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blahblah
Gym climber
Boulder
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Dec 24, 2009 - 12:25am PT
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GDavis, I dare say anyone who follows the exploits of modern high level climbers knows who Ondra is.
For some crazy reason I googled Allen one time (no, I'm not a stalker)--she was a pole vaulter for a big Florida university, obviously climbing wasn't her passion if she wound up at a Florida U. I'm sure she climbed far harder than I ever will, but, a big yawn about hard climbing kids--good for them, so what.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Dec 24, 2009 - 12:55am PT
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On a related note, the parents of the so-called "balloon boy" from Colorado were given sentences of 90 days (father) and 20 days (mother) today, for their lame hoax. Now if only they did the same with some hockey parents...
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Dec 24, 2009 - 01:09am PT
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Here here, Pate.
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Lokesh
Mountain climber
Big Bear California
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 31, 2009 - 07:30pm PT
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Jordan will be one of the keynote speakers at the climbing fest tomorrow night at Joshua Tree.
I think he's on before Jim Bridwell around 6:00
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Quinny
Mountain climber
Ma
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Dec 31, 2009 - 10:10pm PT
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I think this is all about the parents. He is probably the first thirteen year old to sh#t so high up on a mountain too. Think of all the "firsts" he can accomplish.
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Swami Jr.
Trad climber
Bath, NY
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Dec 31, 2009 - 10:15pm PT
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13 summits as 7 would be more impressive. I mean, what else do you have to do when you're 13?
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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We all come out naked and sticky but we have all kinds of different seeds inside. Mozart had to write some tunes
Did you ever try to get a teenager to do something they did not want to do? It's just about impossible, especially at this magnatude.
Yup, the kid must like it. For all the neglected, abused and under-loved kids out there, I'm not concerned if some wind up over-doing it if they are on-board. If they aren't they should add telling their folks to shove off as one of their achievements.
There may be plenty of negative aspects to this, but l like the world being free enough for people to screw up, die and take risks. Climbing could easily be illegal for everyone under 18 and soon they might make us wear helmets by law and sometime after that, why let people climb? It's dangerous!
Peace
Karl
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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hey there all...
say, not sure if what i have to say here is gonna fit in, being that i don't know anything about the summits, etc... or his family, or him... and i am surely not against the young boy doing his best, to conquer his own personal goals... these are good things...
but it seems there is more going on somehow...
perhaps even the boys family does not see it...
it is a new "thing"
being "feed" to children in the world--you will see, if you read this...
most all of you that have kids, understand this, too, from what i have seen:
i have seen this, by observation:
1)the world, and the youth of today, now see "tv and the media"
as something that makes them "proved successes" in the eyes of
the world, or adults and peers, IF they get there name on "those screens and magazines" with enough hype...
these young kids are getting prepped for something,
and it is not a normal way of life, as to how we new it...
yep, this very hype is being pushed onto kids now:
i've seen it when i go babysit for kids (and i turn it off)...
what i see is this:
*hanna montana, teaching kids to desire to be rock stars
(not meaning bad-talk to her--it is the NEW AGE NOW)
*plus, a whole other host of "kid" shows (dont know the name of them)
but they all push "fame and forture" and get the kids in the
shows ON TO the tv, into fame--so they will be successes)
*and not in the silly ways that i-love-lucy, etc, showed folks'
cravings to "be a star"...
*then, there are the more-and-more reality shows,
to "make someone the hero"... to be famouse... or:
you are the "losser" as to life goals...
MEANING:
THERE IS NO MORE normal-hero, as for just being the hero everyday... doing ones best to be living life, not being in the lime-light, but facing odds, etc...
the shame done here is this:
no young youth, into adult will be "satisfied" or "gratified" if he is brought up to see all this "tv" stuff... it will come to pass, that if this "mega star" type life falters, and no one pays a "hoot" to person, or bats an eye at their efforts, that frustration, anger, resentment, pain, self-pity, sorrow, and the whole bit, are gonna cave-in upon them...
where will be their inner moral support?
normal "hard working" hard goals, will not be satisifying ANYMORE for what these qualities are... a part of life... the reason they WON'T be satisfying anymore will be 'cause KIDS will NOT even KNOW what the meaning of such is... oh my... :(
now then, i was leading up to this:
upon seeing this young boy WEBSITE... it appears that his web site is (as i think tami, was picking up on) very much MEDIA POWERPACKED for the very "showmanship" and "punch" that tv is breeding into "unsuspecting kids"... very dangerous stuff here, folks...
