Mountain Project Logo

Why we climb...

Original Post
lewisslc · · Salt Lake City, Ut · Joined Sep 2011 · Points: 0

Interested in the philosophies of others...what motivates you to climb? Why do you do it? Why, in most cases, do you rearrange your life in order to climb?

Benjamin F · · Crescent City, CA · Joined Apr 2011 · Points: 1,000

i do it because its the only thing ive found that completely makes sense.

its a test in keeping my shiz together.

its a great way to meet great people, who are consistently supportive of your goals.

its a way to savor a succession of little successes regularly.

and its fun.

"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing." -Helen Keller

Jeff Stephens · · Carbondale, CO · Joined Sep 2008 · Points: 80

Two interesting books on this topic, very different, one fictional, one not, both fantastic:

This Game of Ghosts by Joe Simpson
Solo Faces by James Salter

Peter Stokes · · Them Thar Hills · Joined Apr 2009 · Points: 150

Fun and intense certainly... the "puzzle solving" aspect also gives the mind a workout along with the muscles. For me, climbing is as much a "practice" (yoga, dance, etc.) as it is a sport or an adventure. This makes it worthwhile (and worth rearranging my life for) even if I'm not climbing as hard as I'd hoped to, if the project is still a project, etc. When I'm among other climbers (indoors and out) I tend to meet interesting, individualistic, self-motivated people... maybe more than I've encountered in other sports.

Peter Pitocchi · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2009 · Points: 70

We climb because it is our hunter/gatherer heritage. That's also why we recreationally fish, hunt, garden, underwater basketweaving, fighting football, etc... Sports are remnants and training grounds for our primitive past. May come in handy someday again...

Cruxic · · Corvallis, OR · Joined May 2011 · Points: 15

I ask myself this question periodically but have never really come up with a concise answer. I just like it. The whole climbing experience. I think I've grown into it over the years, because I started way back in junior-high when my personality was more mutable. Here's some of the main reasons I keep getting back on the rock:

1) The pattern of Challenge/Uncertainty -> Struggle -> Reward really fits my personality and it's repeated constantly when out climbing.

2) Climbing is exhilarating!

3) Climbing, especially on the sharp end, is a sort of meditation for me. Very few other activities captivate my attention to this degree. (Perhaps this is "Flow" as suggested above.)

4) Climbing has given me so many good memories. Such memories help me through the more mundane parts of my life.

Back in high-school I had to stop climbing for a couple years due to tendon issues. I was miserable. I tried on a bunch of other hobbies during this time but nothing fit me so well as climbing. Now, I have to remind myself constantly to take is slow. I don't want to jeopardize my ability to climb. Perhaps:

I climb because not-climbing really sucks!

Said Parirokh · · Bend, OR · Joined Nov 2008 · Points: 685

“There is no WHY, since the moment simply is, and since all of us are simply trapped in the moment, like bugs in Amber.”
¯ Kurt Vonnegut

Mike Lane · · AnCapistan · Joined Jan 2006 · Points: 880
johnL wrote:I have a 3:1 policy on threads like this. For each thread like this, I give a sarcastic answer 3 times. Every 4th thread I'll actually post why I climb. Let me check my post history to see what kind of answer to give you.
We should set up a pool to guess how many "why do you climb" threads we've had thru the years. I'd handicap the over/under at 8
Francisco Di Poi · · Boulder, CO · Joined Sep 2009 · Points: 20

because I can't afford a helicopter ride to the top

Jimbo · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2006 · Points: 1,310

We've all been asked this question many times. A more interesting topic would be how the motivation and love of climbing has changed for climbers as climbing as gone from trad to sport.

I personally used to thrive on the fear of necking it out on hard trad and sketchy gear.

These days I'm glad I can just go out and clip bolts. Push the numbers without the fear of serious injury.

I still jump on the scare fest every now and then just to remind myself how it used to be every day we went out.

I don't miss or lament the old days but I still appreciate how it was "back in the day".

So I would surmise that the motivations a climber that started in a gym and only sport climbs is quite different than that of the "old guard" or the new breed of free soloists and cutting edge R/X trad routes.

Climbing today is really two separate sports it seems to me.

I'm not passing judgement on either just a observation.

