Your other hobbies...

[mountainsandsound]

Olyclimber brought up a good question in the decline of CC thread. In terms of hobbies, what competes with climbing for your attention? I'm also curious about what other outdoor hobbies climbers have.

 

Me:

1)surfing

2)trail running

3)plain old backpacking

4)fishing

5)x-country skiing

6)sea kayaking

 

The other things I'm interested in ensure that I will always be a mediocre climber who never gets beyond moderate routes. I'm OK with that. The pattern I notice about myself (and many friends) is that I dive into, and get consumed by, a single new hobby for a time. I buy the gear, practice, get over the steepest part of the learning curve, then I back off a bit. I've never quit any outdoor pursuit outright, it just becomes part of my skill set. Something that I can entertain myself with, the choice of activity being dictated by the conditions and the skills/interests of the company I'm with. Ah, variety!

 

[olyclimber]

I think I mentioned it in the other thread, but:

 

1. Mountain biking

2. Hiking/trail running

3. Sailing

4. Road biking

5. Backpacking

 

Thing i would love to do up have a learning curve and haven't made it into my learning curve/opportunity cost budget. In fact all of the above haven't really made it into my budget enough too.

 

6. surfing

7. kayaking

8. skiing of any type

 

 

These are all outdoor activities. Some hobbies:

 

Photography

Painting (acrylic)

Records (music)

 

 

i'm really jack of all trades and master of nothing. same as you Nater, i'm pulled from one thing to the next.

 

 

 

 

[Water]

never an excellent climber for sure in part due to other interests. And 3 weeks post op of lisfranc ligament surgery so probably never going to get any better than whatever I was before. Nice full circle hurt myself climbing and now permanently have dyneema going through two bones in my foot holding them together.

 

 

Anyways...

1) backpacking (wife will do this almost every weekend when its nice so that puts it at the top)

2) fishing

3) photography (goes with most outdoor activity)

4) skiing

5) gardening (really like cacti and succulent plants. Brought my collection out with from Michigan almost 8 years ago)..one day when i'm old and creaky i hope to live somewhere like new mexico where my cacti and succulents can thrive.

 

things I would like to get into:

road biking

kayaking

..maybe scuba

 

 

[ivan]

drinking

smoking

joking

swearing

chasing chickens

digging in the dirt

throwing heavy objects at slow children

 

if i lived in the tropics i suspect i'd spend most my time in the ocean and have an apoplectic stroke by the time i was...well...as old as i am already

[ivan]

gerunds, dude.

[denalidave]

My Kids

Skiing. (Don't do it enough either. Didn't even get one day in this season but I'm getting the itch to make it a bigger priority again.)

Photography

Cooking/Sushi

Gardening/putzing around my yard

Live Music/Dancing (If you can call it that.)

Fishing (Again, I'd like to do more.)

Yard Sale-ing/Treasure Hunting

Woodworking Craft Stuff

Wasting Time Being Overly Lazy

Trail Running/Exercise

Yoga/Pilates/Jiu Jitsu (Still just dabbling in all of these but would like to put more time in.)

Beer

 

I just seemed to have lost the passion and desire to climb regularly. When I was married for eleven years, I always figured if I did end up divorced, I would disappear into the mountains on a six month climbing bender. When it actually happened, all I wanted to do was pull weeds and work on my yard/gardens. Very therapeutic, pulling weeds from the root. Also a good metaphor for the struggles in life. My ex was the big gardener and I just built the beds and such for her. Once she was gone, I found I really wanted to keep growing my own and such.

 

Since I'm on the road most of the time for work, when I am off, I'd much rather spend time at home with my kids and catching up on all the overdue chores that pile up in my absence. I still get the urge to climb, just not as passionate as I used to be. My saying used to be "I like to live vicariously through myself." I guess I have to do it through others here nowadays. But I'm OK with that.

 

On Sunday, I'm headed home for two weeks, WOOT!

 

[Pete_H]

Surfing looks fun but I choose to ski because no one's ever been eaten by a shark while skiing. At least that I know of, anyway.

[yikes]

drinking and chasing chickens

 

ya mean "choking". oh no, maybe that's just me livin' in the midatlantic.

