Finding Suitable Climbing Partners

Finding a good climbing partner is a bit like dating a lot of possibilities but not many prospects

. It may at times seem like finding someone who jives with your mojo is a fruitless search, but dont despair there are ways to make the search easier.

An obvious place to look to is your immediate friends. Many people are first introduced to the sport through their friends. Perhaps that is your situation. But that doesnt mean that your friends are the best choice for suitable partners, even if they are rock star climbers. Many excellent climbers have no patience for anyone who cannot keep up, or dont know the ropes. They simply want to climb. Your friends may be in this category.

What you need is someone who possesses the rather rare qualities of both expertise and patience, as well as the ability to teach the sport. It has been said that being a good climber does not mean that you are a good teacher of climbing, and that is certainly true. If your friends are not a good fit, know that there are people out there who are both experienced and willing to coach beginners along, its just a matter of finding them.

Some ways to find climbing partners beyond your immediate friends are to look in places where climbers congregate, actually or virtually. The two best options here are joining a mountaineering club in your area, and joining an indoor climbing gym. Another idea is to look for a virtual gathering place of climbers, such as an online forum or bulletin board, where people are posting messages looking for partners. You can put up the notice on the bulletin board at the local rock gym, or with your mountaineering club very easily. But dont wait for folks to contact you. If you want to get started right away, you will need to contact them. Be proactive and it will pay off much sooner.

Not only is joining a mountaineering club and/or a rock gym a good way to find a partner, but it will reap some other benefits as well. You can begin to see what climbing is all about in a safe and predictable environment, and see how it fits you. And you will definitely meet other people, hopefully many, who are as excited about climbing as you are. When you are out with your club or at the gym, go out of your way to be friendly. Meet and greet, get some names and numbers. Chances are the people at the gym or in the climbing club are looking for reliable climbing partners just like you are.

For more information and training visit the website in the resource section.

by:Darren Shutt

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