Does ANYBODY actually like to go climbing?

Brad Larson wrote: I've been on 3 outdoor climbing meetups in the past 2 months via climb matrix. At least 2 of the 3 had open spaces for more folks. Climbed, had fun, met climbers.

Still looking for more partners though who are interested in cruising easy & moderate routes around portland. Trying to get my lead head back and systems up to speed after a decade long layoff.

Thanks for the heads up. Ill sign up later.

Either way ill be at the owl slab on marys peak friday close to 2 pm. Ill either top rope solo it or  anybody feel free to come meet and have some fun. Thanks to the helpful people. Im really taking many of your suggestions to heart.

"Community" is a lot like sex; the more compulsively people talk about it, the more certain you can be that they aren't having it. The climbing "community" is no different from any other in that respect; the concept is honored more in the breach. Knowing that, you might re-align your ideas about what this "community" is and what you can reasonably expect from it.

What it isn't, necessarily, is a clique. You should understand that many people might reasonably be reluctant to immediately agree to undertake a very dangerous activity with someone who has just introduced himself to them in, for instance, a gym. You didn't mention that you've tried to connect with partners here on MP. That can work, and at times can work very well. You can get a sense from someone's post if their way of expressing themselves appeals to you, and that sense can be refined via subsequent e-mails; they can in the same way gain an opportunity to evaluate, and perhaps increase, their comfort with you. I've met great partners--and great people--in this way, and have stayed in contact and climbed repeatedly with some of them.

Also, although I don't know where you live or what venues are available where you live, in general an hour isn't very far. If you're that keen to climb, and to form honorable and trustworthy partnerships, then you should be willing to invest a lot more time and mileage to make it happen.

Like others have said, boulder in the gym. I've met almost all of my partners while bouldering there. Fun fact, I'm mostly a trad climber. The crusties like to make fun of gym bouldering, but at least in SLC, almost everyone trains on the indoor bouldering walls. 

Rokjox Teleski wrote:

You had no problem turning me down.

Your offer was tempting, I was flattered you finally asked after a couple years of dancing around, and I was grateful of it.......but alas, no way in hell could my old bones manage what you proposed. Shoulda met people like you forty years ago. Ah well.

That wasn't through the partner finder, either.

Logan, look, I'm not real keen on Facebook myself. You don't have to pay attention to the crap just because it's there. The climbing group here, when someone posts, that's usually wanting partners or asking about routes, sharing info on bird closures, that sorta thing, not the usual reposting of endless loops of....whatever. I have, maybe, a whopping forty something friends, and I'm pretty sure I actually know most of them.

The PNW partner forum on MP can do what just happened in this thread: you asked, a few responded.

You may even get asked to spelunk! I said no. ;-)

Best, Helen

I know what G. G. Allin would do.

Tim Stich wrote: I know what G. G. Allin would do.

A bunch of heroin then die lol?

Logan Hugmeyer wrote:

A bunch of heroin then die lol?

He would take a bunch of laxatives first and shit on everyone in the front row. Oddly enough, this made him friends. People are weird!

Try this next time you go to the climbing gym. Wear a GG Allin t-shirt with a grainy, black and white image of him defecating on stage. People will really start to wonder about you, then. It's all about creating a sense of mystery around you. That's how you become popular.

h., so you can be annoying after all.
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I promised you a good time, not a crippling one.  I would have taken care of you.  And whoever was our chaperone.
You let your imagination get the best of you when I asked a couple questions about ability.
I was going to tailor something appropriate, once I knew what that was.
I think it would have been a gift, but for what I have no idea.  I get odd ideas on occasion.

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I am just feeling a little peeved right now, and I am misdirecting it.   I read your answer upthread; and I have no reason,
except that I have had this again happen once before and I am wondering how I must be presenting myself.  

I aint getting out enough.

Dont worry, I am over it.

I dont post my trips for points, I dont send a lot of photos into the intardnet to make it easy to "follow me".  
I worry only vaguely about what rating I climb at, so long as I am sufficient to the task I am working on.
I spent a very long stretch where I didnt have to ask for a partner or hunt for someone to amuse; them or me.  
I had partners of many sorts.  I was pretty and a little in demand... I held my own. my dates had fun.  Usually.

A lot of trips now are just recon, trying to find new places and they are flops... take a lot of time.  Dont find something.   Or find the wrong way.
((Or have the Army show up, ask that we not shoot their soldiers, put a squad APV guard on our vehicle, and run a military exercise around us as we squatted underground, inches away from passing armor.))

I tend to have stupid, unlikely things happen on occasions.  Never know when, but you have to go somewhere to have it happen.

All I really need is someone to run a map, open gates, close gates, push through mud, operate a shovel occasionally and talk at, while walking around looking for something.  Someone who doesnt step on rattlesnakes... someone who can drive if I do.  Or get stuck trying to crawl into some small hole looking for a larger hole.  Or provide some side stoke for something to keep me simmering.  I can be talked into a lot of stupid stuff, historically.

I swear, the paper and pencil noteboard outside the Sunnyside C4 kiosk was a hella lot better than digital dating sites.
What?  I gotta have people sign non-disclosure agreements?

