In reply to Fredt:
> Why is it that, at an estimate, I'd say about 90% of climbers who I have met over the years, don't particularly like climbing competitions. Is it coincidence???? Personally, i would rather watch paint dry for 90 minutes while attempting to saw my own leg off with a butter knife.
Interesting observation, but possibly skewed by who you meet. If you go to one of the youth sessions at your local wall, I reckon you could find that statistic reversed.
I enjoy competitions as a competitor, and can be entertained by watching high quality climbers competing. I wouldn't go out of my way to watch a comp though. Having said that, there are very few sporting events that I would go out of my way for - I'd rather participate!
Even if your 90% statistic is true (and I would agree that there are probably a majority of climbers who aren't interested in competitions), what does that mean for us? Not all climbers enjoy hillwalking, or winter climbing, or trad, or alpinism, or sport, or bouldering. Climbing and mountaineering covers a broad spectrum of disciplines these days, and is the richer for it. As long as the identities and values of each discipline can be maintained, I don't really see a problem.