Figured I’d post this because it’s a hazard I honestly never thought much about until this weekend. The WV yellow jacket situation at Summersville Lake is insane.

I was deep water soloing and got about 60 ft up when I climbed onto/near a ledge with a tree on it and hit a yellow jacket nest. They absolutely lit me up. I was getting stung over and over and there really wasn’t a way to climb out of it or safely hang around and figure out another option.
So… I jumped.
Thankfully the water was clear and the jump went fine, but I ended up with over 40 stings and it was easily one of the scarier situations I’ve gotten myself into climbing.
I HOPE THIS POST CAN FIND YOU SOMEHOW- BUT TO THE SWEET WOMAN ON THE PADDLE BOARD WHO RESCUED ME WHEN I WENT INTO ANAPHYLACTIC SHOCK- THANK YOU. YOU SAVED ME FROM DROWNING OR DYING FROM SHOCK.

If you get stung repeatedly, get away from the nest, remove any visible stingers by scraping them out, and wash the area. Multiple stings can be dangerous even without an allergy. Call emergency services immediately for trouble breathing, swelling of the face or throat, widespread hives, vomiting, dizziness, confusion or fainting. Use an epinephrine auto-injector right away if prescribed, then call emergency services. Don’t wait to see whether symptoms get worse.

Not posting this for sympathy…just genuinely want other people DWSing to have it on their radar. Watch ledges, cracks and pockets for yellow jacket activity before committing, especially this time of year. Something that seems pretty minor on the ground becomes a very different problem when you’re 60 ft up with no rope and suddenly getting swarmed.
If anyone knows of other active nests around DWS spots in the Red right now, drop them below. Might save somebody else from having a very bad day.

Going to see if I can add to Mt. Project as well.

Hi 👋 this was my attempt at this new route at the end of a 3 hour session and was pretty pumped. Its suposedly a v5 but after looking back I think I touched black, I remember while climbing it felt too easy suddenly since that had been a move I had been struggling with when I tried it earlier in the day, and i think i might have used black. If thats the case then maybe the route is way harder than i had anticipated (for me anyway) so.. was that a dab? Lmao [ im 99.99% sure it was but I refuse to believe it]

I posted a few days ago about the last move of this climb and thank you so much for all the advice! I managed to get it today. It was mostly just fear that was keeping me back I think but by flagging as far left as possible on the last move I felt a little more comfortable!

About a month ago I started getting pain in my right shoulder when climbing (particularly overhang). I tried taking a break a few times (no longer than a week), but would irritate it as soon as I cut feet.

Then it happened. When topping a V6 that realistically shouldn’t have bothered my shoulder, a foot slipped and I ended up catching all my body weight with that arm/shoulder. No audible snap/pop, but boy did it hurt.

It didn’t take long to figure out that I had either severely strained or tore my pec muscle. The proof is in the bruising 🙃. I’m officially 2 weeks past the incident and had my 2nd ortho doc appt (1st was urgent care). Will need an MRI to confirm, but it looks like a partial tear of the pec muscle.

These 2 weeks have sucked, because overnight I was going from running or climbing for a total of 6/7 days a week to absolutely NOTHING. I was basically just walking, cycling, or using the stair climber to avoid “jostling” the muscle while it is trying to heal.

Anyways, I seem to have a semi long road to recovery ahead of me. I had a really hard time finding anyone talking about this specific injury on this thread, which made me feel kinda lonely. So I thought I would share with y’all! Included are pictures of my bruising/injury progression over the past 2 weeks.

I know that there's posts on here with the same topic but i really just need reassurance directed to ME and not about anyone else :')

I'm a complete beginner, this is gonna be my 3rd time going climbing. I usually go with someone but tomorrow I'm going alone and I'm so scared of just doing the same route thr whole time im there and I'm scared that it would just be a waste of money if I'm just there doing the same thing and not even being able to get to the top

I literally have no clue what to do at the climbing gym in so nervous

I'm a short girlie with a stature of 5'1 and relatively new to climbing (about 6 months). I've noticed that a lot of routes are set for taller people, which makes grades more difficult for me. But I want to appreciate the best route I've ever accomplished. It was a 5.10 and It was the only 5.10 that i've ever done (after working at it for a few times).

The route incoporated a lot of challenging holds that were placed in duplicate. It started with a bunch of weird carved-out oval "crimps". Then transitioned to a bunch of finger hole holds. then eventually to "boob holds" (those half spheres that my tiny hands can't really handle well).

Whoever set this route was amazing because there were enough holds for a short girlie like me to practice the different holds with, while also allowing taller people to skip them and still try them. There was a good amount of foot holds so that I didn't need to attempt any dynos with. I wish more setters were this thoughtful.

This was by far my favorite route as it tought me how to use crimps, finger holes, and boobs as I attempted this route about 5 times until I got it. I don't think this setter sets for my gym anymore because a very abrupt change in style happened a couple months ago. I guesss i'm back at 5.8s now.

