Do you hate contrived climbs?

Just about every route on North Table Mountain lets you step off to the side and chill when it gets hard. Contrived AF

Tradiban wrote:

Yes, but why is this offensive? Perhaps it's the break in the "flow" that's distracting? Really pulls you out of the moment?

Pulls you out of the moment, yes, but if you're grade-chasing and it's a contrived line to where you're not sure if moving 2 feet left or right is 'on-route'... that can be frustrating to not be able to judge where your abilities are.

the actual route goes where the path of least resistance is or the gear or both. If there is no gear other than bolts then an artist can create a line that goes wherever they want it to simply by where they place the bolts. If that line is contrived the chalk will tell the tale.  People always find the easiest way eventually.. 

Contrived? Sounds like sport climbs.

Nick Goldsmith wrote: the actual route goes where the path of least resistance is or the gear or both. If there is no gear other than bolts then an artist can create a line that goes wherever they want it to simply by where they place the bolts. If that line is contrived the chalk will tell the tale.  People always find the easiest way eventually.. 

Guess this Troll ain't so contrived, eh?

Eliminates on sport routes are stupid. No interest in playing those games. It's all well and good for a boulder problem that you just slap a pad under and go at it a million times, but when i'm 60 feet off the deck, pumped and trying to remember what is or isn't "on", i don't think that's fun at all.

I can get down on a climb where it is naturally 5.10 climbing left of the bolts and 5.11 to the right, that sort of thing is fun.

I try to bolt lines as plumb as possible which sometimes leads to a bit of contrivance, but not much. I have a hard time bolting lines close enough together that you can traverse a few feet between them with ease. If that happens, i will just move further down the wall or leave it alone.

I know better than anyone how badly you "just wanna pull through that roof, man!", but i've been really annoyed moving through an 11d crux with 5.8 climbing 3 feet away from me, but i can't go off route because it would make for a bad fall.

Most of the most interesting sustained sequences of climbing moves
-- enjoyed and appreciated by the most climbers
-- are Contrived
In the sense that to enjoy the sequence at its intended move-sequence and difficulty, you have to skip holds that are well in range for use.

These sequences are in the best modern indoor gyms which know how to employ and manage very sophisticated route-setters.

That's where the majority of avid climbers are nowadays:
"Contrived" is just normal for most of us serious climbers.

The point is to have really skillful and creative humans doing the contriving.

Ken

kenr wrote: Most of the most interesting sustained sequences of climbing moves
-- enjoyed and appreciated by the most climbers
-- are Contrived
In the sense that to enjoy the sequence at its intended move-sequence and difficulty, you have to skip holds that are well in range for use.

These sequences are in the best modern indoor gyms which know how to employ and manage very sophisticated route-setters.

That's where the majority of avid climbers are nowadays:
"Contrived" is just normal for most of us serious climbers.

The point is to have really skillful and creative humans doing the contriving.

Ken

What?! You're going to have to expand on that. In general good climbs are never "contrived", in fact I think it's part of the criteria that makes a climb classic or not.