UKBouldering.com
the shizzle => bouldering => Topic started by: fatneck on May 22, 2008, 10:54:44 pm
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I don't own/write a blog but have recently spent some time cruising a few of the forum regulars efforts and have been pleasantly surprised by what I've found. There are many class offerings and I thought I should share this gem from Doylo (http://doylosblog.blogspot.com/) with any of you who haven't yet read it;
Your Sunday Sermon - The Art Of Crushing
My apologies for the lateness of todays sermon. I have been out for two days carrying out Gods good work (ahem)!
Todays sermon is on the art of crushing - a very important part of rock climbing. A few times a year when the time is right it is necessary for a rock climber to crush. By crushing I mean dispatching or kicking the shit out of a certain boulder problem or sport route (crushing does not apply to trad). One day a rock climber may turn up at the crag to find something magic in the air, everything seems a little easier, there is an atmosphere that the rock climber has not experienced before and this is when the climber crushes. Crushing only occurs a few times a year, if it occured any more than this then it would not hold such special resonance. The feeling of crushing a long term project or ones hardest problem or route is pure ecstasy. It is like an orgasm that doesn't end for sometimes even days. Any sexual experience one has had will pale into insignificance compared to these moments. They are very special when they come around and they must be treasured. Sometimes there is a moment in a rock climbers life when the time is right to crush a certain project and one day either side just won't do it. This happened to me on a rock climb called Melancholie. I believe if I hadn't crushed that go I may never have done it. So my children, when you know the time is right, when your out at the crag and all is perfect, go forth and crush!
Chris, I wad thee...
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I'm not a fan of (download-free) blogs.
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I have to say I wasn't really taken with the idea and I don't think I could be arsed maintaining one. But fair play to those who do. It's an interesting insight into peoples lives and motivations and I'm looking forward to enjoying some more.
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Er . . . Well my only interests are interests and I know it's contradictory to say this but I think climbing is a doing thing and the less words the better. They complicate a simple and beautiful thing.
I'd like to make a silent climbing film. No text at all; undiluted anonymous action.
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I (think) I can see where you're coming from but I fucking love reading about climbing whatever it's form (even if there are no down-loads..). I've spent the last 8 months (since moving in with an obsessed trad climber) reading my way through an extensive library of mainly mountaineering books and whilst it's not really what I'm in to, I've enjoyed virtually every one of them (even some of Joe Simpsons often self-righteous spoutings).
I love talking about climbing, the history of climbing, the aura of climbing, climbing itself and the processes and intracacies of bouldering, in fact, the mind set of boulderers/climbers in general fascinates me totally. And whilst bouldering is a simple and beautiful thing I also think the more climbing related reading there is out there the better.
Some blogs are obviously better than others but in some ways that makes all the more worth while when you happen upon something similair to what I found on Doyles blog this evening. Reading about climbing keeps me psyched/sane/occupied when I can't climb/sleep/go on bouldering forums etc. etc.
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I've been thinking about starting a blog, but not sure I would be arsed to maintain it. But there are some great ones out there.
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Dangerously close to a puntering for Simpson appreciation there fatneck. ;)
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I've had a few goes at writing a blog, but don't have the discipline to maintain it. Not very surprising though considering I tried keeping a diary when I was six or seven and gave up after a week. I don't think it helps that I'm not a massively reflective person, I just accept that shits happened and get on with the next thing.
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I love talking about climbing, the history of climbing, the aura of climbing, climbing itself and the processes and intracacies of bouldering, in fact, the mind set of boulderers/climbers in general fascinates me totally. And whilst bouldering is a simple and beautiful thing I also think the more climbing related reading there is out there the better.
You're a climbing bore, aren't you? ;)
I visit the UK infrequently these days, but when I do the last thing I wish to talk about w/ the people I've missed is climbing. Which is a problem for me as most people I know in Wales are climbers. I find climbers amonst some of the nmost tedious people out there; every conversation in every social situation revolves around climbing, if it's not what they're doing or want to do it's what someone else is doing or wants to do. Climbers live and breathe it and I find the architype as tedious as say, someone who lives and breathes classic cars. Interesting for a while, but ultimately wearysome.
