hypothetical doping question

What illegal performance-enhancing substances would offer the most to a climber? Feel free to offer suggestions for alpine/sport/bouldering/etc.

Not for me, by the way. I'm afraid if I doped I'd still be a mediocre climber, and that'd be psychologically crushing. But I wonder about the prevalence of doping in the sport.

It depends on definition of "illegal"

w/o prescription or medical decision (just throwing out some thoughts here) -

I would think Dex will be #1 as most participants are peak bagging higher altitudes; not that they still wouldn't be mediocre in talent.

#2 will probably be pain reliever; oxycodone (Percocet), hydrocodone (Vicodin), cannibis/THC.

You can almost switch the pain relievers to the #1; I guess depending on definitions.

What's illegal in the States can be more than available abroad.

Blood doping is actually counter intuitive to the body working at its potential.

I would think more pain management than performance enhancing as actually being effective in climbing. What about something preventing dehydration/replacement of electrolytes, would that be something?

THC = awesome for cooling down after long day of climbing.... not that I would know

Buff Johnson wrote:It depends on definition of "illegal" w/o prescription or medical decision (just throwing out some thoughts here) - I would think Dex will be #1 as most participants are peak bagging higher altitudes; not that they still wouldn't be mediocre in talent. #2 will probably be pain reliever; oxycodone (Percocet), hydrocodone (Vicodin), cannibis/THC. You can almost switch the pain relievers to the #1; I guess depending on definitions. What's illegal in the States can be more than available abroad. Blood doping is actually counter intuitive to the body working at its potential. I would think more pain management than performance enhancing as actually being effective in climbing. What about something preventing dehydration/replacement of electrolytes, would that be something?

No way would you want an opiate while you were climbing, I can not imagine being up high ( literally ) in that state. I'm thinking localized shots of cocaine derivatives, then can you imagine how torn up your hands would be if you couldn't feel them and you could hang on to any hold, that would be ugly at the end of the day.

Makes me think of Saturday Night Live's "all drug olympics"... great stuff.

If you use steroids and do an FA does that mean it doesn't count :-)

Rick Blair wrote: If you use steroids and do an FA does that mean it doesn't count :-)

It counts but you have to add an *

Example - John Doe, Nut Shrinker*, FA 2009