ME VS. V1 BOULDERS

To commence the start of a new, fresh, young summer, I decided to commit to a new hobby.

This end of school year vacation is vastly different from the typical 3 month hiatus I'm used to- for this break is the start of internship season. My peers and I are cracking down on the job search, hoping to earn a paycheck large enough to pay the steep NYC rent prices. Submitting myself to the adult 9-5 life has been a life long dread of mine. The corporate world has always seemed inescapable after you make the initial leap. In order to maintain a healthy work/life balance, I started to look wide and high for a new passion to spruce up my work week.

Luckily, my new hobby practically fell into my lap a mere few days after returning to New York for the summer when my roommate Kiki invited me to go climbing with her and her boyfriend. I jumped at this opportunity and have never looked back.......

I fully committed to it on the first day, splurging on a climbing membership and purchasing my own chalk bag. If you've had even one conversation with me in June, I've probably found a way to bring climbing up at least once.

Now, like any skill, learning how to boulder takes time. Despite having climbed a lot over the last few weeks, I have only been able to master a handful of V1s. They are so hardddd.

What I enjoy the most about climbing is the thought process behind each attempt. Exercising at the gym or going on a run- its mindless. You detach from your head and your body does all the work. Climbing on the other hand requires thinking. There's strategy behind it. Although I can understand why someone might prefer a form of exercise that doesn't require a moving mind, I've found that the strategy needed to climb makes time seem to pass at a rapid speed. Focusing on the wall also can be very head clearing. There really is no space to think about other things.

Also, the climbing gym is a great place to meet people. I've really enjoyed the people I've talked to at the gym thus far and look forward to getting to know them all more.

Anyways, if you're stuck deciding between pickle ball, half marathons, or climbing for your young 20s post grad hobby, this is my biased opinion about which one you should pick.