It’s pretty awesome that a 10 year old is pretty much crushing everything!! But, you have to look at the physiology of children, they don’t ever get pumped! They don’t have the capacity to produce lactic acid at the same rate as an adult, so training for climbing can be focused primarily on technique. Kids are the future of climbing, but so are people who started climbing after their 20′s.

I wonder if these discussions, although saying the same thing (i.e. keep climbing hard girls) has a recreational focus or a competitive focus. Personally, I have been pondering the issue from the latter perspective.

Any thoughts?

Thanks Jaline for the eloquent words!

I’m 29 and currently 38 weeks pregnant with my first child. I still went climbing last week. (At the gym, did some very very basic routes, but still.)

I started climbing at 25, and had gotten to a decent level. Since my husband and I both love the sport, we’re building a fairly professional bouldering gym in our spare room, to ensure we have no excuse not to keep climbing hard. It’ll save us loads of time and travelling costs (we live in The Netherlands so we’re pulling plastic most days anyway, though we try to go to Fontainebleau 4-6 times a year).

Of course, you have tom make sacrifices for the big loves of your life, be that a partner, child, work, hobby or sport. But it can be done – living the grown up life and serious climbing. And as far as age is concerned – as long as most people I know (including myself) are still out climbed by 40-50-60 year old climbers with a life time’s experience and dedication, I wouldn’t worry about that.