Where are the GREATS???

[erik]

rod,

you still have yet to give us the moldfor us all to break ourslves from......

what are your requirments......please share i need validation for my life.....phuuulezzzzzzzz!!!

[Cpt.Caveman]

[major spray]I'll ask F.B. why he doesn't post here today after I pick him up. Dont expect any report until Tuesday.[/major spray]

My immediate guess is he does not want to be mobbed with senseless or meaningless gibbersish.

[Dru]

Hey Cavey take some throat drops along cause shouting at the top of your lungs to be understood takes its toll on the vocal chords.

[Rodchester]

W:

"I'm poking fun because it would be funny to imagine a famous, top end climber, partaking in a TYPICAL discussion that goes on here."

Funny, I have found many to be incredibly down to earth and regularly particpate in "typical" discusions. No I don't just mean CHris B but I have represented a few very well known climbers in contract matters with sponsors and media outlets.

At my wedding I remember talking with Carlos Buhler and Whopper about a 5.5 route and a scramble in the Tetons and it was obvious he enjoyed just talking climbing, 5.0 to 5.14. Alpine, crag, ice, rock.

I think a lot more climbers, GREAT and not so great would post here if there wasn't so much smearing going on...not the off colored humor...that is fine.

[Cpt.Caveman]

quote:

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Originally posted by Dru:

Hey Cavey take some throat drops along cause shouting at the top of your lungs to be understood takes its toll on the vocal chords.

---

Nice tip. I'll get some.

[erik]

i am stopping now, packing up my things and leaving the office oh so quitely......sshhhhh

[ 01-18-2002: Message edited by: erik ]

[pope]

An excellent thread, with volumes of speculation on “WHY WON’T THE COOL GUYS PAL AROUND WITH US?”. (Chapter 8?) Now that you’ve cluttered your limited intellects with what amounts to amateurish opinion, you may wish to know the truth…or you may just want to think about it first, since what follows is the only LOGICAL answer to this question.

OK, here’s the answer: SPONSORS. That’s right, you heard right. When you knock out some impressive climbs, when your name first gets spread around, the phone starts to ring. Everybody wants to put their patch on your parka and fly you around for photo ops. You go from “nobody” status to big shot over night. But there is a catch, you see. Sponsors know that you will more effectively help them sell the crap they’re trying to peddle only if you can transcend your “accomplished-climber” image and achieve “legend” status. What’s the difference? It’s simple: to become a legend, you must shut your mouth, go into hiding, and let your climbing speak for itself. To become a legend, there must be a fantasy/super-hero element to your image; you must be presented to the climbing public only where super-star climbers appear: in glossy magazines, at trade shows, in slide presentations. When you become too accessible, half of what makes you special (your mystique) disappears. Think about it: if you had lunch with Superman every day, would you still buy his comics? I think you would not.

Sponsors know this, and when you agree to put a Power Bar patch on your parka, you agree to avoid rubbing shoulders with the masses of asses. It’s in the contract. NO CHATTING ON CLIMBING BULLETING BOARDS. In fact, you can’t make public statements whatsoever without first running them buy your agent.

On the one hand, big-shot climbers grow weary of being in the public eye. No matter how hip you are, people are going to slam you, just to get a little attention. Look what happened to John Lennon? He didn’t even know the guy who snuffed him. Part of why sponsors demand aloofness from their benefactors is to protect them from unwarranted ridicule, and so this condition of sponsorship works in their favor.

But if you don’t think the NW legends are lurking in the CC.com shadows, watching how much fun we’re having, you’re kidding yourself. A decade ago, when my own climbing abilities evolved from excellent to extraordinary, when my phone started ringing off the hook, I saw the writing on the wall. Yes, the attention, the free gear, the girls, the private jet…..OK, it was quite tempting, but what I really enjoy is sitting around the campfire or chatting on a bulletin board with inferior climbers…chatting about anything and everything, from lofty bolting/ethics discussions to learning who soiled their knickers and where.

And so, if today you’re wishing to rub shoulders electronically with a big-name, NW climber, may I assure you that they’re wishing to rub shoulders with you. YOU, my fellow CC.com chat-monkey, are having all the fun. YOU are the action. YOU are the one with your finger on the pulse of NW mountain climbing. Besides, Dick Cilley has been seen on the site….and that ain’t all bad.

[AlpineK]

I think Pope has a very good point.