Some real live reality TV going on here!!!!!!

I'm having a difficult time parsing RT's posts - anyone else?

RT sounds like that hippy dude with a guitar who shows up out at your campfire out of the dark with no visible means of transportation then proceeds to say the weirdedt shit and makes you saunter back to your truck and double check your Glock is readily available 

Rokjox Teleski wrote: h., so you can be annoying after all.
=======================================================================================

I promised you a good time, not a crippling one.  I would have taken care of you.  And whoever was our chaperone.
You let your imagination get the best of you when I asked a couple questions about ability.
I was going to tailor something appropriate, once I knew what that was.
I think it would have been a gift, but for what I have no idea.  I get odd ideas on occasion.

======================================================================================

I am just feeling a little peeved right now, and I am misdirecting it.   I read your answer upthread; and I have no reason,
except that I have had this again happen once before and I am wondering how I must be presenting myself.  

I aint getting out enough.

Dont worry, I am over it.

I dont post my trips for points, I dont send a lot of photos into the intardnet to make it easy to "follow me".  
I worry only vaguely about what rating I climb at, so long as I am sufficient to the task I am working on.
I spent a very long stretch where I didnt have to ask for a partner or hunt for someone to amuse; them or me.  
I had partners of many sorts.  I was pretty and a little in demand... I held my own. my dates had fun.  Usually.

A lot of trips now are just recon, trying to find new places and they are flops... take a lot of time.  Dont find something.   Or find the wrong way.
((Or have the Army show up, ask that we not shoot their soldiers, put a squad APV guard on our vehicle, and run a military exercise around us as we squatted underground, inches away from passing armor.))

I tend to have stupid, unlikely things happen on occasions.  Never know when, but you have to go somewhere to have it happen.

All I really need is someone to run a map, open gates, close gates, push through mud, operate a shovel occasionally and talk at, while walking around looking for something.  Someone who doesnt step on rattlesnakes... someone who can drive if I do.  Or get stuck trying to crawl into some small hole looking for a larger hole.  Or provide some side stoke for something to keep me simmering.  I can be talked into a lot of stupid stuff, historically.

I swear, the paper and pencil noteboard outside the Sunnyside C4 kiosk was a hella lot better than digital dating sites.
What?  I gotta have people sign non-disclosure agreements?

Replied in the other thread. Best, Helen

Best of stuportopor right thar! Keep the stream of consciousness rolling. ;)

lol think of finding a partner like finding a wife (if you're straight). There is a lot of competition out there. It's a game of "what can you do for me?"

Why should i pick you over my regular partners is the question you have to answer.....

Tim Stich wrote:

He would take a bunch of laxatives first and shit on everyone in the front row. Oddly enough, this made him friends. People are weird!

Try this next time you go to the climbing gym. Wear a GG Allin t-shirt with a grainy, black and white image of him defecating on stage. People will really start to wonder about you, then. It's all about creating a sense of mystery around you. That's how you become popular.

I prefer to just buck naked and climb on the moonboard. 

Check out local Meetup groups.  They can be hit or miss but you might find a few people interested in partnering up.  Its a good chance to vet people.

I mean, I remember having a hard time finding partners sometimes when I was starting out, but never this bad. Kinda explains why you could be having trouble? Honestly, being chill and open with people and actually putting in effort to get to know them is a lot of work, I get it (I live in a city of constant change - partners are very fluid here), but it's something that needs time and focus and shouldn't be your main goal 24/7, otherwise you're an overbearing partner that probably isn't fun to hang out with.

People need time to themselves or have other ambitious goals that don't involve you or climbing. Some will be friendly and make loose plans and seem flaky to you when they bail the few days before a trip, that's partially on them for not being upfront. Find friends that share your passion and work with them on setting similar goals and objectives in climbing.

Like others have mentioned - bouldering is a great way to meet people and not all of them want to be boulderers their whole life, some are curious of the ropes. Meetup groups, facebookgroups, Outdoor groups (buck up and join one), going into a Guided class to learn trad or self-rescue is an excellent way to meet partners.

I've partnered with so many people on here and on my local FB group, I also have really good friends I grew up with that are into climbing that we meetup and do big stuff and I have friends from the gym that we just casual go crag with once in awhile. Some people I'll hit up now and again and others I've forgotten who they are in my contacts by now. Life isn't just about climbing and having those partners on call at all times isn't the sole reason to exist. Take a deep breathe and go smoke a joint or have a beer or something.

climbing friend,

you must boulder in quiet solitude quite frequently, most vigourously, until you do flash v4 at least and develop considerable muscular tone and girth, as well as chiseled abdominal. only then shall you obtain the partner you desire

Yo! I live in eugene and climb outside as much as possible. If you want to meet up at a local gym I'd love to climb. If all goes well we have a ton of places to go outside around here 

Aubrey Miller wrote: Yo! I live in eugene and climb outside as much as possible. If you want to meet up at a local gym I'd love to climb. If all goes well we have a ton of places to go outside around here 

Looks like my plan for tomorrow at owl slab isnt going to pan out. Have some car work that needs done before fun can happen. Ill pm soon about my experience and goals and we can go from there. Thanks for your time.