Howdy! My name is Michelle and I'm a climber, traveler, food maker, and chihuahua mama based in Los Angeles, CA. This channel is for videos I like to make for fun and will serve as a sort of memory log for me when I get old and gray. I like to upload relatively regularly, but I ain't making any promises. Thanks for taking the time to read about me, and I hope you stick around (+ like and subscribe)! See ya in my next video (:
Personal IG: @meshellsss Climbing IG: @climberala Queenie's IG: @queenie_thechi
Why on earth was there a minimum difficulty for your lead test. If you belyed safe (which you did) and clipped all the draws (which you did) why the fuck didn't you pass. Seems like some gym employee on a power trip to me.
I have a cousin who never studied much, we studied together but she gives most of her time to her phone than her studies after writing the cna exam last month she passed and i failed😢, i asked her how she did it, just found out she got help from Mr Richard 🤭🤭🤭🤭🤭🫢🫢🫢🫢🫢
A video that acknowledges that V0s and V1s can be hard for beginners! I so appreciate speaking to this part of the climbing community. I feels like all the advice at this point is "just climb and get stronger." Ummm...but I don't want to injure myself. That's why I'm looking for more specific advice!
I noticed a gorgeous cat on your bed? Male or female? You are so brave to jump backwards and fall from a height incredible video and very clear instructions. I will get there.
Great video! people fail this test all the time; and that is not a bad thing. at least for education on safety purposes i think... like for example learning of how not to grab the rope when falling, in order to not snap-off a finger and stuff like that. which would be a good reason to fail and come back to the test when ready. also, noticed a common tube-handling issue in your video... some gyms over here in europe the alpine-clubs (which do most of the climbing safety research) and also the manufacturers (like Petzl, Edelrid, WildCountry, etc.) recommend to always (!) have at least a hand-width of space between your brake-hand and the tube for every (!) belaying situation... even when the climber is still on the ground it is not considered to be good practice. it is taught that way to prevent bad belaying practice, i.e. to not develop a bad habit of having your brake hand in the wrong position, i.e. too far up or even keeping it there. DAV, ÖAV and FEDME research showed that most sport-climbing accidents when using tube style devices, occur due to bad belaying practice, having the brake-hand in the wrong position mostly leading to pinched and burned skin between thumb and fingers and therefore letting go off the dead end. i see this quite a lot in gym-videos nowadays. so that toprope belay in the beginning of your video might not even pass the toprope belay test.
Thanks for sharing! Your insights are useful not only for others taking their first test, but also for instructors who want to catch mistakes and give good advice without unnecessarily stressing out the people being tested. I agree with most others that a lead test should be primarily technical and skill based, not a test of physical climbing ability. Certain gyms have a required standard that staff need to abide by, and there is a reason for this. Some mistakes or bad techniques will not present themselves if the climber is on a 5.7 that is very comfortable for them. And falls are generally safer on steeper walls where there is nothing to swing into beneath you. Ideally a middle ground of difficulty would be found. If 5.10b was a comfortable warm-up grade for you, then this might not have been that far off. I prefer if there are options and the test can adapt to the climbers. You don't have to climb grade "x" to be a "good" climber. You need to find ways to adapt to challenges and make good decisions. These tests should not be used as a tool for gatekeeping. There are incredible climbers and belayers who will only lead up to 5.8. In my opinion, they should not be forced to lead a 5.10.* *The fear of falling is a different issue. It could be a problem if you can climb more difficult routes, but refuse to lead them because of an irrational fear. It is important to minimize the risk to climbers who have an unknown level of skill and problem solving abilities. That is the main reason for the test in the first place. I have even heard of some gyms that require top rope backup belays in their tests (slack enough to allow a medium sized lead fall, only tight enough to prevent a ground fall). That seems a bit excessive for a test, but it is a tool I use as an instructor to take some of the pressure off of a new belayer who is catching their first lead falls. It gives them the freedom to experiment with dynamic catches, not having to worry about overcompensating and getting pulled up too high or letting their climber fall too far. The instructor's top rope is there to stop things from getting out of hand during the first part of the learning process. I can understand why the instructor did not allow you to "take" (they are testing you on falling and catching), but overriding climber communication like this adds a lot of stress and confusion. It is necessary in some dangerous situations, but this one could have been better handled by telling you before the test that a "take" would not be allowed. Or at least not valid for the test and a new climb would need to be completed to pass. Hindsight is 20/20. One thing that I like to see is the belayer watching out for their climber and correcting bad decisions that the climber might make, consciously or not. If the climber was above the bolt and shouted take, the belayer should not do this because it would pull the climber off the wall. Instead, advising them to "Climb down or fall" is a better solution. I like to see the belayer calling up to the climber to warn them about skipping a clip, backclipping, z-clipping, or shouting "watch your foot" if it sneaks behind the rope. Obviously, if this is happening all the time, there might be an issue with the climber's skills. But everyone makes mistakes occasionally and I would rather see small mistakes made and swiftly corrected than for there to be absolutely no mistakes during a test. Did they just get lucky, or are they actually that good? Sometimes you have to watch out for the experienced climbers even more than the new ones. They can be prone to complacency and more willing to let the little things slide. The biggest issue I saw in this video, partially as a result of the belayer standing too far back from the wall, was the lead rope underneath the climber between the first and second quickdraws. @2:06 @17:07 @21:47 @26:31 If the climber fell at those moments, they would have fallen onto the rope with it in-between their legs. There would likely be a nasty rope burn while the belayer is pulled forward and up into the climber. At the start of a climb, after spotting until the rope is clipped, it is best practice to stand to the side of the climber, close to the wall, with the rope out from underneath the climber in a place where it will not catch on their foot or leg. The climber starting with the rope to their side (the side they will be clipping on) helps facilitate this. Higher up, it is less of an issue to have the rope between your legs depending on the situation.