I address the issues of cynycism in:
The Tucson, AZ rock gym
Outdoors
RC.com
Climbing culture in general

Hello fellow climbers...I wish to make a point that reflects what my overall feelings have been for some time now concerning the climbing community at large.

I feel that the climbing "community" of my preference exists only when I go out climbing with my buds, or friendly people I recently met. I respect you all and share your love for climbing. I find it interesting, however, that there is so much negative criticism directed towards people, criticism almost to the point of disdain, generated from the issues of level of skill in a climber and his/her climbing style preference. Gym vs. outdoors. Trad vs. Sport. Number dropping (ratings), and the list goes on and on.

I feel that there certainly are legitimate issues at hand, such as trad vs. sport issue about only making necessary alterations to the natural cliff face, but some take this to the extreme and miss the purpose. If you feel that sport climbing should entirely not exist, for instance (it honestly seems to me that some argue that point), you are entitled to state your opinion but do so respecfully. It's only your opinion and you will not force it upon others by looking down on sport climbers.

Which brings up the issue of labeling. For all intents and purposes, I choose to narrow down my specific climbing expertise and abilities only for the purpose of not getting myself into a hairy mess out on the rock and also for knowing how I can personally grow in ability. I don't seperate myself in ratings or type of climbing to "distinguish" myself from others in an attempt to create an inferiority complex.

I find this stigma when I go to what is currently the only rock gym in Tucson, AZ. For the most part, people there are stand-offish and I would rather not even attempt the boulder pit anymore because, well, I suck at it and get much less than friendly encouragment from the plastic junkies (sorry, it's so hard not to label when they act like that). I want to get better at gym climbing, but not at the expense of paying good money for a crappy emotional environment. With such tension in the air, I find it hard to overlook the personal issue of mine that there's a roof blocking my view of nature (one of the reasons I climb is for the view). I guess when going to the gym, you just have to look for other natural beauties :-)...but if they are grouchy and stand-offish, I'm not interested in the least, even if climber chicks are hot!

Also, another example of this stigma are many of the posts on rc.com. I love rc.com and like to be a part of it, but it feels so superficial when it creates barriers and people forget that they can respecfully disagree on an issue, and have an open mind.

I look up jokes and songs on the internet about climbing, and find that many of them dis on all different kinds of climbers. Good luck helping someone change that way!

Equally important to me as what I climb and how I climb it is WHO I climb with. My best experiences revolve around people...and climbing enhances that bond. A crag just wouldn't have the same appeal to me without my brother and friends there! Even climbing, the most beloved sport of all in my book, isn't the same without relationships.

That's my soap-box speech. Call me the Rodney King of RC.com if you will...I don't care. I stand by my opinion here.

I address the issues of cynycism in:
The Tucson, AZ rock gym
Outdoors
RC.com
Climbing culture in general

Hello fellow climbers...I wish to make a point that reflects what my overall feelings have been for some time now concerning the climbing community at large.

I feel that the climbing "community" of my preference exists only when I go out climbing with my buds, or friendly people I recently met. I respect you all and share your love for climbing. I find it interesting, however, that there is so much negative criticism directed towards people, criticism almost to the point of disdain, generated from the issues of level of skill in a climber and his/her climbing style preference. Gym vs. outdoors. Trad vs. Sport. Number dropping (ratings), and the list goes on and on.

I feel that there certainly are legitimate issues at hand, such as trad vs. sport issue about only making necessary alterations to the natural cliff face, but some take this to the extreme and miss the purpose. If you feel that sport climbing should entirely not exist, for instance (it honestly seems to me that some argue that point), you are entitled to state your opinion but do so respecfully. It's only your opinion and you will not force it upon others by looking down on sport climbers.

Which brings up the issue of labeling. For all intents and purposes, I choose to narrow down my specific climbing expertise and abilities only for the purpose of not getting myself into a hairy mess out on the rock and also for knowing how I can personally grow in ability. I don't seperate myself in ratings or type of climbing to "distinguish" myself from others in an attempt to create an inferiority complex.

