[user deactivated]

Does climbing news really matter anymore? So I was flicking through recent news articles on ukc and in between a gear review and a Gresh training article on ‘how to toe hook’ I saw a picture of some blokes stood under Neanderthal I’m guessing all have climbed 9b. Anyway I couldn’t even be arsed to click on the link and I thought god this really doesn’t matter anymore. It’s all become so homogenised and one achievement after the other appearing on a conveyor belt of tedium. It’s like looking at the hair styles book in a Toni and Guy. This of course is an irreversible situation particularly as I have the concentration span of a gnat due to consuming this shite for the past few years. Right, good, glad I got that off my chest.

[36chambers]

It’s like looking at the hair styles book in a Toni and Guy.

I'm really diggin Shawn Raboutou's hair at the moment, so I pay attention when I see him. Various other hair styles are interesting to follow too. But there's plenty that I really don't care about and some just seem like they're trying too hard to get my attention and/or trying to sell me something I don't want. I really couldn't care less about Gresh's hair for example.

[user deactivated]

Excellent point, is there anyone with a bowl cut out there?

[36chambers]

Excellent point, is there anyone with a bowl cut out there?

Isaac Buckley?

edit: back on topic, I do agree with your OP

[user deactivated]

To much Cure, they must only have just hit NZ. Gotta love The Cure tho. Are you his number one fan? 😬

[user deactivated]

‘Hair today, gone tomorrow’

[haydn jones]

I think the majority of the news these days are all quick fix news pieces that are written really quickly the day after "The Send", where as I still really enjoy a good article that's had a lot of time put into it like you used to get in the magazines.

I find a lot of the stuff pumped out
by UKC now boring, but there are still a few quality pieces that come through. You just have to keep an eye out for them.

[user deactivated]

Totally agree Haydn, it’s not so much about ukc (although I’m not exactly a fan, but that’s more of an anti establishment thing). I’ve a feeling that Instagram feeds would be even worse, but I’m not signed up there.

[guypercival]

We are rapacious consumers of internet content whether is is Facebook, instagram websites etc

The websites need traffic to generate revenue and will get loads of daily clicks if the consumer is going to get something new each day. The content quality doesn’t matter that much as long as it isn’t the same stuff as yesterday.

There are loads of sponsored climbers who have acute awareness of social media and put what they have done very quickly. As a result tons of stuff to report.

I remember the days before the internet was invented. I would really look forward to the next edition of the climbing magazines to see who had done what and where.  Those days now seem so long ago.

[tomtom]

The project magazine (I think) have tried to balance this out with ad free - more in-depth articles and photo-essays.

This - I feel - is a very commmendable aim, though I personally don’t really like their content.

The points Dan made in the OP though are those made at media in general - online has meant a massive desire for quantity - and with that the quality has dropped. Also traditional journalistic skills (framing arguments, correct research) are dwindling amongst writers - and editorial powers/direction/role has dwindled. 

[tomtom]

(I did I wonder if the four grinning fellas under Neanderthal were so happy because they’d all just had a big poo under the route AKA ‘Tilberthwaiting’...

[user deactivated]

When I made films for the project magazine I was quite excited at the opportunity to make something a bit different that had a platform to be seen on. Ironically while I think some of the interviews and Dave's photos are great the general tone, style and content feels a bit like a navel gazing ikea lifestyle magazine

[Yossarian]

It’s like looking at the hair styles book in a Toni and Guy.

I'm really diggin Shawn Raboutou's hair at the moment, so I pay attention when I see him. Various other hair styles are interesting to follow too. But there's plenty that I really don't care about and some just seem like they're trying too hard to get my attention and/or trying to sell me something I don't want. I really couldn't care less about Gresh's hair for example.

I’m really hoping that Dan Turner does a hair episode on his YouTube channel sometime. He’s started a few videos with some pretty epic styling.



This one for instance starts with something quite unique, but there’s no real explanation of what he was trying to achieve, what products he uses, etc.

I for one would be really keen to see a series of episodes covering his full haircare regime.

[Yossarian]

I’ve thought for a while that mountain biking has been very well-served with sites like Yonder Journal and The Radavist.

https://mythicalstateof.com/syd-2-mel-normcore-bicycle-tour/

http://yonderjournal.com.s170181.gridserver.com

https://theradavist.com/2019/01/autumn-amongst-the-araucarias-ryan-wilson/#69

Missions / adventures presented with a bit of flair. The OTE Nose in a Day article from years ago was framed in almost this exact way. Of course, it’s much easier when you’ve either got a deep-pocketed sponsor (like Specialized in the case of Yonder, now paused anyway) or lots of cool little advertisers (like the Radavist).

I’ve wondered for ages whether it would be possible to do something like this for climbing...

[cheque]

I’ve a feeling that Instagram feeds would be even worse, but I’m not signed up there.

