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A break up with a girl and a Black Diamond catalogue through the letterbox makes Pete Edwards contemplate that fundamental question. Why do we climb?
http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=150
http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=150
In reply to Mick - UKClimbing.com:
nice. I like it. It's got a nicely anecdotal feel, like one of your mates chatting to you in the pub.
nice. I like it. It's got a nicely anecdotal feel, like one of your mates chatting to you in the pub.
In reply to CJD:
Oh Yes, I bet I'm going to be hearing about this in the pub for a very long time!
Well done Pete!
> (In reply to Mick - UKClimbing.com)
>
> It's got a nicely anecdotal feel, like one of your mates chatting to you in the pub.
>
> It's got a nicely anecdotal feel, like one of your mates chatting to you in the pub.
Oh Yes, I bet I'm going to be hearing about this in the pub for a very long time!
Well done Pete!
In reply to Mick - UKClimbing.com:
I often wonder why I do it when freezing my nuts off on some alpine bivi or getting disco leg above some dodgy gear but I have never properly ‘thought’ about why I do it or why I enjoy it, I just do.
Here’s a challenge for someone though, try explaining the sit-down bouldering start to a non-climber without them look at you with a mixture of incredulous disbelief mixed with pity…………….
I often wonder why I do it when freezing my nuts off on some alpine bivi or getting disco leg above some dodgy gear but I have never properly ‘thought’ about why I do it or why I enjoy it, I just do.
Here’s a challenge for someone though, try explaining the sit-down bouldering start to a non-climber without them look at you with a mixture of incredulous disbelief mixed with pity…………….
In reply to Mick - UKClimbing.com:
retreat from life - surely not? ok, maybe, sometimes
[but surely someone could have checked the grammar...]
retreat from life - surely not? ok, maybe, sometimes
[but surely someone could have checked the grammar...]
In reply to CJD: it does doesn't it,, nicely written.
for me it is that escape from everyday life, that time when you can forget everything and just concentrate on that next hold, the next move, finishing the problem. Going to the crag scaring yourself silly, when everyone else is stuck in london. Or having that laugh cause your mate fell off the same move again in a true 9 for effort but 0 for style,,,
for me it is that escape from everyday life, that time when you can forget everything and just concentrate on that next hold, the next move, finishing the problem. Going to the crag scaring yourself silly, when everyone else is stuck in london. Or having that laugh cause your mate fell off the same move again in a true 9 for effort but 0 for style,,,
In reply to gingerdave13:
it's got the same feel as Paul Pritchard's book 'Deep Play', a nice sense of escape from 'real life'.
good stuff.
but yes, it could have done with a spot of proofreading (sorry to sound churlish)
it's got the same feel as Paul Pritchard's book 'Deep Play', a nice sense of escape from 'real life'.
good stuff.
but yes, it could have done with a spot of proofreading (sorry to sound churlish)
In reply to JonC:
Yeah, you're right, my grammar should've been better, especially working with English for International Students at Birmingham Uni, but i didn't think it was a major issue - it was the general theme that i wanted to convey.
Glad people like it!
Yeah, you're right, my grammar should've been better, especially working with English for International Students at Birmingham Uni, but i didn't think it was a major issue - it was the general theme that i wanted to convey.
Glad people like it!
In reply to Mick - UKClimbing.com:
Certainly an interesting piece, and whilst it may only be because I'm tired I didn't notice the grammar as it struck a cord in myself, being in a similar position having just split up from a long term relationship. Not sure I do it for escapism though, I think I fall into the not really sure why i do but i love it category.
Certainly an interesting piece, and whilst it may only be because I'm tired I didn't notice the grammar as it struck a cord in myself, being in a similar position having just split up from a long term relationship. Not sure I do it for escapism though, I think I fall into the not really sure why i do but i love it category.
In reply to SimonW:
Simon, I regard myself as a climber if only middle grade and I experience the emotions you describe to a "sit-down bouldering start" !
> (In reply to Mick - UKClimbing.com)
>
>
> I often wonder why I do it when freezing my nuts off on some alpine bivi or getting disco leg above some dodgy gear but I have never properly ‘thought’ about why I do it or why I enjoy it, I just do.
>
> Here’s a challenge for someone though, try explaining the sit-down bouldering start to a non-climber without them look at you with a mixture of incredulous disbelief mixed with pity…………….
>
>
> I often wonder why I do it when freezing my nuts off on some alpine bivi or getting disco leg above some dodgy gear but I have never properly ‘thought’ about why I do it or why I enjoy it, I just do.
>
> Here’s a challenge for someone though, try explaining the sit-down bouldering start to a non-climber without them look at you with a mixture of incredulous disbelief mixed with pity…………….
Simon, I regard myself as a climber if only middle grade and I experience the emotions you describe to a "sit-down bouldering start" !
> [but surely someone could have checked the grammar...]
I checked his grammar!
