Climbing With Dynos

Competition is an essential part of life. However, sometimes, all that competition can get in your head. That is why I love rock climbing. It’s a competitive sport where everyone, all the way up to an Olympic level, is cheering each other on, sharing ideas, and helping each other even if they are competitors. When I’m climbing, I take comfort in knowing that everyone in the gym will try their best to help me. In climbing, there are grades to determine the difficulty of the climb. The grades go V intro, V1, V2, V3, etc. When I got my first V4 I was proud of myself, but what made the biggest difference was the other climber who stopped to congratulate me. 

I walk into the loud, crowded climbing gym and look around. I notice that they have reset a lot of the climbing routes. They do this every once and a while, they take down the old climbs and create new ones. This is done by route setters who use plastic rocks that they screw onto the wall. This means that there were a lot of new climbs to try. I see this orange one, maybe a V2. It looks interesting. I complete it easily. I turn around and I see this purple one, maybe a V4? It looks relatively easy, not quite a V5. V4s are doable, and at least I have done a few before this one. It’s worth a shot, and maybe I will get it. 

I walk up to the wall, I try to start it, and as I predicted, the start holds are not that good. However, I notice that there are little ridges on each of the holds. I try holding those. It works but I can’t reach the next hold. The whole climb went in this cycle: I got a move and then got stuck on the next. However, I’m able to figure out most of the moves in about an hour, and then I’m stumped and tired. I have this really bad hold, and it almost seems like I have to jump. I am more of a static climber which means that I try to steer away from dynos (dynamic movements, where I have to make large movements usually where all four points of contact come off the wall), and in this case, it does not work in my favor. 

I come back later that week. I need to get this climb, I think to myself. It would be the first climb I do with a dyno. I look at it, confused, it says it’s a V5. Immediately I start thinking, there is no way I can do this, it’s a V5! I have never done a V5 before. However… it’s a V5 and it seems doable! I need to get this! 

For the next week, I work as hard as I can, trying to get that move. Whenever I feel like giving up, I remember that I need to get a V5. But then, my mom reminds me that we are leaving for Italy in a few weeks and by the time we get back, it probably won’t be there anymore. Whatever motivation I had before just tripled. I can’t let this opportunity slip away. In the next few weeks, I try to get as much practice as I can. 

There is this climbing app where you can see beta (specific directions on how to complete a climb often given by other climbers) for the climbs at your local gym. It is a tool that I use frequently but somehow up until this point, I had completely forgotten about. I look on the app, there is this one person who makes the move by just pulling themselves up and reaching. As I watch them do that I think that's just for tall people, there is no way I can do that. The next time I'm at the gym, I try it anyways. I still can’t reach.

Then I have an idea; what if I pull myself up, and then do it dynamically? Maybe I could reach them then? I get on the wall, grab the start hold, dig my fingers as hard as I can into the ridges, and reach up. I move my feet up and lean as far as I can to my left to try to get my foot on the hold that seems so far away until I reach it. I inch my hand onto the bad hold that I have to make the big move off of. I pull myself up and jump at the same time. I catch it! 

One problem: I have never made it to this point so I don’t know what to do next, but I can’t let go now. I try precariously reaching to the next hold. I start to lose my balance and immediately return to my previous position. I remember the move earlier in the climb and how I put my foot super far. There is no far hold but there is a high hold. I inch my foot toward it; it's a bit precarious, but once my foot is on there I know I solved my problem. I get up the rest of the climb easily. 

“Wow! That was super good!” a woman said, walking up to me.

“Thank you!” I replied.

“I have been working on it for a while, but I can’t seem to get that part. Do you have any tips?” she asked.

“Maybe you could try jumping? It is really scary for me, but once I got it it is super fun,” I replied.

Using my tip, she was able to get a bit closer! It is always nice when someone recognizes something hard that you did and you are able to help them do the same.

Recently, I got a V6, and I used my newfound ability to be bold on the wall and use dynos. These moves have only become more prominent as I work my way toward a V7, and I am grateful that I have developed the confidence to use them. 

I started climbing when I was four and my passion for the sport has only grown since then. One thing that keeps me motivated through the years is the unique grading system. Recently, the unique motivation of grading system has motivated me to improve a lot. It is encouraging to think that a year ago I could barely do a V2. This quick progress has proven that I can do anything if I practice enough. 

Iyla Parikh