Climbing to new heights
Dawn about to start a tough circuit at Seattle Bouldering Project.
“Memorize this: YRGPO.”
That was the first tip from my friend Dawn, a seasoned rock climber who saw my post about wanting to try new activities and invited me to go bouldering.
We went to Seattle Bouldering Project, where she showed me the ropes—or really the lack thereof since bouldering is climbing without ropes or harnesses.
The climbing gym has a range of 13- to 17-foot-high boulders surrounded by a sea of cushy mats. Each boulder is sprinkled with trails of color-coded holds, which indicate the climb’s level of difficulty.
I learned YRGPO (pronounced “ERGpo”) is a mnemonic device that stands for yellow, red, green, purple, and orange. Yellow is the easiest climbing circuit, with each color becoming progressively more challenging. The scale extends past YRGPO to black, blue, pink, and white, though I didn’t venture into that territory.
To be honest, I was a little intimidated when I first walked in. I didn’t know where to start. But Dawn was an excellent teacher and made the experience a fun, approachable challenge.
She explained that boulders have “problems” you work through as you move from hold to hold and that tape on particular holds marks where to begin and end a climb. Whenever I got stuck, she pointed out how I could reposition myself or where I could move next. It was like working through a puzzle on a wall with my whole body. If one approach didn’t work, then I’d simply try another.
I have to say that Dawn was a total badass at solving problems. She made it look effortless, like she had done the circuit hundreds of times. It was fun to watch her try the harder ones. I found myself wondering, What the heck is she holding onto? The holds are so tiny!
She was totally fearless about trying different climbing routes, which gave me courage to go for it. I didn’t always make it to the top, but it was SO MUCH FUN to give it a try.
I’m looking forward to going back again soon. Thank you, Dawn!