Last time my partner and I were climbing at the New River Gorge, we decided to try some new routes, so we cracked opened the guidebook. We wanted to hit high quality routes, so we looked for a star rating next to the route name. We chose some 5.6s and 5.7s. For those of you who don’t climb, that’s on a 5.0-5.15 scale. Routinely, the guidebook rated each moderate route – every one an aesthetic crack climb easy to protect and requiring some technical skill – “good for its grade.” Meaning: good but … But what? Good if you can’t handle the harder stuff? Good if you’re having an off day? Good enough for shitty-ass climbers like yourself? Good but I can’t admit it if I regularly climb 5.12? “Good for its grade” is never in the description for harder routes.
Well I’ve been on a multi-pitch 5.6 route at Seneca Rocks that beat every single (all right, the very few) 5.11s I’ve ever climbed. And guess what? I don’t feel like I have to make excuses for climbing a route that I thoroughly enjoy, whatever the rating.
But that’s me. I am willing to avoid, ignore, overlook and occasionally push back against the macho bullshit that surrounds so much of the outdoor adventure world. I’ve been one-upped on how cold it was that night camping, how many mosquito bites I endured, how many peaks I’ve bagged and the rating of the route I climbed that day. I even confess that I’ve gotten caught up in macho bullshit from time to time, always regretting it after the fact.
Although many outdoor adventures can be pursued individually, most of us enjoy the camaraderie of our fellow thrill-seekers. In fact, I think a good fish story is something to enjoy around the campfire. But let’s keep in mind that macho bullshit puts people off of our sports and our community. According to the Outdoor Industry Association, 43 percent of outdoor participants are female. They don’t further break down the numbers, but let’s look at the more macho sports – rock climbing, whitewater kayaking, mountain biking – and the number of women participating is clearly less. I see it (and lament it) every time I go out. Then there are the people who are intimidated because they’re overweight. Or because they can’t keep up with the blowhards. Or they don’t want to get tips on form from the gearhead whose ass they’re passing this very moment on the bike path.*
The point is this: cut the macho bullshit, or at least keep it to a minimum and keep it entertaining. You – and you know who you are, including the guy who wrote “good for its grade” in the guidebook – aren’t doing anybody any favors, including yourself.
*True story. The sprayer had to cut short his advice session as the advisee blew past.
Well I’ve been on a multi-pitch 5.6 route at Seneca Rocks that beat every single (all right, the very few) 5.11s I’ve ever climbed. And guess what? I don’t feel like I have to make excuses for climbing a route that I thoroughly enjoy, whatever the rating.
But that’s me. I am willing to avoid, ignore, overlook and occasionally push back against the macho bullshit that surrounds so much of the outdoor adventure world. I’ve been one-upped on how cold it was that night camping, how many mosquito bites I endured, how many peaks I’ve bagged and the rating of the route I climbed that day. I even confess that I’ve gotten caught up in macho bullshit from time to time, always regretting it after the fact.
Although many outdoor adventures can be pursued individually, most of us enjoy the camaraderie of our fellow thrill-seekers. In fact, I think a good fish story is something to enjoy around the campfire. But let’s keep in mind that macho bullshit puts people off of our sports and our community. According to the Outdoor Industry Association, 43 percent of outdoor participants are female. They don’t further break down the numbers, but let’s look at the more macho sports – rock climbing, whitewater kayaking, mountain biking – and the number of women participating is clearly less. I see it (and lament it) every time I go out. Then there are the people who are intimidated because they’re overweight. Or because they can’t keep up with the blowhards. Or they don’t want to get tips on form from the gearhead whose ass they’re passing this very moment on the bike path.*
The point is this: cut the macho bullshit, or at least keep it to a minimum and keep it entertaining. You – and you know who you are, including the guy who wrote “good for its grade” in the guidebook – aren’t doing anybody any favors, including yourself.
*True story. The sprayer had to cut short his advice session as the advisee blew past.
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