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Chris McNamara
SuperTopo staff member
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Topic Author's Original Post - May 17, 2019 - 10:00am PT
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Hi Forum,
It is with a sad heart that I announce that normal operation of the SuperTopo Climber's Forum will cease June 1st.
The Forum has been an amazing digital campfire, with more than 2 million posts over the last 18 years. It has reconnected many climbers with old friends and helped many climbers make new friends. And, there have been many amazing and compelling posts on the site, especially those on climbing-related topics, that have been enjoyed by millions of people.
I have received a ton from this community and feel lucky to have been a part of it. I’ve met a lot of my heroes on this forum and made many great connections. I give warmest thanks to you all. The forum was a big wild experiment with many highs and lows. But mostly highs. Here are some of the things I found the most meaningful on the SuperTopo Forum
 The memorial tributes
Help with supporting bolt replacement and access issues. This forum helped the ASCA get to 15,000 plus replaced bolts
The help to create SuperTopo books
The historical threads
Reconnecting friends
Helping collaborate on documentaries and books
Event threads to support non-profits and members
El Cap report
The events that were created and photos and reports that followed
I also want to give a big shout out to RJ who created the forum and kept it running. RJ has been my business partner and a best friend for nearly 2 decades. He has been a big inspiration for me and a co-creator in so many great projects and adventures.
As I noted last week, the SuperTopo Climber's Forum has never been a profitable business venture. It costs us a significant amount of time and money each year to operate the Forum, and we have done so as a service for the climbing community for 18 years. But, the prospect of having to bear increased potential costs in the future, both in time and legal costs, due to litigation related to inappropriate posts by a minority of forum members has changed the math. I am sorry to say this, but we no longer feel we can justify continued operation of the Forum.
I appreciate all the great many posts on climbing related topics that have been made here.
I encourage you to copy and paste any of your content you'd like to save before June 1st.
Starting June 1st, the text of past Forum posts will remain available as an archive. Regrettably, images will no longer be displayed for Forum posts. Trip Reports and Route Beta will remain displaying as they do today with both images and text.
You can continue to post using your existing accounts for the next few weeks, but effective June 1st, the site will strictly become a read-only archive.
Thank you all for making this Forum something special over the last 18 years. Like many of you, I am sad to see it go.
Sincerely,
Chris McNamara
Founder
SuperTopo
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hellroaring
Trad climber
San Francisco
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May 17, 2019 - 10:01am PT
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Damn, that’s a shame...
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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May 17, 2019 - 10:08am PT
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=+,.+BLESSINGS OF LIGHT & LOVE ~ THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING
^
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sempervirens
climber
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May 17, 2019 - 10:08am PT
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Thanks Chris!
I'm sad to see it go. Very much appreciate the efforts.
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hellroaring
Trad climber
San Francisco
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May 17, 2019 - 10:10am PT
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Chris, yes thanks so much! Forgot to say that previously.
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Stewart Johnson
Gym climber
top lake
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May 17, 2019 - 10:21am PT
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Haha!
Thanks for the good times!
Later.
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splitclimber
climber
Sonoma County
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May 17, 2019 - 10:22am PT
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it was a great run Chris. I will really miss this forum. Thanks for all your service and contributions to the climbing community.
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WyoRockMan
climber
Grizzlyville, WY
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May 17, 2019 - 10:23am PT
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Starting June 1st, the text of past Forum posts will remain available as an archive. Regrettably, images will no longer be displayed for Forum posts. Trip Reports and Route Beta will remain displaying as they do today with both images and text.
It's really too bad that threads like "Old Mystery Pro" aren't able to be included in the archive. Especially considering this:
I understand why it would be arduous to pick and choose what stays intact as an archive, but it is still sad to loose threads like that. Especially when there are options...
Thanks for hosting this while you did.
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fosburg
climber
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May 17, 2019 - 10:28am PT
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Thanks for the gracious hosting all these years!
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Modesto Mutant
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, CA
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May 17, 2019 - 10:29am PT
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Thanks to Chris and RJ for all of their profound efforts keeping this site alive for so long. And no thanks to those who brought about its demise.
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Zay
climber
Monterey, Ca
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May 17, 2019 - 10:31am PT
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Thank you, Chris Mac.