There is no mystery or romance these days, no soft focus, so little ambiguity. Every muscle is on display each and every thought about the why's and wherefore's of this that and every fucking other . . . It's enough to make me want to do a "Falling Down" and find some guns.
Clearly, I'm deeply cynical on the subject . . . 15mm deadhangs you say?!
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It's enough to make me want to do a "Falling Down" and find some guns.
Something's bound to push you over the edge sooner or later. My guess is it'll be a photo of Fiend with socks in his boots that finally makes you snap.
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Er . . . Well my only interests are interests and I know it's contradictory to say this but I think climbing is a doing thing and the less words the better. They complicate a simple and beautiful thing.
Sorry, la, I just couldn't resist this: How do your 4000+ posts on this board fit in with your philosophy of the taciturn climber? ;)
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I find climbers amongst some of the most tedious people out there; every conversation in every social situation revolves around climbing, if it's not what they're doing or want to do it's what someone else is doing or wants to do.
Surely the variety of discussions on this forum disproves this point? I have very few climbing friends where climbing is the only common ground we have, and therefore in social situations with them conversation revolves around climbing, but the majority of my climbing friends and I have a wide range of interests in common, and conversation reflects this. I would have thought this was common?
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UKB is not a blog. & I like talking English once in a while (keep my hand in, what).
Socially mano-a-mano, it grinds me down. I feel like a footballers' wife. I also talk mostly about arty stuff/techno tc, not climbing, in the main.
@ Chris: I guess it's a question of who you know. You're a salaried worker, I'm a bum.
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I agree with Chris. Most of my coversations with lagers revolve around such things as turning Luton into a forced labour camp for chavs or opening a chain of indoor crazy golf emporia to rival bowling alleys as entertainment for the masses. Climbing rarely gets much of a look in. It's more likely to be non-climbing blokes who tend to only be able to discuss birds and football (subjects I also enjoy but not all the fucking time) in my experience.
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You're a climbing bore, aren't you? ;)
I visit the UK infrequently these days, but when I do the last thing I wish to talk about w/ the people I've missed is climbing. Which is a problem for me as most people I know in Wales are climbers. I find climbers amonst some of the nmost tedious people out there; every conversation in every social situation revolves around climbing, if it's not what they're doing or want to do it's what someone else is doing or wants to do...
...There is no mystery or romance these days, no soft focus, so little ambiguity. Every muscle is on display each and every thought about the why's and wherefore's of this that and every fucking other . . . It's enough to make me want to do a "Falling Down" and find some guns.
Clearly, I'm deeply cynical on the subject . . . 15mm deadhangs you say?!
Good post. I agree with bits of this. Having a non climbing girlfriend makes me quite normal in that I dont talk only about climbing and that when she's with me and we meet climbers I try to avoid excluding her by rattling on about climbing. But, put climbers with climbers and eventually the conversation will turn to climbing, its what we have in common and its an obsessive activity. Some climbers are more normal than others, some people dont genuinely have anything outside of climbing to talk about.
The loss of mystery and romance is inevitable - to lament otherwise is to ignore the social changes the internet has made possible/encouraged. I wouldnt let it stress you out though - blimey, if you dont like it - dont read it!
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Can we swap mates for a while Jasper? Older people generally have more to say on a wider range of subjects, the younger people I hang w/ talk it (climbing) 24/7 (as do a section of older mates that still want to live the dream). I don't blog.
Blogging is not resticted to climbing though is it? It's a modern phenomenon. There are billions of them. I've read a few articles on blogs and the theories knocking around concerning their rise. I think they're more intesting than the blogs.
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Oh I don't let it bother me, per se Dobbin. Blogs are just one aspect of modern life I find baffling.
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I think it can be really unwise to blog with impunity. I know someone who was tracked down through their blog because of work-related stuff they'd said. And in the past I've also asked a friend with a blog to remove my name and location from a posting she wrote. She hadn't meant any harm but when writing freely, peoples names, relationships, locations etc slip out easily and before you know it the whole interweb knows who you are and what you're up to. Scary stuff.