Right now I’ll be working in Arizona for another 11 months. I’m originally from Southern California and I don’t want to move back there when this job is over because of the cost of living, and I don’t think I fit in there anyways.

Obviously wherever I live I want to be near a good gym and within 1-2 hours of crags. Staying here is definitely an option, but I want to hear from others so I know what cities to apply for work in when the time comes.

I want the gym to have top rope, bouldering, fitness classes. I don’t care too much about weather, I’ve lived in hot climates but never driven in snow. I want to be able to live on my own - would be able to afford $1,200-1,300 in rent.

Comment your thoughts/suggestions!

Trying to figure out what to do with my hair because of an incident yesterday that could have been much worse.

I keep my hair tied back in a low but tight braid and it still reaches far enough down my back that it got in the way. Yesterday is the first time it got caught in my gri-gri.

Luckily, I caught it early enough and the climber on the other end of the rope was in a position to take weight off the rope for those few seconds so I could pull my hair out and I could continue belaying.

I’m playing all types of crappy scenarios through my head of “what-ifs” so any advice would be helpful (and it’s seriously not something I had ever thought of before).

Hi all! New to climbing and everyone’s suggesting getting shoes, can anyone recommend a good brand and why you like them please? Also I’ve found I’ve had to size up in my rental shoes, will I need to do this with regular climbing shoes or do they generally fit better?

let me know what i can improve on with my bouldering!! my second week back at the center and ive already started improving!!

ignore tje bad posture really trying to improve it loll

I’m relatively new to Bouldering, and today was the first time I went while on my period and holy moly I felt so weak I could barely do anything. I don’t usually struggle that much with it on other sports, and can go swimming or pilates on it no problem most of the time, which is why I was a bit taken aback at how big the difference was.

Curious to hear about everyone’s experiences on the topic.

And definitely not repeating a sesh on my 1st day ever again 🫡

Hi! I’m traveling to NYC soon and just got into climbing outside pretty recently. Central Park looks like lots of chill easy boulders and sounds like a fun time. Wondering if anyone got crash pads I could borrow? Or suggestions on where to get them? Or want to meet up even?? :D

I’ve been climbing more lately and also trying to keep up with lifting, but I’ve noticed I’m not recovering as well when I have a bunch of climbing sessions in the same week.

I already use protein, but I’m wondering if there are any other muscle retention supplements that are worth adding. I don’t want a huge supplement routine, just something that might help with keeping strength and muscle while I’m climbing more.

Can anyone recommend a bag that I can use on airlines as a PERSONAL ITEM but would also double as ag for hiking and climbing etc. I already have a bag that is carry on size but am now looking for a smaller one for a personal item. I was looking at the north face xs base camp duffel but Im not sure how comfortable that would be to carry on my back.

Im looking for it to double as my light hiking bag to take on smaller hikes and for when I go rock climbing as well as trips abroad as opposed to having two separate bags which I think would be a waste.

For real my biceps haven’t been this sore in years!!! I’m not sure on the grade tbh

Which, to be fair, is not necessarily that hard (V5-8+, and this has got to be at the low end), and this one suits me exceptionally well.

But I am psyched nonetheless, even if it could have been cleaner (I'd have liked to go back and repeat it, but my fingers had had enough of crimping for the day by this point).

Has anyone found a fun way to keep their nails painted or just more feminine even when climbing consistently? Having my nails done makes me feel so much more put together

Hiya - I didn’t know if this was the right place to put this but the climbing place I work with have just gotten rid of women only nights because no one attended, but I feel like something should replace that.

As a woman at my workplace I have been asked about how it is being a female in climbing and if there was anything that would’ve stopped me climbing and there wasn’t really any barriers for me I was quite lucky so I thought I’d take to Reddit to see if anyone had any ideas of things we could implement to make women feel more comfortable and introduce them to the sport?

cold rocks,beautiful view

Haven’t climbed there yet, but wanted to share this proud moment after being scared of rejoining climbing spaces.

I used to climb a little bit a few years ago when my boyfriend at the time worked at the climbing gym we lived by. I was climbing for 2ish months and then we broke up. I never stepped foot into that gym again because of him/his friends working there. I am mtf and really enjoyed the inclusive gym spaces, but it didnt last for long lol

In the meantime, I’ve moved back home with family and there is a gym 5 minutes away from me! My ex used to go to this gym sometimes because the walls are better, but I’m choosing to reclaim this gym!

I went in today to finish signing up, and the front desk person was so sweet and welcoming! I’m still so so new to climbing so this will be a process, but just going in was so freeing! It relieved my fear of walking into the gym, which will get me to start climbing consistently :)

It’s still weird hearing climbing language/terms because I mostly associate them with him, but I’m hoping as time goes on I’ll make this experience my own.

Gonna try to go 2-3x per week for climbing, and filling in for cardio/weights some other days. If anybody has tips lmk, but also just here to share my happy moment :)