I first read “9 out of 10” in 2013 when I’d only been climbing a couple years. In 2013, the book seemed verbose and not too helpful. It just didn’t click then.
I just read it again after 5 more years of climbing. In those 5 years, my improvements from “just climbing” plateaued. I’d flirted half-heartedly with the various training programs. In the last year I seriously began to ponder what I wanted my climbing to be, and how I wanted to organize my life for the long run to best incorporate climbing at a high level.
On this second reading, nearly every paragraph resonated. The old sleep inducing tome had transformed into a page turner. The insights stuck because, unlike in 2013, I’d now survived some of the battles Dave writes about. More important than just stating training tips, Dave lays out the approaches to a climbing life. And while I’d already pondered many aspects of this life, due to uncertainly and lack of direction, I previously had been afraid to fully embrace the patient, structured life and training philosophy Dave articulates.
As for the reviews which complain this book doesn't teach technique like body position, etc., no...this isn't that kind of book. If you have climbed only a year or so, this book might not click for you either. Not yet.
Thank you Dave for the great book and, more recently, the great YouTube videos. While I feel like I’d been slowly stumbling vaguely in the right direction, you handed me the detailed map I didn’t fully realize, until now, I needed.
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