A blog might be helpful if you're happy to be free and open about yourself and 100% confident nobody is out to get you, or if you're super-duper careful to keep anonymous. Or (as a student friend of mine does) you can make your blog visible only to selected guests. Or you could send out a daily / weekly email to people you want to hear your thoughts and experiences. Or you could write up your thoughts and send them to a magazine or journal who'll publish them if they're worth reading.
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I find them interesting. The fact that some are well written, entertaining and thought provoking and that others are complete tosh. Some people have interesting things to say and the ability to say them well. Keith's Font blog was a good example as are Sonnie Trotter's, Dobbin's and others. Some have neither but still feel compelled to share their thoughts with the world and this can be pretty entertaining to read too. I'll not start citing examples of the latter as I got in hot water last time I questioned someone's ability to write decent English. ;)
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I think it was last year sometime that a guy got fired from Waterstones (? I think) because of some inflammatory remarks he made about his employers in a blog.
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Well I'm not too keen on a hOU vs UKB deathmatch here ;D
But I'm like Dobbin, my GF doesn't climb and I've spent a lot of time when I've been living in the 'beris area going out of my way to make friends w/ non-climbers: bit of respite, yes? The times when I've been a guest in a climber's house who has a non-climbing wife really have made me feel for them. But this is kinda off-topic and not blog-ish.
Some people on here blog, I used to pop in every now and again but I guess the attraction has worn off. As has my desire to analyse the climbing experience too greatly, which relates to that thread about climbing writing and why the personal introspective stuff quickly turns to unbearable gash (for me) and the more Oooh... Pritchard-esque stuff wins over.
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i think we have to distinguish.
there are many ways to run a blog and a conversation as well, regardless of the subject: you can talk art in a boring way and climbing in an interesting, introspective way, and vice versa.
most climbers are quite enthusiatic about climbing, i think it's normal to talk about it with fellow climbers, even if someone stretches this too far, and some friends of mine are in this case.
blogs are a way to keep in touch and to share, and i don't think this detracts from the mystery of climbing. it's a matter of how you blog, and how you blog reflects how you see climbing.
i personally get some good inspiration from the blogs i read.
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i personally get some good inspiration from the blogs i read.
Must be a quirk of my character then, as I've yet to. But I don't climb anymore so that's relevant too.
Like Jasper says, some people are very inept w/ language, I pick-up on this quickly. Poor writing bores me.
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Blogs are another way of communicating. Nothing right or wrong with them per se. It's what people do with them - what they have to communicate it and how well they do it.
I've got more into climber's blogs recently - I blame dob for starting it all - and read quite a few. I'm interested in climbing and interested in people's passions and philosophy about it - when they have something interesting to say of course.
Unclesomebody's blog should be printed as a book, it's one of the most interesting things I've read on climbing in recent times. Dob's blog is entertaining and cute just like the man himself, though I miss the Tsunami angst. Nibble's blog I like his raw passionate writing. Doylo's has his moments, he's come out with some real gems in the Sunday Sermons. Bubba's trucking blog is interesting and refreshing seeing what it's like from inside the cab. And some others when they actually update.
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I have to say I wasn't really taken with the idea and I don't think I could be arsed maintaining one. But fair play to those who do.
I think a lot of blots open with similar sentiments but just keep ticking over. I now think they're pretty interesting (unc mk2) to read, a good way of making sure you can find someone to climb or train with and in some cases pretty amusing (Dob, Doylo), all in all not bad for a read when you get bored of writing reports or sifting through masses of literature (tony's). I found mine pretty useful when I was injured to keep a rough record of progress that i was making etc.
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Bubba's trucking blog is interesting and refreshing seeing what it's like from inside the cab.
Thanks :)
Over time it will expand away from just driving, probably once the novelty wears off or after i've crushed a family of five or something.
Blogging is very different to forum posting, but I'm actually enjoying mine. Not because the subject matter is awesome or that I have anything particularly momentous to say, or even that loads of people are going to read it or anything, but just because I quite like the creative aspect of writing. I'm a crap writer, but it's something I quite enjoy doing and i'm interested in getting better at it. It also serves as a diary which I'll (hopefully) enjoy...or cringe over...when I look back at it in a few years time.
