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beerandblood
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Sep 14, 2002, 9:54 PM
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xcel360
Sep 14, 2002, 10:32 PM
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Ironic that we share the same name, but even more than that I feel the same as you do. Although I have only been climbing since this past summer, I feel so passionate towards climbing that it consumes me. I do not work now, all I do is train for climbing and try to revolve my life around it as much as possible. Perhaps I am obsessive but I also often wonder were to draw the "line".
To make a point of my obsession, I am leaving Florida next month and moving in with a friend in California so that I can be near all these great climbing meccas. I only wish to push my climbing to the furthest that it can possibly go and I will not stop until I get there. But the question is...do I get a fulltime job and become productive and climb in my free time, or do I decide to live freely? Although barely scrapping by, but living freely to climb as I please. That is the choice we must all make, but for now I'm gonna live free and climb hard.
(edited for spelling and punctuation)
[ This Message was edited by: xcel360 on 2002-09-14 15:35 ]
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lilred
Sep 14, 2002, 10:34 PM
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So be productive while rockclimbing! Make a tick-list and complete it! Now THATS being productive!!!
I've had the same thoughts...check out my old thread "living the lifestyle"...
http://www.rockclimbing.com/forums/viewtopic.php?topic=11660&forum=23
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likethegoddess
Sep 15, 2002, 4:33 AM
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I'm with you, friend, in more ways than one. I know the feeling of being disabled, not being able to work or do the things that are personally important.
So, when you say your injury is gone, do you feel 100%? In my experience, it took a while after my illness was gone till I felt up to par. If so, please give yourself some time.
The work/freedom thing. Now, that's something I've considered and worked on for some time. It's a delicate balance if you want to strike it. One of the things I decided after being sick was I was not going to work full-time permanent again. And, with some difficulty, I've contracted and worked part-time for the last five years or so.
I just want to let you know it's out there. If you want to work and you want time to pursue other interests, you can make it happen.
Hope this helps,
Diana
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krustyklimber
Sep 15, 2002, 6:17 AM
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I am poor, but free and happy,...
Worth it to me.
Jeff
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bonesz
Sep 15, 2002, 12:56 PM
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My heart goes out to those who get hurt and aren't able to do what they're passion is. In the recovery phase , why not dream the big dream, find sponsership to climb, fidn out how to hook up with a manufacturer we work with at the rock, send them your resume, become a "rep" for Black Diamond, or Petzl, there are vast opportunities out there, and you can apply you work exp., to any where, sell hot dogs at El Cap ?!. Recovery is hard but, don't let being productive hurt you love of climbing, while you are working take advantage of the $$ and build your rack(s) so when you are able to get out there you'll be totally prepared, for you and a partner. Partners are easier to find when they don't have to bring equip, but of course make them carry it ! Remember the glass is always half full.
Chase the passion, you only live once.
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noshoesnoshirt
Sep 15, 2002, 3:19 PM
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i lived in my car for three years, ate other peoples' left-overs, made enough scratch to keep gas in my car by doing medical studies (i was the test subject). i scammed showers at hotel pools, ate a lot of crap, and had holes in everything i wore.
man, i climbed every day i felt like it. i did whatever i wanted on my rest days, drove where the weather was good and the rock plentiful. it was very good, for a while.
eventually though, the poverty just plain sucks. driving across the country praying your car won't give up the ghost until you're within towing distance of a friendly sofa. spending bad weather days scamming dollar movie theaters or hanging in (echh) malls. wondering how you're going to pay for the emergency room bill you just racked up for a busted ankle.
when it comes down to it, you trade your time for what you most value, 'cause time is all you really have.
try to find a happy medium. make enough money to drive a decent car (also your home, get something roomy), and to stay insured, then bail. just don't let yourself get trapped behind a desk.
do what you have to to do what you want to.
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climberchic
Sep 19, 2002, 11:54 PM
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Glenn!!!
Dude! Where have you been?? No, no...PLEASE come back to the site! You've been so missed!
Why don't you come on out to the AZ gathering and climb all that stuff you've been wanting to climb out here? PM me if you have a chance. I wanna hear what you've been up to regardless.
~Erica
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bluesky
Sep 20, 2002, 12:38 AM
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Right on NoShoesNoShirt!
'Do what you have to to do what you want to'
Goes awesome with what I was going to say..
Follow your Heart!
