Why are most climbers dorky white guys?

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dogtown

Trad climber

JackAssVille, Wyoming

Nov 25, 2010 - 09:53pm PT

AHH, don't know. Are they? Are all good climber white?

I know the best golfer is black kind-a.

72hw

Trad climber

Pasadena, CA

Nov 25, 2010 - 10:12pm PT

Fat honky dork here - but my girlfriend/rope gun is Vietnamese, one of my favorite partners is an Indian Sikh, the guy who taught me to climb is Mexican, another frequent partner is too, my young protegee is an amazingly fearless Filipina, The Chief is part Native American and this crazy talented kid we hang around with to feel bad about ourselves is named Navarro if that counts for anything.

Now of course I have cherry picked my frequent circle of belay slaves and rope guns... the rest of us fall on the paler side of white indeed!

I still want to climb with my Brother from a Blacker Mother, but he too claims he is far too sane to do what us white boys call 'fun'!

bluering

Trad climber

Santa Clara, CA

Nov 25, 2010 - 10:21pm PT

Sounds like my crew. They just don't idetify themselves by ethnicity, prolly like your crew.

Just climb, leave race for how fast you do it!

72hw

Trad climber

Pasadena, CA

Nov 25, 2010 - 10:24pm PT

Well said Bluering!

Indeed we don't see ourselves as different from one another - we're just climbers. Unless of course we are flailing like mental patients on some 5.4d test piece....

Then all bets are off!

nature

climber

Tuscon Again! India! India! Hawaii! LA?!?!

Nov 25, 2010 - 10:49pm PT

you callin' me crackah?

The Guy

Trad climber

Portland, OR

Nov 25, 2010 - 11:07pm PT

Ricky D- No good taqueria in this white bread town. Gotta go to the east side where all the border brother vatos hang out.

Dr.Sprock

Boulder climber

I'm James Brown, Bi-atch!

Nov 25, 2010 - 11:24pm PT

climbing is kind of like the banjo,

thats all i have at the moment, but if you hang, i might finish that deeeep thought,

Reilly

Mountain climber

The Other Monrovia- CA

Nov 26, 2010 - 01:42am PT

Why are most climbers dorky white guys?

Uh, 'cause only a dorky white kid would think gettin' high like this is fun...

bluering

Trad climber

Santa Clara, CA

Nov 26, 2010 - 02:27am PT

Jim nailed it, just don't wind up in jail.....

Dr.Sprock

Boulder climber

I'm James Brown, Bi-atch!

Nov 26, 2010 - 05:07am PT

i'm part black,

the best part,

get up on this bi-otch!

sometimes i use the ol schlongzie as a belaying device, just to chill out the ladies, feelin me, mo?

hey, has anybody ever takin a leak while belaying and have the wang dong doodle get all tangled up and turn blue?

hobo_dan

Social climber

Minnesota

Nov 26, 2010 - 09:34am PT

A good and honest question--most of the people I've climbed with were not quite "right" and in the very small world of the climber they would go out and do fabulously brave and foolish things and I thought it was all fantastic.

These were people who questioned the value of:

a job
a spouse
a rope
a car
food
money

but never friendship or adventure

most were smaller and few really could get it right in society-I think of the story of Chuck Pratt and his disastrous date where he ends up at the ocean punching waves

I remember being at a party and everyone was on their way to getting engaged and married and mortgaged and children and I couldn't see it. I wanted to be out at some campsite or on some crack and pulling down and away from the whole machine.

most were talkers who wanted to challenge and think about IT

most saw how pointless the whole climbing thing was and were able to laugh at themselves

and after a summer in the dirt I would be ready or at least able to get through another 9 months of soap and obedience

And a million years later I can call these people any time day or night and we can talk about those castles in the sand

murf

intothevoid

Mountain climber

Brooklyn

Nov 26, 2010 - 10:05am PT

Im going to point out the obvious here since it hasnt been but, how many minorities live in the areas where climbing is so prevalent?

Tony Bird

climber

Northridge, CA

Nov 26, 2010 - 10:55am PT

back when i was trying to write for the slicks, i got an assignment from climbing magazine to profile black climbers. i came up with three, two of whom i knew personally from the sierra club rcs, the other a fellow out east who became a bit of a celebrity in african-american circles for the calendar shot of him hanging on one arm off a gunks overhang.

we did a number of interviews and it just didn't get focused enough to make a decent article, so i gave up on it. one of my friends, who grew up in l.a., said his mother used to take him and his siblings to the national parks every year. she figured it was their rights and heritage like anyone else's and he grew up with the joys of the grand canyon, yosemite, yellowstone. the other fellow was one heck of a tennis player before he got into climbing. somehow it seems those skills transfer--i know another climber like that.

i remember one of my interviewees just making the observation, with some resignation, "blacks are urban". that's changed, and i see lots of rainbow colors on the rock. if you live in california and can't see all the asians passing you on hard routes, you're probably just blanking out. maybe you wish climbing was only for white dorks.

and please, that word, white. take anthro 101.

EdBannister

Mountain climber

13,000 feet

Nov 26, 2010 - 12:37pm PT

climber demographics.... whoa..

risk takers
almost no accountants
lawyers, docs, creative engineers (is that an oxymoron?) I mean people like Kris Solem, or Tom Frost, high technical skill but not tied up in structure or formulae.

People who are really great at what they do and still willing to not have complete control, and are in dire need of real and committed distraction. Rob Slater was a great example, 6 months on the trading floor, 6 months climbing. or Mari, research Biologist. perfect.

and let us not forget the other contingent, the how do i say it, surf bum stoner contingent.

neither group omes from the Crenshaw district,

bluering

Trad climber

Santa Clara, CA

Nov 26, 2010 - 12:57pm PT

Good. I'm glad she rubs your drunken ass the wrong way.

No wonder your neighbor hates you.

DMT

Hey Asshat, I solved that problem, remember? Or maybe you choose to recall only selected parts that fit you. And yeah, beer was involved in the solution.

Dick.

Or wait, your name is Dingus. Sorry.

And t*r's feel good crap is tired and useless.

i had a really wonderful thanksgiving day, i'm so sorry to peep in and see that some of you spent it in negativity. hope the last hours of this day can be saved for those of you who have been feeling so down that you try to bring others into your rut.

Pfftt! Are you f*#king serious with this crap!