ARE YOU AFRAID TO FALL?
Are you afraid to fall?
Don’t worry, you’re not alone! Humans are born with just two innate fears: loud noises and falling.
So, if you find yourself wigging out when you're 6 feet, or even 6 inches above your last bolt, you’re perfectly normal.
The fear of falling isn’t necessarily something you overcome, but rather something you learn to work through. Like any skill in climbing, it can be practiced, developed, and improved over time.
But let me tell you, I’ve been climbing for over 22 years and have climbed at a relatively high level, and I still get scared sometimes!
Remember, we’re all just out here having fun. You don’t have to climb anything that doesn’t work for you. You can always choose to walk away, do a different climb, or top rope it instead. Do what works for you and brings you joy.
But if you do want to lead the climb and fear is holding you back, let’s take a closer look at how we can work through it.
1. CONSIDER REAL DANGER
Climbing is inherently dangerous, so your first step is to assess whether there is any real, imminent danger.
Ask yourself:
Is my gear solid?
Am I clear of any ledges or other hazards if I fall?
Am I tied in correctly?
Is my belayer attentive, competent, and properly set up?
If you have ruled out realistic dangers and determined that the fall would be safe, your logical brain can relax.
But let’s be honest, most fear of falling isn’t logical… it’s emotional.
It's that feeling you get when you think about letting go, or maybe even before you start up the route. You imagine that sensation of falling through the air and your heart begins to race, your palms sweat, and you feel paralyzed.
And far too often, it's this fear itself that causes the very thing we're afraid of. We hesitate, over-grip, stop breathing… and we fall off!
2. ACKNOWLEDGE THE FEAR AND ACCEPT THE RISK
Once you have assessed any real dangers, the next step is to accept whatever risks remain if you wish to keep moving. On a well bolted sport route, or especially in the gym, the risk is usually very low. As you venture into the alpine or onto long trad routes, the risks may rise. Bring awareness to those risks, decide whether or not they are acceptable to you, and then make your decision whether or not to climb on.
Rather than trying to avoid feeling fear, learn how and when to climb with fear.
Fear doesn't have to disappear before you move on. You can acknowledge it, accept it, and continue climbing anyway.
3. IS THERE MORE TO YOUR FEAR?
The fear of falling is essentially living in the future. It’s your anxiety. But is it just the physical fall you’re afraid of or do you fear what the fall might represent?
Are you afraid of failure? Judgment? Does a fall reflect on your self-worth?
If any of these thoughts are behind your fear of the fall, it can be extremely challenging to just accept the fall. Now we are stepping into the realm of psychology and this is broader than our discussion today. We have to learn to separate our identity and sense of self-worth from the climb itself, and this is absolutely something we can work on together through the 1-on-1 coaching process.
4. BREATHE
Your breath controls your heart rate so you can use it to bring your heart rate down when it’s elevated. Deep, slow breaths can help you shift from fight or flight to a more restful state. But this is something you need to practice on and off the wall, in low-stress situations first, so you can implement it successfully when you need it most.
My personal favorite breathing technique is known as the physiological sigh:
First Inhale: Take a deep, full breath in through your nose.
Second Inhale: When your lungs feel full, take a quick, sharp second inhale (just a small "sip" of air) through your nose.
Exhale: Slowly and completely exhale through your mouth with a long sigh until your lungs are empty.
Repeat: Do this cycle 1 to 3 times to feel an immediate shift in your nervous system.
This is a great technique to use at the base of the route before stepping on the wall or at a solid rest in the middle of a longer route.
But even amidst a boulder problem or a mediocre rest on a shorter climb, a single intentional deep breath can help you find a moment to rest and reset before entering the next hard section of climbing or the section where you’re most afraid.
5. BUILD YOUR CLIMBING SKILLs
Think about learning to ride a bike. At first, you’re afraid to fall, but the more comfortable you become on the bike, the less afraid of falling you are. It’s no different in climbing. The more comfortable you become moving your body on the rock, the less you worry about falling because you come to better understand when it will happen and how. You trust your body and have more clarity in your movement,
Of course there will still be times when you pop off completely unexpectedly, but these falls are generally less scary because you don’t have time to overthink the fall before it’s happened.
To build this confidence and competence, spend a lot of time climbing on comfortable terrain. I see this all too often with climbers trying to progress through the grades too quickly and without taking the time to become really proficient at each grade along the way. When you can climb confidently on the rock, you will be less afraid of the unpredictable.
6. PRACTICE FALLING
Schedule fall practice into your weekly schedule. Exposure decreases fear overtime. What does this look like in real life? Here’s an example of how you can practice:
Lead climb to the 5th bolt (or pick a bolt) and take an announced fall.
Next, climb 1-2 moves past the bolt and take an announced fall
Then, climb 3-4 moves past the bolt and take an announced fall.
Follow that by climbing 1-2 moves past the bolt and take an unannounced fall.
Then climb 3-4 moves past the bolt and take an unannounced fall.
You can continue to progress up the climb taking bigger and bigger falls, both announced and unannounced.
If you’re outdoors and struggling with a specific climb, top-rope the climb first so you can better understand and appreciate the holds and positions and where you will be most scared. Practice your breathing and find the best rest stances where you can control your fear optimally when you’re back on the sharp end. Then, practice falling in a manner similar to the exercise above, progressively challenging yourself to move a little further and proving to yourself that the fall is safe.
LEANING INTO THE SHARP END
Over the years, I’ve been surprised to learn that many of my friends and climbing partners assume I never get scared because of how I look when I climb. But that is far from the truth!
In reality, I just use communication as a tool. Sometimes, I will look straight at my partner before tying in and say:
“I’m feeling really intimidated by this climb today, and a part of me kinda doesn’t want to try it. But that’s exactly why I’m going to get on it. I know it’s just in my head. Just stick with me close, okay?”
Of course, I thoroughly trust my belayers and know they have my back, but voicing it out loud gives me that extra bit of reassurance I need to completely go for it.
So, talk to your belayer. Don’t view fear as an enemy or a weakness. It’s a natural human experience designed to keep us alive. But by building your skills, practicing your breathing, and taking controlled falls, you can learn to recognize when that fear isn’t serving you, and when it’s perfectly safe to just have fun and CLIMB ON!
With Grace and Grit,
Halley Stocks
