Slab climbing can be some of the scariest climbing out there in terms of solely looking at the wall structure. One look at a slab climb and the brain goes “CHEESEGRATER!” It’s this alert system of self preservation that makes slab climbing so scary.
Work it
If you are scared of slab climbing, I ask you, how much time do you actually spend on “not scary slab”? One of the simplest ways to overcome fear is to spend more time doing whatever it is that scares you at the right intensity. Eventually your comfort with increase and it will become natural to you. The biggest key is that you don’t push the intensity too far too quickly.
Judging the comfort zone
If a move is too scary or you are too tired you will reach the panic zone. We don’t want to hit this zone too much as it will reinforce the “slab is scary” mentality. Ideally we want to spend as much time in the “learning and growth zone" as possible.
Attack the fear
Spend time with really good hand holds walking on volumes or balancing on small footers and trying to get comfortable with reducing the load in your hands. Repeat uncomfortable moves 20 or 30 times with slightly different techniques to find the best way for you to move. Don’t just do it 1 way, try lots of different options.
The right shoes
Find shoes that fit your foot. People chase “cool” shoes over shoes that properly fit their feet way too often. No air bubbles inside your shoe means that you have no foot slippage inside your shoe improving your contact with the wall.
Brush Everything. Hand holds, footers, volumes. Everything.
Good luck conquering those fears! Remember, courage is shown when we embrace and face our fears.
