[Falling Down]

The call for papers is a bit 6th form but I hope it produces some interesting papers. Personally I reckon that fiction explores some of these themes better than non-fiction or an academic approach can.  The silences and gaps in Ed Drummonds or M John Harrisons stories speak volumes.

[andy_e]

M John Harrison's book is amazing, I don't know what it is about it but it really strikes a chord with me- the bleak imagery which he uses to describe every aspect of life from the point of view as a climber is so beautiful, and he captures the spirit of climbing, not in the act itself but in the effect on the psyche, and releases it in a way which seems so clear and precise to me as to ring true. I could write a whole essay on that book and I'm not even an expert!

[slackline]

The silences and gaps in Ed Drummonds or M John Harrisons stories speak volumes.

Is that not just pausing to wipe your arse whilst reading on the throne?

[Falling Down]

 

Here's his blog http://ambientehotel.wordpress.com/

[Yossarian]

M John Harrison's book is amazing, I don't know what it is about it but it really strikes a chord with me- the bleak imagery which he uses to describe every aspect of life from the point of view as a climber is so beautiful, and he captures the spirit of climbing, not in the act itself but in the effect on the psyche, and releases it in a way which seems so clear and precise to me as to ring true. I could write a whole essay on that book and I'm not even an expert!

is that M pronounced mmmm?

[Houdini]

People are talking about Harrisons' Climbers?  I thought that was naff.

Unless I'm the link?

The Missing Link maybe?   

[andy_e]

People are talking about Harrisons' Climbers?  I thought that was naff.

You would do 

[Joepicalli]

I'm supprised that no one has mentioned "Games Climbers Play" yet. The article not the Book (though the book contains the article: however  might not also also be said that the essence of the book (Aristotelian not Platonic (duh obviously as if ukb'ers would make such a schoolkid error) is contained already, with in the article). Starts to get pretty tricky up-its-own-arsey pretty quickly this philosophy stuff.)
Anyway it is absolutely brilliant and the notion that those good enough to apply the rules of a less committing game to those of  a more committing one (e.g. climbing a route (rules: rope and gear allowed) using bouldering's rules (no rope (obviously these days gay mats allowed) only boots and chalk still describes perfectly what constitutes progress in climbing

[a dense loner]

i had that harrisons climbers shit recommemded to me too, now to go to the adding a wood burner thread

[slackline]

I'm supprised that no one has mentioned "Games Climbers Play" yet. The article not the Book (though the book contains the article: however  might not also also be said that the essence of the book (Aristotelian not Platonic (duh obviously as if ukb'ers would make such a schoolkid error) is contained already, with in the article). Starts to get pretty tricky up-its-own-arsey pretty quickly this philosophy stuff.)
Anyway it is absolutely brilliant and the notion that those good enough to apply the rules of a less committing game to those of  a more committing one (e.g. climbing a route (rules: rope and gear allowed) using bouldering's rules (no rope (obviously these days gay mats allowed) only boots and chalk still describes perfectly what constitutes progress in climbing

One of my favourite climbing books that, the eponymous essay is indeed brilliant.

[slackline]

Just stumbled across the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy - Risk and thought it worth sticking in here (although it actually has little on personal risk).

[kelvin]

I'm off work today and I was bored after the first sentence. It does make the reasons for climbing blindingly obvious however...

"Hence, a person with the utility function u1 is more risk averse at a point x than one with utility function u2 if and only if −u′′1(x)/u′1(x) > −u′′2(x)/u′2(x). This is the Arrow-Pratt measure of risk aversion."

[Muenchener]

This is the Arrow-Pratt measure of risk aversion."

Since Games Climbers Play has already been mentioend, that better be a reference to Chuck Pratt's The View from Dead Horse Point

[Fiend]

"Hence, a person with the utility function u1 is more risk averse at a point x than one with utility function u2 if and only if −u′′1(x)/u′1(x) > −u′′2(x)/u′2(x). This is the Arrow-Pratt measure of risk aversion."

I was sketching up a rounded sandstone groove just the other day and that was foremost in my mind at the time....until I found a much better RP placement in a hidden seam, and that pretty much resolved the equation.