The Perfect Climbing Partner
A good climbing partner can make or break the climbing experience for anyone, but it can be incredibly intimidating for new climbers to find a partner. A good climbing partner can be the difference between a love for climbing and no desire to try climbing again.
Finding the perfect climbing partner can be challenging whether you're a brand new climber or have been climbing for ages. To help make the process less intimidating, we've laid out a few things to consider when considering taking that next step with someone as a regular climbing buddy!
The Basics- Knowing Yourself as a Climber
Though it seems very basic, we don't always consider our climbing preferences and how they may differ from those around us when we think of finding that perfect partner. It can be helpful to take stock of your gym habits when considering if someone is a good partner match for you.
For example, do you like short, intense sessions, or if you'd rather hang out for hours, getting the most out of longer, more casual days? Do you want to meet new climbers and learn new skills when you have the chance, or do you prefer doing those things outside your send-time? Do you tend to get intense on the wall, or do you stay cool even on those impossible moves?
Finding a partner who aligns with your tendencies can make climbing sessions less stressful and more enjoyable for you and your partner!
Outside of these preferences, consider what sorts of climbing you do and what you might be interested in branching into.
Future Goals & Interests
You and your climbing partner will probably mesh better if you are both interested in the same type of climbing. We love our boulder-obsessed friends, don't get me wrong, but they might not be the right fit as a partner if you love to lead, and they've never belayed before. Of course, that's not to say there isn't room for every climber to grow in new areas of the sport! That brings us to our next area of consideration: future goals and areas of interest for you and your ideal partner.
The world of climbing is vast. There are so many areas and skills to discover that none of us could hope to obtain all the knowledge in one lifetime. While the world of gym climbing is slightly less vast, there are still many areas that you may be interested in venturing toward as you continue your climbing journey! If there are skills you already know you want to pursue, this can be a crucial part of finding your perfect partner. Finding a climbing bud who also wants to focus on upping their techniques or route grade or wants to try out a whole new way of climbing can catalyze both of you in reaching your goals!
On the other hand, if you're with a partner who cannot get onto your level of stoke for taking huge and terrifying whips or just cannot be bothered to try climbing while attached to something (like, who even does that?), it can be a bit of a damper as you work towards your goals. Being able to share in the excitement and egg each other on in the following challenge can be one of the best parts of climbing with a good partner. But, still, it comes down to personal preference. Opposite types of climbers can still make the most beautiful pairs.
Gear & Knowledge Pairing
Finally, consider the gear and knowledge a potential partner may or may not have and how that pairs with what you offer. If you're a lead climbing pair and one can provide rope while the other provides quickdraws, you've got a good thing going! But if both of you have a rope and no one has any other gear, you may have to expand your horizons or invest together. On the knowledge side of things, it's always essential to have a good balance of skill and competence. It can be a compelling experience to enter into climbing with a partner who is also brand new. Still, when both partners have limited experience or need more skill in important areas, it introduces much more risk to your climbing. Finding a partner who helps you fill in your blank spaces and you, theirs, offers incredible opportunities for learning while maintaining a healthy, sustained level of risk management in your climbing.
Each climber is different and will have different needs or things to offer in a partnership. Even if you're not an exact match with someone, you may still need to make the perfect pair! Part of the joy of climbing is finding folks doing other rad stuff, perhaps different things than you! Climbing with others and learning new skills is how many climbers learn, grow, and come to find community in climbing. If you're searching for a climbing partner, take some time to brainstorm what exactly you're looking for and what would be challenging for you in a partnership. Then, get to it! The perfect climbing partner is out there somewhere searching for you!