tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790818505250918302.post2272304434332798781..comments2023-06-07T09:12:00.141-06:00Comments on Mountains and Water: Thoughts on the World Cup (or what happened after)Peter Bealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15576690594320743452noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790818505250918302.post-14595040975944787442011-11-01T17:10:58.874-06:002011-11-01T17:10:58.874-06:00Good point. A couple of thoughts. One relates to t...Good point. A couple of thoughts. One relates to the insane amounts of volume Ondra puts in that could be considered training. The other is looking at the WC Rankings and the top climbers there. Are they "lifestyle" climbers? Ondra is ranked 10th and since he doesn't have to compete to earn a living, he's fine with it, I would imagine. If he had to compete, I wouldn't be surprised to see a bit more training than some spinning and staring at the climbing wall :)<br /><br />My belief is that the athletic aspects of the sport will overtake the others for most professional climbing pursuits and that even the likes of Ondra will have to step up their game. As far as the US is concerned, I have trouble thinking of any boulderer or sport climber who trains as seriously as a regional-level gymnast might do, indicating to me primarily the immaturity of the sport. For a real athlete, look at Ueli Steck's regimen and achievements. Obviously time will tell.Peter Bealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15576690594320743452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790818505250918302.post-6163844739900962952011-11-01T14:18:15.811-06:002011-11-01T14:18:15.811-06:00You say:
"My feeling is that as climbing beco...You say:<br />"My feeling is that as climbing becomes more like an Olympic sport in the comp arena, the lifestyle/raw talent climbers are going to be left behind not just at comps but in the field as well, at least in sport climbing"<br /><br />Adam Ondra on training:<br />"How are you training when you are not climbing? I train more or less only by climbing. I go spinning once a week. I also train mentally while lying on my bed and looking at the climbing wall in my room. :-)"<br /><br />Contradiction? Seems like Ondra is in many ways a latter day Chris Sharma, much more a "lifestyle" climber. How does this square with your argument?dddmmmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11682112800183269622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790818505250918302.post-19171697592382065592011-10-16T10:10:18.449-06:002011-10-16T10:10:18.449-06:00Chris Sharma is not really an American climber, gi...Chris Sharma is not really an American climber, given his long-term residency in Spain. He is also unrepresentative in that he is not an Olympic-style athlete, which Puigblanque is a great example of.<br /><br />My feeling is that as climbing becomes more like an Olympic sport in the comp arena, the lifestyle/raw talent climbers are going to be left behind not just at comps but in the field as well, at least in sport climbing. The exception might be in trad/expedition style climbing. Serious training makes that kind of a difference.<br /><br />Regarding US climbers in the top ten, no American climbers, male or female, participate consistently enough to really say, but as far as I can tell, there are no top-10 ranked competitors from the US.<br /><br />I am very impressed by some recent US female ascents. Jen Vennon on Stockboy's Revenge at Rifle, Sasha DiGiulian's recent climbs, Angie Payne in bouldering, and so on. These are on an international level or close to it.<br /><br />The only US male sport climber I have seen recently who has really shown he can get the job done, again and again at virtually every crag in the US, is Jonathan Siegrist. No one else is even close at this point. But he doesn't want to compete. Talking with him recently, I sensed he would like to go to Europe but also that the sheer number of hard climbs there to be done was a bit overwhelming.Peter Bealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15576690594320743452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790818505250918302.post-54120928995770832132011-10-16T01:14:09.895-06:002011-10-16T01:14:09.895-06:00Sharma has come close to onsighting 8c+ in the pas...Sharma has come close to onsighting 8c+ in the past but unlike Puigblanque he doesn't train specifically for it. So, for the time being, competition climbers seem to be the best onsighters, and there is currently no US climber in the top 10 of the World Cup circuit, or is there?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790818505250918302.post-44741351035779313262011-10-15T19:33:39.179-06:002011-10-15T19:33:39.179-06:00Can we still claim Sharma as an American climber? ...Can we still claim Sharma as an American climber? :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com