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hroldan
Sep 20, 2002, 12:42 AM
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I wold like to win the lotto and quit my job to spend my life outdoors climbing
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flashnag
Sep 20, 2002, 1:02 AM
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If you haven't, read "Climbing Free" by Lynn Hill. Good book.
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tradclmbr
Sep 20, 2002, 1:33 AM
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Don't view life as either/or. Its not climb like hell or toil behind a desk....there are plenty of amazing careers that also give you enough freedom to climb (maybe not whenever you want, but enough to keep you saited)and don't trap you behind a desk. Balance........each part of life should serve to complement the other, not compete with it. Whatever you choose, don't regret it and curse those who chose someting different.
climbing is fantastic and passion is almost required for it......but IMHO if its all you got, is it enough. For me NO.
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maiorlive
Sep 20, 2002, 5:22 AM
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I'm with noshoesnoshirt. It's not about being productive vs. living free. It's about finding a way to be productive enough to live free.
That word "free" always gets confused with "priceless."
W
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webster_max
Sep 20, 2002, 1:47 PM
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i spent 10 years doing nothing but climbing / para gliding / snowboarding. Hey i'm free, i can do whatever i want, when ever i want. As long as it doesn't cost more than $10 involve a permanent address or any form of commitment. Fortunately i realised this in my early 30's, having spent my entire 20's climbing. My old school freinds all had houses, nice cars etc. and thinking about kids. There i was ten years behind my peer group financially. Cant get married and have kids unless i want to live on a trailer park and do unskilled manual work - Great.
so what do others do in my situation? well i had a good hard look and this is what it seems like to me -
1. All those friends pleading poverty, need a place to sleep and take your last beer actually have rich parents and eventually go back to them. (cool if you have them)
2. They become guides, a natural progression and a worthy career.
3. Become proffessional climbers, are under immense pressure to perform and get dropped the instant they can't. What do you do when your 45?
4. Take a normal job and work so hard to play catch-up that they stop doing all sport.
Freedom is a self defined phenomenom and an omni-present mental challenge and peoples minds change, often.
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mother_sheep
Sep 20, 2002, 2:12 PM
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I keep telling myself that if I didn't have so much responsibility in my life, I would buy a van or an old bus, live on the road and spend my life hiking and climbing all over. I guess that is my dream. My reality is that I'm a single mother of 2 sons and my priority (them) takes prescience over my dream. Then I realize that their happiness is also a huge part of my dream. So I've developed a way to make this work. I immerse myself in my sons the days that I have them. I immerse myself in climbing and hiking the days that I don't have them. When they are grown and in college, I'll be 45, still quite young and still very capable of living my dream. My point is that although I can't live my dream right now, I've found a way to make a compromise with myself to at least keep myself pacified for the moment. I will eventually have my turn but sometimes it is very hard for me stay grounded.
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webster_max
Sep 20, 2002, 2:20 PM
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Tracy. Sounds like you got a good life hun. Just remember, the true hero's are the ones that willingly sacrifice their time for others. Hell, 45 now is a 1970's 30yr old. enjoy!
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micronut
Sep 20, 2002, 3:06 PM
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Life is like.....climbing. Balance is the key. Worthy work balanced with worthy play is my ideal. The trick is finding the balance. Also, ask any very old people what they would have done more of in their lives, they never say work. Keep the end in mind, the end of life is death, so who cares about keeping up with other people. In the end, only the wisdom gained goes with us.
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graniterat
Sep 20, 2002, 3:21 PM
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Well you guys I've been in both sides of the coin......I went from a rich doctor's wife to a climbing bum.....still have a job, but I only do what is necessary to live independently. My partner did not work for 6 months and climb as much as he could and so do I. Money does not mean a thing to me,for I see women my age walking around with the car and the house and the diamonds and yet a big frown on their face......I don't. I guess is all about balance.
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thatstoohigh
Sep 20, 2002, 3:36 PM
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I am 22. in my last year of school. i climb every possible chance i can get. i work to finance my climbing, rent and beer. i go to classes when i feel like it and have the best girlfriend i could ask for. ive been debating on what to do after i graduate and ive figured out that im moving to utah to climb and be a bum for a awhile, then maybe grad school eventually or an actual job... but the way i figure it, ill never be this young again and have all the time in the world to enjoy myself. so im going for it. you only live once so might as well be happy. and for me happieness isnt measured by how much money i have comparitivly to my peers its what ive done with my life. i dont want a little house with 2.5 kids and a nice car and job that sucks the will to live out of me. at least not yet. so i say go for it live free and be happy. and screw everyone that trys to talk to you out of it, they are just jelous that they dont have the balls to live life.
