Every season we have to decide which challenges we want to take on—what projects we want to put our time and energy into. Life is too short to work projects that don’t excite you. We work them long enough that it’s like going steady, so make sure you really do like the route.

Getting on different routes and experimenting and playing around on them until you find “The One” you want to commit to for the next several weeks or months is the process I call project shopping. It’s a lot like going on a bunch of first dates. The entire point is to see if you would want to hang out again. Did you like it? Was it fun? Will it keep you interested?

In selecting your goal or challenge for the year, you will want to choose a project that is challenging (that will push your limit) but isn’t so difficult that it breaks you (either physically or mentally).  Some of the most rewarding projects I have done have taken me 2-4 months to send, often over a couple of seasons.

In some cases, it is natural to choose your next project based on the grade. Maybe you really want to climb a particular letter grade, maybe it’s a letter grade harder than what you’ve already sent. But remember that Difficulty is Subjective. So until you try the route, you won’t know if it will fit your strengths and style.

Some other reasons that I choose the projects that I do:

No one else gets on it

Our little wall gets crowded during the peak season. All the gumbies and bros come out in full force and take over the wall.  So sometimes it’s a good strategy to pick a project that no one else will be on, or one that I can access from multiple starting points.

It is always dry

We live in Washington, so we get rained out. I like having a project that stays dry, always.

Solar Cycle

I take note of when the sun is on my potential project. Does it get morning or afternoon sun? Does that solar cycle work for my schedule? Am I working the project in the summer or winter?  I keep in mind what my body and fingers need. Sometimes I need 55 degrees and crisp conditions to stick moves, and sometimes I need it to be 65 so I don’t squeeze all the blood out of my fingers and freeze when I’m crimping the shit out of the holds.

As you select your goals for the year, be sure to spend time getting on new routes and working out new moves. Project shopping and seeking new challenges are the essence of the Art of Dogging.