looks like the climbing scene is waking up!

Greeks always argue about facts - 20080503_0907 edbw
Just a friendly discussion - we're all a bit younger than these guys but it's essentially what is happening with people discussing. Add a pint glass and this could be Ireland :) Image credit: flickr.com


It looks like it's that time of year again - the winter is starting to close and people are starting to wake up from the winter slumber, cause the Internet is abuzz again with discussions and chatting! :) I've can't remember who started it all off but Dave, Trish (who wins the award of "Best Newcomer Irish climbing Blog in 2010" in my eyes) and (especially notably for the last post) Pierre's blogs have been having some great, fascinating discussion over the topic of achievement and voicing said achievements.

Like Dave already said, Pierre's post is the classic of the lot, but all this discussion is valid for many other reasons. Firstly, when can people remember as much discussion going on in a very public manner on blogs before? Don't get me wrong, climbing.ie has been doing forum chats for years (with some fantastic debates at that too) but a blog is a much more public domain, people are openly commenting and writing (and recognising) people's activities which I feel is relatively unheard of in the Irish climbing scene. So something feels like it's changing, not just in the fact that (also as Dave alluded to) that there is a new generation of climbers coming through that seem to be shaking up the scene with hard sends both in the bouldering and trad scene (ignoring those who are pursuing sports climbing abroad - Caroline, Dave, Eddie, anyone with the letter F next? :o). Will we call it the Facebook effect, that everyone is just more willing to write thoughts online?

There's definitely a line that can be crossed about talking, or maybe emphasising, about grades too much (I'm sure if I bothered to go back through this blog I'd find I've done it myself) but 'normal' climbers showing that it's possible to push yourself to new levels (be it 5a or 9a) leaves a sub-conscious mark that can feed other people's own activities. At least this is my belief anyway!

I mentioned this on Dave's latest post that I essentially had two reasons for starting this blog back in March of 2006 (jeebus, 5 years next month!!!!!!!)
- one: because my job at the time was looking at new tech and I've a natural fascination with the Internet for communication/discussion/chatting
- two: (which is pretty obvious from the first post) I wanted to share my motivation for climbing. I imagined that it would promote and hopefully motivate others to get out and be active themselves. I remember around the time of late 2007 when I planned my first trip away (And when I really started writing a lot), the Irish scene was very quiet. Yes, there was people climbing (and at all levels), but there was just. no. motivation. So I stuck my neck out and started writing, and posting to climbing.ie what I was doing. In many ways I wanted to show that I was pushing myself really hard but also that staying motivated (either for pushing grades, or just for staying really active in the climbing scene) was critical to enjoying climbing over the long term (who remembers when it was seen as strange to campus and use a fingerboard - it wasn't that long ago!). I also hoped that it would be an inspiration to get others to get out, and also to promote what they were doing.

At the end of the day, who cares what arbitrary grade you're climbing so long as you're enjoying it, and other people know you're enjoying it. But I do care if people are really motivated and talking about what they're doing! I may keep an eye regularly on the mainstream climbing news, but I'd much rather hear about the 'local' happenings as it's more relevant.

If all these blogs posts and comments are a sign of the healthy motivating scene that exists now, long may it last!

As ever, take all of this with a grain of salt - I've been writing too long to have a clear perspective anymore :o)

Go forth and happy climbing everyone!!!!!!!

Comments

  1. "Don't get me wrong, climbing.ie has been doing forum chats for years (with some fantastic debates at that too)"

    Nice maneuver McQuaid! Yeah you're right about the "Facebook effect". For some psychological reason folks are far more comfortable publishing on their own blog or facebook page rather than a forum. Perhaps they've managed to dupe themselves that blog/FB is "private" whereas forum is "public".

    Perhaps more accurately they feel more comfortable knowing that they are by definition the subject of the blog/FB whereas they feel immodest if they make themselves the subject of a forum discussion.

    Anyways there's no changing it so I just have to deal with it when trying to promote irish climbing achievements on the site.

    Great article by the way.

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  2. Good point about the blog/forum distinction - perhaps because you can control the comments on a blog, and also decide to pull a post if you want/regret it? (don't tell anyone but Google Reader never forgets - have collected a lot of posts over the years that 'mysteriously' disappeared off someone's blog after a day....)

    have to compliment climbing.ie, don't I? don't want to end up as a topic for discussion on the forums... ;o)

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  3. I think with regard to posting achievements and the distinction between forums/ facebook/ blogs, I'd have to say the reason I feel more comfortable with posting anything I've done on my blog because it's my blog!

    Same goes for Facebook!

    I'm proud of what I've done, so I put it up on my pages - but nobody on Climbing.ie's forum wants to hear about my personal acheivements especially when they pale into utter insignificance in comparison to the really experienced climbers out there who are crushing stuff I can only dream of doing... ie: Mr McQuaid!!

    I do think it's important though, that climbing acheivements such as Michael Duffy's 8b boulder problem and Caroline's 8a send get posted on Climbing.ie cause for me anyway - reading that stuff is really inspiring.

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    Replies
    1. Interesting, not sure why I never replied to this! I wouldn't put anything I've done up above what everyone else is doing. Whatever level you're at, most people who read the blog will be aware of what you're doing and where you've come from so recognize your skillset and level which is all that is needed to be admired.

      Anyways, here's to more discussions and motivating conversations! Crush!!!!!!!

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