I find this stigma when I go to what is currently the only rock gym in Tucson, AZ. For the most part, people there are stand-offish and I would rather not even attempt the boulder pit anymore because, well, I suck at it and get much less than friendly encouragment from the plastic junkies (sorry, it's so hard not to label when they act like that). I want to get better at gym climbing, but not at the expense of paying good money for a crappy emotional environment. With such tension in the air, I find it hard to overlook the personal issue of mine that there's a roof blocking my view of nature (one of the reasons I climb is for the view). I guess when going to the gym, you just have to look for other natural beauties :-)...but if they are grouchy and stand-offish, I'm not interested in the least, even if climber chicks are hot!

Also, another example of this stigma are many of the posts on rc.com. I love rc.com and like to be a part of it, but it feels so superficial when it creates barriers and people forget that they can respecfully disagree on an issue, and have an open mind.

I look up jokes and songs on the internet about climbing, and find that many of them dis on all different kinds of climbers. Good luck helping someone change that way!

Equally important to me as what I climb and how I climb it is WHO I climb with. My best experiences revolve around people...and climbing enhances that bond. A crag just wouldn't have the same appeal to me without my brother and friends there! Even climbing, the most beloved sport of all in my book, isn't the same without relationships.

That's my soap-box speech. Call me the Rodney King of RC.com if you will...I don't care. I stand by my opinion here.

I address the issues of cynycism in:
The Tucson, AZ rock gym
Outdoors
RC.com
Climbing culture in general

Hello fellow climbers...I wish to make a point that reflects what my overall feelings have been for some time now concerning the climbing community at large.

I feel that the climbing "community" of my preference exists only when I go out climbing with my buds, or friendly people I recently met. I respect you all and share your love for climbing. I find it interesting, however, that there is so much negative criticism directed towards people, criticism almost to the point of disdain, generated from the issues of level of skill in a climber and his/her climbing style preference. Gym vs. outdoors. Trad vs. Sport. Number dropping (ratings), and the list goes on and on.

I feel that there certainly are legitimate issues at hand, such as trad vs. sport issue about only making necessary alterations to the natural cliff face, but some take this to the extreme and miss the purpose. If you feel that sport climbing should entirely not exist, for instance (it honestly seems to me that some argue that point), you are entitled to state your opinion but do so respecfully. It's only your opinion and you will not force it upon others by looking down on sport climbers.

Which brings up the issue of labeling. For all intents and purposes, I choose to narrow down my specific climbing expertise and abilities only for the purpose of not getting myself into a hairy mess out on the rock and also for knowing how I can personally grow in ability. I don't seperate myself in ratings or type of climbing to "distinguish" myself from others in an attempt to create an inferiority complex.

I find this stigma when I go to what is currently the only rock gym in Tucson, AZ. For the most part, people there are stand-offish and I would rather not even attempt the boulder pit anymore because, well, I suck at it and get much less than friendly encouragment from the plastic junkies (sorry, it's so hard not to label when they act like that). I want to get better at gym climbing, but not at the expense of paying good money for a crappy emotional environment. With such tension in the air, I find it hard to overlook the personal issue of mine that there's a roof blocking my view of nature (one of the reasons I climb is for the view). I guess when going to the gym, you just have to look for other natural beauties :-)...but if they are grouchy and stand-offish, I'm not interested in the least, even if climber chicks are hot!

Also, another example of this stigma are many of the posts on rc.com. I love rc.com and like to be a part of it, but it feels so superficial when it creates barriers and people forget that they can respecfully disagree on an issue, and have an open mind.

I look up jokes and songs on the internet about climbing, and find that many of them dis on all different kinds of climbers. Good luck helping someone change that way!

Equally important to me as what I climb and how I climb it is WHO I climb with. My best experiences revolve around people...and climbing enhances that bond. A crag just wouldn't have the same appeal to me without my brother and friends there! Even climbing, the most beloved sport of all in my book, isn't the same without relationships.

That's my soap-box speech. Call me the Rodney King of RC.com if you will...I don't care. I stand by my opinion here.

Thank you wonder woman. A very good point. I like your style! You must be one of those positive people that everyone in general loves to be around...

Don't be fooled. In real life, I'm a pain in the ass!

