Jason_Martin Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 I just read a response on another thread concerning the "Golden Piton Awards" that were put together by Climbing magazine. I was really depressed by these awards. I thought I was actually going to read about some things that I hadn't heard about. But instead it was stuff on Dean Potter and Beth Rodden. Dean Potter and Beth Rodden are everywhere. They are in the advertisements and they are in the articles. Seeing them win awards in this so called competition really irked me. Yes, their ascents were great. Yes, they were really hard. Yes, they deserve press for this kind of stuff... But come on. Do they really need awards for recognition? I think this kind of award should have one major prerequisite. Anyone competing for the Golden Piton award -- or any other award put together by the climbing press -- should be unsponsered and unaffiliated. Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MysticNacho Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 But how else could those magazines draw in old readers, tired of all the same BS, just one more time?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ade Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 Shame... My subscription seems to have lapsed. It wouldn't be so bad if on top of recycling the same magazine material they weren't also getting lots of material from books etc. The "Climbing Reprint Service". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erik Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 gehy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 Quite frankly, if it is the "most notable achievements of the past year" are you really surprised you heard about them before? Sponsored climbers live off publicity so they cant afford to stay reticent. Only us employed climbers can afford to but most of us* are just as bad spraymasters only our achievements are not so good*. * fowler, full time employed as british taxman, is obvious exception to this. the interesting thing about the golden piton is the judgement involved ie choosing josune sending 14d as more notable than some dude onsighting a bunch of 13d and 14a. the rookie of the year, and humanitarian, sections were not recycled and were pretty interesting. ivan tresch boulderer, sending freerider for first trad route, that cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr_Flash_Amazing Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 Anyway, they weren't "competing" for the awards, Climbing just decided to hand them out. It's not like Dean Potter was all "I'll solo some mean shit on Cerro Torre so I can win this swell award" or something. Plus it's totally arbitrary and pointless anyway. But they did showcase some underdog talent, and it's kinda crazy to see those people's achievements all stacked up. Fact is, if climbing did revolve around awards and whatnot, most of those folks deserve one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 i am disappointed there was not a spraymaster category cause it would nice to see how i stack up against the best worldwide Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr_Flash_Amazing Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 They probably wanted to stick to giving awards in categories where there was some doubt as to the final outcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nattybumppo Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 While in agreement on the Potter/Rodden saturation comments, I consider the Lifetime Achievement Award the most interesting. Since I'm a life-long friend of one of the guys on the editorial staff, I know a little about why Washburn was chosen. Not that he was a bad choice, not even remotely. But it's interesting. The editors have a short list, fewer than ten, of old guys they want to recognize before they die. But they only want to recognize one per year. Being over ninety, Washburn was the obvious early tick. Next year? Well, if you can live with the North American bias of the award, they are considering Beckey. But Pete Schoening is also under consideration. "The Belay" of course, but also for being the only American with an 8000 meter first ascent (fact check that please.) I'm interested to hear who y'all would put on your short list, given the real-time-who-dies-first problem the editors face. I don't remember the name of the "B.C. Beckey," but he's in the running too. Who else? Hornbein isn't that old. Big Jim/Lou? Not that old. Old Yosemite studs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 I don't remember the name of the "B.C. Beckey," but he's in the running too. John Clarke died Jan 24/2003 RIP John. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimL Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 Fact is, if climbing did revolve around awards and whatnot, most of those folks deserve one. We all deserve one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronco Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 A golden piton wouldn't hold worth a shit anyway, it's way too soft! I'd ask those stupid magazine guys to give me some real pins if they offered me that golden pounder! who in the hell is Dean Potterd anyway? