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→ The Future Of Climbing∞

Posted November 4, 2014 at 9:11 am · Comments { 2 } ·

Climbing Business Journal reports from a recent meeting of “an informal group of leaders in the climbing industry” where issues like routesetter safety and poor behavior at outdoor crags were discussed.  This part in particular caught my eye:

Travis Herbert, Education Director from The Access Fund suggested that industry groups “need to make it cool to be stewards” of the outdoors. He also suggested that the social norms need to change so that it “doesn’t count” if you sent a v15 but trashed the crag in the process.
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The climbing media, particularly groups that put out popular climbing videos, and the elite athletes that are featured in them, can play an important role in making ethical outdoor behavior fun, approachable and normal.
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I think this idea that what is portrayed in climbing media/videos can really have an impact on access issues is an important point, one that is driven home by the Access Fund’s “Commit to the Pact” video which was just recently launched.

The video features a long list of well-known climbers encouraging us all to commit to being responsible in the outdoors which is something I 100% agree with.
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 What I also think is equally as important is that these same climbers demonstrate through their actions, whether those actions are filmed for a climbing video, posted on Instagram or done the old-fashioned way with no electronic record of any kind1, that these values are important to them in practice as well.  Like it or not, when regular climbers see high profile professional climbers engaging in poor behavior like climbing on private property, making too much noise, hiking off established trails or using and not cleaning off excessive tick marks just to name a few, this creates an implicit reaction in many of us that this behavior is ok for us to do as well.

As far as it pertains to this site, I have always tried to my best to avoid promoting bad behavior, but I’m sure I have not been perfect on this by any stretch.  If you see something posted on this site that you feel violates the spirit of the Access Fund’s pact do let me know and I will be happy to take a look.

  1.  Nobody does that anymore though, right? ↩
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→ The Answer Is Yes∞

Posted October 16, 2014 at 8:38 pm · Comments { 63 } ·

Question posed to Climbing.com’s “Answer Man”:

Clipping your toenails in the middle of the gym is totally disgusting—am I right?

Answer from me:  of course you are right.  The fact that this is even a question does not speak well for the way some people comport themselves at the climbing gym.
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And speaking of the way people comport themselves at the gym, what is going on with all the people at the gym and their bare feet?  Maybe I’m out of touch with what’s cool because the gym I grew up in had a policy against people walking around in bare feet, but here in Boulder there is literally no safe place in the gym from people walking around without footwear.
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 Whether it’s in between climbs, in the weight room or, yes, in the bathroom, you’re bound to see someone with no shoes on.  In the rope climbing areas I’d estimate that over 75% of the people not climbing are hanging out with no shoes on.

I asked about this situation on Twitter some months back and the majority of respondents disagreed with my get off my lawn mentality, but I stand by it:  get off my lawn put some damn shoes on!

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→ Angela Eiter Climbs Her First 5.14d∞

Posted October 15, 2014 at 8:08 am · Comments { 4 } ·

The Year of the Female Climber™ continues, this time with Austria’s Angela Eiter doing her first 5.14d at Nassereith, Austria:

Just a few days ago we mentioned Eiter’s first ascent of Hercules 8c+ at the crag Götterwandl close to Nassereith, and at the same crag the 28-year-old has now sent Hades, her first 9a. This single pitch was freed in 2008 by german powerhouse Andreas Bindhammer; 40 intense moves which Eiter tried for the first time last spring and which she successfully linked last Monday. “In that moment I was completely overwhelmed” recounts Eiter “I mastered my most difficult project so far. My shouts of joy must have been heard for miles!”

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→ More Olympic Push∞

Posted September 25, 2014 at 8:19 am · Comments { 10 } ·

The push for climbing to be an Olympic sport continues:

“I’m open to anything because I love our sport,” Dornberger said. “I love tradition, but it’s vital that we become an Olympic sport.
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If we have to be dragged into the 21st century to do that, I’m ok with that.”

Oh wait, this is actually an article about the sport activity of bowling, although the arguments about how Bowling needs to evolve to appeal to the Olympics are not that different from the types of arguments that are made about climbing:  move away from the core principles of the sport in an effort to appeal to the masses.

What is missing from this and most other articles like it though is why exactly sports are so concerned with joining the Olympic circus in the first place?

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→ “I kind of know how to climb”∞

Posted September 24, 2014 at 9:35 am · Comments { 7 } ·

Adam Ondra, in an interview with Evening Sends:

For me, however, it takes less time to adapt [to bouldering] because I have climbed many kilometers of rock in my life—on all kinds rock and different angles. I don’t want to boast, but I think I kind of know how to climb.
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Anywhere, anything.

Understatement of the year?  Good interview.

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→ Hey, What’s That Thing On Your Back?∞

Posted September 24, 2014 at 8:59 am · Comments { 1 } ·

Well-timed post over on The Stone Mind about the inevitable questions we get any time we go bouldering around normal people:

I’ve bouldered for 20 years now and have been asked this question hundreds of times, so I probably shouldn’t be surprised when yet another stranger stops to gape at my admittedly Spongebob-like form… but I am. Every time I try to answer, I feel myself getting frustrated.
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Invariably, the curious person’s face grows more, not less, confused as I offer my explanation 

This is a common occurrence for me as well since I’ve been spending the majority of my outdoor climbing time in Rocky Mountain National Park these days1.  Oftentimes it’s the normal people who come up with these false answers only to have a sort of “huh” moment when we explain what it is that me and my group of oftentimes shirtless, skinny dudes are actually doing up there.
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 Anectodally, though, I would say that the number of people who actually correctly identify the inteded use of a crash pad is noticeably higher this year than in years past.
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→ Are Climbing Videos Too Tame?∞

Posted September 18, 2014 at 8:34 am · Comments { 15 } ·

Daniel Woods, in an interview by Andrew Bisharat for Without Walls:

In climbing films, I feel like there is a pattern that we all follow. The filmmakers ask us the same questions in the interview and they want us to respond in this one way.
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Climbing films are more serious, less attitude [than skateboarding videos]. I feel like most viewers’ reaction is like, “Do climbers go out and party at night?
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Do they socialize? Do they go to cool dinners? Do they hang out with friends?”

Interesting point.  In general it does seem like many climbing videos are pretty “safe” in what they depict.  A lot of this is almost certainly due to the fact that many videos featuring prominent athletes like Woods are paid for by sponsors who have an investment in portraying a family-friendly image, especially given the huge youth audience in our sport.  I don’t see this changing really, but there are certainly other outlets like Instagram where professional climbers are still free to portray themselves more freely1.

  1. Within limits of course ↩
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