In reply to Natalie Berry - UKC:
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> In all seriousness, everyone climbs for different reasons and people express this in their own way - so it's impossible for a film to express what climbing's "about" which will appeal to everyone. Some climb for the adrenaline kick, some for the adventure and others for spiritual or philosophical reasons. Whatever your view of the video is, whether you deem it overly pretentious or artistic - I doubt it merits such negativity as a flat-out declaration that it's "shite."
Why? If a full range of varying opinions are acceptable then why not a very plain and simple one at one end of the spectrum? So all views and opinions are equal, but some are more equal than others? That approach always turns out so well...
'negativity'? This is often used as a back-handed insult these days, a catch-all put-down, as if not being 'positive' and supportive and nice and fluffy (or silent) renders the critic a bad person and their opinion unworthy.
So what if the reaction to something is 'negative'? Maybe it's really not very good by any measure and no matter how you fluff it around people just say 'no'. It's aimed at these people, aimed at their wallets, aimed at their eyes and ears. The cost of making this ad has been added on to every Arcteryx product they might buy. They're allowed to say 'no' on a forum they support with their input and ad-clicks and maybe ultimately their own money.
What if some reactions were 'positive' in the extreme? Would you post to say that "I doubt it merits such positivity as a flat-out declaration that it's "superb"." No. You'd let that through as acceptable, even if some were slightly less enthusiastic. So why not equal treatment at the other end of the spectrum? It's a forum, not a fan club.
One of the things that I, and at least a few others, like about ukc is it having not just a wide and often conflicting range of opinions, but people here can still feel free to be critical about something and not be softly pushed down into silent acceptance of feel-good commercial pap. We are all able, and allowed, to judge quality for our own eyes and minds, even if we differ on our criteria and verdict. Read any Bear Grylls thread. Removing or degrading the acceptability of strong criticism degrades the whole site.
One of the reasons ukc has survived is because it has teeth and it will bite. The list of failed climbing websites is long and littered with lame attempts at sticking to the polite middle ground through anodyne moderation of debate and conflict. They take us nowhere, so get left behind.
This 'film' is a poor example of the genre, with stilted, banal and hackneyed dialogue, overly long 'art' shots and bog-standard climbing. It was like The Onion decided to make an ice-climbing clip.
Both Arcteryx and ukc have been built on better stuff than this. And yes, I know it's just a bloody ad
Tonight's super-cool Friday Night Video is one for the ice climbers. Arc'teryx athletes Matthias Scherer and Tanja Schmitt are joined by Franz Walter (storyteller, editor) and Hans Hornberger (cameraman) in Cogne, Italy to explore an artistic view into a frozen world.
