Accept that bouldering and followed closely by sport climbing has taken over from rock climbing .

No comment 

Nah I and other people new to climbing are still out here fighting the good fight.

Top roping trad routes I mean.

Comfortize Every Rock. 

*speed climber has entered the room*

sup?

Hot takes thread is that way

Hot Takes 1997.

Makes me wonder what today's 30 year old climbers will be advocating  55-60 years from now...

Unroped solo climbing is the wave of the future. Pretty soon, the shiny metal things anchored to the rock will be obsolete, and all climbing will be totally reduced to "Maxwell House bouldering"--good to the last drop. Does that mean we have to accept that it's OK to chop all the bolts now? Think of the savings from not having to buy ropes anymore. So many things to look forward to.

If unroped solo climbing catches on, will there be any 30 year old climbers that survive the next 55-60 years? 

I was thinking more like boulderers insisting that everyone carry at least 3 pads around when a lighter and safer protection system has been figured out, or they aren't really bouldering.

I mean, for many, around 30-35 their sense of reality that becomes their comfort zone is pretty formed, like those who get comfortable with  a certain clothing or music era and essentially stick with it the rest of their lives.

M Sprague wrote:

Makes me wonder what today's 30 year old climbers will be advocating  55-60 years from now...

Hopefully we are all dead by then

I'm a senior citizen, but pretty interesting that we have 2 of my 'elders' posting here on MP--one, Paul Ross ( whom I admire greatly, but still...), claiming that bouldering isn't rock climbing, but then there is John Gill--who has spent a lifetime proving otherwise.

All aspects of climbing are variations on a theme. None have any intrinsic value beyond that which each provides to the individual practitioners---and that is sufficient.

Hi Paul, good to see that you are still enjoying stirring things up!!!

Not Not MP Admin wrote:

Hopefully we are all dead by then

I know quite a few from climbing I wouldn't say that about, who are still wonderful, meaning they are nice to know and also full of wonderment.

“Accept that bouldering and followed closely by sport climbing has taken over from rock climbing .”

Is this how bots pick fights with each other?

“Yours is my stupid bouldering better at climbs.”

M Sprague wrote:

I was thinking more like boulderers insisting that everyone carry at least 3 pads around when a lighter and safer protection system has been figured out, or they aren't really bouldering.

I mean, for many, around 30-35 their sense of reality that becomes their comfort zone is pretty formed, like those who get comfortable with  a certain clothing or music era and essentially stick with it the rest of their lives.

Are you saying people don't change? :)

Ha ha.

Ton of young folks are very into trad climbing where I live in Western North Carolina. Also, go to Edlo on a Saturday and observe the throngs of people waiting in line for The Bastille Crack. I think there's just a lot less media about trad climbing because there's less 'cutting edge' shit going on in that space. Its also just super easy to make content about bouldering and the there's a lot of folks pushing the limits.

Rock climbing is neither

Andrew Giniat wrote:

Ton of young folks are very into trad climbing where I live in Western North Carolina. Also, go to Edlo on a Saturday and observe the throngs of people waiting in line for The Bastille Crack. I think there's just a lot less media about trad climbing because there's less 'cutting edge' shit going on in that space. Its also just super easy to make content about bouldering and the there's a lot of folks pushing the limits.

It's easier to make content about bouldering because 1- the camera is always rolling  and 2- the crowd is very consumeristic on top of them pushing the limits.  I totally agree about the crowds at the traditional areas, places like the Gunks and IC have people waiting in line. Of course you have real traditional areas like the San Rafael Swell south where you need binoculars to find the next protection, areas like this aren't becoming more popular because real commitment to runouts isn't becoming more popular. 

I'd almost say soloing is more popular now than runout climbing these days.

M M wrote:

 I totally agree about the crowds at the traditional areas, places like the Gunks and IC have people waiting in line

Sport climbing with gear. 

Frank Stein wrote:

Sport climbing with gear. 

I believe that 

anyone that is outside and not on a phone....I really don't care the activity.....if you only wanna boulder, great....u wanna clip bolts, great.....you wanna trad climb...great....what's the difference ?