6 Steps to Finding the Perfect Climbing Partner
Finding a climbing companion can be as daunting as dating, and unlike in romance, there aren’t any apps or matchmaking services to help a rope wrangler find their perfect partner. Don’t let the stress of finding a gym buddy keep you from sending your project. Come to think of it, finding the perfect climbing partner is a lot like finding the perfect partner. By following these six steps, learn how to take your belaytionship to the next level.
1. Put Yourself Out There to Find a Climbing Partner
Finding a climbing partner requires socializing! As the old saying goes, you have to break a few eggs to make an omelette, and you won’t know a good climbing partner until you’ve gone out and mingled in the climbing community. Many gyms offer classes tailored to skill levels, sign-up sheets for looking for a belay, and other member-focused events to introduce fellow climbers to one another. The climbing community is a friendly world. Don’t be afraid to take the first step and ask someone if they'd like to climb together, and, no pressure, maybe catch a vibe.
2. Make Sure You Are Compatible
When you have met a potential partner, it’s essential to have clear expectations for how you want your partnership to develop. Are you looking for a weekend warrior? Are you a casual climber only wanting a catch once a week? Or are you intentionally trying to train and level up with multiple sessions a week? Your belayer may give you the softest catches this side of the Mississippi, but if they aren’t on your schedule, you’re only setting yourself up for heartbreak. Be open and honest about your goals, and look for a person whose own goals and timing align with yours.
3. Honeymoon Stage
Once you’ve established a platonic crag crush, you may feel like this person is the one you’ve been missing all along. You are both crushing the same grade goals, training your lock-off strength, and maximizing your send potential. While enjoying the honeymoon stage, it’s important to remember that training is a cyclical process, and goals and alignments should be reevaluated and communicated to continue growing strong together.
4. Trust Takes Time
Developing trust with your chosen climbing partner is crucial to achieving your most ambitious climbing goals. The two keys to building and keeping trust are time and communication. A great partner will be there for you, providing a safe catch on a sketchy slab and offering words of encouragement on a high-gravity day. But even the best of partners can’t read your mind to understand what you need in a belayer.
Communicate how you want to receive beta, be open about your feelings and fears on a climb, and you will develop the trust required to climb with confidence in the person who has your catch. Trust can only be built over time. Allowing for ample repetitions with your partner is the most steadfast way to guarantee you are creating something worthwhile. Once you can trust your climbing partner, you can dedicate your entire focus to the moves on the wall and truly enter your flow state.
5. Are You Ready for a Commitment?
You’ve found your partner, you trust them with your life (literally), you are sending harder than you ever have before; now is the time to lean into commitment. Make goals together and become true accountability partners. Plan out dream trips to your project crag. Commit to a long-term plan you both are excited about and willing to work for. This stage of a climbing partnership is where all of the gains can finally be realized and plateaus can be topped. Mark your shared calendar and send protein shake recipes to each other, because it’s time to get serious about the future.
6. Time to Build a Life Together
The final stage of a perfect climbing partner is complete when you can integrate your lives to build a climbing future. Maybe your existence outside climbing will take you in different directions; perhaps you get married and have children, or move to separate cities, but the deepest and purest of climbing partners will have a life plan to strap their toddlers into harnesses and meet once a year for a family climbing trip. When you've found that climbing partner, don't let them fall to the wayside as life gets in the way. Climbing can be a long-lasting passion with goals for any stage and age; the right climbing partner only makes it easier to enjoy the sport for as long as you both shall live.
The secret we’ve been keeping from you is that there is no such thing as the perfect climbing partner. But if you find someone you can count on to catch you, push you to be better, and always have a good time with, climbing is a lot more fun! The joy of climbing with a partner who shares your passion and supports your growth is unparalleled. How did you meet your climbing partner? Let us know in the comments below.