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I always thought blogging was a bit gay. Then one day during one of my spells off work i thought i could come up with some amusing stuff for friends to read and it gave me something else to do so i started a blog. Don't update it as much now cos i'm back at work but if a few people enjoy it then its worth it. I never thought that many people would see it so am a bit embarressed now :-[. I'm sure folk might picks holes in the english but for me i've written enough bloody essays in my life so its nice to be able to relax with my writing. There are some good blogs on the circuit. I'd agree that Keiths and Dobs are really good. Keiths in particular is a good insight into how obsessed a man can become!
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Can someone post links to the good ones?
Uncles and whatever else is good?
Cheers
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Whilst blogs can be a text medium, they don't have to be about the writing. I enjoy the video and photo based blogs that I "read" more than the text based ones.
Mine's mostly links to climbing snippets that I find and want to locate in the future. As it's almost entirely for my own benefit I don't advertise it but a few people know and read it, mainly friends who want the latest photos or vids. Each to their own.
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Can someone post links to the good ones?
Uncles and whatever else is good?
Cheers
It's up to them to publicize them if they want to ;)
Not sure it's fair to link blogs if the intention of them is low key.
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I'm not beyond shameless self publicity that enables me to stay flush and travel the world climbing... oh wait, that's not me. DAMN IT! But you can read my blog by pointing yourself towards www.unclesomebody.com/blog (the two key words to remember are unclesomebody and blog).
I doubt anyone else on the blog circuit will mind as they're all linked to each other anyway, but not from mine as I don't want to divert your attention to something better.
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I thought blogs were a big gay as well, but one night sat in the house unc was writing his blog of the days events, I suddenly thought about it, Since i have moved over to the forest of dreams, I have kind of stopped talking regulary to my good friends in the uk and other places, things take over. But then I came up with an idea of starting my blog, just so my friends can look at what i have been doing so they can stay up to date without spending tonnes of money on the phone.
After a few nights of blogging, I actually thought yes I can see this as keeping tracks of all my climbing.
The problem I have with bloging is that my english is less than apaulling and the spelling as well. Since keith left font my blogging has stopped, It was only watching him blog that made me do it really, but now i am going to start again. I have had some amazing days in the forest, some not even climbing so fo all interested in my day to day shit www.straightupinfont.blogspot.com (http://www.straightupinfont.blogspot.com)
enjoy
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Doing the rounds on the blog circuit is as much a part of my daily ritual as the three S (shit, shower, shave). I also think it is a good way to ease server traffic for Bubba, especially given the amount of raw shit I write.
I also see sense in some of Houdinis sentiments (I cant find the apostrophe key on the Italian keyboard sorry). As much as climbing is my all consuming (cant find the hyphen key sorry) passion, I dont like to talk about it all of the time. Id go as far as to say it sends me insane and slightly depressed about my own shortcomings when I realise I am underachieving.
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You gotta admit defeat when an Italian outwrites, spells, and grammars you in your native tongue.
Give up and head to a Monastery forthwith. Leave your balls at the door.
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A picture of Cory and I riding the top floor and front seat of a Double Decker bus, the guy who took this picture thought we were a pair of North American Wanking tourists, which we are of course. Except tourists spend real money, we just walk around and ride the bus, people watching is my favorite passtime. For 3 bucks, you can see the city from north to south, east to west, AND if you wear a big oversized down patagonia jacket, then you can stuff three or four cold beers in your pockets and knowbody is the wiser. So here is my question now...How do you like them apples?
From ST's blog. I like this guy.
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Mine is updated once or twice a week. Nothing exciting! But on the footer of this post you'll find it!
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One More for the pot - http://anenglishmaninbristol.blogspot.com/
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is there on the internet that article he quotes "lats babes and bouldering"? i'm very curious about that.
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Someone should scan it, fuckin genius that was. In fact Jimbo is registered on UKB, maybe he will post it up.
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http://showmeyourangryface.blogspot.com/ (http://showmeyourangryface.blogspot.com/)
I took the plunge, mostly to force myself into climbing a lot more. It wont be a big numbers fest... YET!
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http://climbing-cats.blogspot.com/ (http://climbing-cats.blogspot.com/)
now it's the summer holidays and I'm trying to train I'm using this to keep myself honest as it were...
it's on the side of http://climbing-cats.co.uk/ (http://climbing-cats.co.uk/) if anyone's interested....
