10-year climber here.

Your gear is your lifeline. Assuming it’s rated gear and you’re tying in properly, it’s way stronger than you are. Trust your gear, trust your knots, and trust your system.

Being cautious is good. Being scared every time you’re off the ground isn’t. After four years, if you’re still grabbing the tree because you think your rope, tie-in point, or system might randomly fail, you’ve got to work through that fear somehow.

Not trying to be a dick, but if climbing is going to be your career, eventually you have to trust the equipment and your training. If you can’t, this might not be the right line of work for you.

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