Climbing

773 readers

7 users here now

Discussion of all aspects of climbing from indoor bouldering to high altitude mountaineering.

founded 4 years ago

MODERATORS

[email protected]

How do y'all get over the fear of falling on lead? (self.climbing)

submitted 2 years ago by dystop to c/[email protected]

17 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Got lead certified recently, but I pretty much drop a grade when climbing lead - I'm not as confident and I overgrip.

I've done lead falls, I know how to do 'em well, and yet... as someone who's done top rope for many years, it's scary not feeling the tension (however small) of a rope pulling your harness up.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] dystop 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

thanks! do you think it helps to practice falling, or is it better to just... climb and fall naturally?

[–] scutiger 3 points 2 years ago

Both, really. Practice falls will help for sure, but it's always easier to commit to a voluntary fall.

Being in a situation where you're trying your hardest not to fall is where the fall anxiety really comes out, and pushing through that is a question of practice. The first fall in a session is usually the hardest, and once you've taken that fall, you realize that it's not that bad, and it gets easier to commit.