V10+ Level LOLs: 35 Rock Climbing Memes for Van-Dwellers at the Crux of Cracking Up

Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor

Jul 14, 2023 3:00 PM EDT

Everyone remembers their first time walking into a climbing gym. It was probably a birthday party or perhaps you got dragged in by a climber friend who insisted you try, but your initial thoughts were quite simple. It smelled like chalky sweat, everyone was spindly (but still somehow absolutely ripped) and you wondered why everyone was wearing a beanie despite the weather. There was probably a mysterious van parked outside that one of the route setters lived in.

After the first time you topped out on a route, the on the easiest, juggiest slab you could find, you felt the euphoria of physical puzzle solving and you never looked back. Within a month, you were living off of Cliff bars, you baby powdered your stinky feet, and you picked up yoga. The other rock climbers at the gym might even induct you into the hall of beanies by taking you out on your first outdoor excursion. Just be careful, because before you know it, you'll be breaking your rental lease to live in Yosemite Valley and climb El Capitan, living off of canned beans, fresh air, and the need to defy gravity.