Climbing with your significant other – the good, the bad and the great
Climbing with your significant other – the good, the bad and the great
Climbing with your significant other can have plenty of ups and downs. My partner taught me most of what I know about climbing, has seen a lot of tears and frustration, watched me succeed and developed a whole lot of patience. Everyone’s experience will be vary but this is what I’ve learnt along the way…
The Good
- You’re with someone who loves doing the same activity as you. This means going for a climb together doubles up as “partner time”, doesn’t it?
- Who else likes to steal food off their partner? A day of climbing with your partner doubles your supplies when you have two packs to grab food from. It applies for chalk, climbing gear and warm clothing that you accidently forgot to pack.
- You get to have a cheeky perv. It’s always nice to admire your partner while they climb.
The Bad
- There’s an emotional attachment that comes along with climbing with your partner, it isn’t always a terrible thing but it can have its moments. A lover’s tiff you had earlier on could have a flow on affect, you can take things more personally or you might just care about them so much that you get a bit nervous/scared for them when they climb.
- You have different agendas – one partner might be significantly more experienced/stronger/better than the other. Or you might like climbing completely different things. While one of you might want to go climb slabs, the other might want to hang around on steep routes. It’s always about compromise though.
The Great
The best thing is that you have someone that you are totally into who is totally into the same thing as you. They know your strengths, weaknesses, and limits and are there to share the highs and lows. Treasure it but remember its always fun to climb with a range of other people that can push you, encourage you and learn from.
Happy Climbing!
