Progress… of sorts

Peter Sending His Buttermilks Project, Green Wall Essential

Climbing – ever since I started I always wanted to get better. I never stuck with a sport before, but for the first time I really wanted to put in the extra effort and see just how far I could go. Perhaps it was because I enjoyed the remote and beautiful places that climbing took me and the friends I met along the way. There is sense of adventure and discovery that draws me in and I love the focus that climbing affords, but ultimately I think that I found something that seemed to suit me and consequently I believed that I could get better.

Over the years, I’ve learned that there is something inherent to climbing that makes most people want more. Whether the goal is the next impressive line or achieving one grade harder, climbers want to progress.

I’m no exception and I’ve never been able to settle when I decide that I want something. As my ambitions grew, climbing pretty much took over my life. I knew that simply wanting something wasn’t enough. I had to put the effort into it and I did. However I felt that if I was putting that much hard work into climbing it would only be justified if I got something out of it.

I had to also reconcile the fact that wanting something leaves you vulnerable. It’s hard to put yourself out there – to say this is me trying my absolute best. You put everything into it and leave yourself open – what if your best still is far from what you anticipated. What if you fail.

But ultimately you believe and that is what drives you. That is why you push yourself that bit harder.

I often say that what I like most about climbing and bouldering in particular is that it allows me to work at my physical limit. I am interested in finding out what is the hardest possible move that I can do. I am only starting to realise that self belief plays a huge role in climbing. It is part of the basis for motivation and the reason why you push yourself that bit extra – because you believe that you can do it.

It’s not easy. There is no ‘trick’ involved. As I’ve found with most difficult but worthwhile things in life it is just hard work, a lot of sacrifices and belief.