6. Crag Etiquette

Go With the Flow and Keep Climbing 1. The universe? It’s dialed. It moves smoothly, like a perfect lead climb, and the force guiding it never creates bad conditions —no wasted moves, no pointless falls. Everything happens on its route. So why should you care whether you're climbing in the cold or in the heat, whether you're feeling pumped or rested, whether the crowd is cheering you on or talking trash, whether you're crushing or about to take a fall? Every move is just part of the send —and falling is just as much a part of the climb as topping out. So, focus on moving well, no matter what.

Look Deeper, See the Rock for What It Is 2. Pay attention—don’t just skim the surface of things . Whether it’s a cruxy move or a tough life choice, take the time to see it for what it really is . Every hold, every situation, has its own texture and purpose.

Everything is in Motion—Ride the Change 3. Everything changes—fast. What’s solid today erodes tomorrow . That perfect granite face? Wind and water will wear it down eventually. The body you’re climbing with? It’s shifting every second.But the force that moves it all? It knows what it’s doing. It’s been building routes longer than you’ve been alive. Trust it.

The Best Defense? Don’t Let it Stick 4. The best way to handle bad vibes? Don’t let them latch on. You don’t have to match someone’s negativity, just like you don’t have to waste energy gripping a useless hold. Keep moving, stay fluid.

Climb, Rest, Climb Again—with Purpose 5. Take joy in moving from one solid effort to another —from one climb to the next, from one challenge to the next. And do it all with awareness of something bigger than yourself. That’s the kind of rhythm that makes a climber—and a person—strong.

You Control the Mindset, Not the Terrain 6. Your head game is everything. It can choose to frame any situation however it wants. A runout climb? A chance to focus. A long day? A gift of time. A tough route? The perfect challenge. The universe isn’t random—it follows a natural rhythm. You can fight it and exhaust yourself, or you can learn to move with it.

Is It Chaos, or a Perfect System? 7. Either life is just random noise—a messy pile of broken holds and shattered routes —or it’s a system, a structured climb set by something greater than you.If it’s just chaos, then why even stress? If it’s a well-built route , then trust the setter. Either way, there’s no point in fighting what is.

When You Get Shaken, Re-center Quickly 8. When things knock you off balance —whether it’s a nasty fall or a bad day—get back to your mental base camp fast. Don’t let yourself drift too far from your climbing rhythm, your flow .The more you practice regaining control, the harder it is for anything to truly shake you.

Return to Your True Self, Again and Again 9. If you had a bad climbing mentor and a good one , you’d take lessons from both—but you’d always come back to the wise one for real guidance. That’s what philosophy is for your mind. Climbing—or life—might get messy, but if you keep coming back to your core mindset , nothing will shake you for long.

See Through the Illusion 10. That expensive climbing gear? Just fabric and metal. That high-end wine? Grapes in a fancy bottle. The food you crave? Dead plants, dead animals. That "intense" moment? Just another human emotion passing through. Strip things down to what they really are, and you won’t be tricked into overvaluing them. Most of what people chase? It’s just hype.

What Really Matters? 11. Most people value the wrong things —money, status, material junk. They get obsessed with stuff that doesn’t last. The real climbers—the real thinkers—value what actually lasts : self-control, wisdom, kindness, strength of character. If you focus on preserving what makes you human , you’ll never feel like you’re missing out.

Everything is Temporary—Even You 12. Everything is shifting. You, me, the mountains themselves—always changing. Life is just a river of moments , constantly moving, never stopping. So why get too attached? Why waste time stressing about things that will disappear just like every other moment before them? Stay present, climb the now.

Keep Your Movement Clean 13. Trees grow, birds fly, the wind blows. A climber climbs . That’s it. Do your part in the system, no more, no less. What’s in your control? Moving well, making solid decisions, being the kind of person you’d trust on a rope. Everything else? Let it go.

Death is Just Another Transition 14. People freak out about death, but it’s really just the end of a long climb. You rest, you let go, you become part of the system again. Nothing terrifying about that—it’s just another move in the great sequence.

Stay True—Don’t Get Corrupted 15. Be careful—just like some climbers lose themselves in ego and competition , you can lose yourself in status and power. Stay simple. Stay good. Stay true to what you know is right. Respect the rock, respect the climb, respect life. Because in the end, it’s short. And the only thing that really matters is how well you moved through it.