10 mistakes every climber makes and what you can do to improve – by Jon Barton

OMG! I appear to have been climbing for over forty years (if I can still call myself a climber). I probably should know a thing or two about it now, but I probably don’t. Here are the ten or so mistakes I’ve made (or sometimes haven’t made) along the way. Some of them are covered in our new book The Climbing Bible: Managing injuries.

1) Get some sleep. Sleep is the big one, especially on trips. I spent a month in Hueco climbing terribly one winter. Beautiful trip but so cold at night I just couldn’t get comfortable, and, crucially, recover. Never skimp on a sleeping bag, a good tent and a mat if you’re doing trips.

2) Don’t drink alcohol the night before a climb; it is not a great move if only for the disrupted sleep issue.

3) Nutrition – it is only later in life that I have started eating well. I have, in the past, followed a diet, and restricted calories, but after reading More Fuel You, by sports nutritionist Renee McGregor, I made one very simple change which has been incredible. Simply put, I stopped eating highly processed foods, whether it be Diet Coke or Aldi cheese and onion pasties, I cut it all out and feel so much better (and a stone lighter).

4) Supplements – embrace a few, but don’t chase the miracle. Additional protein, some stuff for joints, and maybe Creatine are worthwhile. Add a few extra bits if you are plant based.

5) Manage overload and repetition. This has always been the big mistake for me,  knowing when I’m beat and need a change of plan. Many injuries are to do with over use, so simply training at different walls, upon different types of climbs will not only vastly improve your climbing but will all help avoid overuse. As tempting as it is to be a local hero, mixing it up is far more satisfying.

6) My other regret is not being very strategic, just not always having focus or targets. I can be super focussed on an actual climb, but I’ve never really been goal orientated. I don’t have a list of outcomes from my climbing, and subsequently my training (if you can call it that) isn’t focussed on any one objective.

7) Pick your partners. When I started climbing, the first three or four years I had some great climbing buddies and my climbing flourished. Then I had three years with a troubled, introspective, jaded partner and nothing really came of my climbing. Once I broke out of that relationship, everything took off for me. I like climbing with people slightly better than me (inspiring, yet supportive), people who are fun to be with and who have a sense of adventure.

8) Don’t skimp on kit. I’ve often had things hold me back, really simple stupid things like worn boots, no tape, damp chalk, badly fitting clothing, cold hands, an inability to properly protect the crux (Flashdance, RP4), all easily solved by having
better/appropriate kit.

9) Take a break. I have had too many and often too long a break, but blocks of time off are really helpful, and, surprise surprise, your climbing doesn’t suffer. Also use your time away from climbing to do something interesting. I run, but travel, hill walking, or even mountaineering are such good things to do.

10) Keep a diary. List those climbs you did, who you did them with and what you felt. Flicking back over the memories is a real motivator.

And remember, read books, always read books for inspiration.