Taking a hit to your confidence

[IanW]

Has any one lost their confidence while climbing? If so, how did you get it back?

 

Last week i did two days climbing, mainly dead wooding and a take down, even though the take down was just one limb and a re-climb to install a rope to pull it over with.

 

The climb its self wasn’t very high, about 25ft or so, but awkward as every thing was leaning over and i had nothing to put my feet on to help prussik up the tree, as i got to the branch i had my rope over i only had a old previously pruned branch to try and pull my self into the main stem with, i managed to swing my self to the branch and slowly test it to see if was strong enough to hold my weight. it seemed sturdy enough so i climbed on, just as i was about to strop my self to the main stem it suddenly snapped clean off, taking me with it.

 

I had about 2ft of slack rope, which resulted in a good swing and a very large brown trouser moment

 

As a result my confidence took a big hit, i spent the rest of the day climbing but clinging on like a koala even to stuff big enough that you could practically run up on a good day.

 

My balance and confidence were shot to bits, even though my kit held fast strong.

 

Has anyone took a confidence hit, how did it affect you and how did you regain it?

 

Ian

[normandylumberjack]

Get back into the saddle asap. This is just natures way of reminding you that your not superman. Your kit held, and your alive. turn this around and make it a confidence booster, if in doubt get a strop round a branch, and pull up your slack.

 

There is a world of difference between confidence and over-confidence, don't confuse the two. Like when your 17 and learn to drive, then scare yourself doing something a little bit reckless. You learn from it and move on.

[Dom]

I'd have been careful, sounds like you might've been in a little bit of shock. Good idea to have a bunch of sugary crap to raise your blood sugar a little after something like that. But what do I know, I'm no doctor, just a simple tree chopper

[Gary Prentice]

Don't sweat it too much, get back on the horse and carry on. You had a supect branch fail on ya, it won't be the only one in your career, but everything else you did was okay. Everything else worked as it should.

 

I think climbing, in itself, is a mental thing where so many things have to be right. I still check the screwgate on my saw strop (haven't had one there for years). Concentrate on the routine part of your climbing -all the things you always do everytime you climb and you'll soon forget this little incident.

 

It's all a learning curve, you make mistakes, learn from them and bounce back stronger and a little bit more knowledgeable. In similar circumstances next time, you'll tend your slack first.

 

I climbed on a prussic a while back, usually use a hitchclimber or zigzag, hated it. One handed tending just makes life easier. You ever thought of changing?

[normandylumberjack]

Gotta say the zig zag helped to improve my confidence no end

[IanW]

probably could have done with a good feed after it happened, didn't really have much that day apart from some dried fruit and nuts.

 

I need that little slack to get into position to enable me to reach round and get the other end of my strop to anchor in, it just broke before I could do that other wise I'd of been fine I think. Guess it was just one of them things.

 

I keep thinking I should have made my way up the other side of the tree but it was awkward so decided against it haha

 

I'm definitely going to have to explore other climbing techniques

 

ian

 

 

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[skyhuck]

Why were you not wearing spikes?

[Mortimer Firewood]

Can't really give advice on the climbing as all though I have the tickets I get another climber in to do the hard work. But I have just got back in to riding dirt bikes and bought a bike that I can grow in to. As a result it sometimes bites back and I end up in a heap on the floor, get back on and do the same thing again until I master it. No pain no gain and all that. Most days after a good session I feel 10 years older.

[IanW]

Why were you not wearing spikes?

 

 

should have done in hindsight, would have really helped climbing from the other side.

 

though I'm not a fan of spikes, I'm going to have to use them more and get used to them.

 

 

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[Ian Clarke]

how long have you been climbing??

 

because we all work in a dangerous profession where we cant truly know what lies inside that branch/limb we attach to. it is bound to happen at some point but you had safe procedures in place that stopped a 25ft fall in to a 2ft swing and a new pair of boxers/breifs.

 

get back climbing as soon as possible trust the gear you know how it works you know that it does work.