Performance Rock Climbing

[lancegranite]

Super Dave is the king of Washington rock!!!!!!!

I have nothing but the highest respect...

Super Dave is my hero!!!!

[cman]

to me the most exciting part of climbing is exploring new terrain. the harder you can climb the more is open to you. i don't want to accept my limitations b/c then a lot of routes i want to do would be closed to me.

 

i don't think we should confuse excitment with spraying. pushing your limits, whether it is 5.9 or 5.13 is the most exhilarating part of climbing, and people should be exicited when they succeed.

 

just cruising in your comfort level, while fine for some people, gets pretty boring to me.

[ketch]

MattP,

I'm movin against the drift here. Your right on about the migration of perfomance climbing. I started so that I could gain mountains. What I like is somebody else investing the the effort to learn the tricks and show me the short cuts. Remember when you "had" to lay back almost every crack? I like the new tricks even if I haven't mastered a gaston while wearing a crag pack yet.

What I don't like is the move towards "seperate" disciplines. I have never met Distel but I know I can't crank some of the stuff he shares in his pics. I might be wrong but he may have a challenge mounting a huge peak baggin trip that calls for hours of bushwackin and sloggin. Thats cool though were both climbers and entitled to do what were into. I think there is a fine line between chest beatin and dissin on a bro.

[richard_noggin]

Super Dave is the king of Washington rock!!!!!!!

I have nothing but the highest respect...

Super Dave is my hero!!!!

Definitely the most well liked and inspiring climber in Washington

Maybe that is because he doesn't own a computer!

DICK

[Timcb]

What I don't like is the move towards "seperate" disciplines.

 

But I think this is just the natural progression of climbing, a sport with a very, very broad scope. Originally, climbing really only meant one thing- it was a way for people to continue making progress on tall peaks when they started getting too difficult for normal hiking. A variety of techniques were developed to aid in the goal of making upward progress, and as more and more people were exposed to these developing techniques, some folks found that they enjoyed some techniques more than others, or in other instances, more than the original goal of alpinism itself. Therefore we now have rock climbing, ice climbing, bouldering, and ski mountaineering each as distinct activities, but still falling under the umbrella term of climbing.

 

With increased extreme sport media coverage, more and more people now have been exposed in some way to climbing. Without question the most accesible way to just start climbing is at the gym and through sport climbing. In response to somebody's earlier question, I'd bet no more than half of the people in Seattle that would identify themselves as climbers have even climbed outside once- forget placing gear (on an aside, I have one friend who can climb 10s and dabbles in multi-pitch, but won't even consider trad. He feels that sport climbing is safer than his liftserved snowboarding, but that once you start placing gear, climbing becomes terribly risky).. Many gym climbers have no concept of the other facets of climbing and are interested only in the vertical gymnastics that occur beneath the roof. I think it's largely the vast numbers of people who develop fantastic technical skills in the gyms that can be attributed with sending the 5.13s at Smith and really pushing the envelop in terms of higher graded rock climbing. Obviously, coming from the gym is not the only way to become an elite rock climber, but I do believe that the gyms have had a huge effect on the number of people who are now climbing at "elite" levels.

 

Now I'm not placing any kind of judgement on the different types and styles of climbing, I just think the different facets become almost like different sports.. each to be pursued in its own way. Folks just have different goals and different disciplines that they're good at and favor. So long as people in every discipline are pushing themselves and making progress towards their goals, I think they're all great.

 

but personally, I'd choose straight up alpinism

[glassgowkiss]

DFA nailed this thing. of course you'll be talking about the routes that stand out in your memory- which is routes that challange you the most. so if your limmit is 10+ or 11 or 12 or 13 or 14 you'll be talking about them. as the matter of fact the biggest spray-lord i have ever met are wanna-be-climbers-real-life-wankers, who totally lack the discipline to train. i do belive that if you are resonably fit and have proper body fat ratio (which in this country would be only like 30-40%) then with proper training regime could climb 12's (trad or sport) within a year or two.

but the topic driffted. the question is- is 10 a moderate grade. yes it is and a lot of people don't want to see it this way. as the matter of fact late 80's and 90's past this area in the alpine too.

