So I'm up in the Organ Needles a couple of weeks ago. Lots of great rock routes but requiring 2,000 to 2500 ft. approach with some bushwhacking involved to get to them. Nobody around.

Yet I'm driving down the road into Aspen or in Yosemite and climbers are swarming routes about 50 ft. from the road. Seems like for the most part rock climbers are lazy. Maybe I'm wrong.

Well, access is always an issue when it comes to folks utilizing their precious free time. Folks may want to climb more remote routes in isolated places, but get to them when they can. When time is limited, it's a given to just get to the nearest easiest to access spot and get with it. It's just wise use of the time available to them.

This is true with any activity. Hiking and mountain climbing is no different, with Colorado's easiest to get to peaks getting the most traffic.

However quite often, as is the case with the Organ Needles, it's the best and most spectaclar stuff that requires the commitment to reach. It's the price tag for the best available.

600 feet / mile is pretty much level ground in my book.

squishy wrote:"I prefer longer ones because I get more exercise, I get out of shape from rock climbing where the approaches are short...

I recently had a class 3 campsite with 600 feet of gain in about a mile, that was some good training, just to get to bed each night...

Dude this is either nonsense or your are an out of shape fat bastard...I hope the former- try preparing a little...exercise bike, running, eliptical, maybe stop smoking or toking-that way you will stay in shape regardless of the distance of the approach.

By itself, rock climbing is a pretty lousy way to stay in shape. This is especially true as one gets older. Being in good shape is great for your climbing, and doing a lot of climbing is good for your climbing, but climbing without a training program for balance and fitness is a dead end road, unless you are a mutant.

In general, my experience is that they are. I've climbed tons of easy and moderate stuff in Sedona that no one seems to know about... because you have to fight through class 3 and 4 crap rock and bushwhacking for a couple hours to get there. Whereas the 5.12 stuff that's a five-minute walk from the road's been done hundreds of times by the same very skilled climbers that couldn't be troubled to make the approach on the other stuff.

squishy wrote:Mountaineers who also rock climb, which is what most SP rock climbers are, don't care about approaches...

heheh...not so fast... It ain't just the rock climbers that are lazy...

Topic: Mt Hood Snowcat Available

Lazy mountaineers....snowcat half-way to the summit...

Sport climbers like to keep the leg muscle mass down.

(ghey)

Rock climbers seem to be interested only in fair-weather climbing too.

Hell yes! If I'm going climbing, I want to climb, not go for a goddamn hike. That's the boring crap you do for training or family vacations. That said, most of the trad climbers I know will do what it takes to get to good routes or away from the crowds. They just won't enjoy it, and why should they? Trail running is fun, mountain biking is fun, humping a pack full of gear uphill is an annoyance.

knoback wrote:Hell yes! If I'm going climbing, I want to climb, not go for a goddamn hike. That's the boring crap you do for training or family vacations. That said, most of the trad climbers I know will do what it takes to get to good routes or away from the crowds. They just won't enjoy it, and why should they? Trail running is fun, mountain biking is fun, humping a pack full of gear uphill is an annoyance.

uh, for some reason, hauling a load of gear up a steep long approach gets me even more excited about a climb and makes me feel like i have earned it more.

The title of this thread should read....

Are Sport Climberslazy and fair-weathered?

ksolem wrote:600 feet / mile is pretty much level ground in my book.

YUP!

My Wife, two kids and I do twice that alt gain in 1.75 miles every morning for our morning walk. And that starts at 8900'!

I always thought the entire purpose of rock climbing was to climb the shortest distance possible with the most amount of gear possible. Makes for really rad hero pics.

Catamount wrote:I always thought the entire purpose of rock climbing was to climb the shortest distance possible with the most amount of gear possible. Makes for really rad hero pics.

I don't know, man...

My idea of a good hero pic is big air and no gear. John Bachar on Outer Limits:

I wonder if that camper down below gets cable TV?