Thank you wonder woman. I like your style! You must be one of those positive people that everyone in general loves to be around...

Not pointing the finger at you rockram, but as an observation in general, I wonder how much of a person's general feeling about the climbing community is skewed by how much time they spend reading and discussing climbing online vs how much time they spend interacting with climbers at the crag?

This paper tiger stuff generally disappears when in person. Or it gets tamped down anyway.

DMT

Yeah, especially when she bends over.

I address the issues of cynycism in:
The Tucson, AZ rock gym
Outdoors
RC.com
Climbing culture in general

Hello fellow climbers...I wish to make a point that reflects what my overall feelings have been for some time now concerning the climbing community at large.

I feel that the climbing "community" of my preference exists only when I go out climbing with my buds, or friendly people I recently met. I respect you all and share your love for climbing. I find it interesting, however, that there is so much negative criticism directed towards people, criticism almost to the point of disdain, generated from the issues of level of skill in a climber and his/her climbing style preference. Gym vs. outdoors. Trad vs. Sport. Number dropping (ratings), and the list goes on and on.

I feel that there certainly are legitimate issues at hand, such as trad vs. sport issue about only making necessary alterations to the natural cliff face, but some take this to the extreme and miss the purpose. If you feel that sport climbing should entirely not exist, for instance (it honestly seems to me that some argue that point), you are entitled to state your opinion but do so respecfully. It's only your opinion and you will not force it upon others by looking down on sport climbers.

Which brings up the issue of labeling. For all intents and purposes, I choose to narrow down my specific climbing expertise and abilities only for the purpose of not getting myself into a hairy mess out on the rock and also for knowing how I can personally grow in ability. I don't seperate myself in ratings or type of climbing to "distinguish" myself from others in an attempt to create an inferiority complex.

I find this stigma when I go to what is currently the only rock gym in Tucson, AZ. For the most part, people there are stand-offish and I would rather not even attempt the boulder pit anymore because, well, I suck at it and get much less than friendly encouragment from the plastic junkies (sorry, it's so hard not to label when they act like that). I want to get better at gym climbing, but not at the expense of paying good money for a crappy emotional environment. With such tension in the air, I find it hard to overlook the personal issue of mine that there's a roof blocking my view of nature (one of the reasons I climb is for the view). I guess when going to the gym, you just have to look for other natural beauties :-)...but if they are grouchy and stand-offish, I'm not interested in the least, even if climber chicks are hot!

Also, another example of this stigma are many of the posts on rc.com. I love rc.com and like to be a part of it, but it feels so superficial when it creates barriers and people forget that they can respecfully disagree on an issue, and have an open mind.

I look up jokes and songs on the internet about climbing, and find that many of them dis on all different kinds of climbers. Good luck helping someone change that way!

Equally important to me as what I climb and how I climb it is WHO I climb with. My best experiences revolve around people...and climbing enhances that bond. A crag just wouldn't have the same appeal to me without my brother and friends there! Even climbing, the most beloved sport of all in my book, isn't the same without relationships.

That's my soap-box speech. Call me the Rodney King of RC.com if you will...I don't care. I stand by my opinion here.

I go to . . . the gym

As a relative newcomer to Tucson who occasionally climbs in the gym, I will agree that it occasionally feels pretty cliquish. Don't let that stop you from doing what you want to do in there, though. I will also say that I have met a lot of cool people in there, though, and even gone on to climb outside with them. If you need someone to climb with, send me a pm (I usually climb Tuesday and Thursday, and occasional night bouldering sessions).

As far as the community as a whole, rarely do I meet people outside who are not friendly, willing to lend a belay or beta, and just fun to hang out with and chat. I can only think of a couple times where I have met people outside who were the least bit confrontational or stand-offish. Obviously a lot of the infighting and headbutting gets exaggerated online, but I also feel meeting people outside changes attitudes as well - it's hard not be cheerful and outgoing when you are enjoying a beautiful day climbing outside.

Not pointing the finger at you rockram, but as an observation in general, I wonder how much of a person's general feeling about the climbing community is skewed by how much time they spend reading and discussing climbing online vs how much time they spend interacting with climbers at the crag?