this is no laid-back "style" of presentation... you all
have seen "normal" web sites that present their shared-life goals, etc...
well:
the only simple example i can add, to show something more normal--
(other than local folks you may know, that work, play, do sports, climb, etc, without caring ONE BIT who sees---just doing it, to do it...)
would be THIS one that i learned about, years back...
i learned about lane frost:
lane frost was a great bull rider... he had his passion...
and his knack... he did it, cause THAT was him...
folks that new him, were ONLY those in the field of bullriding...
he was not there for the media hype... nor did anyone fuel him to do so...
he was just THERE... PART OF LIFE...
when he very sadly died...
THE MEDIA had no clue as to who he was, or why folks were so crushed...
they had to go find out... (wanted some of the action, sadly, as to do a movie on him)...
well, if youth of today, grew up more like this...
IN ANY FIELD, no matter how simple,
helping with the plumbing...
learning to cook...
learning to sew...
being a house painter...
or how serious...
dangerous, as bull riders learn young, too...
climbing... as they learn young...
football... as they learn young...
and then thus, had no WARPED modern day tv, guiding them into
this "powerful desired heaven" set before them,as the QUEST...
then most likly when things go wrong, or something burst their bubble,
or the chips are just down, and they need to press on,against high-adversity,
then--they STILL make very strong, stable adults...
the key, is getting strong, stable adults out of this childhood of ours (meaning "mankinds" childhood)...
lane frost, is just the example i learned, as i read up on it, after seeing the movie (and seeing how stuff seemed odd) and after i hear what his parents SAID about the movie and saw the web site, i understood (there IS a web site now) (not a media hyped one)...
well, i know this was long, but kids are important...
you all, will have your OWN examples of strong folks, that lived, and braved life, NOT FOR THE MEDIA...
peter mayfield and ken yager, here, are good examples and have been,
werner is a good exmaple too... just DAILY living, using media for constructive things, for others needs...
hard working real heroes, are so much more in tune to what real life, real people, real trouble, and real goals are... we really DO need more stable kids on trails, like this....
IN CLOSING, as to my thoughts:
so----back to this boy... only time will tell what happens with him...
and only his parent-folks really know what is going on now...
however, if it does turn to trouble somewhere, the world will know, and mighty fast, too... and we hope and pray that the boy will not be crushed in it all...
didn't mean to sound mean...
but---i have been a mom for long years and now a gramma, and, you all, many of you ALSO have kids...
and from what i see, you all are VERY involved with your kids, and keeping them to live for family and friends and NOT for a media camera...
some day, you will be very very glad, for your choices...
*now, if this all happened by accident, and if the boy's family has no control to stop the media websites and all this, then please, i am very sorry that i misjudged... please forgive me...
i am basing this all on what is presented so far...
and i wish the parents and their child happy climbs together,
as a family...
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R.B.
climber
..
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Apr 14, 2010 - 09:44pm PT
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I vote that we let the kid giver a try and see if he skins his knees on the way.
I guess I am more permissive about having youngsters climb, as I was raised in a Climbing family. I started climbing rock at age 5. I lead 5.8 when I was 9. I did Mt Hood when I was ten. I did a 5.6 on Hallet's Peak when I was 10. I attempted Mt Whitney East Buttress route at age 11 (too many in party had to bail at the peewee); I then sucessfully climbed the East Face Route of Whitney via the Shaky Leg Var. when I was 12. I was raised around rock climbing and mountain rescue. I had probably taught 300 people how to climb before I was age 13.
Give the kid a chance. In a famous cliche:
I don't care if they use a dang ladder to climb that flagpole, I just don't want to have to read about it in one of those darn climbing magazines.
Now I am old school, but I think I am pretty balanced being close to 50 years old and climbing for over 40 years.
Good luck kid, climbing is great, but it is not everything!
RB
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Technogeekery
Trad climber
Tokyo, Japan
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Apr 15, 2010 - 01:49am PT
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Not sure about the kid, I'm sure he is having a pretty cool life and good for him. Its the parents I'm concerned about. Why would you take your 13-year old up Everest? why would you take your pre-teen up Denali? Sure take your kids climbing, as early as you like, but only where you can control the risks.
Yes, everyone has a different idea of acceptable risk. And climbers have a very personal take on that idea of risk and acceptability, and when it comes to yourself its no-one's business but yours. Same goes for your kids, I guess - i don't want anyone telling me that I can't take my 5-year old up a climb when I reckon its perfectly safe. But I hate the idea of parents taking a young kid into a situation where the objective dangers are so high.