D F · · Carbondale, CO · Joined Jun 2007 · Points: 406

I totally relate, Jimbo. For me, climbing days used to be all about facing fear and commitment. I used to have an onsight free-solo tick list when I was at CU-Boulder. A buddy would ask me to do a route, and sometimes I turned him down because I was saving it for the osfs.

Looking back, it seems like a completely different person. I really enjoy sport climbing most of the time these days. It's exciting enough to be redpointing at my limit, skipping clips when I'm just barely able to hang on, then taking spectacular whippers through clean air. I'm much stronger and have better technique than when I was strictly a trad climber, but now I'm basically a big strong pussy, too afraid to climb into no-fall zones, even when the terrain is only 5.8. That's OK, I guess, even though I wonder where my balls went sometimes. It seems I have other ambitions (and people) to live for nowadays.

Climbing is a journey on large and small scales, apparently. My climbing style and objectives have changed over the years, but it seems I continually come back to it for what it always helps me to find: perspective, of myself, of others, of my relationship to my surroundings and place in life. Maybe that's why I go a little crazy when I don't get to climb enough or if I'm climbing too much.

S.Stelli · · Colorado Springs, CO · Joined Dec 2009 · Points: 150

"The secret to life is enjoying the passing of time."
-James Taylor

The only other thing besides climbing that helps me enjoy the passing of time is my family.

Joe Huggins · · Grand Junction · Joined Oct 2001 · Points: 105
David Sahalie wrote:I do it for the scenery
David,I've noticed recently that when you are posting a photo it doesn't load properly.The little tag that says "loading image" just hangs there,indefinitely.Not sure what the issue is,but I thought you should know.
Joe Huggins · · Grand Junction · Joined Oct 2001 · Points: 105
muttonface wrote: If you're viewing it at work, there are filter restrictions that networks sometimes implement on certain types of files, or files from a certain type of source. Happens on mine all the time. Not definitive, but a possibility.
Yeah,that's not it-I'm at home,and Sahalie is the only guy I've noticed this with.I feel cheated 'cause I'm sure this must be a picture of a pretty girl that I'm missing.
Wayne DENSMORE · · Superior, CO · Joined Jul 2007 · Points: 5

Same thing for me. The link loads when gone to directly, but not when I click it as a link, so I suspect some restriction of embedding/redirection by the photo hosting site.

His link does not always load for me when clicked but works when cut/paste into a browser... Probably want to host images somewhere else.

Joe Huggins · · Grand Junction · Joined Oct 2001 · Points: 105
muttonface wrote: You might be thinking of Killis Howard. I don't blame you though, I don't want to miss any of those pics either.
I hear he even has a girlfriend-makes me hot just thinking about it...almost as good as autoeroticism a la Sharma Here Kitty Kitty!
Joe Huggins · · Grand Junction · Joined Oct 2001 · Points: 105

btw I climb because caving is dark and muddy

Joe Huggins · · Grand Junction · Joined Oct 2001 · Points: 105
David Sahalie wrote:sorry for the bad link, I loaded it at home, and it showed on the preview. it is worth a look: google.com/imgres?hl=en&sa=…
I knew you'd come through!Sharma can pound sand!
Winglady Winger · · Montrose, CO · Joined May 2010 · Points: 35

Because It's There (of course).

Because It's There - A Photographic Journey

Roger Harris · · Boulder, CO · Joined Feb 2009 · Points: 1,095

I always think of a quote from my favorite guidebook, Roper's 1971 Yosemite guide:
We do not deceive ourselves that we are engaged in an activity that is anything but debilitating, dangerous, euphoric, kinesthetic, expensive, frivolously essential, economically useless and totally without redeeming social significance. One should not probe for deeper meanings. - Allen Steck, 1967

And Dean Caldwell, in a note dropped from his ascent of El Cap with Harding in 1970, "We must be the most miserable, wet, cold, stinking wretches imaginable, but we are alive, really alive, like people seldom are."

I'm off to go climbing...

Muzaffer · · Turkey · Joined Sep 2011 · Points: 0

why we climb..? I never couldnt an answer for this question but I like it, climbing is everything for me :)

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

General Climbing
Post a Reply to "Why we climb..."

Log In to Reply

Join the Community

Create your FREE account today!
Already have an account? Login to close this notice.

Get Started.