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SammO
Social climber
Ohio
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Aug 18, 2014 - 10:16am PT
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In case you weren't paying attention, I'm pretty sure that pic BlueBlocr posted is none other than Beth Rodden, so the soul-selling business is still paying the bills.
As far as making distinctions between over-the-hill whiners who appear to live on these pages, and those out there actually doing something - anything, whether climbing, making an honest living, whatever - I have far fewer issues with Katie and Alex looking like real climbers in the Citibank commercial, versus some like a desperately over-hyped freebaser pseudomystic who appear willing to do just about anything, anywhere, screw everyone else, to make dollars.
Few here have the historic credentials, or the professional income security Mr. Stannard enjoyed, but he is really old school, when we all appreciated the eccentric outsider rep climbing had. Perhaps he also has grown weary of paying to see slides or now, videos of hot youngsters doing what we'd love to be doing, but have to work instead.
I've been far more bothered by the abysmal fantasies perpetuated in movies, from the Eiger Sanction to Cliffhanger to K2, and the climbers who made significant dollars as stunt doubles or extras doing impossible things, using horrible techniques and demonstrating ludicrous safety lapses.
There are ranges of slippery slopes out there, in every walk of life; that's why it's imperative to learn how to self-arrest, if you get my drift.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Aug 18, 2014 - 10:31am PT
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Just to clarify my position for the Kumbaya Bolshies I don't consider climbing
a sport. I hold it much higher than that. I think money tawdries it in any
form and leads to such travesties as The Red Bull Cerro Torre Abomination.
Like Bill Clinton I puffed but didn't inhale by taking gear deals. I knew
even that was a gateway drug that would easily pitch me onto a terribly
slippery slope. OK, I'm going back to this month's issue of "Chess Life"
and, yes, I rue the effects of big money on chess, too. Luckily I never
had to worry about that, either.
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dhayan
climber
los angeles, ca
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Aug 18, 2014 - 12:15pm PT
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Everyone lives their life the way they seem fit. It's funny that the folks you criticize could give two shits about what you say.
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survival
Big Wall climber
Terrapin Station
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Aug 18, 2014 - 12:25pm PT
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Blueblocr is Beth? Yes, that would surprise me.
Samm0, how about a trip report of what you've been up to?
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Aug 18, 2014 - 12:28pm PT
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dhayan, that's the trouble with SuperTopo: too many have reading comprehension
deficits and can't differentiate between criticizing ethics or mores and
personal attacks. You Kumbaya Bolshies are also so insecure in your beliefs
that you cannot stand it when someone challenges yours, or even has the
temerity to express their own, you so you attack the person rather than
discuss the issue in an adult manner.
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goatboy smellz
climber
लघिमा
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Aug 18, 2014 - 12:32pm PT
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What do you consider this?
Silly.
I'm impressed they could keep a straight face posing like that.
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dhayan
climber
los angeles, ca
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Aug 18, 2014 - 01:16pm PT
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Why pass judgment on someone else? It is really just passing judgment on yourself and your own ideas. I mean no offense to you.
Edit- this was in response to Reilly, not Goatboy. I always found that shot of BR funny too...and hot.
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Largo
Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
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Aug 18, 2014 - 02:08pm PT
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It's interesting to see the judgements tossed around here per Alex, and how - the thinking goes - the boy would be more better and more pure if he fit the criteria of an amateur, as though any sane person believes that fully staged photos sporting fly duds is "real," and that having fun doing same is selling out to "the man." This "Lone Cowboy" archtype pimped so freely herein rode into the sunset eons ago. That doesn't make the modern article a "sell out," it simply makes the older article frozen in their own judgements, like a fly in amber.
I think it's all great, including the folks who are cryng fowl. That's exaxcly what they are supposed to do, according to their roles.
JL
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jstan
climber
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Aug 18, 2014 - 03:48pm PT
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In the early 70's a now widely known author told Mohonk's climbers meeting he had found tying his vocation to his climbing had changed his climbing. The inability to predict how commercial ties will change us is one of the factors a thoughtful person considers. The majority of climbers I knew in the late 60's were college students executing their life plans. Dennis Memet was the only one who described a multiyear series of trips when I asked him what he planned to do, ultimately. Little did I suspect this astonishing freedom would carry with it greatly decreased opportunities for young people generally.
