I. Thou shalt never use thy knees to top out.

IIa. Thou shalt wait at least 7 minutes between attempts.

IIb. Thou shalt also brush each hold thoroughly before each attempt.

III. Thou shalt do anything and everything to climb during perfect temps, including hiking through snowdrifts and climbing by headlamp.

IV. Thou shalt not consider anything below 21.357 feet a true “highball.”

V. Thou shalt locate and assess the downclimb BEFORE topping out.

VI. Thou shalt move pads and spot thy partner(s) in the same way that thou would like to be spotted.

VII. Thou shalt consider the condition of thy skin after each burn and generously apply hand salve after each session.

VIII. Thou shalt either stuff thy backpack into thy crash pad or wear it in front snuggly-style. Thou shalt never wear thy backpack under thy crash pad.

IX. Thou shalt scoff at all drop-offs (but proceed to climb them anyway).

X. Thou shalt spend thy rest days sanding thy calluses, searching for new problems, scrubbing soon-to-be projects, and/or shoveling off snowy topouts.

RELATED: The Ten Commandments of Sport Climbing