It depends who you follow. You only see the posts of people you choose to so if you just stick to, for example, climbing photographers who only post when they have a good picture and will put an interesting little paragraph or two with it then that’s what you see a feed of- quite a nice thing to have available in your pocket whenever you’re bored I find. Likewise if you only follow nobheads who spam pictures of themselves fingerboarding, selfies or uncredited buttshots of routes they tried but didn’t get up last summer every 6 hours then you deserve to get annoyed with it.

You can’t expect Instagram to be a high quality news service. People learn of climbing news on there ‘cos that’s where wads spray about their ascents first but it’s not curated by anyone but you.

[andy_e]

RIP climbing as a counterculture. I used to love climbing-related media such as OTE, Friction, Gravity, Momentum Video Mag, there was a free US mag that was available here too that I forget the name of, etc., but pretty much lost interest as soon as OTE became Climb. Project has a lot of that underground vibe that I crave, but other than that I read very little to do with climbing outside of UKB.

[spidermonkey09]

Strong grumpy thread this. Good point from Cheque about Instagram though, which I also don't have. Same argument as Twitter (which I do); that what you see is almost entirely down to you. If someone is annoying you, you stop following them.

Re the Project, I've liked a few of their pieces (the Hard Grit one springs to mind) but a lot of it has also struck me as thinly disguised ego massaging masquerading as good writing. I have also heard stories about not paying their contributors which really ticks me off. No one should be working for free; if you can't afford to pay your staff the business shouldn't exist. If this has changed I stand corrected!

[Oldmanmatt]

RIP climbing as a counterculture. I used to love climbing-related media such as OTE, Friction, Gravity, Momentum Video Mag, there was a free US mag that was available here too that I forget the name of, etc., but pretty much lost interest as soon as OTE became Climb. Project has a lot of that underground vibe that I crave, but other than that I read very little to do with climbing outside of UKB.

You know where you’re posting, right?

There’s not much Ikea, Lifestyle or even Hairstyle; about UKB.

It’s definitely Café culture, but not a hipster, Civet shit, café; more 19th century, Parisian, Revolutionary den of iniquity...

Edit:

I’m the one all in black, sat in the corner, smoking tailor made Turkish cigarettes, glass of Absinthe half forgotten; predicting doom and raging against the Aristocracy.

[jwi]

Since Lucien Martinez took over writing the news on Grimper it's all you need to read really. He writes well, is not afraid to give his opinions, and know the routes in southern France and northern Spain very well.

I like planetmountain.com for news as well. They often wait until they have a decent interview before publishing.

I cannot stand quoting instagram post as “news”. If I wanted to read syntactically suspect, misspelled self-published hype I'd follow Trump on twitter. Seriously, athletes should do athletic things, not write (unless they like to and are willing to work towards being good at it, so Caprez, Bodet, Desgrange etc are excused.)

[turnipturned]

I’m really hoping that Dan Turner does a hair episode on his YouTube channel sometime.

Yeah I will get that sorted. Need to do my what to wear at the crag video first though.

Interesting thread. For me I find a lot of news unrelatable these days, so doesn’t really inspire me.

Instagram wise, I don’t really mind poor quality photos, if it’s almost a diary of what people have done....  like 8a.nu/ukc logbook but picture form, that’s cool. Gets me psyched and gives me ideas of boulders/climbs I might like to try.

[user deactivated]

RIP climbing as a counterculture.

This is the point really, does a counter culture even have ‘news’. We’re drowning in inspiration where subversion is discouraged and shamed by the cultural dictators. I’d like to see a climbing version of not the nine o’clock news.

[user deactivated]

Ps Dan, can you do an episode where you dress down a bit please. Those yellow pants are triggering my migraines

[Yossarian]

I’m really hoping that Dan Turner does a hair episode on his YouTube channel sometime.

Yeah I will get that sorted. Need to do my what to wear at the crag video first though.

Brilliant stuff. Hopefully you’ll touch on the tricky issue of accessorising block mint / turquoise. And the suitability of crossover workwear.

[SamT]

This is the point really, does a counter culture even have ‘news’. We’re drowning in inspiration where subversion is discouraged and shamed by the cultural dictators. I’d like to see a climbing version of not the nine o’clock news.

Dig out and read the old Crags magazines, and zines like 'the thing' if you want the whole counter culture thing.  It used to be all about the craic, the piss take, the satire, in amongst the reports of daring do.

I rarely look at UKC, and if I do, I don't think I've ever really clicked on their news headlines things, unless linked to from here. (I read about the Jonny 8b slab thing on there).

[turnipturned]

Ps Dan, can you do an episode where you dress down a bit please. Those yellow pants are triggering my migraines

I can't remember the last time I owned yellow pants.... thankfully that phase passed relatively quickly.

I’m really hoping that Dan Turner does a hair episode on his YouTube channel sometime.

Yeah I will get that sorted. Need to do my what to wear at the crag video first though.

Brilliant stuff. Hopefully you’ll touch on the tricky issue of accessorising block mint / turquoise. And the suitability of crossover workwear.

I have to say.... Dickies work trousers are class, but heavily and surprisingly cold! However, I think with a Thrasher hoody and white socks.... I might be able to slip seamlessly in Dan's new documentary filmed on a sony VX1000 about life before insta