The conditions aren’t in.

Hands on rock is a good day.

It’s something that I says often. More days out usually means more fun, more time with friends, and more adventures. Connor and I were brought together by a love of climbing, sure— but also through confusion. It felt like any time we asked folks if they were going out to climb on the weekend, there was always the same answer: “The conditions aren’t good.”

Adventure is born out of hardship and some grit. If we waited for a bluebird day every time we wanted to climb on the East Coast, we’d get woefully few days out each year. We have climbed rock in all kinds of conditions, year-round. It’s not that there’s no such thing as bad or off conditions, but learning to climb on these bad days makes the bluebird days that much better.

Climbing a slab in the summer rain makes you appreciate how sticky granite can be in the winter months. Peeling off of the same crimp over and over again makes the send go feel so amazing. Sweating through your recently chalked hands before you even touch the rock makes an October sloper feel heavenly. And nothing will make you savor a gear placement like a 20’ runout over a marginal stopper.

One of the things I thought about when we started this venture was how grateful I was to have the skills to navigate sub-optimal conditions when they arose. I love knowing what knot to use or how to release a load with a Munter-Mule hitch. I also love knowing how far I can push myself while staying below my mental, physical, or emotional redline. Contrast is what makes fun fun. It’s also what makes things that suck, suck. We need a balance of both. Plus— if you can learn to have fun in the rain on a 40-degree day, you can have fun anywhere.

Just some thoughts for your afternoon.

Stay climbing.