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Highball or solo? 18-Jan-2012 At 11:06:01 AM Dave J

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I dont think its worth getting too hung up on definitions.

Somewhere on the internet John Sherman had this to say about the matter.

>"Today the cachet is watered down. 64 calories of risk acting like it can replace a bomber of The Czar. And sadly even the ground-fall-every-time pursuit of bouldering is watching its testes ascend into the warm body core of media back-patting. Have we forgotten Gill carefully making his way up the Thimble in 1961, career-ending guardrail beneath him, blowing away North American standards in the process? Next time you’re in Camp 4 track down a pair of slick-soled EBs and see what the top friction moves of the 70s standard Shiver Me Timbers are really all about. When you toss a half dozen pads under See Spot Run or Midnight Lightning remember that isn’t how it was done 20 years back.

>With the proud history of high bouldering in mind, you can imagine my shock and sadness as I read “Dissecting a Highball” in the last DPM. Clean on rappel? Chalk and fag dash the holds? Work the moves? At least Jason Kehl tells us what goes on when the cameras aren’t clicking, but this sounds more like a sequel to “Autopsying Adventure”.

>Whatever happened to boulderers don’t use ropes? Damn it, I’ve climbed with Jason - dude is strong as shit and if he cinched the skullet a notch tighter I KNOW he could send his problems ground up. So where does the motivation to dumb down today’s highballs come from? From the industry and the media selling us slick images of ropeless climbers on blank-looking walls - the taller and blanker the better. But how best to pose for those photos and keep the sponsors happy? Toprope rehearsal comes to mind. Suck the risk out to get the desired magazine or catalog photo as quick as possible.

>Jason states that headpointing and highballing have become blurred. To clear up this mess the media should designate a new term to describe highball poser problems prepared on rappel. Because I find Jason a likable, entertaining individual who gives a lot to the climbing community I hope they don’t call this fuzzy pursuit Kehlgeling. Besides this might get confused with kegeling which actually whips pussies into shape. For want of any better inspiration I suggest any bouldering cleaned, chalked or rehearsed on a rope be called highbawling. f--- YEAH! BE A BAWLER!!!!"