Reaching for more: Reimagining the motivation to climb

February 21, 2025 / Posted by Marmot Mountain Europe GmbH / Text and Photos: Steve McClure

‘What type of rock climbing are you psyched for right now?’

This is the kind of question I get asked a lot, from friends, climbers I know, climbers I don’t know, non-climbers and I even ask it myself. The answers come easily; there is always something, always a project, a trip, a plan or an adventure. For years now, decades even, I’d find a rapid answer in the form of some desperate climb, something really hard, close to impossible. A ‘project’; some viciously overhanging wall of rock, something that would push me to the very limit of my ability; physically, technically and mentally. The project could take many days of effort, maybe weeks, months or even years, but the time frame didn’t faze me. In fact it motivated me, that I’d be working right on the sharp edge of what was possible and what was not.

From passion to performance. What’s changed?

But my drive had not always been in this direction, and often I’d ponder my early days, how I got into climbing and the incredible energy I carried for simply getting outdoors and moving over stone, the grade largely irrelevant. A challenge was important of course, but it was more about those classic lines in beautiful places with amazing people. Those climbs I’d read about in books and seen on the pages of the magazines, images etched into my mind as strong as any childhood memory. The switch into ‘performance mode’ was gradual, a natural progression. With the honeymoon period of the climbing love affair over this new psyche combines with an inbuilt desire to explore physical and mental limits. Some people, most people, don’t need the extra effort, staying happily married to climbing without ever asking too much, just enjoying it’s company. But for others, a new element of performance prevents things from going stale. You can choose your own definition of performance, but wherever you draw the line, it’s there to stop you from slacking off, reminding you that you can’t rest until you’ve raised your game.

‘What kind of rock climbing are you really enjoying right now?’

This was the question Petzl put to me. Perhaps the best manufacturer of rock-climbing equipment, I’ve been working with them for over a quarter of a century. As usual the answers came easily; there was that super hard traditional route in North Wales, and some sport projects in Yorkshire, not to mention a number of exciting trips. But it was the subtle wording of the question that made me stop and think, just what climbing am I really ‘enjoying’? That hard stuff, I enjoy it, absolutely, but then it’s a different kind of enjoyment. My mind floated back to recent big days out with my 12-year-old son, Harry. How I enjoyed those days, so much they made my heart sing. Long walk-ins with constant chatter, endless views, the crag, the line, and then climbing, such lovely climbing! Hand and feet gripping on perfect stone sculpted by water and wind. Moving higher through a changing landscape, sharing what we see, and maybe a snack or a sip of water. Tricky moves, never too hard, not enough to topple me, but a rope there just in case, a single strand connecting me to Harry far below. But more than just a rope, we were there together, bound on another level beyond father and son. On top we excitedly assess our journey, animating the moves and enthusing over the bite of friction into skin and the feel of those lovely holds. The walk home was full of energy. Today a classic British traditional route, tomorrow there would be more.

What it truly means to be a rock climber

As a so called ‘pro climber’ one thing I’ve always felt proud of is my unwavering psyche for all styles of climbing: the easy, the hard, the roadside, the mountains, traditional, sport, boulder, and indoors.

The connection always remained between my young self-exploring the whole package of climbing, and the newer (and older!) ‘athlete’ squeezing out marginal gains of a physical maximum. However, maybe I’d forgotten a little. ‘Climbing’ had become about ‘trying hard’, this was the primary source of enjoyment… or is it?

Harry had shown me the way as he was suddenly becoming old enough to find a desire to be outdoors, and proficient enough for our challenges to match. Now I had a new reason to re-discover all those incredible climbs, and to see again all that climbing brings. To share this with him and see his face light up with the joy of the climb, and everything that goes with it. Well, what can I say, as a father, there basically isn’t anything better!

But I’m blessed further, such a moment in time where I have it all. The same need and desire to search for my limits, that same psyche to perform I’ve thrived on for decades, but now combined with the love of the sport and a real reason to get out there and see climbing for all that it is.

Steve wrote this Blog for us based on his short film “Generations”, where he enjoys some cragging with his son Harry in the North York Moors. The exact place where his climbing began.

You can watch Steve’s short film here: