hanging out at new heights

Seniors battle their fear of heights by bouldering

ARTICLE & PHOTO BY HAYLIE YEE • DESIGN BY VIDYA ACHAR

senior Britney Stout’s fear of heights began at a young age, stemming from her father’s own fear. Whenever they came across high areas, he would retreat from the edge, and Stout followed in his footsteps. As she grew up, her fear of heights persisted despite her being old enough to make her own decisions.

Due to her fear, Stout initially struggled to climb up the 15-foot walls when she began bouldering—rock climbing without ropes or harnesses—earlier this year with fellow seniors Arya Medapati and Sainirnay Mantrala to cross off an item on their holiday bucket list.

“I used to go halfway up and then decide that was far enough and climb back down,” Stout said. “I’m very competitive, even with myself, so eventually it was like, ‘Okay, well, just keep going,’ ‘Do it, bet you won’t,’ in my mind and then I would push myself to keep climbing to the top. The more I did it, the more comfortable I got with being that high.”

Stout, Medapati and Mantrala started with bouldering as it was more accessible than climbing with rope, also known as belaying, which required a license.

While Medapati does not have a severe fear of heights similar to Stout’s, being high up in the air still induces some anxiety.

“I feel pretty scared when I fall sometimes,” Medapati said. “I still have to overcome the fear, but it’s gotten a lot better since I started. Sometimes when I’m close to the top, I’ll be afraid to make a hard reach because I’ll be scared of falling and hurting myself.”

When falling, boulderers are recommended to land on their feet, with their legs shoulder width apart with a slight bend. They roll on their backs with their arms crossed on the thick mats to prevent fracturing any bones. Climbers coat their hands in chalk to prevent slipping, but minor injuries are still common. These can include blisters or small cuts from the holds.

In non-emergencies at Movement Gym—where the seniors climb—the injured are given ice packs, but in the case of severe injuries, like torn muscles, sprained ankles and broken bones, the fire department is called. Spencer Kennedy, a gateway programs instructor, private coach and front desk worker at Movement, said at least one person a month has a severe injury.

On March 1, Stout suffered a major sprain on her wrist while bouldering, not by landing badly but by slipping while her arm was stuck in a hold.

“My mom asked me after she got to the ambulance when this happened,” Stout said. “She’s like, ‘Are you gonna go back?’ and I was like, ‘Yes. I will be back.’”

Another critical tool required to prevent injuries and slipping are climbing shoes. They provide support and stiffness with thick rubber caps around the toes and heel. These prevent the shoe from coming off and allow climbers to perform movements called toe hooks and heel hooks.

“They put a lot more rubber in the heel,” Kennedy said. “And that heel cup holds the shoe and that way you can utilize every inch of your foot.”

In climbing there are a multitude of

climbs and movements to try. In a climb called the “No-Hands Traverse,” climbers are not allowed to use their hands but can palm the walls. A dynamic movement, also known as a “dyno,” requires them to leap from hold to hold up the wall. “You need to be pretty fearless and pretty cocky,” Kennedy said. “I like to do a lot of dynos, and you have to get out of your own headspace and go for it. Ignore the consequences and go for it.” Additionally, there are different wall types that affect the climb too. The first, and simplest is a slab that requires balance and careful moves since the wall angle is greater “Climbing is a great way tO stay than 90 degrees. The next wall is vertical, meaning the wall is mostly straight in sHape. tHere’s always sOme- up. The last is overhang, when the wall angle is less than 90 degrees. tHing new tO be dOing but tHen “I like the concept of them, but [overhangs] are hard,” Stout said. “You yOu’re alsO being HealtHy.“ literally have to put so much trust in your ability to hold yourself up onto -spenCer kennedy that overhang, but they’re very accomplishing when you do complete them.” Each bouldering climb is graded on a V-scale from 0-17, however, at Movement gym, they range from VIntro to V9. V-scale is an abbreviation for Vermin after its creator John “Vermin” Sherman, a famous innovative climber. At Movement Gym, sections of walls are changed every week. They take down routes and create new paths of colored grips for climbers to attempt. “I used to run a lot for track, which was a good way to stay in shape, but then it’s also monotonous and boring,” Kennedy said. “Just running around a track. There’s nothing to do, nothing to spice it up. Climbing is a great way to stay in shape. There’s always something new to be doing, but then you’re also being healthy.” While the seniors have only bouldered indoors at Movement Gym, outdoor boul-

Britney Stout returned to bouldering on March 28 after the doctor cleared her for climbing. Stout is pictured climbing a V1 on the blue path. dering is a whole different world. Kennedy initially bouldered indoors but leapt at the chance to try outdoors with his co-workers. “Indoor bouldering is much different from outdoor bouldering—it’s a completely different experience,” Kennedy said.

