Climbing isn't dangerous any more

I started climbing 50 years ago.
We pounded in pitons to protect free climbs.
It was a sport of social misfits, widely regarded by the general public as unjustifiably dangerous.
We were misfits, but fact is, it wasn't nearly as dangerous as non-climbers thought (especially at the standards I was climbing).
Not safe though, not nearly as safe as gym and sport climbing is now.
Nevertheless, everybody thought it was dangerous, so it attracted a certain transgressive bunch of participants.
Reflected in route names over the years.
And behavior.

Otoh, nobody thinks skiing is dangerous.
You don't buy a lift ticket thinking "it's a good day to die."
Even though 10-20 people die on Colorado ski hills every year.

Nobody updates their will when they sign up the family for a day of rafting.
Or thinks, "wonder if Dad's going to be driving home with us tonight?"
But about 10 people die rafting yearly.

Only about 30 people die climbing in the US every year.
Climbing is safe.
It's safe because we wear helmets.
And do belay checks.
And replace bolts.
And use the fanciest, most expensive new Totem cams.
Everybody should enjoy our new, safe sport.

But it's a different sport now.
Nobody can feel uncomfortable.
About anything.
Despite this, or maybe because of this, I still love climbing.
And I don't care if you're young or old, noob or veteran, MAGA or woke, if you love climbing, we can somehow get along.

I'll miss "Hobbit in a blender" if that name goes.
But the problem is still there.
And maybe someday, I can get off the ground...

Interesting point.  But if I approached climbing with the same blasé as resort skiing, I'd definitely be dead.

Indeed. Climbing isn't dangerous anymore. But the descent can still kill you... 

With how my partner belays, it still is. 

Stephen Lwrote: Indeed. Climbing isn't dangerous anymore. But the descent can still kill you..

And, the name of the climb.
I can just see it now. Riots at the crags and climbers throwing rocks at
the climbers who are climbing climbs with derogatory names.
Even looting the hangers, setting fires, and stealing the climbers gear.

It's a whiney new world out there folks

. 

Was that a poem? I feel like that was a poem.

Also, Paul Preuss would've thought all that piton pounding rather chickenshit, not to mention unethical. So who knows. Maybe climbing wasn't dangerous "then" any more either.

Cosmiccragsman AKA Dwainwrote: And, the name of the climb.
I can just see it now. Riots at the crags and climbers throwing rocks at
the climbers who are climbing climbs with derogatory names.
Even looting the hangers, setting fires, and stealing the climbers gear.

It's a whiney new world out there folks

My dude older generations have been shown in studies to be more sensitive than younger generations. Check out this link-

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.fox10phoenix.com/news/study-baby-boomers-are-more-sensitive-than-millennials.amp

"Safe" is very relative.
Climbing is definitely not as safe as, say, tennis.
You don't go out for tennis, make a mistake on the court, and die as a result.

Soo, you're saying what, exactly? That if people could just learn to run it out on the sharp end, maybe they'd be more cool with systemic racism?

Or that, BITD when climbing was the sole province of white men, nobody was around to get offended by racist route names, but now all these kids and POC are climbing and getting their feelings hurt and it's not as cool as it used to be?

Since when did "boldness" or "being a misfit" have anything to do with "being cool with offending historically oppressed minorities"?  There are plenty of people climbing today that could wipe the floor with your "heroes of yore" in terms of both boldness and ability, and yet none of them seem to feel the need to use racist tropes when naming their routes. The kind of misfits I respect are the ones that fight _against_ entrenched systems of power, not the ones who would seek to maintain them...

It's only dangerous if you piss off the woke mob.

Clint Cumminswrote: "Safe" is very relative.
Climbing is definitely not as safe as, say, tennis.
You don't go out for tennis, make a mistake on the court, and die as a result.

15 people died from tennis in Germany alone 1997-2006

​7 died from table tennis though lol 

http://www.bandolier.org.uk/booth/Risk/sports.html

It is as safe or dangerous as you make it.

Sex was safe and climbing was dangerous...

Chris Kalmanwrote: Was that a poem? I feel like that was a poem.

Also, Paul Preuss would've thought all that piton pounding rather chickenshit, not to mention unethical. So who knows. Maybe climbing wasn't dangerous "then" any more either.

If I understood David Smart correctly, Preuss adopted a more nuanced and tolerant view. Before he died soloing.

And I agree, climbing wasn't truly dangerous 50 years ago. Not like wing suiting or cave diving.

@Mark Paulson- not sure I really do have a point, except that the sport has changed and in my view is more like skiing now.
For good and ill.
I don't mind if route names are changed.
I don't want to see fellow climbers feel unwelcome.
But I'm afraid the old outrageousness is gone and I'll miss that.

@Kevin DeWeese- now I have to worry about sudden table tennis death?

@ Dave K- almost 10 million rock climbers in 2018

Dana Bartlett wrote:

I'm sorry for your loss.

What.

Greg Miller wrote: ... a humble brag by another old timer. OMG how the world has changed in general in 50yrs. Respect for pounding pins where we now TR rehearse things; add bolts; or have micro cams.

The world has changed tremendously in fifty years. The future is built by visionaries and those that seek new adventures, new ideas. 

The world will be much different in another fifty years.
Your lack of respect of the past is annoying. 

Mark E Dixonwrote: @Kevin DeWeese- now I have to worry about sudden table tennis death?

One wonders if that includes beer pong, or how high the number would be if we did.

Climbing isn't dangerous anymore? Well, that's a relief! 

Climbing---well, rock climbing anyway---has gotten a lot safer since I started 63 years ago, and that's a major reason why I'm still able to be in the game.

Reminds me of The White Spider and the story of Toni Kurz. Good book, though Harrer had some sort of beef with Corti.

2020- The year going to the grocery store became more dangerous than rock climbing.