FortMental wrote:she should have to prove the following:

1) That she is a woman.

phlipdascrip wrote:

TimmyC wrote:[lots of stuff]

Well put! Sometimes I wonder if people BS each other for the fun of it (...) or because of such a lack of confidence that they actually care so much about the "opinions" of people they don't even know.

FortMental wrote:1) That she is a woman.


Proving #1 should be easy.

TimmyC wrote:

Alpinist wrote:Yeah but what I don't get is why the Chief has to shit on other people's accomplishments. What's the point of that? Or is he just trolling for a response?

Whatever...

Listen, I've had an AWESOME summer full of great climbs, many of which I've recorded here on SP in climber's logs. None of the peaks I've summitted this summer are much over 7000' and only one of them was an actual technical climb -- and that one weighed in at a monstrous 5.4ish. Would it devastate me if someone belittled my accomplishment? Hell no. I'm much too pleased with my return to health, with the fact that I can now climb not just a flight of stairs without wheezing and sweating but entire mountains (Baring!! w00t!!!), and with the fact that I'm living up to a promise I made to myself to not be a fat, diabetic, desk jockey anymore.

When one brings one's accomplishments out into public view -- especially when that view is the global newsmedia -- one stands to account for a lot of scrutiny, and varying amounts of that scrutiny is fair or pleasant. The global climbing community, as anyone who posts on SP's forums know with crystal clarity, is almost unbelievably demanding. Depending on how you Venn yourself, "demanding" is easily interchangeable with "shitty." Americans shit on French accomplishments. Men shit on women's accomplishments. Trads shit on sporties' accomplishments. Everyone shits on boulderers' accomplishments (but, like the mad monkeys they are, they throw the shit right back).

Did this lady actually summit? Who knows. But the very split second her accomplishment came into question, it became the climbing community's sacred right to start tearing her down. No one who climbs at that level can claim ignorance of this.

Is it right? Is it fair? No, of course it isn't.

You'll notice I avoid wading into the dangerous waters of who gets more torn-down than whom, because, again, this is a subjective matter based on which demographic you choose as your own.

I read way more than I post here because entering the fray so rarely seems worth it ("Women in climbing," anyone?). But every now and again, there's a frickin' gem of a response that needs me to say "hey, that was really great, thanks." If you graph out who posts on the forums against total membership, you'll find that a disproportionally small number of members make the VAST majority of posts. Much of it is spray, but, every now and again, there's gold, and it can't be found anywhere but buried in the lunatic rantings of rabid SP poster.

Alpinist, you know this. You post here enough to not be able to say something like "I had no idea The Chief was so full of bile and vitriol." Of course he is. He's the Chief. But for all the chest-beating and huffing and puffing he does, there is frickin' gold buried in that crazy brain, and through quiet observation of the forums, it can be teased out and we're all richer for it.

Most of the time, I don't respond to threads like this one because of my severe brevity impairment (a disability I've lived with since I learned to speak) and an allergy to TLDR. But the rest of the time it's because I have nothing constructive to add, and pissing back at someone who's being intentionally shitty doesn't do anything except whip up a frenzy of unneeded anger at no one. As an unintended consequence of this new form of social interaction, many people these days use forums to work out personal issues that in previous generations would have remained buried or that would have required professional help. The Chief has been quite forward about some of the help he's receiving, and many here have supported him. To that end, while it's not my style, I have to at the very least agree with his intent in trying to work to become a better, more whole human being through his interactions here.

Is The Chief being a dick in this case? Yeah, clearly, but whatever. It'll never get back to Ms. Maybe-she-did-maybe-she-didn't. Don't let it bring you down. Go outside today, breathe some non-recycled air, revel in Nature's wonder, behold the majesty of our beautiful world, letting insignificant things like this fall away from you.

Plus, I mean really, The Chief climbs aid, and, as everyone knows, aid climbers are f#ckin' nuts, man.

Vitaliy M wrote:

FortMental wrote:If the goal had been to climb mountains for their own sake, I doubt that Oh En Sun accomplishments would have been doubted. However, the goal was, in fact, to be the first woman to climb all 14 8,000m peaks. To that end, she should have to prove the following:

1) That she is a woman.
2) That she actually ascended the mountain, using feet, and stood on the summit
3) That she is Korean, if the Koreans are to lay claim to this title

Proving #1 should be easy. Proving #2, given technology today, should also be trivial.

Climbing 13 8,000m peaks is a phenomenal achievement, but irrelevant in this context, as this was not the goal. Shame on her for fucking that up. Kudos to the Korean Alpine Club for calling her to the mat and putting bullshit nationalism aside.


Yay for the hot Spanish chick!

I am actually very surprised nationalistic BS was put aside and her own country called her out..VERY SURPRISED

Alpinist wrote:

redneck wrote:

The Chief wrote:It is all relative to ones ambitions and aspirations in this game.

True. And clearly these women aspired to do something you have no interest in doing.

We get it.

Yeah but what I don't get is why the Chief has to shit on other people's accomplishments. What's the point of that? Or is he just trolling for a response?

Whatever...

kevin trieu wrote:

Alpinist wrote:

redneck wrote:

The Chief wrote:It is all relative to ones ambitions and aspirations in this game.

True. And clearly these women aspired to do something you have no interest in doing.

We get it.

Yeah but what I don't get is why the Chief has to shit on other people's accomplishments. What's the point of that? Or is he just trolling for a response?

Whatever...

Alpinist, have you done Grade 8, A23, B1.F3, WW9(278)? If you have not done Grade 8, A23, B1.F3, WW9(278) then clearly you are a pansy and need to STFU! Get on a Grade 8, A23, B1.F3, WW9(278) line then you can come back and speak with grown men like the Chief. Yeah!

mrchad9 wrote:

FortMental wrote:she should have to prove the following:

1) That she is a woman.

First woman to climb 8000m peaks stripped...

The Chief wrote:SFW... it just doesn't matter to anyone but the ones that did it.

kevin trieu wrote:

Alpinist wrote:

redneck wrote:

The Chief wrote:It is all relative to ones ambitions and aspirations in this game.

True. And clearly these women aspired to do something you have no interest in doing.

We get it.

Yeah but what I don't get is why the Chief has to shit on other people's accomplishments. What's the point of that? Or is he just trolling for a response?

Whatever...

Alpinist, have you done Grade 8, A23, B1.F3, WW9(278)? If you have not done Grade 8, A23, B1.F3, WW9(278) then clearly you are a pansy and need to STFU! Get on a Grade 8, A23, B1.F3, WW9(278) line then you can come back and speak with grown men like the Chief. Yeah!

Alpinisto wrote:

The Chief wrote:SFW... it just doesn't matter to anyone but the ones that did it.

[pulls pin]

...and the all the folks shelling out good coin to hear the motivational speeches and buy the book.

[/throws grenade]

The Chief wrote:

redneck wrote:

The Chief wrote:It is all relative to ones ambitions and aspirations in this game.

True. And clearly these women aspired to do something you have no interest in doing.

We get it.

BTW: "We"? Ya got a friend bunny rabbit in your pocket??

Alpinist wrote:

redneck wrote:

The Chief wrote:It is all relative to ones ambitions and aspirations in this game.

True. And clearly these women aspired to do something you have no interest in doing.

We get it.

Yeah but what I don't get is why the Chief has to shit on other people's accomplishments. What's the point of that? Or is he just trolling for a response?

Whatever...

Dingus Milktoast wrote:The day there is some 'governing body' to officialize this stuff is the day free mountaineering DIES.