I would like to add the following

If I follow Rod. In order to be a ledgend you must be either sponsored by a company and or talked about in a major climbing publication(s).

--Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong--

Since most of the climbing media is located in CO, I would guess that they tend to cover CO first and the rest of the country less and less. If you were a great Northwest climber chances are you would have to have a big resume to come to the mags attention. Most people take a while to build up a big tick list of climbs, especially alpine climbs, so you would probably be in your 30s or 40s before you gained widespread recognition. I'm talking about guys like Greg Child, Steve Swenson, or women like Christine Boskoff.

Now lets think about who the average poster on CC is:

Male, 20 something, in a profession directly or indirectly involving computers. I'm not talking about everybody of course; I'm generalizing about what I see hanging out here or going to pub clubs.

It seams to me that the older you are, and the less computer savy you are, the less likley you are to post on the board and thus most people who Rod would consider, "NW greats," aren't likely to post in the first place.

I should also say that some of the comments about CB in the slide show thread were unfair, and if CB were reading them I bet she wouldn't be posting.

And last I think there already are a bunch of people on this site that have a lot of climbing experience. Maybe not the stuff of ledgend, but enough to give some good advice every once and a while.

[ 01-20-2002: Message edited by: AlpineK ]

[Cairns]

quote:

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it was quite tempting, but what I really enjoy is sitting around the campfire or chatting on a bulletin board

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At least when the company is good or the them are bad or we realize how ridiculous we look. Truth is humor, humor truth; well said, big guy.

[RURP]

This is RURP.

Hero-worshipping of climbers is pathetic. Why don't you find some real heroes like Theodore Roosevelt ro Shackelton; people with real character; instead of some foolish jackass who wastes weeks of his life trying to "master" a 40 foot sport climb, or risks his life to climb a peak? Give your grandmother stickier shoes, some training, and unlimited time to hang and rehearse and she, too, a 5.14 climbing heroine because she is an old woman. And then the phone will ring. And then you will want to buy all of the crap that she endorses in a ridiculous magazine because she is so important and inspirational...until another older lady comes by who climbs something harder.

Yawn. Look at me! I can wack a sharp tool into a steep frozen waterfall! Yahoo! Want my autograph?

RURP has spoken.

[jeffers]

They aren't too "cool" for you...they don't generally look down on anyone, except maybe a poser or slacker.

They don't *universally* find off color topics or flamefests overly disagreeable, these are climbers.

Climbers first...famous, wealthy, and most else second. Of those I'm aware of who are active on the web, the primary inhibition to increased participation is restrictions on time. Ticking 8km peaks, dealing with publishers and retail bookstores, interviews, there's only so much time in the day. Kick in a family, house, cars, slideshows, ski trips, cats, boom, there goes this year...

Rod, straight up...on a scale of 1 to 10, how pissed was Chris over the original thread?

Personal theory here: anyone who can shrug off a 70kt wind or a couple thousand feet of air under a run-out no pro slag heap, probably won't be flapping too much over what happens here. Fact or fiction?

[panther]

Pope's pretty much right. CYA, and this means you need to be reticent enough to let your actions speak louder than your words.

Better to just climb for yourself anyway.

[Rodchester]

jeffers:

"Rod, straight up...on a scale of 1 to 10, how pissed was Chris over the original thread?"

I won't comment for CB.

But let ask this. How pissed would you be if your spouse died and some jackass on this site said that you were the cause of or at least contributed to your spouses death?

That is the lowest thing I have ever seen in my entire life. Worthless piece of shit. I hope that CC:er is hit by a bus full of nuns holding babies on the way to the hospital, and it doesn't stop. I would then pee on the CC:ers grave. What a gutless and classless person.

No bady wants to be around that kind of person. Why do posters on this site take it?

I have received multiple e-mails (and a few telephone calls) from people who completely back me up on this but just don't want to jump into the morass for fear they would be called a homo or thier abilities questioned, or be accused of getting someone killed.

As far as the "greats" go I don't mean that they have to be sponsored to be great. I just mean climbers that when thier name is mentioned, most other climbers know who they are.

I know that most of the spraying is just off colored fun, but go back and read that thread. Someone like Christine who does all kinds of climbing, including alpine style ascents of 8000 meter peaks, with very (if any) little sponsorship, who has never written a book, who gives a slide show is just riped to shreds? She is called names, her sexuality questioned, lies, lies, lies, accused of hating men in a book she never wrote? Is this off colored fun?

