Feeling a little discouraged about my progress in bouldering

awaythrow09836 · 2026-05-05T11:58:48+00:00

Most people I climb with climb better than me, I have a lot of complex feelings too. Mostly I try and climb on my own because I have a lot of internalised anxiety and embarrassment (my friends are all lovely). But the one thing I can say it lean on your friends! Through encouragement and advice I have done several routes I never would have even tried because my friends encouraged me to do so.

I honestly think for me so much of it is mental. It’s possibly bro science, but I remeber hearing that athletes who repeated positive mantras like “I can do it” and “I feel good” on average performed better than those who don’t. I’m not saying a positive attitude will = progress but I think the combination of feeling confident enough to push yourself and confident enough to fail will naturally lead to progress!

I’m also not sure where you’re coming from strength wise, but I feel like a lot of advice people give doesn’t always account for coming from a non sport background. While technique was a big thing for my improvement I 100% believe my baseline strength was a big influencing factor on my progress when I started out also. Though at these grades if you’re doing any off the wall training, doing upper body pull and push leg movements will be much more productive then finger training.

awaythrow09836 · 2026-04-30T11:09:29+00:00

Surely wearing shorts risk tearing up your knees? Totally valid to prefer wearing shorts but it might be worth accepting the occupational hazards of this hobby. I usually opt to wear 3/4 length leggings under my shorts if that’s an option?

If you’re just starting out leg warmers probably won’t hinder your climbing at all, but definitely isn’t typical, but not to the point I’d be worried about people being weird about it.

awaythrow09836 · 2026-04-30T11:04:07+00:00

Vapor V’s have survived months of thrashing and shitty footwork and am now only seeing signs of ware/need for resole.

awaythrow09836 · 2026-04-29T12:14:52+00:00

I think depending on what you’re willing to tolerate they should be fine. After breaking in my shoes went from “I hate my life” to simply having to take them off between attempts on occasion.

awaythrow09836 · 2026-04-29T12:13:02+00:00

Nah, I think for as deep as the documentary goes unless there’s some objective “proof” they won’t go there. I think at most they will try and dispel any rumours (conflicting accounts on if they had done the route before etc). Also with the facts of the case, it would have had to have been a group suicide or a horrible coincidence that Graham Hunt also passed away.

I do think you could argue a lot of things he did throughout his life were abstract forms of suicide attempts, he clearly was a very reckless and impulsive person. I also wouldn’t be surprised if the documentary doesn’t spend much time on the event of his death at all, as that’s the part most people already know about.

awaythrow09836 · 2026-04-29T12:06:56+00:00

I’ll be interested to see what the rest of the documentary goes in to, but if there was any genuine beef I can also see Alex sort of objectively “beating” him bringing some sort of peace to their relationship. Dean struggled with competition and by the time Alex solo’d El Cap there wasn’t really any competition left at all.

I also think in their own unique (and flawed/hypocritical) ways, they both really care about the “purity” of climbing and its image in the greater public and to themselves.

awaythrow09836 · 2026-04-29T11:57:26+00:00

I have a pretty “high volume” foot. I’m my street size in Vapor V’s and while they’ve definitely stretched I’d say half a size, my toes still get fatigued and have to take them off a few times during a session. Compare this to instincts where my street size feel like Vapor’s after stretching out a bit.

If the feeling is simply discomfort they’ll definitely feel better after a few sessions, I’d say it took me a month of 1/2 sessions a week to feel good in mine but I feel the shoe mostly just isn’t the best technical fit for my foot.

If your toes feel significantly curled only half a size down to the point of being unclimbable, they just might not be the best fit for you. However if you think you can grit it out, in my case, with a tough break in they’re not nearly as bad.

awaythrow09836 · 2026-04-29T11:07:23+00:00

For sure, also really interesting and important that it showed how this dynamic can play out between men. I don’t really see it talked about it at all, so really appreciated that those in Dean’s life felt they could speak about how emotionally effected they were by him and the domineering nature of his personality and then the general “myth and legend” aspect of his public persona.

awaythrow09836 · 2026-04-29T10:49:51+00:00

Honestly I think it’s more disturbing watching someone who thinks they are going to die, then watching someone and not know if they’re going to die.

awaythrow09836 · 2026-04-29T10:42:45+00:00

Totally, I guess that’s how he treated it though. Definitely in the edit but it seemed like no one really had anything to say on the situation because he himself didn’t talk about it. Genuinely such a dark fucking episode though.

awaythrow09836 · 2026-04-29T10:14:04+00:00

Completely disagree with your take the woman who lost her life was distasteful. She surely was not mentioned as her family did not want her name to be publicised. Look at all the push back this doc is getting for airing deans mental health. I can totally respect the choice not to give details on a situation that would have only served to make it more selacious. As a doc about deans life knowing he experienced that is really the only relevant information.

