"You should climb harder"

As in any sport, when we are passionate about climbing, we want to give it our all.

Fortunately, there’s a rating system that allows us to precisely quantify our progress, but it’s a tool that should be used with caution.

In fact, if we identify ourselves too much to the grades, we might be tempted to set expectations for ourselves, and sometimes even for others. When these expectations aren’t met, we might experience something like the imposter syndrome in our sport.

If you have been climbing for a while, it’s a familiar feeling to have to send a certain grade, but we all experience it in different ways. For instance, when working in a climbing gym, this feeling can be amplified as we might imagine representing the gym, and therefore "having" to climb hard. By choosing this job, we also accept to become a familiar face for the usual customers. This is normally not a problem, except in certain cases. 

While one of my colleagues was enjoying her climbing session, another climber noticed her falling off a V4. He came up to her and commented her climbing skills. Since then, she began to question her abilities and the expectations others might set for her. It’s this unusual event that prompted me to talk to my colleagues and learn more about their experiences, opinions, and advice.

Do you feel pressure to perform when climbing in your gym? 

The majority of my colleagues at Café Bloc feel or perceive some sort of pressure to perform during their climbing sessions. Some women share with me that they feel pressure in sports in general, an environment where women are often less well represented.

"I think there is pressure in general in sport and in the outdoors, which are very male dominated environments. It's a pressure to prove yourself and to perform when you're not a cis-male," shares Raÿla. It can be amplified when you work in a climbing centre, "Also because I work at Café Bloc, it seems like people expect me to climb at a certain level, and they sometimes even express it ‘you only climb that [grade]?’" she continues. 

Others share their negative experiences with strangers: "I didn't necessarily put pressure on myself, but I could see the pressure that others put on me. There was an incident where a climber asked me what level I was climbing. I told him V4 and he said ‘That's not strong enough. You work here, but you only climb V4.... you should climb harder,’" explains Marianne. 

For Marin, it increases when he climbs with people he knows: "Working here puts a label on us, which make me feel like I have to climb well. So, if I fall off a V4, for example, I will feel judged, especially if it's people I know."

Does this pressure follow you when climbing at other gyms or outside?

For some of my colleagues, the possibility of being recognized at other gyms can make them anxious.

This is the case for Andy who has been working for about three years, and he reports that: “If I go somewhere where people know me, they might have a preconceived image of my climbing and that’s what will put pressure on me to perform.” The same goes for Valeria, who recounts her experience at another gym: “That day I didn't feel fit because I hadn't climbed for a while. I thought ‘oh no, what will people think’, when in reality they probably don't care.”

It's a feeling that can also be experienced when climbing outdoors, as Marilee tells us. “Two years ago, I went on a climbing trip to Canmore and Squamish. Emotionally, I found climbing difficult. I cried on every climb, I was scared, and I wasn’t having fun. The more scared I got, the more pressure I put on myself. I felt like I had no right to define myself as a climber or to share pictures of myself climbing. I questioned everything. Do I even like climbing? Am I even a climber?”

A few tips

My colleagues also shared with me some tips that help reduce symptoms of the imposter syndrome while also improving the atmosphere of a climbing gym.

“People should ask you if you want help rather than giving unsolicited beta, and stop doing a problem in front of you just to show you they can. Often, I just want to figure out the beta myself. On the other hand, I feel like encouragements really create a nice energy at the gym, even if it can be a bit stressful.” Marianne tells me.

For Félix: “Cliques can make this pressure all the worst. Everyone would benefit from people sharing beta and conversing, no matter what grade they climb.” Marilee also highlights the importance of talking about it. “What helps me a lot is talking about it. I'm far from being the only one who feels this way. We need to learn how to laugh about it and climb with people who make us feel comfortable.”

"At the end of the day, we are all connected by the same passion, and that, in my opinion, should be the only criteria for feeling valid in our community." –Marilee

While you’re facing yourself on the wall, it can be difficult to ignore the people behind you who are waiting for their turn to jump on the boulder. From an outside perspective, this scene can almost look like a show, a performance where you’re the artist performing for the audience. When you add pressure from a hypothetical audience on top of your own personal pressure, the atmosphere can sometimes become suffocating. We must remember that each person is motivated by their own personal goals or by simply having fun (and that’s the most important!).

At the end of the day, the amount of pressure one feels depends very much on the attitude of surrounding climbers.

Hence, the importance of adopting positive behaviours that will improve the atmosphere in climbing gyms and make the sport we love ever more inclusive.