Why are most climbers dorky white guys?

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Fluoride

Trad climber

Hollywood, CA

Nov 30, 2010 - 10:04am PT

What the real question should be is...

"Why did so many climbers end up being engineers?".

ding ding ding JACKPOT.

I've never met another climber with a jouralism degree. Everyone in my field thinks I'm insane for wanting to climb. Probably 80% of my climbing partners over the years have been engineering types.

I guess it's the problem solving thing. Most climbers are mathmatically inclined. I'm a rare exception. I suck at math and just climb cause it's fun.

Tony Bird

climber

Northridge, CA

Nov 30, 2010 - 10:26am PT

We're descended from people who valued their freedom and independence (or at least their lives) or sought their fortunes enough to leave their extended families in Europe and strike out on their own.

well, a lot of them were kicked out of europe because europe got so damn crowded and they found themselves believing the wrong things. kicked out in a nice way, of course.

alpinism didn't really get started until the 19th century. it was a product of imagination. the swiss had lived with their alps for centuries, millenia, i guess, but never thought it was important to go up to a summit. for the island-bound british, it became a mania. somehow, that seems best caught by bluegrass:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szAd9lMUXEA&feature=related

exploration is a fairly natural instinct, especially if things aren't hunky-dory at home sweet home. polynesian peoples did some rather impressive seafaring long before the vikings started hopping across northern islands.

no journalism degree here, fluoride, but have been city editor, managing editor, regional editor and darkroom flunkie. i studied poetry, realized very late in life what a great engineer i might have been, and am probably the only person on ST who thinks the skills are related.