One jackass says he can run a guide company better than old Lou yet he just refuses to say how? Real constructive.

And of of this from who?

[Rodchester]

Oh yeah...and I would like to commend DRU. Once he realized that his statement about CB's book was incorrect (She never wrote any book, it was heidi Hawkins) he retracted his statement and more or less apologized.

To his credit, he still stood firm on his dislike of guiding 8000 meter peaks.

I respect that.

To DRU

[Dru]

to Rodchester despite his name dropping habits ("DID YOU KNOW CARLOS BUHLER CAME TO MY WEDDING?????")

On the subject of who is GREAT again... we got Jim Nelson aka PMS posting here... we got Don Serl posting here... we got Beckey lurking here... Rodchester you still havent told me how come those guys arent GREAT??? I mean they are in 50 Favorite Climbs as being in the top 50 of North American climbers?? wha da fa? you complain about ppl dissing Chris Boskoff in a forum she dont even read but you are harshing on these guys by saying they arent GREAT?? what kind of respect level is that huh?

[AlpineK]

quote:

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Originally posted by Dru:

to Rodchester despite his name dropping habits ("DID YOU KNOW CARLOS BUHLER CAME TO MY WEDDING?????")

On the subject of who is GREAT again... we got Jim Nelson aka PMS posting here... we got Don Serl posting here... we got Beckey lurking here... Rodchester you still havent told me how come those guys arent GREAT??? I mean they are in 50 Favorite Climbs as being in the top 50 of North American climbers?? wha da fa? you complain about ppl dissing Chris Boskoff in a forum she dont even read but you are harshing on these guys by saying they arent GREAT?? what kind of respect level is that huh?

---

Exactly

[Rodchester]

DRU:

I see Jim post occaisionally. That is cool and yes he is one exceptional climber. Not saying Serl isn't a great climber either.

Lurking is not posting. I have never said or even implied that these guys aren't great. If you missed the context, you missed the context.

I really wasn't getting into specifics of who is great and who is not, but more to do with the bashing that goes on here keeping people, great and no great, away. Especially when the bashing is just a bunch of baseless lies.

The web page says it is for all climbers, but the words of many posters sure don't make it sound welcoming to all climbers.

As far as name dropping goes, say that you want. I have known Carlos for years. Nice guy, very down to earth. I felt the context of the conversation, that a guy like Carlos can sit at a wedding and talk with guys like myself and Wopper about a low fifth class climb in the tetons as if it were the east face of Everest demonstrated how the "greats" do have time to engange in the conversations that occur here.

BTW: you gotta love Jim's store.

[Dru]

Here is some name dropping - I drank with forrest_m, W, Lamebone, vegetablebelay, erik and tom-the-lurker at Mugs and Jugs on the weekend. The lurker picked up the tab! If only everybody that lurked on this site did that I would be forever!

[Rodchester]

The best beer is free beer!!!

[mikeadam]

well damn if everyone's going to drop names I wanna drop one. Mark Wilford kicks ass. Smokes weed too!

[Charlie]

Capt Caveman is climbing with Fred Beckey this very moment.

[Dru]

What I want to know is, who is the rope gun in that pairing???

[Dru]

What's up with that lurking behind an alias comment anyways - is your name really "RODCHESTER" or is that some sort of nickname??? I mean c'mon what type of weak BS is that? Here is some anonymous person who doesnt even want to post to this bbs but gets you to post a message they send you, doing a pot & kettle black routine, complaining about anonymous posting ??? HELLO - ANONYMOUS POSTER - IF YOU READ THIS - WHICH YOU APPARENTLY WILL CAUSE YOU APPARENTLY LURK HERE ALL THE TIME TO SEE A THREAD THAT HAS ONLY BEEN AROUND FOR A FEW DAYS - WHY DONT YOU PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH????

[AlpineK]

If you visit CC a lot and see something on this site that you think is bullshit stand up and say it.

Rodchester you seem to have a lot of pasive agressive friends.

[erik]

rod, i dont want to sound like an asshole here(probably to late) but to me it seems that you are propgating this situation.....sure things have been said and sure a lot of it was b.s. but what good does it do to continully bring it up??? does that not just carry the torch of hate further along????

i would say it is too bad that all this crap arose, but i think we should leave it alone for know......no point in kicking a dead horse