Justin, thanks for taking the time to articulate your thoughts.

You and Tracy and that other K-something or other girl. What is it with the MP women?

I apologize for my last post. That wasn't like me.

I meant to say that I climb to fit in in Boulder.

it hurts so good...

i find i'm rarely as happy as i am when i get home after a day of balls-out climbing/mountaineering and can barely stand. whether i wore myself out hiking to get to the base of an alpine route or pushing grades, it's the pain that i really dig. of course, i could do that lots of ways, but what makes climbing my preferred method of self-torture is the solitude that can (sometimes) be present. it's you and the rock, and everything's on you - even broken holds can, in a lot of cases, be helped if you're conscientious enough.

i also like the fact that the solution is on your terms, and one isn't competing with a classroom full of people better at kissing ass than you or more willing to pad their resumes to attain the goal.

Erik, I'm not sorry. But I'm glad we're back on track. Thanks Kirra and Aaron :)

I don't have much; however, I like the view on the way up:

I had an intrest in climbing when a classmate showed me his gear. When I got the chance, I did it because it felt like an adventure and took me to beautiful places- and still does!

In the last year I've made my first trips to Rifle and the Red and I must say that the movement on climbs like Choss Family and Gettin' Lucky in Kentucky, as well as Spiny Dan at Shelf just FEELS good! The flow, the high feet, the tension in your core, and long reaches to good holds is just plain fun!

And yes, Tom, the gym is just plain dirty and ugly compared to the view of the South Colony lakes from Ellingwood's, or seeing the lights shimmering on the front range during a night on the Diamond. And our gym in the Springs just plain sucks anyway!

Mark - that is a sweet photo.

G - that's funny.

Climbing really is the only activity I've been involved with where my partners become brothers and sisters through a zen-like experience. The trust that comes with climbing is seldom ever found elsewhere. Life long friendships result which are priceless beyond anything material. It's all about the pain, the overcoming of doubt, fear, pushing ahead towards the unknown, becoming one with the rock, the pull of the wind against you, the swallow diving towards you at breakneck speed, the psychedelic lichen covered rock beckoning me forward, the ultimate teamwork, and the feeling of individual accomplishment, incredible and surreal scenery, and, of course, the view only obtained from the odyssey itself. Shimmering clouds, threatening storms, chilly stream crossings, pre-dawn alpine starts, blood orange alpine glow, the cosmic voyage through the physical world of crags, cliffs, and mountains accompanied by a trusted friend. What more could you want? It is life distilled to its essence.

Tony climbs? Wow thats fucking cool!

what grade is he sending these days he must be getting old!

Theeeerrrrreeee GGGrrrreeeeaaaaaattttt!!!!!!!

Oh yeah of coarse I climb for the views and the fucking experiance. Its fucking awsome to be way out there all exposed and fucking HIIIIGGGHHH oh yeah!

i cant fucking spell! Crimson Crisalis is my fav for the exposure and the cool fucking views! I decided im going to say fuck a lot since I moved to NY and its rubbing off on me!

No fucking offense bra!

Ny is fucked up place to live after boulder and the west!

Fuck Off

Thats the bumper sticker I saw yesterday? Thats fucking stupid! Maybe I should start a new fucking thread>>>>>> LOLOL

Oh yeah of coarse I climb for the views and the fucking experiance. Its fucking awsome to be way out there all exposed and fucking HIIIIGGGHHH oh yeah!

i cant fucking spell! Crimson Crisalis is my fav for the exposure and the cool fucking views! I decided im going to say fuck a lot since I moved to NY and its rubbing off on me!

No fucking offense bra!

Ny is fucked up place to live after boulder and the west!

Fuck Off

Thats the bumper sticker I saw yesterday? Thats fucking stupid! Maybe I should start a new fucking thread>>>>>> LOLOL

As much as i may regret deviating from the most recent direction this thread is going, my thanks [also] to Justin for your mini dissertation on climbing. The first few paragraphs hit real close to home for me, brother.
d

duh, don't you guys know climbing is an empty pursuit?

Okay, this is going to come across real hippie-ish and obscure but here goes. One thing i keep coming back to is the deep contrast between to two major elements involved in our activity; us and the rock. On one hand you have a creature capable of thought (in most cases), articulate, cognitive, able to adapt to and manipulate his/her surroundings, live in just about any climate, explore just about anywhere within the planet (and beyond), variable and ambivalent, ... then on the other hand, you have the unwavering and static rock.

I think what i'm getting at is it's not like in "sports" where you're competing against another player or team. But though we're not required to estimate our "opponent's" next move or analyze its strategy, we are constantly challenged and, when odds stacked against us, fail from time to time. I've never been real competitive and i think that's a part of why i'm drawn to climbing. You don't have to focus on the opponent's strategy, just your own. There's no worry about how good the other guy is now or by the time you compete against him.

And when that opposing, variable element is removed, what is left is your own abilities and what you are capable of.... not when faced with this person or the other but when faced with something that is unwavering. That thing you compete against will not have a good or bad day, it won't forfeit or take steroids and get the unfair advantage. The only real variable element is the weather... but you have that in sports too.

Don't know if any of this makes sense to anyone else but there it is.
d

edit:: and this is only one facet of the overall appeal, climbing holds for me. There's, as mentioned, the friends, the scenery, the outdoor life in general. This is only a single aspect.

A “no falls” style of climbing conflicts with one of the aspects I enjoy most about climbing: pushing right to the edge of what I can do. Doing what I think I can do is not as much fun. This requires attempting lots of moves where I will only succeed some of the time, be it five of fifty percent. As a result success in terms of an onsite or redpoint can be disappointing, because I should have been trying at something more difficult.