RRC Archives

Toy wrote: Is Shaq unproficient because he can't shoot free throws?

Yes. He even admits it in every interview he gives. Bad example.

512OW wrote:You should probably stay in the gym where you can make routes fit your strengths. Good luck with it.

you should stay at the shitpile trad crags in the middle of nowhere bragging to girls 10 years your younger about how back in the day you could climb a 5.12- offwidth, and where you don't have to get on routes that require a different technique than chimneying or offwidthing.

c'mon Haas. The example is fine. Shaq does admit he is bad at free throws, but he also is quick to point out that that doesn't keep him from being the best center ever. This is exactly my point. A lack of OW skill only doesn't make you a bad climber. It just makes you bad at OW. By that logic, my general practicioner would be a bad doctor because he can't dissect a bowel.

Keep trying Toy. Let me try some "toylogic".
Tiger Woods would be a bad golfer if he couldn't throw a 90 MPH fastball! Boo-yah take that.

Toy wrote:A lack of OW skill only doesn't make you a bad climber.

No it doesn't. But you can't be a proficient, all around climber without knowing how to climb OW.

ding dind ding! I knew someone would get it right!

As a chain is only as strong as it's weakest link, or a convoy is only as fast as it's slowest ship, a trad climber is only as "good" as his or her's weakest skill, as that sets the limit on how hard they can climb. It does no good that you can climb 5.10 hands if you are stopped by a 5.4 chimney, and yes I've seen it happen. Boy were those "5.10" climbers pissed off and humiliated.

It all comes down to what you want to achieve with your climbing goals.

Yea, if someone wants to just climb some types of routes that seems perfectly great to me. I don't think anyone should feel that they need to climb offwidth if they don't like it. One reason I like OW is because there isn't so much a single point of failure and you can use all different parts of you body and get really exhausted. I like the spent feeling after doing an offwidth -- makes me feel like I've really worked hard at something.

I fell in love with offwidth because of the unique movements you run into when climbing it. Lots of pressing and opposition just seems really cool to me. Plus it keeps your core piss strong if you do it a lot.