Chockstone Forum

      Sponsored By
      ROCK
   HARDWARE

Chockstone Photography

Australian Landscape Prints

Chockstone Forum - General Discussion

General Climbing Discussion

Topic Date User

CWP Interview 4-Mar-2011 At 5:01:37 PM crazyjohn

Message

I knew that Simey would have a field day with this interview. Hes always bashed climbers for wanting more money. But getting money for climbing is all relative. Ive been given gear for climbing, been paid to take people climbing, and have been unofficially sponsored in a lot of ways. Simey has as well in all these ways and MUCH more. Hes a lifer climber. Its a bit hypocritical to bash one climbers way to scrounge money from climbing but defend your own way of making money from climbing. Although, I totally appreciate Simey's distaste for the "whiney sponsored gym climber" who isnt getting paid enough. That said,at the most, it may barely perceptibly push climbing in a wanky direction, but I dont think so.

Whats the difference between getting money from sponsors because you climb Wheel of Life, getting money from a school because you drag a bunch of grommets up Guiding Light (a climb made for guiding no less!) or getting laid by some Euro chick because you take her climbing at Tai Pan?

CWP is talking straight to the sponsors and organizers of comp climbing in Oz. Hes not trying to say 9A and v15 "is what climbing is ALL about". So why slam a dude who is trying to get paid for climbing? He makes a good point. If he got more money for being a top climber, he could climb harder. Sponsorship and comps will not change climbing for most of us in the slightest. Its not as if the cliffs will be over run by the next generation of gym/sponsored climbers. And if they did-AWESOME! That probably means MORE GIRLS! The first climbing ethic I came up with was this: If a given action will possibly bring more girls into rock climbing, that action is ethically sound.