What is good climbing technique?

Difference of opinion

What makes for good climbing technique varies from location to location, from culture to culture and from person to person. Yet there is some common ground... I think that, in general, the integrity of climbers is very good and few will tick a problem if they dabbed, nor a route if they loaded a quickdraw on their way up.

Equal ethics exist for climbing technique. Whaling your way up a sloped top out like a walrus or crawling on your knees may earn you that tick, but it makes very few climbers proud. Climbing in a way that you feel can't be significantly improved gives a much better feeling and climbing at our peak level this way gives tremendous satisfaction.

What will do?

Some feels that "up is up" and it really does not matter how you got there. Some may even ask why you didn't go up the backside, it would have been so much easier. Most of us though, feel there is more to it.

If your only goal is to tick something off your list, or onto it, you may find yourself lowering your standards and not really caring how it happened. In the long run though, this is not very rewarding. Throwing yourself at a problem until it randomly sticks is not really an achievement, it is more or less luck. Like winning the lottery, it can make you happy for a while, but is it really a testimony of your achievements?

Make it smooth, make it good!

I would suggest to climb in a way that feels good and that reflects how the sensation of climbing is at its most satisfying. Make it flow, achieve happiness rather than bragging rights. Posting a video of a perfectly flowing climb below your limit will not reflect badly on your skills.

Projecting vs style

I would also suggest to be relaxed about your climbing grades, at least in periods. You can progress just by increased climbing volume at lower grades, focusing on enjoyment and tuning your style and technique. Actually... just climbing and not getting injured is a pretty good recipe for progress.

Conclusion

I guess this post didn't offer much in terms of conclusions or strong opinions. I feel the climbing community encourages a high level of integrity and continues to raise the bar in all aspects. I would suggest that it is still up to you. Climbing is very much about competing against yourself and it is only fair that in this context you should have a say in what the rules are. It is like doing push-ups, you may have started with your knees in the ground, but at some point you raised the bar.

Do you feel that good climbing technique has fixed boundaries and should not be an individual consideration?

May The Normal Force Be With You!