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I've put a copy of Lats Babes and Bouldering on my blog if anyone's interested. Well worth a read, whether you've read it before or not.
anenglishmaninbristol.blogspot.com (http://anenglishmaninbristol.blogspot.com)
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You're a climbing bore, aren't you? ;)
Better than a closet climber!!! just come out, its easier,,,
stop pretending your not intrested, you almost have the most hits on this site, then maintain "your not intrested", just realised, you are not Mark reeves, do not know who you are, so read this and punter me,,, tosser...
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Scary stuff...
http://jamespearsonclimbing.blogspot.com/2008/07/where-do-i-start.html (http://jamespearsonclimbing.blogspot.com/2008/07/where-do-i-start.html)
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Scary stuff...
http://jamespearsonclimbing.blogspot.com/2008/07/where-do-i-start.html (http://jamespearsonclimbing.blogspot.com/2008/07/where-do-i-start.html)
:o Indeed :o
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That really is quite terrifying.
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My blog about font, life, and other things:
http://almscliffislife.blogspot.com (http://almscliffislife.blogspot.com)
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My blog about font, life, and other things:
http://almscliffislife.blogspot.com (http://almscliffislife.blogspot.com)
nice blog andy,
and this goes to you all out there in blog world, I wish you wouldnt do black background and white writing, It really hirts my eyes, i cant read them
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and this goes to you all out there in blog world, I wish you wouldnt do black background and white writing, It really hirts my eyes, i cant read them
But it helps prevent burning out pixels on your LCD monitor :devangel:
Perhaps consider trying the Boring CSS (http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/14752) greasemonkey (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/748) script for stripping the CSS from blogs and applying a default plain style (could probably specifiy your own CSS too if you wanted).
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My blog about font, life, and other things:
http://almscliffislife.blogspot.com (http://almscliffislife.blogspot.com)
nice blog andy,
and this goes to you all out there in blog world, I wish you wouldnt do black background and white writing, It really hirts my eyes, i cant read them
Hear hear - especially when you close the window with the white text on black background and go back to a light background / dark text combo. Closed andi_e's blog last night and went back to this thread and I was blind for about 5 minutes afterwards!
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Ok then- I'll change the text to bright pink...
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Ok then- I'll change the text to bright pink...
No need to pander, it can be done on the readers side....
Perhaps consider trying the Boring CSS (http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/14752) greasemonkey (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/748) script for stripping the CSS from blogs and applying a default plain style (could probably specifiy your own CSS too if you wanted).
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and this goes to you all out there in blog world, I wish you wouldnt do black background and white writing, It really hirts my eyes, i cant read them
I continually get bored of mine (I'm sure i'm not alone) and keep tweeking it, at the minute i'm quite happy with the cheeky 7+8's looks with black on white with limited colour BUT I will get bored and download a horrendous black theme again i'm sure.
Andi - piccies, thats more text than keith!
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Yeah, but my text doesn't go on about skin torque or anything! I would put more pics up but I don't have any!
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and this goes to you all out there in blog world, I wish you wouldnt do black background and white writing, It really hirts my eyes, i cant read them
But it helps prevent burning out pixels on your LCD monitor :devangel:
Perhaps consider trying the Boring CSS (http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/14752) greasemonkey (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/748) script for stripping the CSS from blogs and applying a default plain style (could probably specifiy your own CSS too if you wanted).
i dont care, I would sooner spend £100 on a new monitor than £500 on glasses 8)
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Perhaps consider trying the Boring CSS (http://userscripts.org/scripts/show/14752) greasemonkey (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/748) script for stripping the CSS from blogs and applying a default plain style (could probably specifiy your own CSS too if you wanted).
i dont care, I would sooner spend £100 on a new monitor than £500 on glasses 8)
In that case use the above greasemonkey script and you need not pay either :)
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Do you ever feel like this slackers? :wall:
;)
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Do you ever feel like this slackers? :wall:
;)
:lol: yes, every now and again, but :beer2: :beer1: :alky: :pissed: helps numb the pain :)