Wouldn't stop them even if I could, just hate the idea.
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murcy
climber
sanfrancisco
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Apr 15, 2010 - 01:54am PT
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I think this lays bare the total lameness of other adolescents. What is WITH their unfocused, kick-back, find-themselves attitudes, while this child is betting his brief life on a fatal gamble his Dad is totally psyched about!!!?
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Studly
Trad climber
WA
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Apr 15, 2010 - 08:41am PT
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Sorry, I can't knock this kid. I was in the mountains at 15 knocking off Beckey routes and catching all kinds of flak and resistance for being "to young" to do it. Bullsh#t, if I would have had the resources or parents behind me to do this, I would have loved it.
The kid should be setting on his ass playing video games or maybe gang banging or what? More power to him.
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OR
Trad climber
VT
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Apr 15, 2010 - 09:28am PT
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I'm with Tami. "Public speaking" Bahahahahhhahahahahahahah. And if the kid gets injured on Everest there will be an army of lawyers involved.
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Fluoride
Trad climber
Hollywood, CA
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Apr 15, 2010 - 01:17pm PT
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"I hope this kid has fun climbing, but seriously, most of the climbs on the 7 summits list are money climbs for guided climbers. That's my opinion at least. "
DING DING DING jackpot!!
If this kid truly just loved mountaineering like his family claims he'd be down ticking off stuff in the Cordillera Blanca or Huayhuash. For the pleasure and challenge of high altitude mountaineering. The Cordi is incredible. Or his passion could take him to other areas of killer high altitude mountaineering peaks that aren't part of the rich adventurer circuit. If Huascaran were 500 ft higher it would be the 7th suummit for South America. Would he done that instead of Aconcagua? They're both 22K. With Huascaran being the more challenging peak.
He's only going for the 7 summits. That's the guided world of those with money. And those who want bragging rights. It's an "adventurers" with funding circuit.
Just think, about 500 ft separates Aconcagua with Huascaran as the tallest peak in South America. Just gotta wonder what things would be like down in Peru if it had the "golden ticket" of being one of the seven summits.
Good luck to the kid, just wish he'd been able to climb some serious high altitude stuff that wasn't just on course with what the "7 summimts" life" provided. Guides, sherpas, etc.
BTW, it now costs around $80K to attempt a summit of Everest.
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survival
Big Wall climber
A Token of My Extreme
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Apr 15, 2010 - 02:50pm PT
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Wow, this is what, the third or fourth thread on this kid?
What happened to the other one? No, not the one about Aconggagagagaaaa!
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AKDOG
Mountain climber
Anchorage, AK
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Apr 15, 2010 - 02:53pm PT
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Having spent some time last summer in Peru (beautiful place!), Huascaran has its fair share of climbers too. Never been to Acangogua so I can’t compare.
A few years ago I was in Russia hiking Elbrus. It was the off season so not too many people. But even off season it was a circus with some people taking a snow cat part way up to save an hour of hiking!
On the way down we met an 8 year old boy from Boulder with his father on the seven summits pilgrimage. They were hitting Elbrus and then Kilimanjaro. Always wonder if he made it. I also had an 8 year old at the time, but he was more interested in Legos than slogging up a peaks.
Better challenge would be to climb the second highest peak on each continent which would include K2, Mt Logan, Dykh-Tau and Mt Kenya. But it would be harder to hype.
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Technogeekery
Trad climber
Tokyo, Japan
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Apr 16, 2010 - 01:01am PT
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Me too, Pate. I don't have a problem with the kid, I have a problem with the parents.
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TripL7
Trad climber
san diego
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Apr 16, 2010 - 02:24am PT
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When i was 13 yrs. old we moved to SLC where i scraped together $10.00 working for .75 an hour cleaning/shoveling chicken sh#t out of my neighbors(farmer)chicken coops after school. With which i bought a pair of old war world II skis with trap style(no release)bindings, leather boots and poles. Fortunately the local news paper "Deseret News" and Alta Ski Resort gave free lessons, lift ticket and a bus ride up to Alta for the local youth(every saturday throughout the season). A dream come true. I would never been able to learn to ski(downhill)otherwise.
Times have changed!
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jstan
climber
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Apr 16, 2010 - 02:35am PT
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This guy Guinness did only one useful thing in his life.
He came up with a pretty good beer.
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