Rain....please tell me what is wrong with this style of climbing? Besides the bolts....because I have sieged the hell out of certain cracks that I wanted to send....all on gear.
O.K. dude...I'll try to explain it simply. I kind of like you even though you come off as Forrest Gump with typing skills...Actually I think you're smarter than most people around here give you credit.
It's like this...can you walk up to a 5.9/5.10 and get your fat body up that thing? Good for you! You're a 5.9/5.10 climber. Now if you did that same climb, and had to rehearse the difficult moves over and over again until you got it wired, is that the same same thing as having the ability to approach it and do the route because you're up for it? Are you now a 5.9/5.10 climber? I don't think so. I believe the same thing about many of these so-called "cutting edge" routes. Most of them require weeks of rehearsal, that is, siege climbing, which in my book, at least, is not the same as having the ability to "on-site" something because you have the developed strength and skill. Early in my climbing career, if someone was "free-climbing" a route, and hung off the rope: "hang-dogging", they were often booed and told to come back when they were up to the challenge. I happen to agree with this philosophy. I also believe that even you, Kevbone, can climb 5.12 and above given enough rehearsal time. It might take you months,rather than weeks, but you might very well pull off a 5.13. And for those who claim that sport-climbing and hang-doggin' has allowed them to get strong enough to do hard routes, there are enough indoor gyms around these days to help you "get strong" where there's no excuse to express your inadequacies on real rock by siege climbing. Can't do the route without falling? Pull the rope and start over or come back when you're good enough, but don't equate free-climbing with siege climbing....it's an illusion of numbers. There still aren't alot of climbers who can do anything 5.13 or above without resorting to rehearsal. Does it hurt me if they want to spend their lives that way...spending a month rehearsing a 50 foot climb? No, I just think it's pathetic. Even if it's done on trad gear. Don't confuse the abilty to on-site with the abilty to to rehearse a climb into submission. It's quite a boundary. But folks should recognize it for what it is. Just my opinion. Carry on, 'bone.
It is siege climbing if you try to the route 15 times before sending? What about 5 times? Or twice? I would like to rip on all kinds of climbing, like aid climbing. But at the end of the day, it is not up to me how other folks want to spend their free time climbing. Good for them. Same with Siege climbing.
