Rannveigt Aamodt tells us how she overcame her fear of falling

Rannevigt  is a well-known professional climber, a photographer and a traveller. In 2012 she had a very serious accident while climbing (here the story) and from then on, she became a symbol of mind strength and determination. She came back stronger than ever but, besides the physical injuries, she had to overcome the fear of falling again. We wanted to know more about these mentals aspects, and we contacted her.

 

 

Hi Rannveig! We are honoured to have you with us in our blog! We will make you just a question about the accient, because we want to stay focused on the "rehab": do you find that climbing on top rope requires even more attention when clipping or unclipping as compared to lead climbing? What whould you advice to people who approach to this sport and try to climb by top roping?

 

Any time we tie in to a rope and climb higher than it’s safe to jump down it requires our full attention,because the smallest mistakes can have fatal consequences. Top roping is a fairly safe sport and a good introduction to climbing and to get comfortable with moving on the wall and getting used to the heights without having to think about clipping quickdraws and taking big falls.

 

 

On your website we can read how wonderful you recovery has been. You had been to Yosemite six months after the accident, climbing a route the majority of us would be scared of for the exposition, the length and also the difficulty itself. Did you work also on the mental aspect, trying to overcome the fear of coming back to climb, or it has been a natural process?


I was terrified when I started climbing again. I was scare of falling and potentially hurting myself again. It took a lot of work to overcome the fear of taking lead falls. I had to accept that I was afraid and identify what I was afraid of to be able to overcome it. By analyzing my fears I could break it down into smaller tasks and work on it like any other skill I wanted to improve. I had to be patient, persistent and painfully honest with myself. My goal was not to get over all my fears, the fair is there to help me stay alive. My goal was to be able to control my reaction to my fears, and to be able to decide how to respond to it. That way I can use my fears to my advantage and not get paralyzed by them.I made it a goal to do fall training every climbing session. I would set small goals and slowly push myself.

 

 

How did you react to your first lead fall after the accident? What would you advice to people who are blocked by this kind of fear?


For the first months I was screaming like I was about to die every time I took a lead fall. It was ingrained in my muscle memory that falling meant hitting the ground. Even after hours of fall training in every climbing session and I felt comfortable again,certain things like wind, could trigger a paralyzing fear.


Fear of falling can be a little delicate to work on because one bad fall can set you back a long ways. It requires a good belayer, patience and lots and lots of repetition. How to approach it is dependent on what you’re scared of and what works for you. The trick is to go slow, make small goals and not trigger overwhelming fear. 


The key is to be patient and loving toward yourself and accept that it takes time. But to overcome it, you’ll have to work on it, if not you’ll most likely just paint over it with excuses and it will limit your progression.

 


And what would you say to people who are forced to stop climbing for a period for aaaany reason (job, family, injuries) and doubt about coming back to their maximum level?


If you want it enough and put the work in that it requires, you can do it. Nothing comes by itself. And there is nothing more limiting than excuses. First step is to accept where you’re at, be honest and take one step at a time. It doesn’t always take you where you wanted but sometimes it takes you way further than you could dream of!



Thnaks Rannveig! You can see all about her travels and climbing life on her website and her Instagram page



Rannevig Aamodt