|
|
|
|
mother_sheep
Dec 5, 2003, 4:53 PM
Post #1 of 19
(3382 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jul 18, 2002
Posts: 3984
|
1) Aid is addicting. You can expect the addiction to begin slowly, then grow rapidly to horrible proportions in no time at all. Like otheraddictions,
you'll enter a period of denial and bury your depression in another aid
lead.
2) Aid is expensive. Expect to spend loads of money on nuts, biners cams, etc. Till you have at least 5 sets of each. You will have to buy all
thetrick goodies. If you aren't one already, you will probably become an ice climber which of course means you will need MORE GEAR. And a bigger truck to haul it all around in.
3) Aid is slow. Your speech may begin to take on a southern drawl. You may be sweating through an A4 section, only to look down and see your partner sleeping at the belay. Go up to point 2 above and add a Gri-Gri to the list.
4) Aid is infectious. It gets in your blood, then other forms of upward
mobility are contaminated. You no longer worry about grabbing gear on free routes, using bolts for footholds on sport routes, etc.
5) Aid breeds complacency. You no longer care if your partner takes 4 hours to lead a 60' pitch - or if your lead takes 7 hours. You'll quit working for a redpoint on a hard sport route and instead, like the French, celebrate getting to the anchor regardless of how you got there. You'll watch the sand trash your gear and instead of being bummed, you'll lookforward to buying more gear.
6) Aid changes your outlook. Short routes become intolerably boring.
Everything in life begins to look different. Part of that is probably
because your body begins to take on sort of a forward curl and you find
yourself often staring at your feet.
The bottom line is that you should avoid aid climbing unless you look
forward to being a broke, infected, complacent, slow-moving gear junkie with a monster rack (sing along) with a faraway gaze in your eyes and a bit of a drawl.
Got this on an E-mail today so I can't give credit to the author.
|
|
|
|
|
flamer
Dec 5, 2003, 4:59 PM
Post #2 of 19
(3382 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 22, 2002
Posts: 2955
|
In reply to: 5) Aid breeds complacency. You no longer care if your partner takes 4 hours to lead a 60' pitch - or if your lead takes 7 hours. You'll quit working for a redpoint on a hard sport route and instead, like the French, celebrate getting to the anchor regardless of how you got there. You'll watch the sand trash your gear and instead of being bummed, you'll lookforward to buying more gear.
4hrs to go 60'!!! God I hope you're kidding!! I still care about that!!
josh
|
|
|
|
|
holdplease2
Dec 5, 2003, 5:14 PM
Post #3 of 19
(3382 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Dec 18, 2002
Posts: 1733
|
This is spot-on. Once trad ruled my life, I am too bad of a free climber to do much good at the sport crags...and I could take whippers and still feel like a hero, just because my gear held!
Now, as I head for a weekend of trad at Josh with friends, I hate to say it, but I would give anything to be slogging my pig across the river in Zion to climb alone and for a long time. Sad.
Not that I am complaining...maybe I can do some short aid there. I like to think of it as aid bouldering.
Thanks for the post, tracyroach!
-Kate.
|
|
|
|
|
mother_sheep
Dec 5, 2003, 5:24 PM
Post #4 of 19
(3382 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jul 18, 2002
Posts: 3984
|
In reply to: Not that I am complaining...maybe I can do some short aid there. I like to think of it as aid bouldering. Thanks for the post, tracyroach! -Kate.
Touchstone = aid bouldering. :-)
Sad to say. . .my only wall to date.
Signed,
Jug Betty (hack, hack)
|
|
|
|
|
timstich
Dec 5, 2003, 5:37 PM
Post #5 of 19
(3382 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Feb 3, 2003
Posts: 6267
|
bouldering, aid climbing, sport, trad is all addictive. You can get addicted to any substance or activity that brings you pleasure. You can even get addicted to talking about your addictions, which is one of the hangups (or features) of group therapy. And since we are all creatures of at least partial free will (heh!) we can sometimes subtlely guide ourselves into selected addictions.
