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hooblie
climber
from where the anecdotes roam
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Sep 29, 2010 - 12:10pm PT
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"...don't have, and never will have, a pot to piss in."
~~~
here's the eulogy, delivered by the guy in the green shade visor:
"...cut a hell of a swath, left quite a legacy, all in his very own way. yet ... nary a piss pot!"
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Bldrjac
Ice climber
Boulder
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Sep 29, 2010 - 12:33pm PT
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I once had a pot to piss in and i was happy.........
until I discovered that a crack ran through it and all the piss flowed out and soaked my sleeping bag.
Does that make me a dirtbag?
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BooDawg
Social climber
Polynesian Paralysis
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Sep 29, 2010 - 01:42pm PT
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I LOVE this thread and will think about it today as there is lots of food for thought.
But it was a big jump today from back in 2006!
Did Heather actually WRITE the article? Was it ever published?
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Jongy
Big Wall climber
Southern California
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Sep 29, 2010 - 02:01pm PT
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wow.... just like I expected from a girl named Heather.... she's got HUGE tits.
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Wade Icey
Trad climber
www.alohashirtrescue.com
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Sep 29, 2010 - 04:02pm PT
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Hobbies: Fishing, Ghost Hunting, Football, Horseback Riding, Master of the Mechanical Bull, Swimming, Bowling, Darts (I love Cricket), Texas Hold Em', Music/Concerts, Roller Skating, Jogging, Jumping on Trampolines, Play the Clarinet, and yes...I do sew and scrapbook.
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Seamstress
Trad climber
Yacolt, WA
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Sep 29, 2010 - 04:06pm PT
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As pointed out, the term can have negative connotations. There are a lot of public perceptions of climbers that then form the basis of regulations that we all are subjected to.
I would love to see the magazines move away from the celebration of "dirtbag" climbers, the wild and crazy climbers, the bad-ass climbers, the adrenaline junkies, etc. Yes, we all know there is risk to the sport. The payoffs in terms of beauty, appreciation of the natural world, building of character, etc. are given very short shrift. It is no wonder that the cry to regulate, impose fees, charge for rescue, mandate equipment/techniques, prohibit access are common tools to rid the public of the unfortunate plague that they perceive climbers to be.
Can the magazines put more emphasis on the contributions of climbers to building and safeguarding the wonderful parks and trails that we all can enjoy? Can we provide role models to complement the first ascensionist - the fantastic folks that acquired/saved lands, built trails, persevered through decades of disappointmnet and ridicule to secure their local crag, worked with young people, etc. The common man can be inspired to give a little when they see the difference others have made. Those contributors may be dirtbaggers, frumpy middle class housewives, preppy excutives, ....
I have had enough of the youngest to flash grade 5.infinity and fastest to link up multiple long formations. It is fun to celebrate the pinnacle achievements. However, broaden the perspective. Think for 5 seconds what an article emphasizing certain practices will affect the Park Superintendant facing a budget shortage and this unholy, unruly mob that the rest of the public believes are penniless leeches.
Climbing is no longer the provence of the idle rich and young Ivy boys, nor is it owned by invading Europeans, nor is it just the dirtbaggers and Vulgarians. There is a huge spectrum of climbers, many of whom contribute to a climbing legacy beyond their own experience.
My thought on Dirtbags - the topic has been beat to death.
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Spider Savage
Mountain climber
SoCal
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Sep 29, 2010 - 04:22pm PT
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"Have slept in a heated public bathroom, even once"
Not yet, but I have spent the night trying to sleep in a phone booth. (Stuck in east Utah during a blizzard, one window pane kicked out.)
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Anastasia
climber
hanging from a crimp and crying for my mama.
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Sep 29, 2010 - 04:52pm PT
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What is your opinion on dirtbags? If you hate them, tell me why.
Ah, the concept of dirtbag is perceptual so it does not have specific lines. So first let me tell you who I think actually IS a dirtbag climber... I think it is a person who does not have a regular job because he/she wants to climb more than work. It is a person collecting cans, and doing odd jobs just to get food. If they are lucky they will have sponsorships. Yet even with sponsorships, they will still live out of a car or tent and own a climbing rack that is more expensive than all their other worldly possessions. They have no specific address, just various climbing locations.
I don't hate them, many are my friends.
Were you once a DB who's been reformed? Yes and No...
I have taken off and lived out of my car for a few months. Yet... I always had an address, a home to return to and all my adventures were more like long vacations instead of "a lifestyle." So... Even though I was living like a dirtbag. I never really was one.
Over the years these trips were shorten by responsibilities. Yet now that I have a mountaineer for a husband, I've actually increased again. So in a sense I am always toeing the dirtbag line.
If so, what changes have you made willingly or otherwise to digress from being a Lifer DB?
I have bills, a college degree, marriage certificate, job and a home. I did it all willingly and yes... I'm happy despite not climbing everyday.
