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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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Mar 17, 2008 - 08:11pm PT
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Because I don't have a gun under my pillow...
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tolman_paul
Trad climber
Anchorage, AK
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Mar 17, 2008 - 08:21pm PT
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Paul,
I don't mean to take this thread o/t, but do you have any contact information for Robert Camp? I know you climbed with him in California, before I met him in the early 90's and after I moved up to AK and he moved to Colorado I lost touch with him. I was wondering if you'd seen or heard from him recently.
Back on topic, aid climbing is just a totally different headspace than free climbing. You carefully find a potential location for your placment, make it to the best of your ability, test it, then ease on to it. You don't totally trust the placement until it's heald you for a little bit of time, then you gingerly move up as high as possible to look for the next placement.
The single state of mind and focus in aid climbing just makes life so very simple. To me aid climbing is the best possible stress relief, because you simply don't have any place in your mind for the cares in life.
Anything worthwhile takes struggle, therefore big walls must be very worthwhile, as they take lots of struggle.
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sweatyballs
Trad climber
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Mar 17, 2008 - 08:26pm PT
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Cuz' chicks dig it.
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martygarrison
Trad climber
atlanta
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 17, 2008 - 08:33pm PT
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Folks this is great and I really appreciate the replies... from the tree told me to chicks dig it. WB I also stood on nested leepers, scared the sh#t out of me. I think I just must be a fraidie cat. Tolman_Paul, thank you for a very insiteful response. Keep em coming please!
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Willoughby
Social climber
Truckee, CA
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Mar 17, 2008 - 08:45pm PT
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I know this thread is asking a specific question, posed by somebody with some real perspective on the issue, so I apologize if this post causes a little drift. But, I've been wondering about something sorta related. This winter I've found myself reading a bit of mountaineering literature, biographies and whatnot. Anyway, each and every one of these authors at some point, for whatever reason, simply must bring up the whole "why do I/people climb?" cliche. Why do people get so hung up on that? Are those engaged in other sports, hobbies, endeavors, pursuits, whatever, constantly and persistently asked to explain their motivations? Do people demand explanations from hikers? Surfers? Philatelists or model-train enthusiasts? Ice fisherman? Seriously, what's up with ice fishing? How crappy is your home life that you want to stare at hole in the ice all day? Kinda interesting to reflect back; I was a super-hardcore fly fisherman in high school, until a friend of mine's uncle asked me why. He was just curious and wanted to know more, but once I started to actually think about it, I realized I'd been operating with blinders on and I wasn't terribly interested anymore. And that was that. Anyway, it's great to step back and think about our own motivations and what we're doing, but I'm totally perplexed why every author of a mountaineering book feels the need to explain or justify "climbing" as worthwhile. Now back to your regularly scheduled thread.
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Mar 17, 2008 - 08:48pm PT
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Because they're there, eh?
I wonder what the talking tree said to PTPP?
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tolman_paul
Trad climber
Anchorage, AK
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Mar 17, 2008 - 08:51pm PT
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As to ice fishing, I do fish, have never tried ice fishing and just can't see why, I asked a buddy.
He had a very simple answer, beer.
As I don't need an excuse to drink a beer, and would rather a drink a beer after climbing, I still haven't tried ice fishing. It was bad enough belaying my partner ice climbing with the windchill numbing my face and my fingers getting cold. At least I knew I'd eventually being doing something worthwhile eventually.
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Ricardo Carlos
Trad climber
Off center, CO.
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Mar 17, 2008 - 08:58pm PT
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Well I really do not remember as it has been twenty five years.
I will let you know after the end of this month. Weather permitting
Love Hate relationship perhaps
What else?
How fast?
How few pins can I use?
Can I make this pin work?
Can I make any nut work?
Dam Leeper pins make that stack work.
The View
The view you can only get from here. Not from the top or the base.
The unknown ok not as big as it was on many routes but it exists.
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Shack
Big Wall climber
Reno NV
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Mar 17, 2008 - 09:47pm PT
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It's the only way to get to the really good camping spots....
and the view ain't bad either.
