Alpinist 4

[dberdinka]

Just picked up a copy of this rag for the first time last night. It good! It's really, really good! The article by Voytek Kurtyka is the most interesting piece of mountaineering journalism I have read in a really, really long time. Highly entertaining, here are some quotes.

 

"The traditional mountaineering ethos, bent on idealistic heroism and toughness, gave way to decadent trends, such as climbing plywood boards or bolted walls"

 

"Matzek was recognized star of grass climbing....The champions of this art searched the secret nooks of the Tatra for grass routes known for poor protection that provide a fair chance of killing oneself"

 

"He had, however, deep uncertainty as to whether he should devote his life to politcal science or grass climbing....."

 

"Without (climbing) the icicle, we were assholes and everything that had happened to us was an absurd mess"

 

(Hey! that sounds like someone around here!)

 

"My dearest son Alexander, having beaten up a number of girls at his school, got a bad mark..."

 

( I by no means believe beating up girls to be entertaining, it's just a really weird remark)

 

I had to snicker at the bravado of Jim Bridwell, in reference to some terrifying piece of work on the Mooses Tooth

 

"Conquest or death was our code"

 

I'm a little bummed they pictured the north face of Latok in their unclimbed routes section, as thats kinda been a lil' project of mine. Guess I'll have to deal with the crowds next spring.

 

 

Check it out, I'm gonna subscribe to the thing.

[lummox]

monkeyspank quality. needs nekkid chicks.

 

[ClimbingH]

dberdinka said:

The article by Voytek Kurtyka is the most interesting piece of mountaineering journalism I have read in a really, really long time.

 

Yeah, he is a crazy one of a Polack. Always enjoy reading about his trips.

And Tatras (both on the Polish and Slovakian side)

 

[goatboy]

What does it cost to subscribe to the damn thing?

 

There was a hell of a solicitation, initially, for people to send photos and articles and so forth for the magazine when it was new . . .

 

Then when I inquired as to what sort of photos, articles, etc they might be looking for, Christian Beckwith himself replied to me via email, as if I had intruded on his perfect world, stating something along the lines of, "Thanks very much for asking how you can contribute, at this point we have some good people working with us, so we'll contact you if anything changes, buh bye."

 

It was a bit of a turn-off, after he had solicited input from the climbing community . . .

 

It is a very nice publication and features cool alpine routes and images and articles . . . . . just none by me!

 

S

[Bug]

goatboy said:

What does it cost to subscribe to the damn thing?

 

There was a hell of a solicitation, initially, for people to send photos and articles and so forth for the magazine when it was new . . .

 

Then when I inquired as to what sort of photos, articles, etc they might be looking for, Christian Beckwith himself replied to me via email, as if I had intruded on his perfect world, stating something along the lines of, "Thanks very much for asking how you can contribute, at this point we have some good people working with us, so we'll contact you if anything changes, buh bye."

 

It was a bit of a turn-off, after he had solicited input from the climbing community . . .

 

It is a very nice publication and features cool alpine routes and images and articles . . . . . just none by me!

 

S

Post em here as TR's

[goatboy]

I have and will continue to do so! Thanks.

 

S

[BigWave]

Yo, the Alpinist is a reader supported publications. You like, you buy, they keep makin good stuff. simple. Check out their web site to order a sub. or to send one for a gift. My girlie hooked me up this summer and it rulz!

[randygoat]

dberdinka said:

Just picked up a copy of this rag for the first time last night. It good! It's really, really good! The article by Voytek Kurtyka is the most interesting piece of mountaineering journalism I have read in a really, really long time.

 

I loved the issue with the exception of Voyteks meandering drivel. Maybe something was really lost in the translation.

 

Sounds like a great adventure, a great story, but horribly written.Really lacked focus and I think was trying to be a little artsy without pulling it off.Maybe in its original language it may have flowed better, but man, in English it was pretty choppy.

 

He did have some great lines on there own merit. Some very quotable ones to.They just didn't go well into each other.

 

Great Magazine though. I would like to see some more current stories , rather than rereading accounts I had read about in 80s era Climbing, Schlock and Lice, and Mountain magazines. Maybe there is nothing new in aplinism worth writting about? I doubt it.

