Steve House on "Failing Well"
Alpinist Steve House has a terrific video on “Failing Well”, part of his concise video series called “Alpine Principles”.
It’s a six minute YouTube video, highly recommended. Takeaways:
Bailing is an inherent part of alpine climbing. It’s a skill that improves with practice.
Making a smart choice and turning around is not shameful, but something to be respected.
Having solid bail technique can give you the confidence to try harder routes, knowing that you can retreat from just about anywhere.
Maintain awareness when ascending. The way up might also be the (unplanned) way down. Remember potential anchor points, problem areas and the correct way to go, especially if the route traverses.
Bailing is often done under stress, tiredness, darkness, bad weather, etc. All the more reason to turn up your focus to counter these compounding factors, and to practice in fair weather without these distractions.