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Sport climber
moving thru
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May 17, 2019 - 10:32am PT
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I haven't thanked you and RJ yet because I was hoping against hope.
Chris and RJ, thank you so very much! This forum was life changing for me. You may think this sounds crazy.....but my best friend, jesus, used this place to change my life and give me a new life when my husband Dan went to the heavenlies 11 years ago.
Because of you guys and this forum I have a wonderful new community of friends. I learned to ice climb, rock climb, backpack and I got the jewel of a job at Tioga Pass Resort. I also got to house sit for Angela and Jim Donini in fabulous Ouray, CO when one morning I opened up the Taco and was the first to respond to their invitation. This is where I learned about Facelift.....I'm into my 11th year now. I got two pictures into the Senders "Valley" film because they saw them here.
Oh, I could go on and on as so many of us here could. It's amazing you have created a vehicle that can change lives and I'm so glad you can live with that blessing.
Always with huge amounts of peace and joy to you both. Hugs, lynnie
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matty
Trad climber
under the sea
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May 17, 2019 - 10:32am PT
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=(
good ride while it lasted, sad to see it go. Will supertopo guidebooks still exist? Will commenting on route conditions still work?
Thx for keeping it running this long.
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Klimmer2.0
Mountain climber
San Diego, CA
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May 17, 2019 - 10:37am PT
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You can continue to post using your existing accounts for the next few weeks, but effective June 1st, the site will strictly become a read-only archive.
Thank you all for making this Forum something special over the last 18 years. Like many of you, I am sad to see it go.
Sincerely,
Chris McNamara
Founder
SuperTopo
Chris,
Thank you for the Supertopo Forum over the many years. Lots of precious gold was posted in this forum (ST) over that long time.
Will the archive of the SuperTopo Forum be searchable? Will you leave the search engine feature? I sure hope you will.
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jamatt
Social climber
Asheville, NC
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May 17, 2019 - 10:40am PT
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Thanks for the ride! I've enjoyed the TR's and reading the posts of the living legends who frequented the site.
Off belay I guess...
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John M
climber
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May 17, 2019 - 10:49am PT
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How about reopening it once a year for a kind of reunion?
this has been my sort of family for quite some time. Helped me get through a lot of years of health problems. I couldn't get outside much, so thanks to everyone who contributed trip reports, stories, jokes, laughs, advice, support, camaraderie, adventures.. and on and on. Thanks for taking me along.
Some really grand adventures have been shared here. I'm gonna miss this place.
Thanks Chris and RJ.. Supertopo has been a blast. A pain sometimes, but still a lot of good.
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NutAgain!
Trad climber
https://nutagain.org
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May 17, 2019 - 10:50am PT
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Thank you Chris and RJ.
While I might argue for the things I lost in life because of the time sink and addiction to this place, it has overall given me much more. Most of my climbing adventures after 2005 have been with people I met here, and formed some of my best friendships. It has exposed me to awesome new places, adventures, activities to experience, many of which I got to share with my kids.
It helped me learn to deal with confrontation (before my divorce REALLY taught me!), provided a sounding board and support during a messy divorce, supported my efforts to share outdoor experiences with my kids when there were a lot of obstacles to me doing so, and provides an ongoing virtual extension of my social community when my life circumstances are challenging to coordinate with hanging out in the flesh.
And the armchair climbing to supplement my limited time for real climbing!
Thanks again RJ and Chris, and to all of you over the years who have participated in this campfire.
Y’all can sign up to stay in touch and keep tabs on my adventures here. Or just do an occasional anonymous drive-by:
http://nutagain.org
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Q- Ball
Mountain climber
but to scared to climb them anymore
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May 17, 2019 - 10:52am PT
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Thanks Chris et al...
I'll be in the woods looking around. Appreciate your time to host this stuff.
I got turned onto supertopo when Todd Skinner died. Amazing the stories and outpouring that accompanied it. Thanks again.
Hugh or Qball
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brotherbbock
climber
So-Cal
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May 17, 2019 - 11:07am PT
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I'm gonna miss Klimmer and Werner...the 2 biggest crankloons on the site
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ec
climber
ca
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May 17, 2019 - 11:42am PT
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Hey, there’s 2 weeks before this fire is out!
Thx, Cmac, RJ & y’all ST’ians
ec
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