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martygarrison
Trad climber
atlanta
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 17, 2008 - 11:02pm PT
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warbler......ditto
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Trevor
Gym climber
Escondido, CA
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Mar 17, 2008 - 11:25pm PT
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Because it makes everything else in life seem easy.
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martygarrison
Trad climber
atlanta
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 17, 2008 - 11:31pm PT
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Trevor, very good. I remember coming down off el cap and thinking that all else in life is easy. For god sakes we are walking on flat ground. I forgot about that. Excellent point.
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Darnell
Big Wall climber
Chicago
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Mar 17, 2008 - 11:32pm PT
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cause thats where all the silverfish are, and silverfish are good eatin ifin you know how to cook em right!
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pimp daddy wayne
climber
The Bat Caves
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Mar 17, 2008 - 11:46pm PT
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Because it is the #1 place to drink beer!
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Double D
climber
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Mar 18, 2008 - 12:19am PT
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It's all 'bout location, location, location baby!
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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Mar 18, 2008 - 12:44am PT
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How else you gonna be in places tha cool?
"Any of this sh#t could rip right now..."
"I could die any time.."
"This is sooo COOOOOll!!!!!!...."
"If you aren't scared you aren't really having fun.."
some of my best times have been on walls.
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Bldrjac
Ice climber
Boulder
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Mar 18, 2008 - 01:34am PT
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Well it might be simple but I climb walls because they offer solice and comfort from the world below.
I've never been very good at coping with the pressures of "modern life' and I've never fit in very well. So, going up into the vertical granite wilderness has always offered me a haven where I can just hang out and get my sh#t together so I don't fall apart lower down.
If I couldn't climb walls I wouldn't function at a very high level at home. If I couldn't find expression and exhileration in the free flow and physical form of moving up high I'd have to become violent or inflict pain on people around me.
Being able to have the freedom to climb walls means there is hope for me to become a better person and relax..........
Ahh........I feel better now.
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wayne w
Trad climber
the nw
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Mar 18, 2008 - 01:37am PT
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Trevor wrote, 'Because it makes everything else in life seem easy.'
That depends on who you are and what your physical reality is.
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clustiere
Trad climber
berkeley ca
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Mar 18, 2008 - 02:55am PT
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To test my mental endurance. This especially applies to solo walling. I am not an expert but solo 5 Vs three cap routes and a bunch of partner Vs and I still want more but the space between grows. It grows like the space between a mother and child during the individuation process. It takes a year for me to remodivate now days at least. If you dont climb .12-13 then it's the most likely way up an impressive intimidating and daunting piece of rock. I am still tring to get to the place where the journey is the destination, but I alwayse have the summit in mind from ground zero. Wall climbing is for me a means to self efficacy, it created a foundation from which I gained enough confidence to be daring in other aspects of my life. I sit in a group of Therapist or therapist to be and I wonder how may of them have been strung out three days dehydrated and burning their arms on a piece of granite thats been baking in the sun. It's then that I figgure ok I got a shot and Im not gonna shatter or combust under pressure. I now handle high intense 5150 situations like a run out pitch intentional efficiently and effectively, I know when I need help, I know what I can't do, and I know when I can handle my own. For me it has been a process of knowing myself. The day I bail because I am just not into it will be the day that I truely graduate being a climber and suddenly it has all been good enough.
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Todd Bauck
Trad climber
Denver, co
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Mar 18, 2008 - 10:54am PT
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For me it comes down to 3 reasons:
1) Soloing a wall is a big challenge. The sort of challenge you look forward to once a year. Can I get up this route clean? Can I get all my gear to the base and up a pitch by myself without feeding a bear? Can I get all my stuff down by myself? Can I climb it in good style? How do I handle the unexpected?
2) The views are great. On a wall, you have time to really enjoy the sunrise from a great vantage point. Sleeping on a small ledge or portaledge is a great experience.
3) On the rare occasion I have a partner for a wall, it is fun being a part of a team doing a multi-day route (I am slow).
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