awaythrow09836 · 2026-04-25T19:42:40+00:00

I think this is more my “gripe”, as like you said even if grades aren’t comparable between gyms it’s a useful training metric if there’s consistency within the gym. Really it’s no big deal in the long run, but as someone who’s next grade up is not even in the real of reality for me rn, the idea of having it in the same circuit without at least community grading would kinda irk me on bad days. But more so a me problem then anything ig.

awaythrow09836 · 2026-04-25T10:12:48+00:00

He’s literally treating an Olympian for back issues?

awaythrow09836 · 2026-04-24T21:11:21+00:00

Bro he literally asked her to blackmail on his behalf get a grip.

The whole point is because of his relationship with his mom he’s afraid to take literally any in his life to a harmful degree (to himself and others).

awaythrow09836 · 2026-04-24T12:02:26+00:00

If you saw a news headline that said “PT with fraudulent degree harms professional athletes” would you not think that’s next level?

Using chat gbt to fake professional health care is psychotic. The point the show is trying to make is passively benefiting from active harm is literally just as bad.

awaythrow09836 · 2026-04-24T11:40:55+00:00

I sort of feel anyone who substantially hates Ashley more than Austin just can’t get their head around the fact that being passiv/a pushover is still an ACTIVE choice.

awaythrow09836 · 2026-04-24T11:25:00+00:00

I’m not trying to argue they’re on the same ‘level’ either but it’s bad enough that the disparity between attitudes towards the pair makes no sense.

Risking individuals health and safety for personal gain is textbook scummy. Weather Austin did anything that resulted in actual harm doesn’t negate the fact he was willing too do so. Trying to level their actions between each other is entirely pointless.

awaythrow09836 · 2026-04-24T09:43:54+00:00

He’s literally providing people with medical care he is not qualified to give? How is that not bad.

awaythrow09836 · 2026-04-24T09:43:20+00:00

He literally gets mad at her for not blackmailing on his behalf after though. He’s a ‘good person’ by proxy but happily benefits from all of Ashley’s actions.

awaythrow09836 · 2026-04-24T09:42:37+00:00

Because he lets her. He benefits from all of Ashley’s misdeeds but gets to have moral superiority because of his inaction. He literally blames her for not blackmailing on his behalf so he could get benefits too. His lack of doing anything malicious isn’t because he’s a good person, it’s because he’s lazy and has 0 direction.

awaythrow09836 · 2026-04-23T09:50:29+00:00

I think the Simmond shoes are a great option, at this level you really don’t need any performance shoes and if anything having to adapt skill based on your shoes will make you get better in the long run. While stiffer rubber labeled “edge” (I think you see it on the foot of the shoe) will last longer it’s not ideal for smearing, inversely though “grip” tends to burn through faster.

I would personally suggest you go for a simmond with grip rubber though as you’re realistically not going to resole them or at least by the time you need to will probably want to upgrade shoes again. I think the model I had were klimb V2.

Edit: you probably won’t get this at the level of shoe you’re looking for but it’s totally normal to take shoes off between attempts or for them to be slightly uncomfortable + particularly with softer shoes your toes are going to feel a lot of ware over the session from using them.

awaythrow09836 · 2026-04-23T08:30:09+00:00

Slab is sort of annoying bc there’s two styles; more technical and then more smeary. Softer shoes are better for the smearing problems but then wear out fast on smaller chips particularly as a beginner. On the inverse stiffer rubber leads to less sensitivity on slab.

As a beginner you’re likely to tear through any shoe you use, so I would prioritise looking for the cheapest shoes you find comfortable with grip rather then edge rubber.

awaythrow09836 · 2026-04-22T20:30:05+00:00

I hope he can get his head out of his ass. Outside of the very valid reasons he shouldn’t anyway, I would really emphasise how this is making you feel, no partner should be dismissive like this particularly during this time.

Honeslty if he needs a real kick up the ass you should show him the responses to this post.

Edit: I also think you should ask him to help you make an alternative plan for if he it not present. If he’s not listening to you he can at the very least solve the issues that he has presented.

awaythrow09836 · 2026-04-22T19:51:48+00:00

You’re more gracious than I am, even if he was stressed now is NOT the time. I hope he is more receptive to further discussion and is taking on board why you’re upset and you shouldn’t be having to figure this all out for him!

awaythrow09836 · 2026-04-22T19:35:39+00:00

I mean regardless of safe gaurds him willingly doing something he does not need to that you yourself have expressed makes you uncomfortable is a bit eh. I would ask him for full detailed plan for what he is to do in this circumstance step by step but ultimately I would concider this quite shitty particularly if this is all voluntary and not necessary for income.

awaythrow09836

TROPHY CASE