tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790818505250918302.post2471142821116724996..comments2023-06-07T09:12:00.141-06:00Comments on Mountains and Water: Flagstaff Run and ClimbPeter Bealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15576690594320743452noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790818505250918302.post-15949118436164843012009-06-17T19:35:56.039-06:002009-06-17T19:35:56.039-06:00About your elbow issues:
A friend of mine was havi...About your elbow issues:<br />A friend of mine was having problems with his elbows a little while ago and he started using bee venom. He swears by it, but the only problem is you have to get the bee to sting you in the area that is causing discomfort.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790818505250918302.post-82343302623592750342009-06-17T13:00:30.093-06:002009-06-17T13:00:30.093-06:00We all have to choose our path ... if I could clim...We all have to choose our path ... if I could climb 5.14 or V13 or 5.13 scary alpine trad or M12 or free solo El Cap in a couple hours or 8,000 meter peaks unassisted and without oxygen in a day, I might be concerned with this issue.<br /><br />Those choices are somebody else's "problem." I hope it works out for them.chufferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07872311301653052871noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790818505250918302.post-40067210145785889942009-06-17T12:01:45.276-06:002009-06-17T12:01:45.276-06:00Your point about "external validation" i...Your point about "external validation" is a good one, Peter. I also feel it extends to the push toward the Olympics. It's been some time, but I used to coach junior climbing and I remember that this push was entirely motivated by the parents of the children not the children themselves. As if the joy their kids got from climbing wasn't enough, they had to be working toward the Olympics. Interesting.<br /><br />On another note, nice blog. I enjoy reading it very much.Justinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08525632791476548995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790818505250918302.post-85321812911029663132009-06-17T07:34:39.297-06:002009-06-17T07:34:39.297-06:00This is a good question and the issue for me has m...This is a good question and the issue for me has mostly to do with the rarity of opportunities to do what one loves passionately for a living. I know that surfing magazines, back when I read those, certainly touched upon the issue of commercial success in the sport and what a pro surfing career was like. In those sports the possibility exists for fairly substantial wealth and renown (at least among teenage boys) but if that's what you want, climbing probably isn't the way to get there.<br /><br />For some people just being a climber isn't enough. So thoughts turn to ways of externally validating one's existence, mostly symbolically since cash is rarely in the picture.<br /><br />Is being a "pro" being a better climber? The answer is obvious in one sense. Most top-level professional climbers are the best in the world and sponsored for a reason. But lower down the food chain, things get murkier. It may be better for most, even those very talented at the sport, to climb as "indie" climbers than sign with the big label.Peter Bealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15576690594320743452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4790818505250918302.post-19869772345525351982009-06-16T23:53:57.771-06:002009-06-16T23:53:57.771-06:00Is anyone else bothered by the obsession with beco...Is anyone else bothered by the obsession with becoming a professional rock climber or the commercialization of the sport? What's wrong with just being a climber? I'm also interested to know if magazines that cover sports like snowboarding, skating, or surfing waste much space covering the sponsor/sponsored relationship? Why do I care if pro climber Jim get's paid like pro boarder Bill?<br /><br />Maybe I'm just a dick, but what gives?Justinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08525632791476548995noreply@blogger.com