When we make decisions, we need to watch out for the cost. Dreams can turn into nightmares, in just a few seconds.
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jgill
Boulder climber
Colorado
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Aug 18, 2014 - 08:10pm PT
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"I'm shocked, shocked to . . ." [see those photos]
(Casablanca)
;>)
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Largo
Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
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Aug 19, 2014 - 08:03am PT
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In the early 70's a now widely known author told Mohonk's climbers meeting he had found tying his vocation to his climbing had changed his climbing. The inability to predict how commercial ties will change us is one of the factors a thoughtful person considers. The majority of climbers I knew in the late 60's were college students executing their life plans. Dennis Memet was the only one who described a multiyear series of trips when I asked him what he planned to do, ultimately. Little did I suspect this astonishing freedom would carry with it greatly decreased opportunities for young people generally.
When we make decisions, we need to watch out for the cost. Dreams can turn into nightmares, in just a few seconds.
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Those are points well taken, John, but they belong to thinking relative to another era. Mainly the 1970s. It boils down to basic economics. I have some ties to Adidas Outdoor and their cadre of professional climbers so I see this stuff first hand.
In the 1970s, there was no such article as a profassional climber, and us so-called "soul climbers," folks in it for the pleasure of the activity, unfettered by commercial concerns, would probably have looked down on someone getting paid to climb. We had purer motives - or so we told ourselves - and compromising our soul quotient, our amateur high ground, was not an option. We believed we were better than that.
Then professionalism entered the game as climbing gained popularity and nowadays, quaint ideas like "soul climbing" belong to a bygone era. Virtually all participents at the very top level have multiple sponsors and none that I have heard of have ever turned down sponsorship dollars fearing they would compromise their moral code or for fear of greatly reducing their opportunities. The whold purpose of accepting sponsorship - and most of it is meager at best - is to increse their time spent climbing instead of doing a regular job.
JL
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skitch
climber
East of Heaven
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Aug 19, 2014 - 08:17am PT
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I have a friend with a huge collection of climbing magazines dating back to the mid 80s, I was flipping through them and noticed that there was a special section in those older mags that would talk about the publicity climbing had, like a Toyota commercial with a 1 second shot of a climber in the background, etc.
Climbers seemed very keen on the idea of climbing becoming a mainstream sport. I'm sure not every climber thought it was a great idea though, just like today there are some people that think climbing should be an Olympic sport so that climbing will continue to grow.
Since I have no way of making money from climbing I do not want to see climbing grow-I like having entire crags to only share with my friends.
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Largo
Sport climber
The Big Wide Open Face
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Aug 19, 2014 - 08:41am PT
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If you ever see Phicobloc live you'll be a believer in "climbing" being an Olympic sport.
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skitch
climber
East of Heaven
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Aug 19, 2014 - 10:24am PT
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I've never understood watching sports, except for surfing, skateboarding and bike jumping.
I'm probably just not good enough to be competitive so I don't care to watch competition.
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Woody the Beaver
Trad climber
Soldier, Idaho
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Aug 19, 2014 - 10:26am PT
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I like that photo of Honnold a lot. It's just very competent wildlife photography, with soul and aroma. Would I prefer seeing a leopard wearing pants? As an editor I learned a lot about photo cropping from interview. Plus I'm privately convinced that I look like that too, which is why I carefully avoid mirrors.
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 19, 2014 - 12:14pm PT
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Woody, I was going to say, you and Alex appear as twins, even. Except for you being an Arctic Blonde.
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jgill
Boulder climber
Colorado
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Aug 19, 2014 - 12:18pm PT
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It's hard not to see the resemblance . . .
Definitely Olympic material!
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Aug 19, 2014 - 12:34pm PT
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John, I wasn't aware that elizabethan collars were back in fashion.
Black and orange, of course I understand. Halloween.
Maybe now I have grounds hoping that empire waists will soon follow.
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