Get Your Zen On!

Call it Zen, the calm or just plain patients as a climber I must always be vigilant to work on it. A life's work in progress it is the most influential aspect in my climbing. It has taken a very long time for me to really see the impact ones mental game plays while climbing. Once I lose any sense of calm while climbing the doubt and fear come rushing in. They will always be there but if I can keep them at bay my climbing will keep improving. I can train until I'm blue in the face, but if my mental game is weak all is lost. The past few years I have started to really find my "Zen" while climbing and it has been a revelation for me. If I climb more patient things like putting in a hard to place screw or gear are so much easier now. It's like ah crap hit air take the screw back out take a deep breath, switch hands depump and place it some where else relax. If I'm able to stay calm I'm able to make things count and that's so important. Good foot placement, sticks and gear is what it's all about better to style up an easy route that shake your way up a hard one! Once I start to let panic set in for what ever reason things start to feel dire and the real pump sets in. One of the beauties of climbing for me is if my mind is right it is just about that task at that very moment that counts no distractions from life. That for me is probably one of the main reasons I climb to have some time to unwind in a very busy world. A Buddhist Monk I'll never be but I can always aspire for a better state of mind!


Practicing my "Zen" on a rotten Sundance Kid Moses Coulee,WA 1-31-13

 Dale Carnegie You can conquer almost any fear if you will only make up your mind to do so. For remember, fear doesn't exist anywhere except in the mind.