Green Climbing

[pigsteak]

if I said that the ego is the primary drive ALL of the time, then I mispoke. of course other parts of our identity shine thru..perhaps I am just too neanderthal to see the higher calling.

I would 100% agree that my personal ego is something I fight daily. I am OK with that push/pull dichotomy.

Take today for an example. I have the day off work, and inches of snow are being dumped all around..If I were a selfless person, I should be spending the entire day shovelling the driveways around my neighborhood until my back is tired. Not just the driveways of the elderly mind you, but even of those who had to go to work today. There would be no thank yous, since they wouldn't know who did it, but my inner sunshine would be big. So what do I do to ease that ego? I shovel mine and one neighbor, just enough to feel like I made a difference. I am honest enough with myself to know that I preferred the comfort of sitting warm and toasty inside over 8-10 hours shovelling snow. of course. that is the ego driving decisions. a selfless person would end up in the emergency room with a hernia from shovelling, but not me.

personally, I think that everyone is using the words ego and selfish in a deragatory manner, and not giving it a fair shake. Doing the small things at the crag (picking up litter, trail days, etc) are a person's way of satisfying the ego. that is not a bad thing.

being a selfless martyr is only honorable when no one knows. we all have a glimpse of that capacity within us, but it is fleeting.

btw, there are tons of examples of mega rich people doing good with their wealth, so "serving people" can take on many forms....working for shit pay is not the only avenue ya know. Bill Gates has done more than any other individual for world hunger and AIDS research.

and you know if you also fell off a route I'd help ya in a second, even if I hate your guts. but you'd get a bill in the mail later.

[anticlmber]

being selfless doesn't mean being taken advantage of piggers, to compare to your driveway shoveling example.

[pigsteak]

Bright side, I am no longer confused as to why Piggie bolts all those routes. By his own admission it has nothing to do with my life, it's all about the glory of having his name in the book and all the thanks/compliments he gets from people in the Gorge.

I'm just thankful there are others out there that couldn't care less about the glory, and do it more to raise the average goodness in the world. Dr. Bob for example.

Charlie, I 100% agree with this all. There is satisfaction with developing a route that makes me feel good. I give back in the best way I know how...sorry if that offends you. I don't deny that nor feel the need to play like it is all community service.

[the lurkist]

Sonnie Trotter's piece had it right on. He was talking about cliffs bolted that suffer a spiral of degradation. He was referring to any number of cliffs in the Red.
Bolt them and they will come. I/we have facilitated the increased use of the area and the impact at the cliffs.
If you are concerned about the impact then get rid of the people. Short of that manage the impacts. To this end I think the Red has, ironically, done this very well by dispersing the people. I say ironic b/c this was done by the very act of developing cliff. Folks have developed many disparate cliffs. This wasn't by any design or volitional action by developers, but was dictated by the topography of the cliffs. There is a shit ton of scattered cliff and folks have started bolting a lot of it.

For me, weighing the pros and cons of climbing in terms of bad for earth vs good for earth, overwhelmingly I say good. Why? B/c the more people who climb and come to places like the Red to have a personal relationship with the outdoors, appreciate it for any number of reasons- a perfect natural gym to its aesthetic beauty to its peaceful qualities to shooting your niner at old oil wells... (er, did I say that?)
whatever. I think climbing helps improve the overall environmental ethos of the greater society.

[anticlmber]

im 100% with you lurk.

everyone should be outside, some just need a class or two before heading out.


by the way, how did headstone surfer get its name again?? trad climbing has no impact, right.

[heidiramma]

Green climbing? as in not showering to conserve water, or minimal clothing in order to avoid supporting sweat shops

[toad857]

just came across this job announcement. guess we will get to the bottom of this one:

...Field research assistant in clifflline ecology:

...Beginning June 1st, 2010 for an individual interested in the cliff ecology of the New River Gorge National River, WV. Field-based research funded by the National Park Service will evaluate the impact of rock climbing on woody, herbaceous and non-flowering plants (lichens, bryophytes) of cliff and cliff-side communities. Applicants should: 1) have or be in pursuit of an undergraduate degree in geography, ecology, biology or related field, 2) demonstrated abilities in climbing, caving, or rappelling and 3) demonstrated interest in plant systematics, vegetation ecology, and/or tree ring research. Preference will be given to those with prior field experience and those comfortable working in cliff environments. Compensation includes: $3,500.00 from approximately June 1st through mid August (40 hrs/wk for ~9 weeks). Applicants should send a cover letter, resume, GPA, and the contact information of two references...

[One-Fall]

This guy is one of the intellectuals of our sport.

His comments on The Green Issue of Climbing

http://www.mountainsandwater.com/

[Jeff]

Nice find.