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Riotch
Trad climber
Kayenta, Arizona
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Topic Author's Original Post - Dec 14, 2008 - 03:31am PT
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Will there be more or less climbers and or climbing being done? Sport, trad, bouldering, snow/ice, expeditions???
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spud
climber
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Dec 14, 2008 - 09:45am PT
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Less trips to Jtree, Red Rock, Colorado--airline tickets too expensive. More climbing in SoILL, T-Wall, RRG, Devil's Lake.
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noshoesnoshirt
climber
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Dec 14, 2008 - 09:54am PT
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I guess there was a recession sometime in the '90s, but I was blissfully unaware. I lived in my car, guided in the summer and spent my winters out west climbing every day.
A recession is much easier to weather when you don't own sh#t (including debt).
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MisterE
Trad climber
My Inner Nut
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Dec 14, 2008 - 09:59am PT
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Riotch! Wazzup Buddy? Heard you got some property in Southern Utah recently. You should try & make it down to Cochise...
People will always make time to climb, you'll just see more locals, maybe?
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pud
climber
Sportbikeville
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Dec 14, 2008 - 11:07am PT
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I think there will be a rush to Supertopo by those unable to afford driving to destinations in order to live vicariously through those who can.
Huge drop in the cost of pitons.
Dime edges will become quarters. (not necessarily a bad thing)
Rangers will become extra nice. (job security)
The National Park Service will install escalators to the top of Intersection Rock to entice tourists.
Higher entrance fees to Joshua Tree NP in order to fund The National Park Service's great new ideas.
Personally, I will have to keep climbing grades 5.10 and below as I can no longer afford 5.11
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Riotch
Trad climber
Kayenta, Arizona
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Topic Author's Reply - Dec 14, 2008 - 11:23am PT
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Yep, I tend to think that such things will have a minimal effect on the typical North American climber. Many of us already live in a sort of self-imposed recession.
Climbers are resilient and resourceful, in general, by nature.
eh Nature?
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Porkchop_express
Trad climber
thats what she said...
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Dec 14, 2008 - 11:35am PT
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climbers who are accustomed to spending no more money than they have available will probably not be too affected. if youre used to spending money that's not there, then its gonna suck bigtime.
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nature
climber
Somewhere else....
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Dec 14, 2008 - 11:40am PT
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eh?
Cochise?
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MisterE
Trad climber
My Inner Nut
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Dec 14, 2008 - 12:27pm PT
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Hey, Rich, sorry for the thread drift, but in other news:
The Doctor pulled the crux sidecling off of your route "Space Cowboys" at The Planetarium!
A nice edge was revealed, however, lowering the grade to 5.11b.
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Dr. Rock
Ice climber
http://tinyurl.com/4oa5br
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Dec 14, 2008 - 12:33pm PT
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No Brainer.
If you have more time than money, then WTF over?
What does the economy have to do with Gravity?
Do they turn Gravity off once a week to help the economy?
If anything, you would expect to see more dirt baggers.
Remember the CZ thread with people climbing rocks on the border with Germans shooting at them, that is True Love, right there.
I mean "Everybody Get Dangerous", they would have to change the lyrics to
"Everybody Get Suicidal" are ya feelin me?
Please don't.
You watch, Camp 4 is going to look like a Upper Michigan Hobo Jungle pretty soon.
Better hire more Rangers now.
Nobody rides Shack's train, except A-11.
And please don't play A-11.
Do a search on
"Please don't play A-11"
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Dec 14, 2008 - 12:39pm PT
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Weekend climbers that have lost their jobs will become full time dirtbags.
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
Where are YOU from?
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Dec 14, 2008 - 12:41pm PT
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Headed that way, even as we speak(type).
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Pennsylenvy
Big Wall climber
Le' Bia
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Dec 14, 2008 - 12:43pm PT
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More time ....less money what can I do?????
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Dec 14, 2008 - 12:52pm PT
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Time to lobby for dumpster diving to become an olympic event,..
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Dr. Rock
Ice climber
http://tinyurl.com/4oa5br
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Dec 14, 2008 - 01:22pm PT
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With or without maggots?
I can live, with or without maggots.
On the new U2 CD.
Whats the matter, did I spoil your Sunday Pancakes that are shaped like Mickey?
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Dec 14, 2008 - 01:50pm PT
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interesting take on surfing and the economic "down turn"...
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/14/sports/othersports/14surfing.html
basically, industry support for surfing is going away as the sales in the business are declining. No one knows why the sales are declining, but lots of possible reasons (I like "surfing is aging", WTF?). The company stocks are certainly faring no better than the rest of the market (really a statement on what the investors are seeing, rather than the health of the industry).
OK, so maybe professional surfing is taking a hit... what does that have to do with the sport?
Being an old fart, I'd say that professionalism is not a big part of surfing, and bringing this back home, professionalism means even less to climbing. If the effect that the recession has on climbing is a decline on the professionally sanctioned aspects, I am celebrating.
As far as doing more or less climbing, I am not at all sure that it would affect how I view climbing. I am certainly an amateur and always will be... those who have figured out how to make a living in the sport will have a hard time as purchases are deferred. Since I count a lot of them as my friends I will feel for them. But there isn't much I can do about that, I am only one person and the support for the commercial sector of the support requires that the participation grows.
As advertisement starts to decline, the magazines that depend on it will also. Who knows, maybe even various web sites will become economically unsustainable and disappear.
We might fall back into the era of climbing tribes, vaguely aware of the activities elsewhere, consumed by our attention to what is happening in our home ranges, and delighted (or threatened) by the visits of those rambling from place to place.
In time, when international travel is no longer aided by affordable air-travel, our friends will engage in truly epic voyages taking years to complete with rich stories to tell us of adventures undertaken without easy access back to the umbilicus, civilization.
Our frenzy will slow down and the urge to stuff as much into a moment as possible will be replaced by the desire to savor each of those moments. Quantity will be replaced by quality, certainty of experience by the ineffable.
We might find "recession" to be in the first sense of its definition rather than the third...
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Eric Beck
Sport climber
Bishop, California
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Dec 14, 2008 - 02:02pm PT
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Recession will be very beneficial to climbing.
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10b4me
climber
the gray bands
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Dec 14, 2008 - 02:13pm PT
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I try and keep my debt pretty low. only go out and splurge occassionally.
Have to disagree with Locker, With lower gas prices longer road trips are more doable.
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hossjulia
Trad climber
Eastside
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Dec 14, 2008 - 02:34pm PT
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It has already impacted a climbing magazine, Alpine.
It will probably affect the bottom line of the specialty outdoor sports manufactures.
But, like everyone is saying, don't carry debt, use cash, and since it seems like perhaps climbers might have a bit more disposable income, they might be able to buy gear.
Or maybe it's because they are a bit more realistic to what is really important?
And yes, getting yourself outside to climb IS important.
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