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jono13
May 31, 2002, 12:40 AM
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hey all, this is a subject that really pisses me off. alot of the old school trad climbers, aid climbers, and some sport climbers just bash bouldering. i dont get why they do it, is it because we dont use endless amounts of gear(not that theres anything wrong with that)? is it because wat were doin takes a whole different kind of strength? are they intimidated? i dont get it! i have nothing against any kind of climbing. just curious as to wat u guys think on this. cheers
jono
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psych
May 31, 2002, 1:07 AM
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Well I'm certain it's been discussed before, this is the age old argument between climbers I guess (well, maybe not age old, that'd be trad vs sport).
I for one can't really boulder too well, but it's a helluva good way to get power and technique down, kinda compressing a climb into a very small span of time. Doesn't do much for endurance though...but no, it's a good thing.
My heart lies with going UP, but it's nice sometimes to just go at a problem without having to wear a harness or haul any rope around. :-)
Mike...
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jdcox_9
May 31, 2002, 1:19 AM
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maybe people like to bash boulderers because they are just a different kind of climber
bouldering is almost like a seperate society
at least some people seem that way
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hang_man
May 31, 2002, 2:01 AM
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so just leave them alone if they want to make noise, right?
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nikegirl
May 31, 2002, 2:08 AM
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Yea...I'm a different kinda society
NOT! ok, well yes, it is.
Ego plays alot in bouldering...I see it, I watch, and the loud grunting (I've been known to do )and I engage, sometimes.
I absolutly love bouldering.
Strength alone, is fricken hard. I like the challenge.
my 2 cents
T
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lmorton
May 31, 2002, 2:40 AM
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perhaps the real issue here is a generational one...with old schoolers trained in the ways of traditional climbing chafing against the newcomers, often very young and very sure of themselves.
you'll frequenly find threads on this site that degenerate into the usual "what is better? who is cooler? what is harder?" type of argument. people trained in trad tend to admire the more purist approach while people raised in the gym tend to glorify ratings and keep track of their score, so to speak.
this argument is no different from the argument that first arose (and is still around) when sport climbing appeared. trad climbers didn't respect the sport climber's approach.
Taking a step back, let me make some generalizations, feel free to disagree: 1)there are always a select few ignorant/ disrespectful types who bring a lot of trouble to any sport, especially climbing. 2) people who have been climbing for decades tend to know their way around, understand the importance of access issues, and are generally (read: generally) more respectful of the environment, the need for safety, and their fellow climbers 3) there are a lot of new people entering the sport who don't know the "rules" so to speak 4) most of those new people are young 5) most of those new climbers are also primarily either boulderers or gym rats, becuase those activities are much more accessible, require less money, gear, and time (plug and play, so to speak) 6) therefore: most of the people smashing bottles, using too much chalk, getting injured, showing off, chipping, disrespecting others, etc, are not experienced climbers, but young people (for the record, i am only 22) who don't have a grasp of what's at stake.
i'm sure this comment will inspire some rapid replies, but i think that if you take a moment to read what i've said above, it's nothing but the truth. remember: i never said that young climbers ARE the problem, just that they tend to be less aware (statistically speaking) and probably contribute to some of the sports biggest problems (access, etc)...which pisses the old schoolers off big time.
my 2 cents...
lmorton
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jono13
May 31, 2002, 2:40 AM
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hehe, ya, there are alot of ego maniacs in the boulderin society, and i think it appeals more to younger crowds, so maybe thats why some of em hate us. DAMN KIDS!
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starinack
May 31, 2002, 2:56 AM
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What do you boulder?
Rocks
What do you climb?
Rocks
Isn't it like the same thing? In a way I mean....of course they require different skills and stuff....
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jono13
May 31, 2002, 3:09 AM
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thats wat i thought at first, and i was really shocked to see how rude some of the trad climbers and stuff can be to sport climbers. it really pisses me off!