* The rope traveling under and behind the climbers in this video seems to be a result of the initial instruction. It appears to have gone unaddressed in the class. It is understandable to do what you know from top rope belaying and stand behind the climber. It is up to the instructor to train proper positioning for a lead belay and how to adapt to different scenarios. *Do your best to keep your feet and legs in a position where they would be unlikely to catch on or around the rope in a fall. Make sure your harness is tight enough and wear a helmet just in case you do get flipped upside down (helmets are not allowed in some gyms due to strangulation potential with auto-belays). Sometimes, if you need to use a foothold but cannot find a position that will keep your foot away from the rope, a useful trick is to scoop up the rope with the arch of your foot and hold it loosely against the wall (not pinching it) while edging on the hold with your toe. In a fall your foot will move away from the wall, staying outside of the rope. This only works with footholds that you can use with your inside edge. Even if there is <1% chance your climber would fall before clipping, it is still good to spot them in a test to show the instructor you know how to do this. "They weren't going to fall there anyway" is one of the excuses instructors don't want to hear. Watching and reacting to slack in the rope is a great skill for outdoor climbing when it is more common to lose sight of your climber around a corner or over a ledge/roof. On an overhanging route like the one in the video, another solution is to turn sideways to the wall so you can see look past your shoulder to see your climber, while also being able to turn your head the other way and keep an eye on the wall if you were to get pulled up when giving a soft/dynamic catch. You need to be very close to the first quickdraw for this so that the primary direction of pull is up into the air rather than sideways into the wall. The emphasis on all of these details might sound excessive to some, but the worst outcome is to pass a lead test and then for a climber to be dropped on the floor later in the day when everyone's attention is elsewhere. A belayer will rarely drop the rope for no reason. They will drop the rope because they were standing too far back and lost control when they were pulled in and collided with the wall. Or if they misjudged a dynamic catch and were pulled up to the first quickdraw or into the falling climber. Or they were not proactive with slack management and fumbled when attempting to catch up under pressure. Or they were pressured into using an assisted braking device they are not familiar with because it is "safer," but they have not been instructed to use it properly or are not given enough time to practice feeding slack safely. Or the belayer maintained control of the rope, but gave a hard catch while the climber jumped backwards. The climber would then swing into the wall violently, potentially injuring their ankles on impact. Even worse if the climber's foot is caught on the rope flipping them upside down during the fall. Or their feet pass below a roof or volume in a fall but their head/chest/knees are stopped above it. All of these things are preventable (most of the time) with attention to detail, practice, quick decision making, and respect for the risk. Climbing is dangerous. Lead climbing is more dangerous. While it is a blow to the ego and may sometimes feel like you as a person have failed if you do not pass a test, it is a valuable tool if used to respectfully critique and learn. Some of the best belayers I know only passed the test on their second or third attempt. They are better bealyers because of mistakes they have made, not in spite of them.
Ugh, this instructor sounds like a tool. He's probably on a power trip, for some reason. I'm sorry you had to go through such a headache. As others have said, at our gym, we climb on a 5.8 or 5.9 for the lead test, to ensure we can perform the proper climbing / clipping techniques. This test should not be about your climbing ability, and at a 5.10C, it definitely is (minus fantastic climbers, but those are outliers). FYI, I too, like to always see the climber, so I step back to ensure this happens (just like you). I want to punch this beta-male in the face, for you.
there shouldn't ever be a rush to get lead certified. that climb was completely doable, but both climbers were tunnel visioned onto handholds because they were on lead. the mental aspect of lead climbing is not to be understated. lead testing on 10a minimum makes the climber focus more on technique than just a jug haul 5.9 and thus increases the mental pressure.... rightfully so.
Took my exam yesterday 2/8/19. I got all 165 questions. I had the majority of SATA and prioritizing questions. The questions got harder each time. I felt like I had to throw up and I had a headache by time I finished. I did the PVT, got the "Good message'' the same day, paid for my unofficial results today and found out that I passed !All thanks to Mrs Brenda
Brave of you to post about this experience--it's a very common experience, and congratulations on passing it. Hope you're having a good time climbing now, 3 years later.
Thanks for sharing your home❤. I'm an elder lady and nurse and I live now in a 25sqf apartment like I did when I was young like you. You created such a lovely place and such a cozy home. 👏👏👏 CONGRATS ❤ You are full of ideas and hand work skills. I like your video and wish you all the best for live 😊
Your apartment is beautiful. I love the decor. Many unique details. The plants are nice. They give life to it's surrounding. Queenie is so adorable ❤️ thanks for sharing 😊
