Overated Heroes of Climbing History

curt86irocwrote:

Are you reading the rest of this thread?

no reading MP poisons the mind

Go Back to Super Topowrote:

It took Sharma so long to push the grades because nobody else was in the league as him for a while. 

Good explanation. I always appreciate learning something on MP.

These are the posts that all of you will be deleting later.  Go to bed.

Daniel Chode Riderwrote:

Sasha, Caldwell, Robbins, Megos, Jimmy Chin, lots of others to add... Ed Viesturs.

Honnold? Are u serious? Besides being the best free soloist ever, he highballs near his v12 limit, climbs 9a, crazy alpine in Patagonia, and outdid Caldwell in all the speed/linkups in Yosemite. If Ondra grew up in Sacramento he'd be Honnold.

You’re really putting Honnold over Tommy?! I respect anyone who disagrees with me that Honnold is overrated but Tommy’s accomplished on El Cap alone warrant more respect than to be called overrated. Not to mention multiple FA’s in Rocklands V12 and up. Developing arguably the first 5.15b. Surviving the whole Kazakhstan kerfuffle. Also the “crazy alpine alpine” that Honnold did was with Tommy, wasn’t it? Everything except the speed record and soloing Tommy has done better imo  

Either way, the rest of the people on your list I totally agree with…but I truly don’t see how Caldwell could be on a list of overrated climbers. 

Long ripping off Luebben's rigging engineering.

Ralston, Tool.

William Kwrote:

Reinhold Messner was never at the cutting edge of bouldering or sport climbing.  There are a dozen dudes at JT's local gym who can do everything Messner could do aside from high altitude alpinism.  He was really one dimensional as an "elite" climber too, I guess.

For a small window in time, Messner was both the best technical rock climber and technical ice climber in Europe (not talking high altitude stuff).  These two qualities together have never been paired together before or since. This is not even mentioning that he is the greatest high altitude climber of all time. 

soft cruxwrote:

But the best climbers do these in reverse. 

Burt Bronson

God, that guy is a total douche and misogynist. Always dissing your 9.2mm ropes, too. What the hell, dude? Do you still have an 11 mil?

Hate that guy.

Daniel Chode Riderwrote:

Adding to my list... Dean Potter, John Bachar, that fat Drew guy, Jim Whittaker

Told you

Jay Michael Climberwrote:

For a small window in time, Messner was both the best technical rock climber and technical ice climber in Europe (not talking high altitude stuff).  These two qualities together have never been paired together before or since. This is not even mentioning that he is the greatest high altitude climber of all time. 

I think the late Alex Lowe would rank up there as one of the best technical rock climbers and technical ice climbers of his time as well as doing as some high altitude. Ueli Steck would also fall into the same category.

Sidebar I found it very uncanny that both Alex, who I knew and Ueli both died at age 40.

Ryan Never climbs wrote:

nobody thinks he is a hero…

Tradiban thinks Tradiban is a hero

Daniel Chode Riderwrote:

 that fat Drew guy

Wow.

caesar.saladwrote:

Wow.

he's like the definition of overrated lOl

Daniel Chode Riderwrote:

Aside from that, and he wasn't even the first or second to so it, his climbing career consists of absolutely nothing else. He barely even climbed except when he was on his yearly Himalaya trip. No technically hard climbing, no inspiring solos, no lightning quick ascents, with a few exceptions just the safest trade routes on the 8,000ers. Never did anything groundbreaking, and his contemporaries (even some partners) were light years ahead on the alpine climbing scale.

There is no safe "trade route" up Annapurna or K2, especially without O2.  At the time he did it he was only the 5th person to do so (and there have only been 20 in history!) He might be a little over exposed to us because he's on the only American to do so, but bagging all 8K's without O2 will always be worthy of recognition. 

This thread is mean.

Well, this has gone on long enough. Time to close it down.