The Dip

I first learnt about The Dip in a little book by Dave MacLeod called “9 out of 10 Climbers Make The Same Mistake.” As an aside, this little book is a real gem that focuses on direct action to improve your climbing instead of putting out all kinds of complicated training regimes that tweak tiny little issues that make no real difference in the end. 

Pulling the big roof on Jungle Boy, El Portero, Mexico

The whole concept of The Dip is that there are times to persevere and times to quit, and recognizing when to stop and when to push through is critical to success. A couple of days ago, I was down at the bouldering area on the Esplanade looking up at the roof and wondering if I was ever going to “get it.” I had been working the roof for a few weeks – off an on – and was beginning to think I was never going to “get it.” 

I am many things, but one thing I am not is a quitter, so I pulled up on the opening moves again, and, to my utmost surprise (I was actually feeling pretty thrashed from a big Stronglifts work-out the day before) made it almost all the way across. I had probably two moves left. Suddenly I realized I had been wallowing in the dip for the last few sessions and that now was not the time to quit but the time to push through.