RRC Archives

Brilliant !!! I've found motivation anew that was only shimmering in the distance losing its' luster...... but alas a new beacon is ablaze on the horizon. Bring me home.

He /she is climbing for christ, fer christ sakes.
"Baby Jesus made me do it."

Man I really hate those posters. I was dragged through some shop in a mall that only sells those kinds of things, and the shop and the people in it creeped me out. I think it was Christmas and I kept thinking they're starting to make the lump of coal sound pretty sweet.

electricdesciple.... that will go down as the strangest,most pathetic post I've ever read here. you're not joking are you?

wes you forgot one of my favorites (probably because it has nothing to do with the general theme):

amen charlie and gulliver

I climb for the Prince......of DARKNESS!

ElectricDisciple wrote:I climb only in the Gym because i'm not stupid enough to try sending 11s and 12s out on the rock the first time I go out. I believe that the real climbers are people who use their heads, train for a time to prepare, and THEN go climb the 11s and 12s and spray all the live long day to others.

Why do I climb? Because unlike any other sport I've tried Climbing takes guts, skill, and BRAINS to climb. There's more activity physically than football, or any other sport. And my placement or choosing of pro on a route determines my life being lived until a ripe old age, or decked and DOA.

go read the bible (again) and then come back and tell us all why this post is both stupid and wrong. [/the meanest thing i've said in a while.. it's really not intended to be all that mean.. but i guess it is]

ED, i'm sure you're a nice, well intentioned guy and all but look: climbing is climbing. it's not any better than other sports. hell, it might not even be a sport. who cares? other "sports" require the same or comparable skills as climbing and saying that they require less is just a way to make yourself feel better than the people who do the other things. get over it. don't glorify climbing (not directed specifically at you ED) or aspects about it as if it's perfect or even better than anything else. we all need some humility about it. if you're really climbing for yourself, stop trying to justify it to other people.

No mention of cool routes,great exposure,good rock,or just being out in the forest or sitting on a ledge taking in rope and chillin. Those would be my favorites.

paul, is piggie rubbing off on you? you sure are getting cynical and angry in your old age

lol...cut the guy some slack..and let piggie do the d**k work...

ED, you arrogant piece of climbing crap.....what makes you think you have any right to climb on the real rocks of real climbers??? at least you are bright enough to understand that REAL climbers use their head, and would not dare go to the crags before their ability dictates...
(NOTE: just playing ED.....practicing up for the day when we hate each other. until then, enjoy every experience you have climbing, indoors and out.)

This is in response to both this poll, and the noobie bashing "jenibbler" thread.

maybe I climb because of adventure.

that sounds so stupid, so let me clarify.

in my classes, i teach that adventure is defined as an acitivity or set of activities where the outcome involves some risk if loss and the outcome is uncertain. This is pretty loose, and can be ascribed to a great many pursuits... sex comes to mind as an adventure based on my definition (just to go further with meadows little aside).

I think I have outdoor ADD. I need more than just a hike in the woods or a walk to the summit. I need something that focuses me and makes me work a bit harder. It is a selfish pursuit, climbing, but also has a sense of relationship building through the interaction with a partner or partners.

Think of the first outdoor climbing trip you went on... were you proud of what you did? Were you discouraged? Were you hooked even before you knew that 5.9 was considered "easy"? Back before you knew "climbing", which is intrinsically good, is in part cheapened by labels, numbers, bbs assholes, guidebooks, sticky rubber shoes, chalk, and just our general tendancy to make things into a hierarchy of who is valued and who is not. Did you enjoy it for the thrill, the overcoming of fear. Did you freak out the first time you fell? Did you freak out the first time you had to hang on a top-rope? Were you a nervous wreck trying the hard move on a given climb (who cares about the number at that point), knowing you might not pull it? Did you leave that day tired, but with a sense of self-satisfaction? This is where your "climbing personality" formed.

I have coached countless new climbers. I see some love it for the sense of competition and being able to climb better than the next person. I see some do it because they want to experience stress relief and what Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls "flow", where you are neither bored nor frustrated, but doing something just within your ability level. I have seen others do it for social scene, back slapping, team comraderie and to feel valued. I have seen others do it as a means toward spiritual awakening or communion with nature. I have never once considered telling them they were wrong for their reasons.

So, why do I climb? Hell, I don't know. I just can't help it. It feels like my life.
And really, if i knew for sure, how would that change either me or you?