 

Epics happen

[glassgowkiss]

goatboy said:

What does it cost to subscribe to the damn thing?

 

There was a hell of a solicitation, initially, for people to send photos and articles and so forth for the magazine when it was new . . .

 

Then when I inquired as to what sort of photos, articles, etc they might be looking for, Christian Beckwith himself replied to me via email, as if I had intruded on his perfect world, stating something along the lines of, "Thanks very much for asking how you can contribute, at this point we have some good people working with us, so we'll contact you if anything changes, buh bye."

 

It was a bit of a turn-off, after he had solicited input from the climbing community . . .

 

It is a very nice publication and features cool alpine routes and images and articles . . . . . just none by me!

 

S

dear ego, maybe if you put up some sicko alpine line, then they will contact you. just for a record- imagine every sizzle chest beating nibble nut trying to send them unsolicited stuff??!! it would turn into cc.com . this is a very good publication, with fantastic pictures and text to match. noticed minimum add space? tha's why i stopped reading climbing and r&i. if i want to read gear catalog i can get one for free from manufacturer. the quality of pictures and the text in these 2 publications are so lame it makes me want to puke.

my advice to you fame seaking friend is to go, climb some sicko routes, make a name for yourself and then i am sure you'll be receiving phone call from the man himself.

Edited November 22, 2003 by glassgowkiss

[rbw1966]

ClimbingH said:

And Tatras (both on the Polish and Slovakian side)

 

I'll be doing some climbing in the Slovak Tatras over Christmas.

[chelle]

goatboy said:

What does it cost to subscribe to the damn thing?

 

$46 for 1 year, $88 for two in the US. I got this publication this year and did not renew my R&I and Climbing subscriptions. I think I actually ended up saving a few bucks, and I will have fewer crappy articles and way fewer ads to wade through. Bummer is it only comes 4 times a year.

[cracked]

ehmmic said:

goatboy said:

What does it cost to subscribe to the damn thing?

 

$46 for 1 year, $88 for two in the US. I got this publication this year and did not renew my R&I and Climbing subscriptions. I think I actually ended up saving a few bucks, and I will have fewer crappy articles and way fewer ads to wade through. Bummer is it only comes 4 times a year.

I haven't bit the bullet, but I keep thinking about it......

[goatboy]

Glasgowkiss eloquently commented:

 

dear ego, maybe if you put up some sicko alpine line, then they will contact you. just for a record- imagine every sizzle chest beating nibble nut trying to send them unsolicited stuff??!! it would turn into cc.com . this is a very good publication, with fantastic pictures and text to match. noticed minimum add space? tha's why i stopped reading climbing and r&i. if i want to read gear catalog i can get one for free from manufacturer. the quality of pictures and the text in these 2 publications are so lame it makes me want to puke.

my advice to you fame seaking friend is to go, climb some sicko routes, make a name for yourself and then i am sure you'll be receiving phone call from the man himself.

 

Whew, hoooooo AHHHHH!

 

Guess he told me, huh?

 

I am not a sick alpinist, and don't tend to "put up sicko lines." But if those are the criteria for getting published in that particular magazine, they should have said as much. What they DID say, instead, was very different, which was an invitation to the climbing community at large to query them about contributions -- when I did so, I was met with the "Who the hell are you to contribute?" attitude I mentioned.

 

So my point is not that I'm a great alpinist worthy of their magazine, rather, the inconsistency between their solicitation and their reaction to people like me who took them at face value.

 

Whatever. As I said, it's a cool publication and does have great photos and stories.

 

I can't wait to read what Glasgow has to say about this post . . .

[glassgowkiss]

what's your point? now before you get you panties in a wad stop for a second and THINK.

are you leading climber?

are you a writer?

are your pictures professional quality?

if not wtf are you complaining about? just drink a few and chill

[goatboy]

I invite you to re-read my post and tell me what YOU think my point is. It has nothing to do with being a leading climber, or a professional climber, or a writer.

 

How are things in the gutter, by the way? Oh, I have to go de-wad my panties!!!!

 

I love the way YOU told me to chill, after your presumptuous diatribe against someone you've never met.

 

 

This will be my last attempt at communicating with you on this topic. Thanks for the thought-provocation!