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blindslap
May 31, 2002, 3:13 AM
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i think the biggest reason people bash boulderers is because they really don't go anywere. (nothing wrong with that) i don't do a lot of bouldering because i personally prefer to go as high as i can. There's nothing wrong with bouldering, it's just a different side to the sport. It's all still climbing.
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stevematthys
May 31, 2002, 3:22 AM
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i am not a boulder, but i got to hand it to you guys. you guys send some pretty tricky sh*t
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overlord
May 31, 2002, 9:16 AM
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lets face it guys, whether its trad, sport or bouldering, you ALWAYS meet some jerk thats has an ego the size of the universe. but irroncaly that same person is probably not really good at climbing, he just likes to spray. just ignore them. and usually when trad ones putt boulderers off it is just because they are doing sometnig the trads cant do so good and vice-versa. it is just a psychological defense, you try to lessen the valoe of something you cant get or do in order not to feel too bad about it.
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roughster
May 31, 2002, 9:56 AM
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Quote:
"alot of the old school trad climbers, aid climbers, and some sport climbers just bash bouldering."
Actually I fail to see this "bashing". What I generally hear is boulderers attempting to bash other types of climbers.
I Sport climb, Boulder, and Trad climb. Climbing is climbing and each activity has its advantages and weaknesses.
[ This Message was edited by: roughster on 2002-05-31 03:04 ]
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timhinck
May 31, 2002, 12:22 PM
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I am a boulderer; here's my thought:
Maybe people bash bouldering because it is silly. I often have to chuckle at my obsession with this dumb little sport. Here I am, grunting and scrambling and humping up this little 5x10 pebble while there are people investing days and weeks and risking their lives to conquer some of the most breathtaking summits in the world.
While I don't even understand, I do know that when I'm working on a new problem, I can think of little else. When I boulder, the movements of the climbing feel so pure and natural, almost basic on a biological level.
Basically, bouldering looks very stupid, unless you've spent enough time with it to really understand and love it.
Boulderers HAVE tended to be more loud and obnoxious in the past, but that is changing. I feel that now that boulderers are growing up (as a generation), they are becoming more thoughtful, well-rounded, and aware. I think one positive thing that boulderers bring to the world of climbing is their divirsity of interests. Boulderers are usually not just boulderers, but also painters, musicians, skateboarders, wakeboarders, surfers, doctors, mom's, etc. The relaxed nature of the sport allows boulderers to keep their other jobs and passions and still boulder. This is bringing much diversity and knowledge to the sport.
peace,
tim
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pianomahnn
May 31, 2002, 12:53 PM
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Yeah, uhm, I don't think this is really is an issue.
And if it is, they are not bashing the act of bouldering, but probably some of the punk bitches who boulder.
There are some who give bouldering a bad name...
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orngave
May 31, 2002, 1:33 PM
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I don't see it as much of an issue either. But if it was, the age thing makes sense to me.
E.B.
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holygecko
May 31, 2002, 1:51 PM
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I have never seen any boulder bashing but it wouldn't be cool if I did. I feel that we are all climbers and we should all support each other. we should all be bros man, "To Each His Own"
l8r
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stewbabby
May 31, 2002, 2:43 PM
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I will tell you my personal problem with the bouldering community. I am a climber. I prefer trad. I climb for me and me alone, not to compete with anyone other than my own psyche. I do occasionally go to the local bouldering area to get in a good work out since the closest substantial rock is at least an hour away. So my only opportunity to get on rock during the week is to boulder for an hour or two after work. When I get out there I am greeted by a veritable plethora of "kids" spraying each other and anyone else they see. Now you can say I am jealous or intimidated if you want, since my hardest problem is like v4. But I’m not going out there to get another problem on my ticklist I just want to work out. These "kids" are everywhere trying to give beta show the newest problem and spouting off their latest sends. So I guess as others have said before me, it is the arrogance and the attempt to turn a sport that is rooted in personal accomplishment in to a full contact, competitions sport.
