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TwistedCrank
climber
Ideeho
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jan 31, 2008 - 04:40pm PT
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What's up with the sucking butts, boys?
What drives climbers to need to light up with such enthusiasm?
There are some famous photos of climbers with butts hanging from their lips. Some of the hardest of the hardmen were notorius for their consumption of sticks of the filterless, high-nicotine, high-protein, high-fat, full-flavor variety. There are some hysterical anecdotes of climbers high up on a hill chain-smoking their way through a bivi in hell - struggling with lighters and wet tobaccy. Some of us on the Taco have watched some of our favorite climbing wonks struggle with the life-long addiction.
We know nicotine is addictive as hell. We know the sh!t causes cancer. We know we're chipping years off our lives.
Yet cigs continue to be entrenched in the climbing lifestyle thing.
Is there something about the addictive personalities required to pull hard? Does it help cope with the we-are-going-to-die situations we continue huck ourselves into?
FWIW when I first showed up in the valley I was on a can-a-week Copenhagen grind. By the time I left I had such a nasty nicotine habit that included various forms I'd sniff, dip, suck, light, wad, roll, chaw, spit, hock, flick, etc, etc. that it took me a good 15 years just to taper and then finally quit. I do miss the Camel straights sometimes. Then I wake up and feel an overwhelming urge to brush my teeth.
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Ihateplastic
Trad climber
Lake Oswego, Oregon
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Jan 31, 2008 - 04:56pm PT
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Once upon a time I climbed Braille Book on Higher Cathedral with a Frenchman who spoke NO English and I could only ask him to spend the night with me in butchered French.
From the moment we left the car until our return later in the day that man had a fag in his mouth. Sometimes two! He belayed, followed, led and hiked with smoke and flames coming from his lips. As soon as one stick approached its end another was lit and both were dragged upon at once until the first disappeared into his lungs.
The route was nice though.
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Jan 31, 2008 - 05:02pm PT
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I'm as annoyed as most when compelled to share airspace with smokers, who don't have the common courtesy to ask before lighting up.
Smokers by and large are also litterbugs. At least amongst the general public, and from what I've seen climbers too. The single most numerous item that was picked up at the FaceLift was cigarette butts. By far.
Probably cigarette butts are sort of entry level trash - once you chuck a butt or two, you may not think twice about throwing away a Coors can, a television set, or a '51 Nash Rambler.
Once or twice I've had time to spare, and spent it thoroughly cleaning up the base of a cliff. The number of cigarette butts thrown a short distance away, or just ground underfoot, is one thing. The number "hidden" under rocks is astounding. Apparently it's no longer garbage if it can't be readily seen.
Smoker-climbers may be somewhat more responsible than the general public when it comes to ensuring their cigarettes are out, though.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
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Jan 31, 2008 - 05:05pm PT
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I think it has to do with the 'energy' that nicotine delivers to the system. That and it tends to calm nerves.
I took a partner up one of his first trad leads on Northwest Books. We hiked out to the base, climbed up to the start, racked up, flaked rope, put on shoes, and half way up his first pitch I realized I forgot my precious smokes IN THE CAR. I instantly became nervous at the realization that I'd be smokeless for the next couple of pitches and the walk off.
Really nasty stuff nicotine is. Worse than cocaine and heroin, I would know.
I promised PMB I'd quit. I should be done in a couple of weeks.
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TKingsbury
Trad climber
MT
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Jan 31, 2008 - 05:08pm PT
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once you chuck a butt or two, you may not think twice about throwing away a Coors can, a television set, or a '51 Nash Rambler.
I do not condone littering by any means, but I do not think it is fair to blame smokers for other garbage just because butts are also littered. (I don't smoke BTW)
Pocket yer butts please...
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swill
Social climber
Colorado
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Jan 31, 2008 - 05:13pm PT
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I think with young climbers it's all about the image. It was for me at least at first. Pictures of Don Whillans pulling hard with a butt causally hanging off his lip certainly gave me pause for thought. I took the bait as did many of my friends.
But then it was addiction plain and simple. So yes, helpful for all kinds of reasons. Including lighting up first thing in the AM as an easy way to freshen up your breath.
I finally quit smoking believe it or not three years ago today after twenty years.
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Mike Bolte
Trad climber
Planet Earth
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Jan 31, 2008 - 05:19pm PT
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name this climber. unfiltered camel
ps. he quit years ago and was always thoughtful about his second-hand smoke and butts
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Jan 31, 2008 - 05:43pm PT
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Sorry, Tom - I was just funning. Though we did find a lot of Coors cans, a television, and a '51 Nash at the FaceLift, there was probably no causal connnection between smoker/litterers and the latter, anyway.
