Senior Rock Climbers (or Bodyweight Enthusiasts) – Age 70 or Above

 

 

                                                 Questionnaire

 

                                                              A.

1.  Year of birth: 1936

 

2.  Height & weight (now and at younger age): Currently I’m 5’ 6” tall and weigh 133 lbs; at age 25, I was about 5’ 8” tall and weighed 128 lbs.

 

3.  Year you began rock climbing and/or bodyweight athletics: My first rock climbs were on Rooster Rock and the pinnacles of several Cascade mountains in 1960. Serious rock climbing began in 1961 at Horsethief Butte and other locations in the Columbia Gorge and in 1962 at Smith Rock where I climbed occasionally until 1970. I didn’t climb rock again until 2004.  I’ve been doing conditioning and resistance training at a gym since the mid-1980s.

 

4.  Are you retired? Still working?: I retired in 1996.

 

5.  Is your family supportive of your rock climbing and/or bodyweight athletics? Yes, they cheer me on.

 

6.  How important is the social aspect of the activity for you? Most of my social life is with other climbers. I don’t climb alone, and I enjoy the company of people who like doing what I like doing.

 

                                                                        B.

1.  Type of rock climbing or bodyweight athletics you now enjoy: Easy rock climbing, climbing at Portland Rock Gym, resistance training to increase upper-body strength. Bodyweight exercise is now limited to occasional squats, abdominals and low-back extensions.  

 

2.  Type you enjoyed at a younger age? I was stronger, more flexible and had better balance. When I was young, I did chin-ups and skin the cat, push-ups, squats, sit-ups and low-back extensions.    

 

3.  Do you engage in auxiliary training or associated athletics? Mountaineering during the summer, bicycle riding in good weather, occasional hiking.

 

4.  How often do you climb or exercise now? At a younger age (<65)? Currently I climb and work out 2-4 times a week in rock and regular gyms. When I was younger, I exercised by hiking, mountain climbing, jogging and I climbed rock occasionally during the warm months.   

 

5.  Length of climbing or exercise sessions now? 1-2 hours of resistance training, 2-3 hours at a rock gym, on and off all day on real rock.  

 

6.  How long does it take for fairly complete physical recovery? I allow a day or two between climbing and exercise sessions.

 

7.  At what level of difficulty do you now climb or what are the most impressive bodyweight exercises you now do? Past levels or performances? Currently, I occasionally top rope 5.10 in the gym, and I follow up to 5.8 outdoors. I sometimes lead 5.9 indoors but only 5.5 outdoors.  I’m quite content to follow younger, more skilled climbers. I can’t easily compare what I could do when I was young with what I can do now—there were no rock gyms then—but on outdoor rock I’m climbing familiar routes as easily now as I did then. I don’t think any of my weight training is particularly impressive.    

 

8.  What changes have you observed in strength and endurance over the years?

Grip strength? Arm & upper body strength? Legs? Strength and endurance peaked in my early 50s and have declined slowly since. Now a long hike is only half the distance I could do then.  I have, however, regained some upper-body strength by climbing and weight training. The most significant change I’ve noticed with aging is that my body isn’t as reliable as it used to be—I can no longer count on all of its parts working consistently well. 

 

                                                                         C.

1.  Any injuries or illnesses since age 65 affecting your climbing/exercising?:

How have you coped?  NSAIDs or other medication? I strained my right shoulder and elbow two years ago, but they have recovered and have not had a lasting effect on my climbing. My right knee has been troublesome since last summer, and that has led to my limiting biking and hiking. I use NSAIDs occasionally to treat temporary pains.

 

2.  What kind of diet do you follow, if any? Vitamins? Stimulants? I’m omnivorous but try to eat low on the food pyramid. Most meals are low in saturated fat and emphasize fruit, vegetables and whole grains. I take the usual vitamin and mineral supplements and don’t use stimulants.  

 

3.  Special food or drink after a workout? Very hoppy ale.

 

4.  Water or fluid intake? High? Low? About two quarts a day; more when I’m climbing or exercising. I also use an electrolyte drink when exercising causes heavy perspiration.   

 

                                                                       D.

1.  What is your current philosophy of your sport? Has this changed with age?      I climb to enjoy myself by doing something that’s physically and mentally challenging. At 74, I’m grateful I can still climb. When I was young, I took being fit for granted, but I don’t now. I’m also much more cautious than I was 50 years ago. As I grow older, I expect to spend less time climbing and more assisting others to learn climbing skills. Aging will limit my ability to climb, but shouldn’t affect my knowing how to tie into a rope or escape a belay.

 

2.  What are your current goals and personal rewards from the sport? Has this  changed with age? My primary goals are simply to continue climbing for as long as I can and to share my enjoyment and knowledge with others. Throughout my climbing years, I have been seriously involved in training others, and I want to continue doing that. As I age, I’m shifting from strenuous days in the mountains to activities that require less endurance such as a couple of hours climbing in a gym.  

 

3.  What is your opinion: Is rock climbing or bodyweight exercise performance – at any age - influenced more strongly by genetic attributes or training and experience? (Nature or nurture?) Is it even possible to generalize? I don’t think you can generalize. Success in any athletic activity must be dependent on the right combination of body type, physical training and experience. The experience I gained when I was young  made it easy for me to climb again in spite of  being away from it for more than 30 years. I didn’t have to go back to the beginning: mind and body remembered how to climb and new experiences were rapidly integrated.

 

4.  If you climb, what are your predictions for the future of rock climbing? I’m not sufficiently involved in the rock climbing scene to predict its future. However, based on my being an assistant in the Mazamas’ climbing classes, which have more applicants than openings at all levels, it appears that the number of people interested in climbing (rock and snow) is still increasing. The Mazamas focuses on traditional climbing, whereas I’ve noticed that most of the rock climbers I encounter are sport climbers.