

Back in the days, women climbers were few and far between. Now a days, I am happy to see more women getting into the sport and more elite women athletes being on sports magazines showing some powerful and kick ass moves.

I recommend you choose your partner(s) wisely. When it comes to sport lead climbing, there are higher risks involved, bigger falls and additional skills required. When you plan your next climbing trip, make sure that you are not just considering gender, but putting a good amount of though into making sure that person or group is being safe. Putting safety first, will put the cherry on the top of a super fun experience.

Climb on!

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Nylon and Dyneema both have different qualities, strengths and weaknesses.

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Climbers from all over the world come to Joshua Tree National Park to experience world class climbing and often wait in line for this awesome route to become available. 

White Lighning offers a variety of moves from stemming, to friction, crack climbing, face climbing, you name it this route has it. 

If you are giving it a shot, make sure to bring a 70m rope to rappel from the top. A 60m rope won’t make it to the ground.

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Carlos working a set of moves on sport lead. He is strong, determined and wears mega cool pants!

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Chris working the route on sport lead. He is looking for and calculating the next set of moves before reaching the next bolt. I believe he mentioned something about “Jurassic Park” music going on in his head at that moment… Haha… Climb on!

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Additional things you can add to your climbing partner checks before starting your lead climb:

• Quickdraws – Sometimes, people are so used to climbing in a gym, they forget that real rock walls do not have fixed quickdraws like the ones you find already hanging at the gym. Double check you have quickdraws before you start climbing, make sure you have enough to complete your route and set up an anchor. I have seen people pull rope to clip, before they even put a quickdraw up on a bolt, because this is the habit they learn at their local gym.
• Excess gear – You may love training with weight to build strength, but when doing the real deal it is always best and more efficient to carry only what you absolutely need, and maybe a few extra items you may need to build an anchor. Extra items you will not need, such as; too much gear, excess number of carabiners, water bottles, your favorite stuffed animal, your cell phone, your wallet, etc. All those things may not weigh much individually, but little by little they can add up to great disappointment when you are hanging on a tiny crimp or flake to make that next clip.
• Helmet –  We all love safety, but a helmet check is almost never done. Make sure your helmet and your partner’s helmet is on properly. People get hot and bothered with the loops and unclip them from under their chin just to get some air between climbs and can forget to lock them back up when they start climbing again. Helmet should fit correctly, not be shifting towards the back of your head exposing your forehead or shifting to the sides.
• Shoes – Make sure your shoelaces are tied in… YES, just like some can get distracted and forget to lock their carabiners or finish their figure eight knot, others forget to finish tying in their shoes. It can be frustrating to be in the middle of your best climbing day ever, to come to the realization you can’t lock that heel hook because your shoe may pop off (oops!).

Most common basic checks:

• Climber and belayer harnesses are double backed in waist and leg loops
• Climber is tied in both points of their harness (waist and leg loops)
• Climber’s figure-eight knot is tied in correctly (follow thru)
• Rope is threaded thru the belay device properly and looped thru the belay carabiner
• Belayer’s carabiner is clipped to the belay loop and is locked
• Making sure the carabiner is never cross-loaded

There is also a great article, 50 Common Climber Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them), written by Laura Snider for the Climbing Magazine which contains real life stories that have served as learning experiences and teachable moments.

Nobody is perfect, that is why we have climbing partner safety checks. As you continue your outdoor climbing education, make sure not to ignore those little things that come up and can be used a learning moments for you and others. It may not seem like a big deal at the moment, but if ignored – they can become a worse problem in the future.

Stay safe. Climb on!

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Arturo lead climbing the 10s. When it comes to lead, he will take anything you put in front of him – no questions asked. Climb on!

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Jose showing us his awesome lead climbing skills. We just KNOW, outdoor sport climbing is going to become one of his new favorite hobbies. Great job Jose!

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