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TKingsbury
Trad climber
MT
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Jan 31, 2008 - 05:46pm PT
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no worries, I just mainly wanted to encourage folks to pocket their butts...
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the Fet
Knackered climber
A bivy sack in the secret campground
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Jan 31, 2008 - 05:50pm PT
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I usually see about 1 smoker a week toss a butt out of their window during my commute. Usually still lit.
I know it's probably the minority of smokers who litter but still, it's quite lame.
But I guess if you don't care about possibly giving yourself lung cancer, why worry about littering?
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scuffy b
climber
Stump with a backrest
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Jan 31, 2008 - 05:53pm PT
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It's been a longterm puzzle to me that cigarette smokers can
climb hard. It just seems so counter intuitive.
Recently, Dr. Sue revealed that climbing is not an aerobic
activity. The basis for this assertion is the simple fact that
all the climbers she tested, apparently including some pretty
high-powered prancers, had mediocre aerobic capacity.
Who'd a thunk it?
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Tomcat
Trad climber
Chatham N.H.
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Jan 31, 2008 - 05:55pm PT
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What totally amazes me is....you can be two pitches away and one minute after they light up it's right there.Any more my immediate thought is"parts per billion".
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swill
Social climber
Colorado
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Jan 31, 2008 - 05:57pm PT
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In my case they kept me real skinny. Skinny for me meant harder climbing.
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TKingsbury
Trad climber
MT
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Jan 31, 2008 - 05:59pm PT
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cmalcolm
Mountain climber
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Jan 31, 2008 - 06:11pm PT
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I got to spend a couple years in the desert climbing with Bridwell (80's something) and at the time he drove this big ass Buick Eighty Eight. You know the kind you had to start braking and turning out of Beaumont to make the right turn in Jtree.
The thing had these awesome sheep skin seat covers that would hold the camel smoke and I didn't even have to smoke to get a drag from them and if you happen to spill some of the colt-45 we were sipping, those seats just sucked it up.I never got the smoking thing until one day he decides I've been spouting off too much and I get the sharp end all day. we do a couple warm ups no problem, then we do EBGB's and I hit it and am feeling pretty surly now. But I am am at my limit.
So if you know Bridwell, he says " I think you can climb harder" and we proceed over to Swept Away. As I remember there is a belay you hang at just below the crux. I take off make a move or two and come flying off past the belay with Bridwell hanging there with a camel and looking at me like WTF dude. He hauls my sorry sack back to the belay and I immediately start whining and he hands me a Camel and says "shut up, relax and you got it". Couple buts later and some more encouragement and I send the thing. I don't think the camels helped but they sure took my mind off being so scared.
Great days with great people, the best part was Peggies cooking that woman knows how to cook chicken eggplant parmesan.
C.Malcolm
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Cloudraker
Big Wall climber
BC
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Jan 31, 2008 - 06:41pm PT
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Are pipes still cool?
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drc
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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Jan 31, 2008 - 07:20pm PT
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I need a smoke:
After a scary lead,
Before a scary lead,
On the top of the climb,
At the bottom of the climb,
Drinking beer after the climb,
Drinking beer before the climb,
Driving to the climb,
Driving from the climb,
Drinking beer while driving to/from the climb
Those are just the climbing related cigarettes.
I always pocket my butts east of Manteca (inside and out of the car). In the city, I really don't give a S%*#. Sorry.
As far as aerobic fitness. I once passed a group of young and fit REI/Shock absorbing trekking pole types on the way up to Italy pass. I was carrying not one but 2 packs for a 5 day trip. (one person in the group was having altitude issues).
The look on their faces when they saw me puffing away at the top was priceless. I really think acclimatization plays a larger role than hours spent on the stair master or whether or not you smoke.
Cheers
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Mick K
climber
Northern Sierra
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Jan 31, 2008 - 07:26pm PT
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No need to carry a first aid kit juts a pack of cammel straights. If the injury is really that bad at least you can kick back and have one more smoke befroe leaving for the beyond.
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WBraun
climber
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Jan 31, 2008 - 07:30pm PT
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I'm ready to throw some good trash into the Merced river after a nice cig.
Hummmmnnnn maybe a big ass transformer for Mighty Hiker to pull out on his next face lift .....
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TrundleBum
Trad climber
Las Vegas
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Jan 31, 2008 - 07:49pm PT
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yah beat me to it Werner...
Smokers suck.
They all should be strung up and made to live in the fuselage of a 1950 airliner
(yah know the ones, where they used hand out complimentary 4 packs of cigs to all patrons)
I used to smoke, I tossed a butt once and that was it.
Before you know it I was tossing cars off cliffs into the ocean, burning heaps of plastic to get the ounce or two of salvage copper and robbing senior citizens of their pocket change in order to support my habit.
