RRC Archives

Semantics matter!

I agree. There is a time and a place where the way words are used is critical.

In this example, I don't get all worked up over someone calling themself a rock climber if they've never been outside. For me, I'm going to expend what little brain power I have left on things I believe matter. This certainly isn't one of them. If someone calls what they do rock climbing when they are going to the gym, I'm not going to waste my time or energy trying to argue the point.

Shoot! I've just about reached my daily allotment of brain usage and I di

Each is unique but similarities exist in all of them.

If I were to say, "I was on this route..."
- A boulderer couldn't understand the factors of being on a route
- A rock climber may ask if it was trad, sport, type of rock, etc.
- A mountaineer may ask what the terrain was like
- A gym climber may ask what the holds were like

That's my view of it all, anyway...

...and a French teenager would laugh so hard wine would come out of his nose ("route" is slang for penis, like "root").

so after my first time outside, i'd have to say that exclusively gym climbers are NOT on real rocks.....my knees say it all!!!!!



climbing outside kicks so much ass!!! *muir valley!*

Hell yeah girl! You did awesome! Be proud of those scars! They tell the stories of many fun adventures! 8)

muir valley is the same as gym climbing....

especially after people tick the holds.

marathonmedic wrote:especially after people tick the holds.

Yeah, I sure like it when I find snakes, moss, lichen, loose holds, sharp edges, lack of chalk marks, etc. in the gym. Oh, and the weather in the gym really sucks too!

More from "American Rock" by Don Mellor:

"Surely the indoor wall has a huge impact. Now climbers in every major city and at most colleges can learn the essentials of safe climbing and at the same time become incredibly strong. When they try climbing on real rock for the first time, their footwork might be sloppy, but their grip strength allows them to do moves that generations of earlier climbers viewed as impossible. Still, indoor climbing isn't rock climbing. It trains and entertains, and many climbers will be perfectly happy pushing their limits on plastic. Most, however, will venture out -- or at least dream of venturing out -- into a world with a deep history and dynamic culture. Their initial visits to real rock will be eye-opening. This is good. After all, keeping eyes open wide to the big world of rock climbing is what this book is about: knowing the rock and the people, the values and the controversies, the essence of the sport that unites diverse personalities into a single rich culture of climbers."

haas wrote:have you seen that new magazine called Urban Climber? It's geared totally towards the gym rat with tons of artitcles about how to pull down hard on plastic

Its not that new man. And is there such a thing as a climber who doesnt climb outside by choice? Seems like kids just get good before they get a chance to be outside, and theres nothing wrong with that. Ecxept maybe for a little player hating from "real rock climbers"