RuMR Posted March 22, 2006 Author Posted March 22, 2006 "As far as I'm concerned anyone still pulling down hard - or hell just pulling down at all - at 50+ has sucked it up and gotten their addictions prioritized right. Getting on it when you're a teen or early twenty-something is one thing; it's an entirely different story "re-dedicating" yourself to it decade after decade as you grow older. I've found that somewhere early in each decade my body has changed a bit and I have to adjust and adapt for about a year and then cruise for nine until the next one. I'd love to see the decadal attrition stats for climbing. Then or now you can bet it's a steep drop-off. What would also be interesting is to see the attrition stats as a percentage for each year from the day folks climb the first time - how many anniverseries do they survive as a "climber". Back in the day when all there only was trad, placing gear was a fairly stout threshold / barrier that acted as a relatively efficient filter - most folks decided pretty quick whether they were in or out. Today, though, you can linger on plastic and bolts indefinitely without really progressing as no such threshold exists in sport climbing which has a low barrier to entry. And that's probably matched by a heavy tidal flow of casual users through gyms so the anniversery clock should probably be started the day they buy shoes, harness, and a membership rather then when they tried it for a day with rental gear. " Quote
Blake Posted March 22, 2006 Posted March 22, 2006 Wow, a thread that could be moved FROM spray INTO the Climbing forum! Quote
G-spotter Posted March 22, 2006 Posted March 22, 2006 Back in the day when all there only was trad Back in the day when all your base were belong to us? Quote
RuMR Posted March 22, 2006 Author Posted March 22, 2006 Wow, a thread that could be moved FROM spray INTO the Climbing forum! until dru comes along and then its all down hill... Quote
G-spotter Posted March 22, 2006 Posted March 22, 2006 I was disappointed cause I thought this was going to be the post where J.H. calls Fred Beckey a serial rapist and then says he sure hopes no one from cascadeclimbers ever reads that because all the cc.ers irrationally worship Beckey. Quote
RuMR Posted March 22, 2006 Author Posted March 22, 2006 oh how i wish i could edit my own post threads! Quote
G-spotter Posted March 22, 2006 Posted March 22, 2006 Yeah, because everyone today who is climbing and over 50 started climbing in the 70's before there were gyms, right? Quote
cj001f Posted March 22, 2006 Posted March 22, 2006 Yeah, because everyone today who is climbing and over 50 started climbing in the 70's before there were gyms, right? why don't you google some facts for that bitch? Quote
JosephH Posted March 23, 2006 Posted March 23, 2006 Actually there are lots of grayhairs that have only gotten into climbing recently. Matter of fact, I'd go so far as to guess we're going to need more bouldering-only gyms for younger folks revolted by the increasing tide of newly retired boomers who decide "you know Harriet, I've always wanted to try that, but didn't want to worry you while we had the kids...". Oh yeah - you think us old losers from the '70s are bad? Well hang on little tomatoes because those clip joints haven't even started to get ugly. And to make matters worse we have formed an insurgent movement to put out a "SuburbanClimber" magazine for mature audiences that features middle-aged guys and gals in lycra. Yep, call it revenge of the "painter's pants", but we're planting the seeds of destruction that will ultimately result in Lycrasized Disco Wednesdays replete with mirrored balls and glitter coming to a gym near you soon. And you can bet all those 50-something Betty's are all still packing their early 80's aerobics outfits and gold headbands and just waiting to bust some plastic. By the time we're through trad will be the new bouldering as you'll be willing to do anything to get away from the looming senior invasion... Quote
catbirdseat Posted March 23, 2006 Posted March 23, 2006 For some reason, and maybe it's just me, but I find sarcasm as unbecoming in JoshephH as it is in JayB. Quote
JayB Posted March 23, 2006 Posted March 23, 2006 I thought that JosephH's last post was pretty damned funny, myself. I think that the likes of Pope and Dwayner or their equivalents rolling up to the average bouldering hotspot and hanging out would send most of the pad-people fleeing into the mountains for some peace and solitude. Quote
dt_3pin Posted March 23, 2006 Posted March 23, 2006 And to make matters worse we have formed an insurgent movement to put out a "SuburbanClimber" magazine for mature audiences that's funny. but, you may be too late. Suburban Climber Magazine Quote
JosephH Posted March 23, 2006 Posted March 23, 2006 Ha! Damnit Jim, you'll never drive them out with birkenstocksI It's gonna take lycra to put the fear of god back in them... Quote