Edited March 14, 2014 by yikes

[wayne]

Politics, get involved or let someone else run things for you.

[ivan]

kee-rist, wayne, been lobbying off n' on 4 fucking years and, as of this morning ('n for the 6th time in as many years) ain't got a goddamn COLA to show for it

 

suppose its appropriate though, i'm about as accomplished in this hobby as in the main one - maybe if i got your help though, you got the same mad-skills transfer?

[wayne]

Politics are local. Go to your city council meetings, Neighborhood association meetings. I am serving on my condo board and an elections official as well.

[Tyson.g]

^

[ivan]

i do the local thang too - i'm a high-powered back-room local union guy, cigars n' broads - the whole bit it's the state that controls the COLA funding though...

[genepires]

I keep things real simple.

 

1.snowboarding in my major winter thing. started boarding 24 years ago but mostly now it is with my 6yo kid.

2.pick things up and put them down.

3.entertain my kid and appease my wife.

 

if I get a couple days a month of climbing, that is a full calendar.

[tvashtarkatena]

I tried surfing, but it was like landing on Omaha Beach - people blinded by sand and salt screaming, tumbling, drowning, suffering blunt force trauma - when I finally came to shore I realized that all those people were me.

 

Everybody else was enjoying a nice sunny day at the beach.

[mthorman]

Between ice climbing in the winter, mountaineering in the spring/summer, alpine in the summer/fall, and rock all year I don't have much more time. However I do enjoy the below hobbies.

 

1. Backpacking

2. Outdoor photography

3. Road biking

4. Canoeing

[Dennis H]

Just too keep fit and cross train at 60 Summer rock climbing- winter alpine 1. Ironman Florida Finisher 2001 - 13hrs 10 min-2005 12hrs 20 min 2. 12 years Hang gliding cross country pilot 3. Fly fishing 4. Alpine snow boarding 5. Back packing and a easy 10 mile run.

[markwebster]

If everyone is quitting climbing you couldn't tell from Vantage today. Every campspot was taken...and that means a lot of cars if you know Vantage. 5 people waiting or toproping almost every good route in the Kingpins, and many other cliffs.

 

Some of those younguns need to drop by here.

 

My hobbies:

climbing

photography

playing live music

telemarking

landscape painting

inventing stuff

video

web design

writing

 

People quit climbing for a lot of reasons. I've never stopped, and I wonder sometimes if it is because I've always been a cautious climber. I know people who were very bold. They were like a shooting star: burned brightly and did amazing things, but burned out quickly.

 

I plod along, doing mostly the same old routes, never get on things until I'm ready for them, rarely take lead falls. In short, I try not to stress myself out. If it's not fun, I get on something easier. I also climb with a lot of young people...who still have enthusiasm. I find that catching.

[chirp]

No queues here

 

 

 

[mountainsandsound]

I have a 16 ft. sea kayak I set up for fishing in the sound. Lingcod fishing is a great way to spend time in the late spring waiting for the alpine weather to align.

 

Learning to surf is interesting. You really need to keep envisioning yourself riding a perfect wave to be able to push through the unpleasantness of the first few times.

[JasonG]

Chirp- That is a fine sea run Cutt! I like your setup too.

[chirp]

Chirp- That is a fine sea run Cutt! I like your setup too.

 

Thanks! Upgraded some things for this year, just need some sonar and she'll be rocking!

The SRC was nearly 20", pretty burly and my largest so far. Super slow so far this year but right now Chum fry are starting to show so hopefully good action soon!

I love climbing, but after 30 years and life changes, it seems to be less of an obsession, especially with so many more people and the price of gas

This is so close and convenient it made sense.

[Dennis H]

Flash back f tail. Nice did you tie it?

[chirp]

Yes sir, tying as every bit as addictive as fishing and climbing for that matter!

I tie primarily for salt and Cutts, but this year I want to get my still water and small creek game on.

Edited March 17, 2014 by chirp

[mountainsandsound]

Chirp- what do you have there for your set-up? Hard for me to tell in the pic. I just have a rod holder and some paddle clips to stow the paddle. I think I should mount something to hold tackle.