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abkaiser
Sep 20, 2002, 4:06 PM
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This is one of the coolest topics I've seen on here in a long time.
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webster_max
Sep 20, 2002, 4:35 PM
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thatstoohigh. I agree mate and i was exactly the same as you but 2 years younger. I did what you say and disapeared for over 10 years. Thing is many people here rightly talk about balance. Its important to note that balance when you are already established in career is very different to balance for a hedonistic young buck at college and full of life. Most folk in normal jobs can take a few months off if they really want to, or take a break between career moves to go and indulge themselves. Just like you can take as many years out as you like to indulge yourself. The profound difference is they can go straight back to their jobs/careers. i did what you are about to do (and didn't want kids or marriage), 13 years later i am climbing bum who wouldn't mind getting married and having kids. Then money matters. I'm sorted now, good job and six months a year to play. Basically, what i am saying is go for it but not at the expense of a good career. mind you who i am to talk lol.
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rocknalaska
Sep 20, 2002, 4:46 PM
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If you're not averse to oilfield work then get set up with a job in AK on the slope or a platform and you'll end up with good parts of both worlds. I wouldn't mind getting set up with a 3 on 3 off schedule. 3 weeks of 12 hour days every day, tons of overtime, and no worries about rent or food. Then 3 weeks of play, play, play. The family thing would be tough, but aside from that it would be great. They also pay well and have great benefits.
I think many climbers get so addicted to climbing they lose sight of life as a whole. I can't imagine giving up climbing, but I wouldn't be willing to give up any other aspect of my life either. I've always held to the philosophy that life is what we make of it. If you're unhappy, change it.
Hearing from those who've been on the road, being a bum has it's ups and downs. If you want to live the free life, do it. Just go into it with open eyes or you'll still end up unhappy.
Good Luck everyone!!!
Todd
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maiorlive
Sep 20, 2002, 8:02 PM
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priceless = "cost nothing" vs. "cannot be priced"
Freedom is so valuable, it makes no sense to put a price on it. It’s worth everything, it has no price, but that doesn’t mean it’s costless or that we don't need to earn it. There may be free rides in this world, but there are no free lunches: if you don’t pay for it, somebody else will. That’s one of the more important lessons the environmental movement has been trying to teach us for decades now.
I completely agree with skibabeage that climbers have a greater share of desire for personal or individual freedom than the average joe. I don’t think that means that climbers should be single minded in pursuit of the climb and to hell with the rest of the world. Desire for greater freedom only means we’re generally willing to pay more in time, energy, money, pain or what have you. You could be paying by working your ass off six months of the year to be free to climb the other six months. Or you could be paying by sacrificing clean clothes, first hand food, a roof, etc. Or by volunteering to protect and promote climbing areas through the Access Fund, the American Alpine Club, the Alpine Club of Canada, regional community organizations, FAs and proper bolting and so on.
If we want the freedom to climb, we have to earn it one way or another. With a little forethought and self-discipline anyone can figure out a way to pay less or pay in a way that they enjoy more. If I understand most of the other posts in this thread correctly, solving this particular puzzle generally takes more balance than it does passion.
W
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airscape
Sep 20, 2002, 8:18 PM
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I have lost many friends due to the fact that rock climbing...ummm well ..... who needs friends!
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vikesfan19
Sep 20, 2002, 8:43 PM
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I am new to rc.com and I have been climbing for about a year now, and i absolutely love it. I am 16 and couldn't think of many things taht are as much fun as exerting myself physically and spending a day with my friends. I have a friend who went to school out in colorado and got a job with a state park in alaska, where denali is (i believe it is mc kinley state park, not sure) and he spends time in the outdoors for a living. He recently made an attempt on Denali, unfortunately he had to turn around due to bad weather. but that is not the point- the point is he found a way to spend time outdoors and climb while making a living. I believe he is one of the fortunate ones. I also think that everyone can find a way to do what they love and still have some dough in the bank- it is just a matter of trying. There is always a balance- it is just up to you to find it.
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