Alex Honnold CUT from Clif Bar!

In case anyone didn't know already, Clif Bar just dropped Alex Honnold, Steph Davis, Dean Potter, Timmy Oneill, and Cedar Wright for free-soloing. There are two good articles that cover the issue point counterpoint style here
fringesfolly.com/2014/11/08…
and here rockandice.com/lates-news/h…

This is an interesting debate, and Clif Bar just blew the gates wide open on it. Discuss!!!

Clif Bar Drops Honnold and Others - FF Honnold Potter and others fired by Clif Bar

Seems dumb. I don't solo. But I understand why people do it. Why sponsor climbers, who live to solo, and then drop them from your sponsorship for doing what you probably knew they were going to do anyway? I don't see The North Face or LaSportiva doing this.

I don't these athletes eat clif bars anyways. They are very processed and the McDonald's version of an energy bar. Cheap no doubt, I used to eat them, but now I'm not sure if there's a single flavor I could enjoy.

Try a pro bar and notice the difference

If you let political correctness (which is a pc term for censorship and pussification) creep deep into your society, it is just a matter of time before it infects everything.

Soloing does not fit into pc america.

Is anyone surprised we have arrived here?

nonya wrote:political correctness (which is a pc term for censorship and pussification)

My guess is that this has happened not because of free soloing per se, but because of the counter culture and illegal aspects of the Valley Uprising film. Folks can rag on Cliff Bar, but their success has paved the way for organic well produced energy bars in a greater marketplace than endurance sports and their sales numbers point to the overall market liking the product.

They have known for some time the activities pursued and promoted by these atheletes, but have chosen to distance themselves from activities and an image promoted in a film that doesn't fit with what they want their larger market to think of them. This film has taken on a life of its own and its not just climbers going to see it. Yesterday there was a local showing in Reno (where I live) and I was amazed at the number of non-climbing parents who asked me if I was going to the show. There was a large group of folks going from my children's school who had never set foot on rock. I'm sure cliff bar is aware of the popularity of the film and what it might do to their image.

I also wonder if this might create a larger discussion around sponsorship, promotion and fringe extreme sports. Look at the number of dead wingsuiters / base jumpers in the last two years. Shit, look at the number of dead skiers, even. Red Bull and other major sponsors of these athletes promote these sports heavily and that could be a motivating factor behind their boundary pushing activities. What type of responsibility should these sponsors take for the lives of the athletes (who can't get life insurance) and their families.

Someone slept with the admiral's daughter.

500 million in sales, simple business decision, nothing more.

See the previous post here mountainproject.com/v/clif-…