G-spotter Posted March 23, 2006 Posted March 23, 2006 ive seen a lot of 40s/50s dads and a couple of moms take up climbing mostly so they could belay their gym/sport climbing kids, then get hooked. why, one even developed a whole crag in the okanagan and placed bolts 2 feet apart next to protectable cracks so his precious offspring wouldn't crater. Quote
Mos_Chillin Posted March 23, 2006 Posted March 23, 2006 Don't make me do it. I swear to God I will. It isn't pretty, I can tell you. Quote
RuMR Posted March 23, 2006 Author Posted March 23, 2006 THIS GUY ROCKS IT!! from todd-gordon on superTAco I'm an old guy (at 51) so I have the "old guy" view of climbing. Old guys talk about climbing more than climb. Our idea of training is drinking beer and bong hits...(O K... maybe alittle hacky sac... but then ya can't walk for a few days because the legs are too sore). We had our day in the sun. We are NOT improving, or even staying the same.... we are getting older, fatter, and weaker. Our gear is bunk, old style, rusty, falling apart, and all the webbing on our pieces (cams, stoppers, hexes, etc) are all stiff (from age, sweat and spilt beer)and probably test to around 800 lbs. For most of us (with a few exceptions), it's over and we are pretty much toast. We have been strangled by the American dream, families, jobs, and all of our bad habits. We have grey hair (or bald heads), and we are getting that loose skin/flab where muscles used to be. Our skin on our hands is getting paper thin, so spending two weeks at Indian Creek probably aint' so good an idea anymore. Booze and T V have replaced Camp Four (Which was booze and no T V...mot too much diff...). We used to travel the world to climb, and now we hang out at Starbucks, Walmart, and climbing stores to "shoot the bull about the good ol' days..."....When we climb with beautiful young girls, we hear comments like," Saw you out climbing with your dad."......5.9 can seem difficult, and bouldering and jumping off of boulder problems can put our backs into terminal wreckage. We cater to our children, when we used to cater to beer, bolts, and babes. Most all the places we used to camp for free are now regulated and cost money. Most all of the places we used to do first ascents at are now no new fixed anchor areas. Climbing magazines used to be good reads, now we just look at the pictures. Some of us old dads wear socks with our climbing shoes. When young climbers see us, they are convinced we are going to climb "trad "climbs, and do them very slowly (God forbid they ever get stuck behind us on a multi-pitch climb...). Most us old guys can climb cracks, chinmeys, face, O W, ice, mountains, walls, sandstone, limestone, etc....and there isn't such a big gap between our sport and trad leading abilities.....(I met a guy at Devils Tower who said he climbs 5.9 crack and 5.12 sport). Most climbers climb for about 4 or 5 years, then they grow up or find something better to do....a few of us have keep it up for decades....(There is something to be said about mileage....). .. We used to do walls and just poop out into space (poop in a plastic tube and carry it with us up the wall?... are you high??)....We know how to pound in pins and some of us really dumb old guys still put up new routes on the lead, on-site, with no top roping or beta (retarded, eh?). We all have had climbing accidents, forced unplanned bivies, groundfalls, and we have all been hit by rocks. We have all seen fatal climbing accidents. We have spent $1000s on guidebooks, but none on guides. We still know how to hitch-hike. Sleeping out under the stars is still fun, but a hotel , bath, and T V RULES! We would choose a motor home over a V W Van that runs on french-fry grease from McDonalds. Our wives have talked us into going on cruises, to beach resorts, and family church retreats. We still have cameras that take slide film. We wear Docker slacks with elastic waistbands , because we have "old men asses". When we get haircuts, the barber asks if we want our nose hairs and eyebrows cut too. We spent most of our youth around campfires and at crags all over the world, that many of us forgot (or ALMOST forgot) to have babies....Some of us old guys are now changing diapers, while our non-climbing peers have children in college or out of the house....(Better late than never??) We still have fun , and that is why we still climb every chance we get. Gettin old aint' for sissies. Climbing still RULES! Quote
archenemy Posted March 23, 2006 Posted March 23, 2006 This is spray, so here is goes: I think people have lost a great deal by dismissing "old farts" out of the fabric of society. This dismissal has perhaps been hastened by our society's love affair with youth or our marketing focus toward kids or whatever--I don't know, but it seems a bit sad. I applaud AARP qualified individuals who are standing up and making themselves seen again! Quote
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