RRC Archives

Implicit in a lot of this is the idea that if someone actually has fun pushing themselves hard, then that's just not 'cool.' For me climbing is a mix of 'just getting outside and hanging with friends' along with pushing myself and 'making progress'. Yeah, I use numbers to measure that progress. Hell, I even use 8a.nu to track what I've been doing over the last year and make sure I'm not slacking off.

If the 'me' who started climbing 10 years ago could see the 'me' of today climbing, he'd be really psyched. I can do stuff today that I thought was nearly impossible when I started. Redpointing 'To Defy' was a really big thing for me, but today it's a warmup. And the 'me' of today wants to do 'impossible' stuff in the future. That basically means that while I'm working to redpoint 11b's and c's now, I want to redpoint 12s in the future. 'Too Many Puppies' seems semi-imposible to me today, but I enjoy pushing myself so that I'll be able to send routes like that. Is that 'number chasing'? Sure. Am I having fun? Hell yes!

If your idea of fun is getting lost on the approach and basically just hanging out with friends outdoors with 'climbing some rocks' as an excuse to do that, then great! But don't try to claim that someone else's fun is invalid.

I'm in Tom's camp on this, well put.

isn't what tom said what i said earlier? am i so long winded that nobody bothers to read my posts? or can i not write coherently? isn't it all about me anyway? oh crap, am i typing? why does my shoulder hurt so bad? how am i supposed to have fun climbing hard with a hurt shoulder? again, oh crap.

you just care too much JB... nice jabs...

that's the thing andy... i'm not jabbing anybody... i'd like to see the jabbing end.

no, you are jabbing JB, and it hurts..
it hurts man.....

JB - if you are worried that your posts are more long winded and less coherent than mine, then you are in deep, deep trouble and need professional help immediately!

I think that we are pretty much agreeing, but focusing on different aspects of this whole, fairly meaningless mess.

Nice work on Dracula JB. Those bottom moves are tough.

It's not about chasing numbers. It's about always improving and getting stronger. I frequently sing the Rocky theme song in my head. Getting stronger. Getting Stronger!

but that's the thing SCIN..why do I have to improve? why do I have to get better? why can't I remain a 5.9 chuffer my entire life, and still call myself a climber? all you "always improving" gurus need to relax a bit..it's a hobby afterall..no wait, it's a lifestyle..no wait, it's a diversion...no wait, it's about the frinedships, not the climbing...no wait, it's about the vibes..no wait, it's about the.....kill me now.

I love to climb big rocks.