Why ice climbing is excluded from Winter X-game since 1999?

Why ice climbing is excluded from Winter X-game since 1999?

not extreme enough.

Too limited an audience who appreciates and understands it..more dufus stuff like 8 wide snowboarding over hills and curves has caught the viewership instead....knuckledraggers win out again.

sigh...

Woodchuck ATC wrote:Too limited an audience who appreciates and understands it..more dufus stuff like 8 wide snowboarding over hills and curves has caught the viewership instead....knuckledraggers win out again.

Maybe if they lined up 8 ice climbers and let them beat the shit out of each other on their way to the top of a pitch it would get some interest?
Skier/boarder cross is super rowdy and entertaining to watch. As you correctly pointed out, ice climbing is only interesting to ice climbers and people looking down from the bridge in Ouray before going somewhere warm while reflecting on how stupid the sport seems to be.

Boissal wrote: Maybe if they lined up 8 ice climbers and let them beat the shit out of each other on their way to the top of a pitch it would get some interest? Skier/boarder cross is super rowdy and entertaining to watch. As you correctly pointed out, ice climbing is only interesting to ice climbers and people looking down from the bridge in Ouray before going somewhere warm while reflecting on how stupid the sport seems to be.

ohh I would watch that, kind of like ice climbing meets the gladiatiors. First to the top with out getting pulled down off the route and with minimal lacerations wins. no ropes ofcourse.

Thank godess for small favors. . .

Jeff J wrote: ohh I would watch that, kind of like ice climbing meets the gladiatiors. First to the top with out getting pulled down off the route and with minimal lacerations wins. no ropes ofcourse.

Lol, this reminded me the guy at 1:01 from this video youtube.com/watch?v=yH-cjye…

Jeff J wrote: no ropes ofcourse.

Yeah if you eliminated the ropes from competitive climbing the ratings would go thru the roof.

Imminent death people, even knuckledraggers, can understand that.

Take NASCAR for instance, half the people there go for the wrecks. They'll say they don't want to see anyone get hurt. I call BS.

But yeah unless your a climber it's boring to watch. And even as a climber the video needs to be edited down to just the action to make it any good.

Bang wrote: Lol, this reminded me the guy at 1:01 from this video youtube.com/watch?v=yH-cjye…

Holy shit! The Fang goes down at 3:23!

Hi all! I'm a competitive skier. Some of you here are right, ice climbing did not get as much audience as other sports. I am training to qualify for the next Winter X-game, so wish me luck. I have always wanted to learn how to ice climb though.

I remember those early X Game climbing events...they were really boring to watch and sometimes felt more like watching American Gladiators than actual climbing. The ice climbing walls were terrible and it truly didn't seem to measure someones ability to climb real ice. Same with the other climbing events, seemed a little too synthetic to believe or even grab your attention for more than a couple of ascents. As a climber back then, I still didn't watch it because it never felt like it was even close to a reflection of climbing and it was way more gimmicky than I could even stomach most of the time.

So do you think there is a potential for the new ice climbing to be brought back to the X-game? Or is it even worth the effort to do so?

because watching people climb, is less exciting than a barium enema.

Why would anyone want it back? Its boring to watch - even to climbers, it doesn't have a broad appeal, and overall it just seems like a pointless thing to have a competition for.

Ya I have to admit, I love climbing, but the comps are just silly to watch, with exception of some of the stuff in ouray and such. The man made comps are almost like watching american gladiator, or that stupid ninja show, but more boring. We are too much on the fringe, simple as that.

fringe my ass; it's just boring as hell to watch.

We need a slasher yeti chasing horny twenty somethings through the cliff bands

I'm curious if any of the ice lovers here bothered watching any of the ice climbing world cup comps that were live streamed this year. The formats of the different events were great, in the prelims there were up to 3 people climbing at one time.

You could have the X-Games, or you could play with the big fish on the world stage.

http://www.theuiaa.org/ice_climbing_2013.php

Buff Johnson wrote:fringe my ass; it's just boring as hell to watch. We need a slasher yeti chasing horny twenty somethings through the cliff bands

Now you're talking,,,the Bikini Bouldering team needs to go skimpy ice climbing some time to gain our interest. ...add in a slasher or zombies for good measure too..

beccs wrote:I'm curious if any of the ice lovers here bothered watching any of the ice climbing world cup comps that were live streamed this year. The formats of the different events were great, in the prelims there were up to 3 people climbing at one time. You could have the X-Games, or you could play with the big fish on the world stage. theuiaa.org/ice_climbing_20…

This is exactly what I'm talking about... No one cares or watches this stuff. I'd rather have my eyes poked out.

Now, put the chicks in bikinis... That is a different story... I like the zombie aspect as well. An ice tool in one hand, a shotgun in the other! Perfect!

Just Solo wrote: This is exactly what I'm talking about... No one cares or watches this stuff. I'd rather have my eyes poked out. Now, put the chicks in bikinis... That is a different story... I like the zombie aspect as well. An ice tool in one hand, a shotgun in the other! Perfect!

Nah, just nobody takes comp climbing seriously in N.America. They don't put curlers in bikinis and somehow they still make it onto TV. Your point is moot.