But ufnortuntaely aksnig a dylsexic to chekc gramamr is nto one of the smratest thnigs Pete has dnoe... :P
Well, awesome piece Pete - I'm proud of you You're right. I don't really know why I climb. I'm not a big fan of heights, and I can't stand exposure! I guess I like the feeling of pushing my limits, and achieving something that yesterday I'd have sworn blind I had no chance of being able to do. And I guess being so potentially close to death really makes you feel alive!!!
And the scenery! I was climbing in the Blue Mountains (NSW, OZ) a few weeks back. My pics are up here www.spaces.msn.com/members/ragdoll42 . Cant think of a better way to experience that landscape
Maddy x
In reply to Ragdoll: I'v never understood why climbers ask this question more than people doing other sports. The physical risks in diving, for example, are probably similar- there are the odd few deaths each year, a higher number of injuries, but most people doing the sport at the average level never suffer anything too dramatic. The discomfort level can also be as high - the North Sea is never warm. But you never hear divers pondering why they dive, even though people all dive for different reasons - to explore wrecks, because they love the feeling of weightlessness, to see marine life, for the sense of adventure. So why do climbers muse over this so much? Surely we each individually know what we are getting out of it - exhilaration, fun, awe inspiring or beautiful surroundings, physical challenge, the crack - I cant imagine why anyone would carry on if they didnt.
In reply to Psychopathic_Barbie:
It made me think about it because everybody always asks me about it - almost every member of staff here has asked me about it, and most have questioned why. I'm not sure if people from other sports get asked so much, but i know i do.
It made me think about it because everybody always asks me about it - almost every member of staff here has asked me about it, and most have questioned why. I'm not sure if people from other sports get asked so much, but i know i do.
In reply to Pete E: 'sfunny, because no one ever has difficulty understanding why I scuba dive, even though the physical discomfort of that is far greater - you struggle into an unwieldy and heavy suit, pile lead weights and a steel tank on your back, and then jump into cold dark water where you can generally only see a few metres ahead. But everyone is familiar with diving programs now, so they know what the motivation is. I have no trouble with the attraction of climbing, but shudder at the thought of five a side football on a damp and chilly sunday morning in a park where people 'walk' their dogs. Maybe people just find climbing baffling because its less familiar as a sport.
In reply to Psychopathic_Barbie:
Yeah i suppose its one of those things you either know about already or you don't, and people normally get into it through friends (in my experience). With something like diving there's something there to achieve, whereas with climbing and sports like base jumping and moutain biking, you simply end up back where you started, after having had a bit (or hopefully one hell) of an adventure.
It's been quite funny because since writing the article i've been inundated with people telling me why they climb, which has been quite nice. It's nice to get people thinking.
Yeah i suppose its one of those things you either know about already or you don't, and people normally get into it through friends (in my experience). With something like diving there's something there to achieve, whereas with climbing and sports like base jumping and moutain biking, you simply end up back where you started, after having had a bit (or hopefully one hell) of an adventure.
It's been quite funny because since writing the article i've been inundated with people telling me why they climb, which has been quite nice. It's nice to get people thinking.
In reply to Pete E:
Well I didnt! I spent summer holidays as a kid scrambling about on rocks and slabby sea cliffs, and then many years later - once I discovered walking in the lakes and peak - realised I still really wanted to go clambering about on the crags like a big kid. So once I discovered that there were such things as climbing walls where you could go and learn how to do it properly...
> (In reply to Psychopathic_Barbie)
>
>people normally get into it through friends (in my experience).
>
Well I didnt! I spent summer holidays as a kid scrambling about on rocks and slabby sea cliffs, and then many years later - once I discovered walking in the lakes and peak - realised I still really wanted to go clambering about on the crags like a big kid. So once I discovered that there were such things as climbing walls where you could go and learn how to do it properly...
In reply to Psychopathic_Barbie:
So once I discovered that there were such things as climbing walls where you could go and learn how to do it properly...
And people say that climbing walls are a bad thing...
So once I discovered that there were such things as climbing walls where you could go and learn how to do it properly...
And people say that climbing walls are a bad thing...
In reply to Pete E: I really enjoyed reading your article this morning, it was one of the first things I saw when I turned on my computer to start work.
I've only been climbing a few months, although I've always done various different mountain sports. I went to Iceland, tried ice climbing once, had some rather life changing experiences and when I got back I split up with my other half and took up climbing!
Although I'm still new to it I absolutely love it and my first outdoor climb was such a fantastic experience to me - climbing really helps me escape, being out on the mountains is when I really get the chance to clear my head.
Thanks for a great read it really made me think about how lucky I am to be able to do these things!
I've only been climbing a few months, although I've always done various different mountain sports. I went to Iceland, tried ice climbing once, had some rather life changing experiences and when I got back I split up with my other half and took up climbing!
Although I'm still new to it I absolutely love it and my first outdoor climb was such a fantastic experience to me - climbing really helps me escape, being out on the mountains is when I really get the chance to clear my head.
