I feel my harness stretch tight as the belaying crew member takes the slack. It's a tricky belay; however, with thousands of assists on this particular climb, the rope pulls taunt without pulling me off the wall. It's been years since I've endeavored to perform anything close to the overhead maneuver I'm attempting for my second time, let alone executing the 5.10-5.12 class move at sea.
Linda and I are on a cruise in the Mediterranean [^1], and I had spent all afternoon zipping up and down the gentle slope of the climbing wall containing large foot and hand holds. I was cocky when I asked if the ship had anything more difficult for me to climb, and the steward pointed toward the short overhang crux saying it would open this afternoon. Up against the shelf, I'm as high as I can go and probably twelve feet off the ground. The wall is designed so that I'm elevated enough that if I fall, the pendulum swing outward will take into account the small overhang and the elasticity in the rope as it stretches under my body weight [^2] without me hitting the ground.
My right hand is pressed against a conveniently placed large hold on the underside of the ledge [^3] as I move my left hand up and over to grasp the vertical hold on the face of the next slab. It's a tricky move and very similar to the overhead action on Lady Mountain; however, on Lady Mountain, one uses the hold to swing into a crag without having to move your feet, keeping most of your weight planted on the rock. This crux requires me to drop out, essentially hanging by one hand, until I can get my second hand on another hold pulling myself up the face. A class rank of 5.10 is generous.
I try to use my right hand to control my swing; however, the result is inevitable as my momentum swings me to the outer edge, and my left-hand grip isn't strong enough to hold my weight. I drop a couple of inches and swing while belayed back to the ground. The crew member is gracious, and he asks if I want to try again; however, there is no reason to try again. I'm nowhere close to being prepared for such a complicated move, and as I move toward the exit, people say, "good job," and "nice try." Most of those standing in line won't do any better; however, I'm experienced enough to know I shouldn't have even tried, which probably bothers me more than failing.
Mao Zedong, the former Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party and paramount leader of China (1943-1976), often used the term "paper tiger" when referring to political opponents, especially the United States. [^4] The phrase is an expression attempting to convey that while some may act or appear powerful, that claim is unfounded. Any actual confrontation and the opposition would crumble like paper. [^5] Paper tiger pretty much summed up how I felt walking away from that cruise ship wall. I didn't have any "tangible favorable facts" [^6] that I could have listed as evidence that I would find success on that wall; however, I felt that when I was up against the rope [^7], I could somehow perform like a tiger. If I wanted to climb that wall, I should have been a tiger on paper first, i.e., creating a plan months [^8] in advance to prepare myself for the prerequisite moves [^9] before embarrassing myself.
Preparing for the space between the lines is about practicing the prerequisite moves and developing strength and endurance before the beginning of the hiking-climbing season. Creating endurance for long approaches, summits, and exits that can extend to five and 14 hours long requires a large amount of zone 2 heart rate training. Winter training can be difficult; however, spending time on a bike, treadmill, or rowing machine, catching a day here and there for a walk outside can be just the right prescription for putting some meat on the old tiger bones.
In part 3, we will look at the "paper" side of TrainingPeaks software and how to utilize the application to increase our performance come springtime.
Written December 2, 2022
Footnotes:
[^1]: 2012
[^2]: Dynamic ropes, i.e., ropes that stretch, are used for climbing to avoid any injury during a fall as the rope snaps taut. Static ropes are generally used in rappelling and have minimal elasticity.
[^3]: It's like climbing stairs upside down.
[^4]: Paper tiger. (2022, November 29). In _Wikipedia_. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_tiger
[^5]: Sill, S. W. (1974). The majesty of books. Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book. p.196.
[^6]: Ibid
[^7]: Pun intended.
[^8]: Probably years
[^9]: Pull-ups, grip strength, one-arm swing, hold, etc.