How To Become a Master of Rock
As a climber of three decades, I’ve been fortunate to meet, climb, and hang out with countless climbers of wide background and experience. Most memorable, however, were conversations with a variety of top climbers such as Güllich, Sharma, Davis, Skinner, Hill and Gill.
In meeting these (and other) masters of rock, it is interesting to learn that they are not all that much different from you and me. In fact, these top climbers share many of the same passions, values, and goals as the mass of climbers–they are looking to stretch personal boundaries and experience deep pleasure by means of recreating in a natural environment. In some personal way, climbing makes life more rich and meaningful; something all climbers can relate to.
So, what is it that elevated these individuals to the cutting edge of climbing? Ultimately it comes down to very specific patterns of thought and action that were uncommonly effective in propelling these climbers toward their unique goals. Whereas many climbers possess fuzzy goals and engage in ways of thinking and acting that are congruent with the masses, these masters of rock habitually think and act in ways far different from their peers. The accumulated effect of acting in unique and uncommonly effective ways, day after day, compounds to yield long-term results that are both dramatic and peerless.
For example, John Gill bouldering V9/5.13 in 1959 (when his peers were barely breaking into 5.10), Wolfgang Güllich climbing 5.14d in 1991, or Lynn Hill free climbing the 3000 foot Nose of El Capitan (5.14a) in a day. These remarkable achievements were not born of the mainstream–they are the result of stepping out of mainstream thought and zeitgeist. And, by similarly learning to think and act in uncommonly effective ways, you too can discover a new level of ability and enjoyment on the rock!
Masters of Rock – Vol. 1 (Chris Sharma, Steph Davis, and John Gill)
Tap into the power of the masters with the Masters of Rock CD, presented by Climbing Magazine.
This 80-minute CD will inspire you to new heights and provides valuable insights into what you can do to achieve climbing mastery and peak performance on the rock. By similarly learning to think and act in uncommonly effective ways, you will discover a new level of ability and enjoyment on the rock.
Click here for more information on Masters of Rock: Interviews with the Masters of Climbing.