Me, I'm trying to get addicted to bouldering at the moment. It never captured my imagination and I tend to get more tendon injuries, but I can go do it alone when no one else is available. Now I could get into rope soloing, but that means a minimum of $250 for what gear I would feel safe doing that with. Then I could solo-aid as well. Once I do get a Silent Partner, I will probably boulder less and do more aiding. Unless some brain cells way back there get tweaked the right way and I stick with the boulders. You never know how you are going to feel after the addiction has changed you man!
|
|
|
|
|
epic_ed
Dec 5, 2003, 6:36 PM
Post #6 of 19
(3382 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jun 17, 2002
Posts: 4724
|
I'm pretty sure they are from Russ Walling, or linked on his website. Very, very true...
Ain't it great! And I never thought I'd hear Kate make the comments above about aid climbing! Crazy how a little success is infectious and suddenly you're looking at bigger and grander objectives. BTW, Kate, how about a little TR sometime about your solo of Prodigal? Not a bad effort for a gumbie aid climber. :wink: A day and a half for your first grade IV solo? Nice job. You sure kicked my ass.
Ed
|
|
|
|
|
calamity_chk
Dec 5, 2003, 6:39 PM
Post #7 of 19
(3382 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 23, 2002
Posts: 7994
|
wow, trace. that sounds like the lecture from a climbing therapist - awesome!
unfortunately for me, it's in my blood, but i have neither the money nor the gear to do much about it at present .. and cant seem to find a mentor to adopt me.
*sigh*
but, it's all good .. i get to do some long routes at eldo this weekend, yay.
|
|
|
|
|
flamer
Dec 5, 2003, 6:49 PM
Post #8 of 19
(3382 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 22, 2002
Posts: 2955
|
In reply to: but, it's all good .. i get to do some long routes at eldo this weekend, yay.
HAHA!!! You said "long" and then you said "Eldo".
josh
|
|
|
|
|
epic_ed
Dec 5, 2003, 7:02 PM
Post #9 of 19
(3382 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jun 17, 2002
Posts: 4724
|
In reply to: wow, trace. that sounds like the lecture from a climbing therapist - awesome! unfortunately for me, it's in my blood, but i have neither the money nor the gear to do much about it at present .. and cant seem to find a mentor to adopt me. *sigh* but, it's all good .. i get to do some long routes at eldo this weekend, yay.
Hey, if I had any knowledge worth teaching I adopt you. :wink:
But as it is, I'm better off left to experience my disasters by myself. On the other hand, I do have a ton of gear. :mrgreen: That alone can can keep you in the game...or get you in a world of trouble.
Ed
|
|
|
|
|
timstich
Dec 5, 2003, 7:43 PM
Post #10 of 19
(3382 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Feb 3, 2003
Posts: 6267
|
In reply to: wow, trace. that sounds like the lecture from a climbing therapist - awesome! unfortunately for me, it's in my blood, but i have neither the money nor the gear to do much about it at present .. and cant seem to find a mentor to adopt me. *sigh* but, it's all good .. i get to do some long routes at eldo this weekend, yay.
Hey! What day? I'm looking for a Saturday climbing thang. As for aid, I'd be happy to climb some of that with you. Of course I've only done a handful of aid climbs on free routes and some bolt ladders in caves, but we can pool our gear and I won't complain about how long it takes you to do your pitches. Heh.
-Tim
|
|
|
|
|
calamity_chk
Dec 6, 2003, 1:54 AM
Post #11 of 19
(3382 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 23, 2002
Posts: 7994
|
In reply to: In reply to: but, it's all good .. i get to do some long routes at eldo this weekend, yay. HAHA!!! You said "long" and then you said "Eldo". josh
/pokes her tongue out at flamer/
well, why dont you whip my punk ass into shape then, mr big man .. besides, it's all about perspective, and i come from dallas - where the skies are big because the land is flat. :x
/pokes her tongue out again, rather nastily this time/
hehehe
ps - tim, i PMd with my numbers. call me and we'll climb.
|
|
|
|
|
addiroids
Dec 6, 2003, 3:26 AM
Post #12 of 19
(3382 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 11, 2001
Posts: 1046
|
Beautiful piece on aids climbing. But if you just modified that a bit to include aids climbing while on speed (aka speed climbing) you get all the fun, with none of the monotony (or pictures, or breaks, or bivies, or hauling, or hydration, or weather). I love it, and it is so cool to see chicks who enjoy this kind of suffering. Sort of makes that whole child-birth seem easy. Just kidding. Forearm cramps are probably not as bad as perianal tears.