I just shudder to think back to when I did smoke.
I was so self obsorbed that I did not notice other people much.
Now I am stoked to apply all the free time I gain from not smoking, to be able to observe, critique and be judgemental of those that do.
I absolutely abhorr it when I drive my gas guzzling 'suburban' up to the valley, fighting my way through hours of carbon monoxide, apply DMSO all over my elbows and que up at a crowded route just to endure some idiot forcing me to smell some iota of scent generated by some infintesimal part per billion of the 'over 100' ingrediants that they put into 'taylor made' cigs.
I am so glad to have had quit and know that I am going to live this long fruitful life free of strife due to complications associated with smoking.
Now if I can just control everything else about my stuffy urban lifestyle such as:
cancer
car accidents
angry husbands
STD's
ice fall
rock fall
avalanche
lightning
the IRS
and judgemental people that love to follow contemporary vogue.
#######################
Got a lighter?
signed:
devils advocate
Ps. throuout my life the people that were the most adamant about my quitting...
ARE DEAD !
Cancer mostly (non smoke related), some from alpinisim, a few that 'aced' themselves
and a couple from OD's.
How come Vegans and 'tofu fascists' always seem to have a cold, or a flu or this, or that or their stomach is upset because the thought of killing a mammal for food.. etc etc ?
Gimme a steak loaded with hormones, a nice cold beer with way to much preservative, a fat bowl of the dank and top it all off with a a Marlboro.
I aint been sick in years.
But I do get freaky in 75 mph freeway traffic.
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Mighty Hiker
Social climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Jan 31, 2008 - 07:52pm PT
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Don't forget the part about non-smokers being sanctimonious self-righteous boring prudes. :-)
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dipper
climber
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Jan 31, 2008 - 09:16pm PT
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drc wrote:
I always pocket my butts east of Manteca (inside and out of the car). In the city, I really don't give a S%*#. Sorry.
And that is why our cities look like sh*t.
People trained to trash the city will be more likely to trash the wilderness.
If you treated the earth west of Manteca the same as you treat the earth east of it, those around you might be less inclined to toss their butts, burger wrappers, red bull cans, truck loads of yard waste etc.
If we all did just a little bit better, just imagine how much nice it could be for us all.
If you must choose to smoke, carry a small container to store your butts til you can dispose of them more respectfully.
Respect the earth wherever you are.
Respect yourself wherever you are.
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elcap-pics
climber
Crestline CA
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Jan 31, 2008 - 11:20pm PT
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Smoking climbers... it is part of the "I am invincible and am never going to die" mentality that many have... they know better of course, we all know the statistics, but it is a play now, pay later thing... I like a good cheap cigar sometimes and know better but if you can't have some pleasures in life then what can you say? You have to die of something they say and smoking is a really good way to die before you time... so man up and suck it down... fire all your guns.. just not near me please!
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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When I ran the SF Marathon, just before it started, there were these Japanese Runners; seeded, 5-6 minute milers, hanging out, having a smoke, before the next opportunity, 26.2 miles later.
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Todd Gordon
Trad climber
Joshua Tree, Cal
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I rode my bicycle across America........twice.........and was a smoker;......(I since have quit)........it's a tough nut to crack. (33 days W to E........17 days N to S)........lots of athletes smoke......it's a dirty habit..........(Used to be one of my favorite things to do......) When you are in your 20's and 30's ....you can put all sorts of nasty pollutants in your body; and not even slow yourself down.....in your 40's , 50's and older......best to clean up your act if you want to go the distance.......
33 days later, coast to coast.....and STILL a smoker......(Started in Oceanside, Ca.;...this is at the end;...Surf City, North Carolina)
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AbeFrohman
Trad climber
new york, NY
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Largo?
How has it been, nic free?
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SteveW
Trad climber
Denver, CO
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You might as well just suck on the car's exhaust pipe. . .
spoken by one of those self righteous boobs that
quit 25 years ago. . .
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TwistedCrank
climber
Ideeho
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 1, 2008 - 10:09am PT
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you said "boobs"
teeheeheeheeheeheehee
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SteveW
Trad climber
Denver, CO
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Twisted.
I was a boob, dweeb, dumbo, you name it.
Smoking is not cool. Kills people. I did it for
15 years (2 pack a day), and continue to worry
I'll get lung cancer down the road. I'd rather
get hit by a truck. . .
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kev
climber
CA
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Dipper, so the 'city' (whatever the f&*k the 'city' is-is not trashed???)
How could you even compare 'the city' with the sierras or wherever you claim such moral superiority. So do you drive a car? Who do you work for? Are you the typical BS 'city' person.
