In reply to seagull:
> (In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com)
>
> Jesus Mick such quibbling over terms. OK how about if it was worded "the recognition he deserved and the chance to earn decent remuneration from his sponsors"? That better for ya?!
I think that Mick's right - you have to
>
> The fact is that tobyfk is missing the point that I made in my last post. Rather than being a "nice bonus" earning a living from climbing is the only way to get to the very top of the sport. Unfortunately it looks as if it is very unlikely that the UK will produce many world class climbers as they're not going to get the opportunity to climb full time.
Well Tony Mitchell did Trauma (F8c) in 1993, oh, and what was (is) his job? GP - hardly a slacker then. Action Directe was done in 1991 so it (Trauma) wasn't that far off the leading edge. With a few exceptions most of the climbers of the day held down "day jobs", perhaps they could have climbed harder if they had been sponsored, we'll never know.
John Dunne did much of his hard climbing when he had to hitch to crags or get a lift from mates as he didn't have a car. I don't remember him moaning about that, he got on with it.
Yes it would be nice if those at the top of our sport got fiscal help but in order for that to happen they have to tick various boxes as Neil mentioned above - "No, you can't go climbing today, there's that photo-shoot we agreed on last month", etc. How many climbers (in any discipline) worldwide are full-time, fully sponsored climbers? I suspect that the number is far fewer than you imagine. Ultimately climbing is a selfish sport in that it is hardly (to a non-climber) viewer friendly in the way that football or tennis is. So the opportunities for airing the sponsor's logos are much reduced, even including competition climbing. This leads to less money being justifiable for handing over to an individual - basic cost-benefit analysis.
>
> Personally I think this is a real shame. Others seem to view it as just the way it is.
>
> Not that I really care, I'm going climbing now.
At 3 O'Clock, how nice, some of us have to work.
boB