I'm not going to get into a dumb argument about what is art and what isn't, but the criticisms you offer, Jordop, are no different in spirit than those that were made of Pollock or Duchamp. I gained a lot more from the piece you described than your interpretation. And as far as climber related performance art is concerned, of course it's going to appeal to climbers, the same way climbing literature does.
The point I'm making is that a knee jerk reaction to art by calling it shit, only shows a reluctance to think about the artwork.