DRC and I have dragged out sooo much trash from places varying from taquitz to TM. Hell the rangers in Idyllwild GAVE us trash bags after we dumped 4 bags of crap for them.
GET A F&*KINB GRIP. Do you carpool? Have you ever volunteered for fun?
I quit smoking a while back but what I know is that the vast majority of us smokers (yes I still call myself that because I am addicted to this nasty smelly unhealthy habit that I love but (is there a pun there) choose to avoid) that are dirtbags clean our sh#t up and everyone else's sh#t too. So perhaps you should get a less sanfran BULLSH#T perspective!
Ok I need to finish my beer and prepare for aid in the rain tomorrow..
g'night
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tenesmus
Trad climber
slc
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I don't get finding cigarette butts way up on climbs. "yeah, just dump that butt in the crack at the last belay... no one will notice...." lame as hell.
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Euroford
Trad climber
chicago
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i would love to quite smoking, but just don't have the incentive. surely this won't last forever, but i enjoy the habit and that hike up to chasm view, leave my non smoker friends in the dust.
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cintune
climber
Penn's Woods
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I quit with the help of Chantix. Pack a day for ten years or so, took the prescription for two weeks (instead of the twelve they recommend) and that was it. No interest, no cravings, just done. So I'd recommend it to anyone who really wants to quit. Better living through chemistry.
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Jaybro
Social climber
The West
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"I smoke two joints
before I smoke two joints,
and then I smoke two more"
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leinosaur
Trad climber
burns flat, ok
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One of the best cigs I ever had was an American Spirit Light I found intact about three pitches from the bottom after rapping Crest Jewel and Royal Arches. A gift from the tobacco gods, for sure. I'm about a "pack a year" man, these days. Campfires and the occasional cigar, mostly.
I know that any is bad, and the PA training I start this July may cure me of even the pack-a-year business, but managing to enjoy the occasional one without getting back on the train has spoiled me some.
I pocketed the filter, by the way, and usually go for the filterless "rollies," which leave barely a trace, anyhow. Quick biodegraders, I'm sure. Vegetable matter. Keep the cigar bands in my wallet, if they're good.
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Todd Gordon
Trad climber
Joshua Tree, Cal
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Come to where the flavor is......come to Marlboro Country....
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Buggs
Trad climber
Eagle River, Alaska
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tenemus,
Not so lame when you are halfway up the wall and out of smokes, dig a few half-smoked snipes out of the crack, and roll a semi-fresh nerve mender.
Aint that right, survival?
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Todd Gordon
Trad climber
Joshua Tree, Cal
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Fine Virginia blend...
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survival
Big Wall climber
arlington, va
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Buggs, you're always openin' my closet and then them ol' skeletons come tumblin' out....
Perhaps you refer to when the Japanese did the N.A. wall ahead of us? Scared and smoked themselves S#*tless. Then we come along and Lepton and I are jonesin' bad.. Ahh Nip butts inna crack! Nip butts onna ledge! Nip butts everywhere! Yeah man, we cleaned up after 'em, just like the ol' Cat In The Hat.
Didn't somebody just run a dirtbaggin' thread up recently?
Ha! Thanks for the memories Buggs.
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survival
Big Wall climber
arlington, va
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Lesher used to whine about me bumming off him too! Especially when I just copped a drag so I didn't have to bum a whole one.
"C'mon man, yer hotboxin' it!!"
"Jeez Robbie, if you'd have brought a couple extra packs for me, we wouldn't be having this conversation.."
"S#*t man, buy your own."
"Dude, I'm 18, you know I can't afford that s#*t! Besides, then I'd smoke too much!"
Woohoooo- thems was the dayz!
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Buggs
Trad climber
Eagle River, Alaska
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Yes Sir Restmaster, that is the story I was referring to. Wasn't there but makes me laugh every time you and Royster talk about that...
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TrundleBum
Trad climber
Las Vegas
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last I saw/knew...
(maybe 6 - 8 yrs ago on Maui)
Lescher was still light'n up but he was doing the 'OP ciggs' thang, in the name of 'moderation'.
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survival
Big Wall climber
arlington, va
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Yes, he got off of them for quite a few years, fell back in w/the old girlfriend, fell back into the butts, tossed the girlfriend, not the butts.....
I'm glad I finally tracked him down.
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Crag
Trad climber
Pennsyltuckey
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Cig free for 2+ years.....cigs for me where a way to relax with morning brew and part of the evening celebration with brew....I am glad I finally quit now its twice the caffeine in the morning (not sure why) and copious amounts of red wine at night.
Never smoked while up on the rock....just didn't seam to fit for me.....
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paganmonkeyboy
climber
mars...it's near nevada...
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I haven't had a cigarette since my heart attack 4 weeks ago ;-)
how goes the quitting bluering ?
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