Stewart
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jmlangford
Jun 2, 2002, 4:17 AM
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I like all types of climbing, sport, trad, bouldering, alpine...although I am not that good at ANY of it. I prefer alpine because I can go weeks on end without seeing anybody. A poster said boulderers don't go anywhere...well, the best bouldering area I went to was here. I drove 200 miles to the trailhead at 7400'. The trail has 4000' of elevation gain in the first 4 miles and it is a total of about 8 miles into the area. Who says boulderers don't go anywhere? Lmorton and stewbabby probably described it the best. If I am around boulderers, I ask them if they know who John Gill is...if I get a blank stare from the punks, I move on...I have nothing to talk to them about if they don't even know why bouldering exists as we know it today.
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crackaddict
Jun 2, 2002, 2:16 PM
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I think pianomahnn put it best.
Its all the punks out there giving it a bad name. Bouldering is cool. I do it!
Plus I climb trad, sport, aid etc.
Climb whatever you wan't! Just don't be a stupid punk about it!
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beyond_gravity
Jun 2, 2002, 5:05 PM
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I've said this before and i'll say it again, Bouldering is like Skateboarding. People say, "why would you spend all day jumping down a 10 set of stairs and landing on your head, not landing a single trick all day!" Theres been one dyno that i've been working on for about 2 months. I stuck it for the first time 3 weeks ago.
Skaters will spend lotsa to get the latest Lakai hoodie and DC pants.
Boulderers will spends lotsa money to get the new Prana shirt and Verve pants.
Can you say $120 bearings? what aboot $15 chalk?
There are Skaters, and then theres "skaters"
There are Boulderers, and then there "boulderer"
There's differnt types of climbing. Theres the "cool" type (Sport and bouldering) and then theres the one for the uptight, closed minded olies
Eh?
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jono13
Jun 2, 2002, 5:53 PM
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nicely said jeremy, thats the way i look at it to. cheers
jono
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clmbnski
Jun 2, 2002, 6:46 PM
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I have to agree with what was stated earlier. In my opinion it is the boulderers that are bashing other types of climbing. I havent seen any threads in the aid forum that say anything about bouldering being bad. So quit crying. I like all forms of climbing as long as certain ethics are abided by (no chipping, no bolting next to crack,ect.) bouldering is cool,sport is cool, trad is cool, and yes even aid is cool too.
Chris
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beyond_gravity
Jun 2, 2002, 7:01 PM
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yes, it's them that bash other types of climbing. It's differnt, the style is differnt, the ethics are differnt and yes, the attitude is differnt as well. Why do people care so much of what other people think? I suckered jon into belaying me when I was aid climb. It was pretty fun (well, not really) but ya know, eh?
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krustyklimber
Jun 2, 2002, 8:10 PM
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Dang it! Now you boys have made me mad!
This was sort of cool and getting informative, until you had to go and do that Jeremy!
I am one of those "Uptight Closeminded Oldies" as you call us (which I totaly don't deserve). Would an uptight oldie write this?http://www.rockclimbing.com/forums/viewtopic.php?topic=10561&forum=16
I participate in every form of rockclimbing there is (I don't do ice, 'cause ice around here sucks) and I love them all!
I think that so far there has not been any bashing of bouldering but of boulderers with crappy attitudes, and no respect for the land, the sport, or their (possibly) elders who have put a lot of time, sweat, love and money into developing a sport for all of us to share! These are probaly the same people who say (when they are sport climbing) "those trad climbers are bashing us, boo hoo". When in reality it is them that we don't like not the form of our sport they choose to participate as poor citizens of!
Jeremy I am most offended by you here! I thought we were friends? I hope you only meant it in the best of humor (or humour if you like), but it didn't feel that way!
As I have said before, as long as we continue to "draw lines in the sand" that divide us, we are doomed! If we can't get along, each then well segregated form of climbing will then be easier to do away with!
Divided we rot,
United we ferment!
Let's Party!
Jeff
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