But seriously, for those of you concerned with the slowness of stuff C2+ and under, try simply racking on your harness like free climbing and having a tag line to get more gear from your partner. The simple fact that you can take a piece off with one hand will speed you up considerably (along with the Yosemite Speed Weapon). I did this on the Prow and we got it done pack to pack in 9 hours.
And also no offense to Amber who said "long" and "eldo" in the same sentence, but the word "long" is only reserved for truely long routes, because you never hear anyone say, "very long routes". "Long" is the top of the category. The Prow isn't even considered a "long route".
TRADitionally yours,
Cali Dirtbag
|
|
|
|
|
moabbeth
Dec 6, 2003, 3:57 AM
Post #13 of 19
(3382 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 22, 2002
Posts: 1786
|
In reply to: Now, as I head for a weekend of trad at Josh with friends, I hate to say it, but I would give anything to be slogging my pig across the river in Zion to climb alone and for a long time. Sad. Not that I am complaining...maybe I can do some short aid there. I like to think of it as aid bouldering. -Kate.
I'm bringing my aiders out there this weekend Kate, I know some stuff we can hit Sunday :wink: ! It'll be cool to do aid with a fellow chica :wink: ! And sadly ITA on the Zion...as much fun as JT is, I know I'm gonna be thinking "I wish I were in Red Rocks on some sweet loooooong trad line" and when I'm in RR doing that I think "I wish I were in Zion aiding." :wink: . Ahhhh addiction :lol: !!
|
|
|
|
|
calamity_chk
Dec 8, 2003, 12:14 AM
Post #14 of 19
(3382 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 23, 2002
Posts: 7994
|
hmm .. okay, i've been put in my place. back to community with me.
|
|
|
|
|
addiroids
Dec 8, 2003, 1:37 AM
Post #15 of 19
(3382 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 11, 2001
Posts: 1046
|
No no no, STAY Amber!! We need hard a$$ed chickies who will lead a manky bolt ladder with The Shepherd (err...I mean The Reverend) without actually knowing that almost every bolt is total junk!!
TRADitionally yours,
Cali Dirtbag
|
|
|
|
|
flamer
Dec 8, 2003, 1:57 AM
Post #16 of 19
(3382 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 22, 2002
Posts: 2955
|
In reply to: No no no, STAY Amber!! We need hard a$$ed chickies who will lead a manky bolt ladder with The Shepherd (err...I mean The Reverend) without actually knowing that almost every bolt is total junk!! TRADitionally yours, Cali Dirtbag
HAHA!! You said "Amber" then, "hard a$$ed chickies" in the same sentence!!!
josh
P.S.
Just teasing you tiny.....
|
|
|
|
|
addiroids
Dec 8, 2003, 3:18 AM
Post #17 of 19
(3382 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 11, 2001
Posts: 1046
|
In reply to: HAHA!! You said "Amber" then, "hard a$$ed chickies" in the same sentence!!!
Okay, I should have said,
"Cute, naive chickies who go climbing with a guy who knows how to get a girl out of her clothes after she blows a rivit, zips half of a pitch of mank and soils herself, forcing her to change behind the only tiny cactus in the desert."
Good thing The Shepherd had just gotten a gift of wool from his previous loverraaaahhhh and could knit her some woolen knickers.
By the way, what continent is he on now anyways??
TRADitionally yours,
Cali Dirtbag
|
|
|
|
|
calamity_chk
Dec 8, 2003, 5:48 AM
Post #18 of 19
(3382 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Apr 23, 2002
Posts: 7994
|
In reply to: HAHA!! You said "Amber" then, "hard a$$ed chickies" in the same sentence!!! josh P.S. Just teasing you tiny.....
/pokes her tongue out at josh/
that's okay. you owe me a day of climbing or something.
addiroids .. the only skin that the rev saw of me was around my ankles - at best. as for the mank bolt ladder, i led it and would happily do more of the same .. come on, i only weigh 100# and am completely in love (okay, obsessed) with climbing.
|
|
|
|
|
justsendingits
Dec 8, 2003, 2:39 PM
Post #19 of 19
(3382 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Dec 29, 2001
Posts: 1070
|
The Tao that is spoken is not the true tao.....
|
|
|
|
|
|