[sk]

I accepted when I started climbing that I was not climbing because I was going to be "good" at it. I am not athleticly gifted in any way shape or fourm. I climb because it is fun. I think it is great that people push the envelope and climb harder and faster and better. that better gear is invented. I will consider myself lucky when I become a mediocre climber.

 

what I did not know as a kid and what turned me off of most sports was the idea that you have to be good at something to enjoy it or keep doing it. for me that is not the case in climbing. I suck and I don't care. I am just glad there are people that continue to climb with me even though I am not pushing for 5.12

 

oh and glassgowkiss I work out at least 4 days a week, I have been climbing for 5 years and have a bodyfat percentage of 21%... 5.10 is my limit so far. I work hard and I am improving my leading is getting better. but I think as with all athletics there is a part that is just gift.

 

5.9=D

5.10=C

5.11=B

5.12=A

and any better than that and you don't need me to tell you you rock

Edited April 20, 2004 by Muffy_The_Wanker_Sprayer

[Squid]

I accepted when I started typing that I was not typing because I was going to be "good" at it. I am not grammatically gifted in any way shape or forum. I type because it is fun. I think it is great that people push the envelope and type harder and faster and better- that better spell-checkers are invented. I will consider myself lucky when I become a mediocre typist.

 

Type on, Muffy! The best typist in the world is the one having the most fun!

[sk]

I accepted when I started typing that I was not typing because I was going to be "good" at it. I am not grammatically gifted in any way shape or forum. I type because it is fun. I think it is great that people push the envelope and type harder and faster and better- that better spell-checkers are invented. I will consider myself lucky when I become a mediocre typist.

 

Type on, Muffy! The best typist in the world is the one having the most fun!

[EWolfe]

 

[sk]

are you making fun of me because I like the bandaloop misterE??

[EWolfe]

are you making fun of me because I like the bandaloop misterE??

 

It's a "performance", Silly.

 

[glassgowkiss]

as usual this is deteriorating down to silly shit. i'd like to add that climbing hard has to do more with attitude, motivation and ability to accept failure. in order for a climber to progess one must get on things that will push you and push you hard. let's say your max is 10c. getting on a bunch of 10's will not make you climb 11's. imo you have to get on things above your ability and get spanked. hence sport climbing and bouldering will be a safe alternative to do so. if you think 10's are hard, then you'll make them hard- it's about attitude

[cracked]

Keep spreading the luv, Bob. I'm going skiing.

[lancegranite]

What is ze problem?

evan if the hold is no good...is OK!

things in life, hard enough aready to know...no?

 

when you climb, the rock is like a friend .

 

 

today is today , we climb to celebrate!

ze hold might no be so good, but life?... life is good.

[fern]

i do belive that if you are resonably fit and have proper body fat ratio (which in this country would be only like 30-40%) then with proper training regime could climb 12's (trad or sport) within a year or two.

 

so, what's the proper training regime then? lots of sprot climbing? lots of boldering? climb indoors?

 

seriously but hypothetically for someone typical who works fulltime and only has weekends + 8 free weekday hrs to train, but is as you say reasonably fit, what training regime would get them to be a 5.12 climber in a year? (and I know about Performance Rock Climbing and the various Eric Horst books, I am curious though if the crazy polish method is different.)

 

in my sphere of acquaintance I can think of only 1 or 2 people who went from non-climber to 5.12world within 2 years but that was with a lot of unemployment and fulltime climbing. I am sure there are other examples out there though.

[catbirdseat]

It would be a lot easier if, in addition to being unemployed, one were (a) young, and (b) celibate.

[lancegranite]

So that's why the young boulderers climb so hard!

 

Well, in that case I am happy that the lady 'n me climbed Solar Slab gully this morn. tis 5.6!