Do you know anyone who might be a Weekender DB?
Me.
If so, what are some things you notice about them?
I can wear the same clothes for a month, though I must wash/change my underwear.
I can do a weekend trip with just a small handbag for luggage. I know more knots than a sailor.
Lunch out of a can is normal. My designer clothes are from outdoor companies. Plus, money isn't the goal though I do appreciate it for the freedom it gives. I don't need much, just enough for the gas to get there and some top ramen.
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Wade Icey
Trad climber
www.alohashirtrescue.com
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Sep 29, 2010 - 04:53pm PT
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The dirtbag is a modern myth with a grain of ancient truth.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Sep 29, 2010 - 06:12pm PT
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George Plimpton would never have even asked the question.
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Gary
climber
Desolation Basin, Calif.
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Sep 29, 2010 - 08:38pm PT
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Paper Lion is a great book.
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powderdan
Social climber
mammoth lakes
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Sep 29, 2010 - 11:30pm PT
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proud to be a dirt bag.
proud to drive a dirt bag rig.
my wife and family love me for the dirtbag that i am.
i shutter to think of not being one.
the best part of being a dirt bag? there is nowhere to fall.
i love dirt and i love bags!
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Chango
Trad climber
norcal
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Sep 30, 2010 - 01:25am PT
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Why can't the fact that certain people place their passions above all else be accepted and not pidgeonhole these people into a category? It's just a choice. It's not noble, nor pathetic... it's only the path that person chose.No different than making the choice to make as much money as possible. When I was 22, I lived in a van and surfed all over Australia. I was just a kid dedicating a chunk of time towards something that made me feel good! Dirtbag? No, just someone making a choice.
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Spider Savage
Mountain climber
SoCal
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Sep 30, 2010 - 01:44am PT
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Lovegasoline; Great little essay!
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bmacd
Trad climber
100% Canadian, Certified Kook
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Sep 30, 2010 - 02:10am PT
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from the Heather Leah website
Facts about Heather Leah:
Odd Habits: I have a serious problem with touching rouch texture items. I will not own or touch a wooden spoon, sandpaper, or chalk. I can't stand the feeling of dirt on my hand or feet. I constantly wash my hands and then follow up with lotion, as I hate the dry feeling as well.
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H. Lea
Trad climber
Canada
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 30, 2010 - 12:35pm PT
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I was interested to see this thread bump up again.
FYI - H.Lea is not Heather Leah.
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TwistedCrank
climber
Ideeho-dee-do-dah-day boom-chicka-boom-chicka-boom
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Sep 30, 2010 - 12:43pm PT
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Dirtbags started dressing like dancers, wearing mullets and acting like prima donnas. It was the beginning of the end. So went a decade of dullness.
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xtrmecat
Big Wall climber
Kalispell, Montanagonia
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Sep 30, 2010 - 01:24pm PT
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First let me say, I have used or been aquainted with many of the little lifestyle habits mentioned earlier. I didn't need to label it, it just was the way I was, and wanted to be. It was the only way I had to aquire what was very dear to me at the time, my only reasonable resource if you will.
What is your opinion on dirtbags? If you hate them, tell me why.
I have worked hard all my life to not judge others, but have not succeded as well as some here, but better than social average.
Were you once a DB who's been reformed?
I didn't put a name to it, just did what I had to. How can I reform what wasn't wrong?
If so, what changes have you made willingly or otherwise to digress from being a Lifer DB?
I did what came naturally, succeded slightly, failed many times. I learned compromise in my life was acceptable, and have been happy to be free enough and knowledgable enough to reap a lot of the cream out of life.
Do you know anyone who might be a Weekender DB?
There are tons of phony people in the world, and I do not know anyone personally that fits this description, if it is even possible.
If so, what are some things you notice about them?
Mentally deficient, in need of attention, etc. etc..
I know this was a thread resurection from way back, but notice H. Lea still around, and thought my perspective might amuse some, bewilder some, and hopefully enlighten at least one.
Burly Bob
PS. Things would dramatically have to change for me to return to the lifestyle, as I own a home, several vehicles, some really new gear. I do continue to sleep in the dirt when I go to climb away from my home, like last week, this weekend, all spring, last January, the end of August, etc., etc..
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TKingsbury
Trad climber
MT
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Sep 30, 2010 - 01:53pm PT
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labels
status
pigeonholing
judgment
sweet.
can I be cool too?
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hooblie
climber
from where the anecdotes roam
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Sep 30, 2010 - 03:21pm PT
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it's easy to confuse methodology, which is a means to an end,
with the elements that define the intentionality of purpose
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things like flexibile scheduling, continuity of training, opportunity enhancement, knitting of the social fabric in the face of societal isolation, spontaneity for it's own inherent value, ownership of the decision matrix, and on and on
i mean dirt was just a cover, and grifting was not the point
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