When my husband and I quit our jobs and started our own rock climbing-related business, we lost our health insurance and couldn’t afford it through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchange. We also didn’t qualify for catastrophic insurance – as he has asthma and I have had cancer (as well as a long list of other health ailments that insurance companies don’t like). So, we faced a choice – follow our dream or have health insurance. We decided to chase the dream and went without insurance for several years.
Of course, when climbing is your passion, we didn’t stop climbing, we just changed how we approached it to mitigate the risk. Below is a list of the things we did (in addition to the safety basics we’ve always done like tying knots at the end of our rope and double checking set-ups). Yes, we've gotten teased by fellow climbers for some of these tactics (haha!) but oh well...
Having no health insurance definitely impacted our behavior. It most certainly “stalled” our progression in climbing. Both of us feel a pang of disappointment that we aren’t climbing “harder.” But, the most important thing is we did still climb – a lot – and, to our financial and bodily relief, we did it completely injury free. An unexpected side-benefit is now we don't get (as) embarrassed by our lack of "purity" when climbing.
Of course, when climbing is your passion, we didn’t stop climbing, we just changed how we approached it to mitigate the risk. Below is a list of the things we did (in addition to the safety basics we’ve always done like tying knots at the end of our rope and double checking set-ups). Yes, we've gotten teased by fellow climbers for some of these tactics (haha!) but oh well...
- The stick clip – I’ve owned a stick clip since my early days of climbing. Having spent a significant time at Smith Rock, OR, where first bolts are notoriously high and the starts can be the most difficult part of the climb, stick clips are a necessity. But we expanded the use of our stick clip – not only for first bolts, but even going as far as latching the clip to our harness (it’s collapsible) to clip bolts higher up on the climb. For example, if a climb was poorly bolted to protect for decking on ledges, stick-clip-it. Or, if we weren’t sure about the grade or the grade was harder than our normal on-sight level, stick-clip-it. Basically this turned the climb into a top-rope.
- Panic draws - We have not one but two panic draws (these are long, stiff draws with draws that latch open that can help you clip bolts that would normally be out of reach). One panic draw is about a foot long the other is a whopping 20 inches (which is pretty funny to see hanging off the harness). Panic draws are perfect to have on hand when not carrying the ultimate panic draw - the stick clip (see #1 above). With the stick clip you have to clip into your PAS (Personal Anchor System) at each bolt in order to clip the next bolt (since you need both hands to work the device). With the panic draws you can do the climb without stopping, but extend your reach if you are in a really comfy position to clip.
- We stuck with onsights – Climbing harder increases the risk of injury both from pulling something, but also from falling. Of course, you don’t get stronger when everything you climb is an onsight, and that was a major compromise we knowingly made when we changed our climbing approach.
- We sewed it up – We love trad climbing and happen to have a large rack – which we ended up using to its full extent. When doing a trad climb we decided to place more gear, as opposed to less. We also always carried our Omega Pacific Link cams (aka our “oh shit” cams) on sport climbs, in case there was a long distance between bolts and we could supplement the protection.
- We stayed off shit rock - We used to be a lot more risky-adventure-climbers – moss and loose rock were all part of the adventure. But without insurance, the risk far outweighed the benefit and we toned it down.
- We stayed on the more “documented” and “frequented” climbs – This allowed us to get an idea of what we were in for on a climb. We could read the beta in the guidebook or on Mountain Project and plan or avoid, accordingly. Frequented climbs also helped ensure that the climb was probably clean (see item 4 above).
Having no health insurance definitely impacted our behavior. It most certainly “stalled” our progression in climbing. Both of us feel a pang of disappointment that we aren’t climbing “harder.” But, the most important thing is we did still climb – a lot – and, to our financial and bodily relief, we did it completely injury free. An unexpected side-benefit is now we don't get (as) embarrassed by our lack of "purity" when climbing.