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted February 5, 2003 Share Posted February 5, 2003 the pins are only gold plated just like gold records in the record industry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ade Posted February 6, 2003 Share Posted February 6, 2003 Fowler is actually sponsoered by TNF, or he certainly was a few years back, although he does have a full time job, wife kids, yadda yadda yadda. Pierre Beghin was another climber with a "real" job/life, there's quite a few of them but as you point out their incentive to run around shouting about it is somewhat less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard_noggin Posted February 6, 2003 Share Posted February 6, 2003 What do you expect from a mag owned by the big PRIMEDIA corp with a head editior that is a bolt chopp'n ROCK COP. I am letting my sub. die and only subcribing to ROCK and ICE run by climbers for climbers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willstrickland Posted February 6, 2003 Share Posted February 6, 2003 Hey avatar Noggin, you should check out the facts behind the bolt-chopping incident in which JT was involved. In my judgement, it was more than justified, but I'm obviously biased having chopped routes myself. Spray all you want, fact is, one of climbing's editors (Samet) is one of the bolder climbers in Boulder. Unrepeated V10 highballs, 5.13 R/X FA, repeats of many hard R and X rated routes in Eldo. Dude is a little twisted though, read some of his non-climbing related writing sometime. I wish the mags were better, and regardless of what you think about the overexposure of some athletes, the awards at least generate some discussion. Besides, show me another woman (like Rodden) who's climbed many of the hardest crack routes in the country. Don't forget that she climbed a few of Indian Creek's hardest a couple of years ago. Honestly, I used to subscribe to both mags. A few years ago I stopped. Too many ads and such and not enough substance for my taste. (Besides, the Portland public library system has subscriptions to both and I'm a poor bastard and read them there). I still occasionally purchase them, but only when there is something in there I want (typically mini-guides, or beta on areas). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard_noggin Posted February 6, 2003 Share Posted February 6, 2003 Yeah I did check out the facts. If its not you route DFWI(don't phuk with it) I would rather buy a mag from climbers for climbers instead of giveing $$$$ to Primeda V-10 someones climbing has nothing to do with anything but his personal accomplishments. V-10 so he's a mat faggot(thats a joke) What up don't like someone with a different oppion than yours? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard_noggin Posted February 6, 2003 Share Posted February 6, 2003 BTW the climbers that I admire are Peter Croft and Alex Lowe so I tend to sway toward alpine and trade . I have not heard of them ever chopp'n bolts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cracked Posted February 6, 2003 Share Posted February 6, 2003 Yo, Strickland, what else has Samet written? I always liked his satire (sportaneering, you my bitch, etc) but where has he written non-climbing pieces? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr_Flash_Amazing Posted February 6, 2003 Share Posted February 6, 2003 Yo, Strickland, what else has Samet written? I always liked his satire (sportaneering, you my bitch, etc) but where has he written non-climbing pieces? http://www.lfino.com/matt/ Helpful hint: next time, try google! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr_Flash_Amazing Posted February 6, 2003 Share Posted February 6, 2003 'Breakfast in the Discontent' - A Reviewette: Well, it was a bleak and bizarre piece of writing, to be sure. Slathered, too, with a hefty helping of HST, and spiked with hints of Abbeyan disgust at Amerikan megalomonoculture and corporosuburbia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specialed Posted February 6, 2003 Share Posted February 6, 2003 Samet's recent article about posers / sprayers classified by geographic region or something of the like was dumb as hell. Boorish and stale. His article about the "sub" belay slave thing was only marginally better. Just not really all that funny. Jeff Apple-Benowitz on the other hand who writes for Climbing is way good. His writing (mostly of Alaska alpine shit) is real, jaded, and good. Not a whole lot of good, satirical climbing writers out there right now, except for Jon Sherman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted February 6, 2003 Share Posted February 6, 2003 benowitz is a chestbeater. that "how long have you been alone" article was so 2nd rate twight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specialed Posted February 6, 2003 Share Posted February 6, 2003 Benowitz has a humanistic component to his writing that Twight lacks. But not that its as good as Twight's.... Death, , and climbing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordop Posted February 6, 2003 Share Posted February 6, 2003 Who was the guy who wrote that bit a few years ago about being on some Alp sketch fest and yelling down to his belayer, "I'd kill for a piece" and the belayer thinking he said "pizza"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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