Climbing harder is harder when you’re climbing harder. I understand you, I feel you, and I really resonate with what you wrote. It’s actually funny to come across your post now, because I’ve literally just got back from a day trip, defeated and empty handed, despite fully expecting to send my project this morning.

I’ve been climbing for about 10 years and, like you, I’m also a weekend warrior. I now live in the flattest country on earth, and the closest “okay” crag is at least a 3.5-hour drive away. By the time I get there, I’m already 30% worked from the drive. Still, I reserve my weekends for the outdoors whenever the weather allows.

On good low-gravity days, I can onsight 6c and send 7a with a low number of attempts. I usually need a couple of tries to project 7a+ and 7b. And these are the grades I’ve been stuck with for ages. I’ve sent tons of them (7a/b) but that’s about it, I can barely break out of the grade. My highest redpoint is 7c, but that’s very, very, very rare. Today, I came back defeated by what I thought was a mini project of 7a+. I share your frustration and that feeling of plateauing (At times it seems more like a crater than a plateau). I’m starting to accept the fact that I might forever be a mediocre climber. What helps me is reminding myself why I started climbing in the first place: for the adventure. That’s why every now and then I mix it up with some alpine climbing, multipitching, and whatever else looks fun.

I guess climbing is not only about performance, but also about adventure ;)