| For most rock climbers (including me!) the notion of | | | | manners. Some management's will be fine; some |
| falling off fills us with dread. I was brought up on the | | | | won't. Abide by their decision, even if you don't |
| maxim, "The leader never falls." In my first five years | | | | agree with it. |
| of climbing, in the 1960s, I fell off four times, twice | | | | With a deliberate fall, always make sure that you |
| from 12 meters. All four climbs were (then) | | | | cannot hit another climber on an adjacent route. |
| protectionless. All four times, I hit the ground. | | | | Always make sure that you cannot hit the ground. |
| Thankfully, for most rock climbs and climbers, those | | | | Always make sure that you cannot hit a projection. |
| days are long gone. Now we have an almost | | | | Always make sure that your belayer is competent |
| bewildering variety of protection devices designed to | | | | and knows exactly when you're going to take a |
| stop us coming to harm if we fall off climbs. And yet, | | | | deliberate fall. Check. Double check. And, if need be, |
| for many of us, I suspect, the dread of falling off is | | | | treble check. |
| well-nigh as great as it ever was. A million years of | | | | Start with very small falls, ideally with just sagging on |
| brain-programming is not going to disappear in a few | | | | the rope. Work up to a meter fall, two meters, three |
| decades! | | | | meters. Always keep checking that it's safe. When |
| In rock-climbing, if you climb within your limits, you will | | | | you've got used to falling, then take your new found |
| succeed 100% of the time. It's very easy to go on | | | | skill onto well protected routes, ideally indoors, where |
| succeeding 100% of the time. But, if you want to | | | | you might fail. Get used to climbing to your limit and |
| improve, you must lay yourself open to occasional | | | | 'relaxing' into the fall. I know, I know... it takes a while. |
| (or not so occasional) failure. In rock climbing, failure | | | | Safety, safety, safety. Never take falling likely. |
| on lead means either grabbing a piece of gear - or | | | | Practised carefully, it is little more dangerous than |
| falling. If you grab a piece of gear then, did you really | | | | (safe) abseiling. But always expect the unexpected. |
| need it? Hard to tell. Whereas, if you carry on until | | | | Take great care not to let your foot get caught in |
| you fall, well then, at least you know. | | | | the rope - where you could invert. If you feel |
| Top rock climbers such as Chris Sharma and Dave | | | | wearing a helmet is warranted, then wear one, |
| McLeod probably fall off most days they go climbing. | | | | whether you like the idea or not. |
| They manage the risks to an amazing degree. The | | | | When I practice falling, I get used to deliberate falls. |
| rest of us have to be more careful. The best way to | | | | Then, when I stop taking them, I get unused to |
| get over fear of failure in climbing is to accept the | | | | them all over again. So taking them is probably |
| probability of falling. The best way to accept the | | | | something we need to practice on a regular basis. |
| probability of falling is to practice it as a skill. We just | | | | One Australian climber I heard of used to take a |
| have to break through that old, once valid maxim, | | | | deliberate fall on a suitable warm-up route every |
| "The leader never falls." But we have to do so in | | | | single day. That way, he had no fear of falling, |
| conditions of well-nigh perfect safety. | | | | because he knew he was going to do it every single |
| Probably the safest place to practice falling from | | | | day. Radical stuff! But, for him, it worked. |
| roped climbs is a well bolted climbing wall, or climbing | | | | Practicing falling on a regular basis can remove the |
| gym as they tend to be called in America. Always | | | | in-built fear of falling and the consequent fear of |
| ask the management: at the very least, it's good | | | | failure. Practice it - but safely. Always be safe. |