Everyone is familiar with the
feeling of failure. Climber or not, we’ve
all experienced that never ending cycle
of soul destroying disappointment and
frustration. So why do we do it? Why
is it, despite the enormous waste and
time and energy, we keep returning to
that same route. The moves already
memorised, as is engraved into our
minds. We get up to that same bit, and
think: “maybe this time it will be different”.
Still, we return to the ground victorious,
deciding we’ll try again tomorrow.
One climber very familiar with
this feeling is 54 year old, Professor of
philosophy as well as hard core climber,
Bill Ramsey. Ramsey started his project –
Golden for a Moment 5.14b (8c) – during
the spring of 2013. Finally, on the March
12th 2015 – that’s two years, 39 belayers
and an endless supply of pure hard work
later – he sent the project. For two years,
he spent 2 - 3 days a week working on
the route. Preferring to have big training
days, rather than lots of smaller ones,
Ramsey would sometimes spend as long
as 14 hours working on the route. Despite
his own determination, Ramsey was still
adamant his triumph was down to team
work, and thanked everyone for their
encouragement, support and belaying.
This was Ramsey’s sixth 8C, and his
second since turning 50.
Golden for a Moment – located
at Welcome Springs, Utah – is 80 feet of
pure endurance and extremely powerful
moves. The route mainly consists
of steep limestone pockets, with its
merciless crux being a huge dyno not far
from the top. The route was first climbed
by the one and only Chris Sharma in
2006, and bolted by Todd Perkins. Over
the years, Golden for a Moment has
become a very famous route, often
referred to as “one of the best 14bs in the
country”.
To many climbers, the thought
of sending a route such as Golden for a
Moment seems far beyond the realms
of possibility. But why do people attempt
these difficult climbs, when there is
such little chance of success? Maybe
people love to suffer. Suffering before,
is what makes it feel so great in the end.
Besides, you don’t want your climbing
to be too predictable. Everyone should
push their limits once in a while. But
how far can you push? Some would say
Ramsey was crazy endlessly trying such
a route over and over. Others would
call it inspirational. However, you can’t
deny, his efforts did definitely pay off.
The price of success is high, and any
climber – whether they admit it or not
– knows that a project can infect you.
They take over. Consume you. Ramsey
became consumed by Golden for a
Moment for two years, and most people
would be put off by this. Most people
would give up. How many people have
the mental strength to return again and
again, how many times? Ten? Twenty?
One hundred? Until, eventually, failure
becomes routine. As if, each time you try
again, you almost expect it to just be the
same as last time. It’s clear that Ramsey
possesses a kind of mental strength,
which was essential for sending his
project route, and any climber could learn
from.
Despite being 54 years of age,
Ramsey still pushed week after week,
month after month – until months became
years. You have to admire the guy’s
commitment. Not only does Ramsey
prove to be a huge inspiration to anyone
who is struggling with a project, but also
to any older climbers. Sure, age does
bring a whole load of disadvantages:
injuries, weakness, pain. But 40 years
of valuable experience of climbing
and training had to also be a massive
advantage to Ramsey. Old age doesn’t
mean you can no longer push yourself,
nor does it mean you have to stop loving
climbing. True climbers don’t just see
climbing as a sport or a hobby. They see
it as a lifestyle – some would argue even
an addiction.
Failure will always be inevitable.
It’s always easy to set yourself up for
disappointment. Often you think you
are closer than you actually are, and
sometimes we set limits that are perhaps
a little too ambitious. But vice versa,
what is the point of setting goals if they
don’t really test us? Climbing is a sport
built around taking risks. Optimism, hard
work and perseverance are much more
valuable any physical power. While
attempting a project, always consider:
what am I doing right? What am I doing
wrong? What am I going to do about it?
Real strength has nothing to do with how
many push-ups you can do. In the end,
it’s the strength to break through your
own boundaries that gets the job finished
– even if it does take two years.
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