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June 05, 2002
Foes of Focus
I wanted to expound on something I talked about 2 entries ago relating to the risks and rewards of climbing.
More and more I've been noticing a trend in the worlds best climbers, they all can attain a level of focus, completely blocking out anything else, which enables them to pull off their amazing, and sometimes deadly, feats.
Similarly, a friend of mine once told me about her friend who was a free soloer, meaning, he climbed without ropes or protection. She told me how he could not free solo when he was in a relationship with a woman.
He couldn't even have sex around the time he was going to free solo. The reason was because it complicated things... it put other stuff in his mind that took away from the focus required to do the things he does. I'm only now starting to see the tip of the ice berg on how you train yourself to focus your mind solely on the job at hand.
Attaining this state of focus is an intense experience. Things really are in slow motion. More than that, no matter what situation your in, what risks your about to take, it feels like your on the ground and totally safe. But I've realized something in my mental training. I will never be a great climber like Dean Potter or Both Rodden who can completely clear their minds of everything.
In order to have the focus they require, they can't really have any ties more important they climbing. ie. They can't have anything more important to lose if they got hurt, or wo rse. I on the other hand, am married. Its not so much the responsability of marriage (though I'm sure that plays a small part).
Its just the knowledge of how hurting myself would hurt my partner. That
fact remains a sobering force in my climbing which wix ll forever prevent me
from putting myself in too much harms way. However, this isn't a bad thing. Its a choice I've made. My marriage brings me as much joy as climbing. I wouldn't sacrifice either for the other.
So I may never be as good as some others, but I'll keep trying, keep improving, until it stops being fun, then I'll move on to something else. :)
Posted by wonko at June 5, 2002 12:40 PM
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