“When you go indoors, it’s very obvious where the holes are and how to grab them. Whereas outdoors, it’s really confusing on what to grab because you’ll see this big boulder and you’re like, ‘Can I hold on to that?’ and you got to go feel all around this little tiny crack and figure out how to properly climb.”

Climbers cannot boulder outdoors during wet months because some rocks are made of sandstone that would rip unless the rock has dried for two weeks.

“Outdoors is a lot more natural,” Medapati said. “It’s not in front of your eyes, and I think it’s a lot harder to plan if it’s outdoor because there’s not like a direct route or anything to use and it’s more like a flatter rock.” Both Medapati and Stout are interested in outdoor bouldering yet equally terrified of it. “A lot of people say it’s less fun unless you’re a really good climber,” Stout said. “For example, I can climb a V6 at the gym and be bad at it and fall on to a mat, but if I try a V6 on the outdoor rock, and I’m not properly equipped or I’m taking bigger falls on thinner mats, that’s always a lot more dangerous.”

In the gym, climbers have noticed a gender divide. Kennedy reported about a 60% male and 40% female demographic.

During Stout’s first bouldering experience, she felt left out by the male domination of the sport.

“When we first went, my friend and I met this other girl and she helped us by showing us all the techniques for beginners,” Stout said. “It was super nice to talk to another girl in this sport, especially since it was the first time I was there.”

Medapati was the first to begin bouldering and to draw more UPA students into the sport. More recently, Stout invites anyone who might be interested as she believes it is a beneficial experience.

“It became the same thing as texting our friends ‘Oh, you want to go get boba?’” Stout said. “We all liked it. It’s all something we enjoy doing and spending time with each other. So, it’s like you text a random group chat, or you text random people and then they text more people and it’s like, whoever shows up, shows up.”

Stout and Medapati often go bouldering after school or on the weekends with friends from school or Stout’s soccer team. The size of the group varies from one to four but on occasion can reach seven people.

all have their own unique way of doing the boulder,” Medapati said. “I think with a group it’s a lot more efficient, and you can find the right way to do it and teach each other.”

Stout found it easier to boulder with a small group of friends coming from the same school or the same team as they all have similar mindsets that aid planning or offering solutions to a difficult climb.

“I don’t like when there’s a huge crowd of people watching me or helping me,” Stout said. “Because as much as I do appreciate the support, when there’s a lot of different opinions and thoughts coming in, it can cloud your personal way of thinking.”

Along with her fear of heights, Stout’s stage fright makes her nervous when climbing with larger groups. The nerves create a fear that if she fails, there will be embarrassing consequences, so Stout takes fewer chances in front of a crowd.

Medapati and Stout both use an app called KAYA where other climbers post videos of themselves doing climbs. They utilize it when stuck on a climb to see different routes others have tried before attempting the climb again.

“[I] look down and see what I can grab onto,” Medapati said. “But most probably it fails because it’s hard to think of it in the moment, so I have to jump down and try again.”

Even without the app, Stout and Medapati said the bouldering community was kind and helpful when they struggled.

“There’s always people there that can help you,” Medapati said. “I remember once I struggled on something for a bit, and this guy came up to me, he told me what I might be able to do better. So, they’re very helpful.”

While Medapati and Stout regularly boulder with a group, they occasionally go alone too.

“It’s an isolated sport, but the people are always wanting to help,” Stout said. “If you want to know how to do one you can easily just walk over and ask someone. I really like that part because I don’t have to be disturbed but I have other people there.”

Stout finds herself most stressed when she struggles to complete or finish something. She and Medapati have a love for bouldering because it takes their minds off their current troubles.

“I like that it’s a workout on its own, but also that it lets me problem-solve in a different way,” Stout said. “I’m not thinking Arya Medapati took an introduction to bouldering class offered at Movement Gym where he learned techniques such as keeping his arms straight and standing on his toes to easily pivot. It aids him in devising his own strategy while climbing.

about a math problem. I’m looking at literal colored rocks. Like holes on a wall.”

While bouldering is defined as a form of free climbing without the use of ropes or harnesses, Kennedy defines it differently.

“It’s like a puzzle on the wall,” Kennedy said, “You get from point A to point B, and you have to solve it using your body and your strength. It’s a really weird way to describe it, but I like describing it that way.”

After four months of bouldering and a sprained wrist, Stout is still afraid of heights. Her experiences have presented her with opportunities to manage the fear, and when Stout reaches the top of a climb, it reassures her that nothing terrible has happened yet.

“I am still terribly afraid of falling from heights, but I’ve learned that they don’t have to be as scary as I thought by testing the limits and pushing myself to try harder climbs once I’ve become comfortable in the last,” Stout said. “But to be honest, sometimes when I [climb] I give my glasses to [my friend] because heights are a lot easier to manage when the floor is all blurry.”