How have you older climbers changed your style in the last few years.

[Mick Dempsey]

I'm interested to know how some of you older/more experienced climbers feel you have changed the way you climb compared to when you were young, dumb and full of.....

Personally I am a bit more safety conscious (especially since breaking six ribs after a fall) tie in twice more often, less free climbing. Still hurry hurry hurry, but am less shouty to the groundies (I hope!)

More self lowering to keep the groundy from getting overloaded.

How has age mellowed and changed you? Anything you would tell yourself ten or so years ago that would have helped?

[silky fox]

I climb much smarter and smoother....prefering to utilise a pulleysaver and ZigZag to make climbing easier. My age hasn't changed my steady approach only the equiptment i use

[Mick Dempsey]

I think doing things once, right first time rather than constantly tooing and froing around the tree exhausting yourself.

I'm also less patient with clients, recently I had a small maple reduction, as I started la cliente started ordering me around, pointing and generally holding her head in her hands at the whole thing, I just stopped looking at her, carried on with the reduction and didn't catch her eye till I unclipped with my feet on terra firma.

[Gray git]

I cut things up smaller rather than busting my back lifting big stuff or get a machine to do it for me, when climbing I rig more to avoid cut and hold which normally means lass raking up small broken branches at the end of the day and I carry far less unnecessary stuff on my harness 'just in case ' if I need it I get it sent up as nd when it's needed.

[Rich Rule]

These days I definitely pay for a lot less fence panels.

 

Probably due to a bit more thought going into the job and of course learning from the experiences when it didn't go to plan.

 

As for climbing style, I have progressed or kept with the times due to injury. First was a torn rotator cuff in my right shoulder. My locking arm when I climbed on a blakes or klemheist. I changed then to a VT system. That must have been about 10 years ago.

 

I then tore the rotator cuff in my left shoulder about 3 years ago. Either that or it became a problem through RSI. I started to dabble with SRT at that point to try and use my shoulder less. On and off with SRT for a couple of years and have been on it pretty much full-time SRT since January this year.

[silky fox]

Certainly experience brings confidence and ability...and we do blank out peripheral white noise and go into auto pilot.

[IVECOKID]

I take my Pack lunch up with me now and stay there till jobs done !

Oh and the recently purchased a zig zag and pulley.

 

Ste

[Johny Walker]

get some one else to do it :lol::lol:

[Steve Bullman]

I used to hardly rig anything, enjoyed the challenge and prided myself in getting into some proper contorted positions and piecing out nearly everything. I definetly rig more now than I used to.

[Mark Bolam]

SRT has been a game changer for me, especially for access.

That and refusing to top connies unless the sides can be faced with hedgecutters.