Thanks for a great read it really made me think about how lucky I am to be able to do these things!
In reply to Psychopathic_Barbie:
Great read Pete - I read it with that smile that just gets bigger and bigger the more you read, mainly because I had the very same coversation with a mate this Monday lunch time. I think it was Joe Simpson that once wrote; "if you actually have to ask why people climb you will never understand", which for me hit it bang on the head.
I obviously climb (not as much as I would like too) but I dive too, I also canoe and mountain bike and spent most of my college years under the peak district caving, experiencing and seeing things that 99.9% of the people on this small planet of ours can only dream of (and most of them won't even do that). I guess I do all of these things for different reasons but for me climbing is as much about who I do it with as it is about the doing. It's the shared memories talked about years later over a pint and that feeling you get when you top out after an epic or blissful day on the rock and look at your partner, not having to say anything but both knowing exactly what the other is feeling.
Great read Pete - I read it with that smile that just gets bigger and bigger the more you read, mainly because I had the very same coversation with a mate this Monday lunch time. I think it was Joe Simpson that once wrote; "if you actually have to ask why people climb you will never understand", which for me hit it bang on the head.
I obviously climb (not as much as I would like too) but I dive too, I also canoe and mountain bike and spent most of my college years under the peak district caving, experiencing and seeing things that 99.9% of the people on this small planet of ours can only dream of (and most of them won't even do that). I guess I do all of these things for different reasons but for me climbing is as much about who I do it with as it is about the doing. It's the shared memories talked about years later over a pint and that feeling you get when you top out after an epic or blissful day on the rock and look at your partner, not having to say anything but both knowing exactly what the other is feeling.
In reply to Pete E:
Good article Pete. Very thoughtfully written. I'll look forward to reading more of your work.
Good article Pete. Very thoughtfully written. I'll look forward to reading more of your work.
In reply to Pete E:
Hi Pete, nice thought provoking piece. You might be interested in this;
http://www.planetfear.com/article_detail.asp?a_id=224
Happy climbing
Hi Pete, nice thought provoking piece. You might be interested in this;
http://www.planetfear.com/article_detail.asp?a_id=224
Happy climbing
In reply to Mick - UKClimbing.com:
I feel like a git for saying it but I love the fact that 99.9% of people will never know or understand the joy of climbing, it makes it more special for me like I'm setting myself apart from what's considered 'normal'. Those of us lucky or astute enough to have discovered climbing can keep it to ourselves, knowing that we have the greatest hobby in the world and will never have to get our endorphins and abs in a sweaty gym in a city basement.
Climbing is also satisfying on a more basic level - we are animals and being able to balance and move gracefully and strongly (in some cases) around our environment feels like something we were just meant to be able to do. Just look at a cat - it takes a split second to judge the distance from the floor to the windowsill and so rarely gets it wrong! Climbing for me starting with boulder-hopping in streams on family holidays; so many of my contemporaries at school were cosseted and protected and so never learned the fun of taking a calculated risk!
I feel like a git for saying it but I love the fact that 99.9% of people will never know or understand the joy of climbing, it makes it more special for me like I'm setting myself apart from what's considered 'normal'. Those of us lucky or astute enough to have discovered climbing can keep it to ourselves, knowing that we have the greatest hobby in the world and will never have to get our endorphins and abs in a sweaty gym in a city basement.
Climbing is also satisfying on a more basic level - we are animals and being able to balance and move gracefully and strongly (in some cases) around our environment feels like something we were just meant to be able to do. Just look at a cat - it takes a split second to judge the distance from the floor to the windowsill and so rarely gets it wrong! Climbing for me starting with boulder-hopping in streams on family holidays; so many of my contemporaries at school were cosseted and protected and so never learned the fun of taking a calculated risk!
In reply to jonnybull:
"Just look at a cat - it takes a split second to judge the distance from the floor to the windowsill"
Having been subjected to LOTS of cats over the years by Mrs P. I have to disagree here! ALL the moggies I've seen "judging" any large distances have taken a reasonable time over the precise posture/spring reqd to take on "lift-off"!!!
P
P.S. I totally agree with ALL your other points tho!
"Just look at a cat - it takes a split second to judge the distance from the floor to the windowsill"
Having been subjected to LOTS of cats over the years by Mrs P. I have to disagree here! ALL the moggies I've seen "judging" any large distances have taken a reasonable time over the precise posture/spring reqd to take on "lift-off"!!!
P
P.S. I totally agree with ALL your other points tho!
In reply to Padraig: yup, youre right. you can tell exactly what they are considering ages in advance coz you can see them eyeing jump and presumably instinctively working out the distance, height, angle etc. Its my theory that if cats were ever to evolve into creatures with intelligence on a human level they would make the most fantastic natural mathematicians.
Quallity article! I just love climbing for getting away, especially when I drive out of the school in lancaster to head off climbing when all my mates are still stuck in lessons...
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