quietriot
New Member
Posts: 24
Gender: Trans
Dev Status: Disabled Male
Relationship Status: Single
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Post by quietriot on Dec 6, 2019 17:12:57 GMT -5
Amee Paraclimbing is the same thing! I've contemplated participating in some comps, but climb way more outside than inside so feel pretty out of sync with the gym culture. I guess I'd be in the RP: Limited Range, Mobility, Strength category. I mostly sport and trad climb, bouldering is terrible on my braces. I think it's cool that you climb more outside, actually! I think climbing is not so much about competing with others than it is about scaling the mountain or wall and thereby overcoming yourself and your fears. I think it's a fascinating way to see what you and your body and mind can do in a very real and personal way. It's quite pure in that sense I think it's also not a coincidence that the climbing culture is a bit of a hippie culture. There's actually a bit of condescension towards competitions going on among some serious outdoors climbers, I've been told If I cared more about getting strong, I think I’d like the local gym more. But right now, I’m mostly interested in exploring new places and rock formations, not climbing hard! Interestingly, a downside of the recent climbing movies in mainstream media (Free Solo, Meru, Dawn Wall) is that my buddies and I have been seeing more and more climbers outside, fresh from the gyms, who don’t have a great grasp on safety systems. A few months ago we witnessed someone rappelling off of a 100 foot face without ever having practiced it before! Her boyfriend was yelling instructions from the ground and she looked scared out of her mind Anyways, I’m probably ranting a bit too much...
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Post by Amee on Dec 6, 2019 17:34:31 GMT -5
I think it's cool that you climb more outside, actually! I think climbing is not so much about competing with others than it is about scaling the mountain or wall and thereby overcoming yourself and your fears. I think it's a fascinating way to see what you and your body and mind can do in a very real and personal way. It's quite pure in that sense I think it's also not a coincidence that the climbing culture is a bit of a hippie culture. There's actually a bit of condescension towards competitions going on among some serious outdoors climbers, I've been told If I cared more about getting strong, I think I’d like the local gym more. But right now, I’m mostly interested in exploring new places and rock formations, not climbing hard! Interestingly, a downside of the recent climbing movies in mainstream media (Free Solo, Meru, Dawn Wall) is that my buddies and I have been seeing more and more climbers outside, fresh from the gyms, who don’t have a great grasp on safety systems. A few months ago we witnessed someone rappelling off of a 100 foot face without ever having practiced it before! Her boyfriend was yelling instructions from the ground and she looked scared out of her mind Anyways, I’m probably ranting a bit too much... No, I don't think you're ranting too much! It's a dangerous sport to begin with and not just when we start talking about free soloing, which really borders more on insanity than sport. Have you seen the movies you mentioned? I only saw "Free Solo" and while I found it fascinating in many ways, I also think it was pretty clear that there's a bit of insanity going on there. I think the movie showed that quite well, though. There was also a sequence where another climber said "Everyone who has made free soloing a big part of their life is dead now." Although, I'm not sure what kind of effect that has on people... One would hope that it would make them realize that this is not just something cool, but the way people work, I think there's also a good chance it may glorify and mystify it even more. But yes, safety should 100% always come first, when climbing - because there are very serious risks and dangers. Same goes for hiking/mountaineering, which I do a lot more of. And while the feeling of "scaling the mountain" is a beautiful one, I once read a very wise poem, framed on the wall in a mountain hut. It was in German and unfortunately I don't remember it exactly, but the essence was that the greatest thing a man can learn from the mountain does not come from conquering the mountain, but from conquering his own ego and learning humility.
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Post by pam on Dec 6, 2019 17:59:10 GMT -5
Hello, welcome. Sounds like you have lots of good hobbies. Hope you make friends and enjoy your time here.
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quietriot
New Member
Posts: 24
Gender: Trans
Dev Status: Disabled Male
Relationship Status: Single
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Post by quietriot on Dec 6, 2019 18:24:23 GMT -5
If I cared more about getting strong, I think I’d like the local gym more. But right now, I’m mostly interested in exploring new places and rock formations, not climbing hard! Interestingly, a downside of the recent climbing movies in mainstream media (Free Solo, Meru, Dawn Wall) is that my buddies and I have been seeing more and more climbers outside, fresh from the gyms, who don’t have a great grasp on safety systems. A few months ago we witnessed someone rappelling off of a 100 foot face without ever having practiced it before! Her boyfriend was yelling instructions from the ground and she looked scared out of her mind Anyways, I’m probably ranting a bit too much... No, I don't think you're ranting too much! It's a dangerous sport to begin with and not just when we start talking about free soloing, which really borders more on insanity than sport. Have you seen the movies you mentioned? I only saw "Free Solo" and while I found it fascinating in many ways, I also think it was pretty clear that there's a bit of insanity going on there. I think the movie showed that quite well, though. There was also a sequence where another climber said "Everyone who has made free soloing a big part of their life is dead now." Although, I'm not sure what kind of effect that has on people... One would hope that it would make them realize that this is not just something cool, but the way people work, I think there's also a good chance it may glorify and mystify it even more. But yes, safety should 100% always come first, when climbing - because there are very serious risks and dangers. Same goes for hiking/mountaineering, which I do a lot more of. And while the feeling of "scaling the mountain" is a beautiful one, I once read a very wise poem, framed on the wall in a mountain hut. It was in German and unfortunately I don't remember it exactly, but the essence was that the greatest thing a man can learn from the mountain does not come from conquering the mountain, but from conquering his own ego and learning humility. That’s a great sentiment! I totally agree. I have seen those movies and they certainly strike a balance between inspiring and insane. It’s sad that free soloers are among the finest climbers of any generation but that they (usually) always meet a gruesome fate. Last week one of the most eminent free soloers, Brad Gobright, passed away in a climbing accident. Ironically, it was while rappelling - he just forgot to tie one knot in his system. I’m definitely the safety nut of my hiking/climbing friend group. In fact, we were slated to hike the John Muir Trail last summer but pulled out because of unusually high snowfall, even though most hikers were going anyways. I had this picture of falling down an overpass with my crutches getting in the way...
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 6, 2019 20:03:16 GMT -5
Welcome to PD, I have no clue about climbing even though I did take a class on rapelling a while back but I forgot everything...
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quietriot
New Member
Posts: 24
Gender: Trans
Dev Status: Disabled Male
Relationship Status: Single
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Post by quietriot on Dec 6, 2019 20:40:24 GMT -5
Welcome to PD, I have no clue about climbing even though I did take a class on rapelling a while back but I forgot everything... Great to be here! Yeah, Amee and I have been going down quite the rabbit hole, huh?
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Post by newmn on Dec 6, 2019 23:44:54 GMT -5
Welcome!
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Post by feelsunshine on Dec 7, 2019 12:34:31 GMT -5
Welcome from Germany!
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Post by cilantro on Dec 7, 2019 15:48:54 GMT -5
Welcome! Good intro, good hobbies.
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selcouth
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Posts: 5
Gender: Male
Dev Status: BIID
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Post by selcouth on Jan 12, 2020 17:45:18 GMT -5
Hi! I'm 23, also trans (ftm), queer, and just moved out of the Bay Area, but go back to visit often - would love to meet up sometime if you're down where in the Bay are you from?
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