Is it time to quit climbing?

There’s a question that’s been buried deep in my mind for a while now. I’ve tried to ignore it, but the voice keeps persisting, growing louder over the course of this summer: is it time to quit climbing?

Frustration hits more often than I’d like, and sometimes it feels like every climb exposes the gap between where I am and where I want to be. After five years of hanging off walls, I haven’t progressed as much as I hoped.

A recent experience brought these feelings into sharp focus. After taking a couple of months off from climbing to focus on training for the Squamish 23, I was eager to jump back into a multi-pitch. At first, it felt exciting—but almost immediately, I started to feel overwhelmed. Moves that used to feel manageable now felt exposed and intimidating. Halfway up, it became clear that today wasn’t the day, and we had to bail. 

Walking back down, I felt a mix of disappointment and frustration—but also a strange kind of relief. Relief to be back on (somewhat) solid ground. Relief to move my body in a way that feels natural, strong, and confident.

Am I more comfortable as a runner now? That can’t be. And yet it is true—starting trail running this year rewarded me with the “newbie gains” I hadn’t felt in a while and renewed my sense of adventure. After all, climbing was never about strength or sending hard routes for me. I loved the unpredictability, the problem-solving, and the thrill of being somewhere vertical, exposed, and in tune with nature. That’s what has kept me coming back, even when my mind or body aren’t cooperating.

At the same time, I recognize that to keep improving, I probably do need to focus more on strength and technique. There’s a balance to strike between chasing personal progression and savoring the adventure that drew me to climbing in the first place. Am I willing to put in the effort to keep moving forward?

For now, I’m trying to remember why I climb at all. I’m giving myself permission to climb for fun, only when I feel like it, and to focus on enjoying the process. Will I find a rhythm? I don’t know yet. But I do plan to continue exploring all the ways I can enjoy the outdoors, in every medium I love.