Climbing=White Person's Sport?

by **haivanhuynh** » Sat Nov 14, 2009 2:49 am

http://www.summitpost.org/user_page.php?user_id=41692

---Many contributions to the SP Gear site. Perhaps he's just a gear whore, though.

by **MoapaPk** » Sat Nov 14, 2009 3:00 am

About a third of the people I've climbed with are Asians. I've met African and African-American climbers in Colorado, in the Sierra, and in the mountains of NM. "SophiaClimbs" -- who has done Everest -- has a unique take on the situation.

I think it's mainly a sociological issue. A lot of African-Americans are still paying attention to climbing the ladder for equality, and this outdoor stuff is kind of frivolous.

Go to Zion in Easter, and you will meet a lot of people who are definitely not "White"; but the interesting thing is, that many are from outside the US.

by **hellroaring** » Sat Nov 14, 2009 3:39 am

...for what it's worth probably the best ski-mountaineer i know is african american. he's in his 50's, is a personal trainer, trains all the time himself, and could school many half of his age...whatever it is that makes you happy, as long as you ain't trampling over others, then happy pursuits!!...as a side note: excluding all those freespirit dirtbaggers (an endangered species??) has climbing become bourgeoisie (gear & plane tickets aren't cheap)?? not that it really matters of course, it's just curious to see how things evolve.

by **gordonye** » Sat Nov 14, 2009 6:30 am

HandjamMasterC wrote:I asked a black guy I worked with once why more blacks didn't climb. He said " we're not crazy enought to go in the woods with some white guys with a rope ............. "

Exactly. Trust is still lacking between blacks and whites. and given that murdering blacks in the backwoods have been on the news within this decade it's a prudent response.

by **Bignick** » Sat Nov 14, 2009 6:35 am

I've tried several times for years to get my next door neighbor to hike with me but he has no interest. We live on a mountain and can be on a trail in less than a quarter mile from our front door. He's Black, my other neighbor is East Indian and he won't hike with me either, maybe they don't like whites.

by **TimmyC** » Sat Nov 14, 2009 9:16 am

JHH60 wrote:I hear there may have been one or two OK climbers from central Asia. Called Sherpas or something like that. Probably never climbed anything serious though.

I think JHH60 wins this thread.

by **rmick25** » Sat Nov 14, 2009 9:30 am

This is from the same site rhyang mentioned before.

While I don't quite agree with it. It's somewhat humorous just the same.

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2009/08/14/128-camping/

by **atavist** » Sat Nov 14, 2009 2:09 pm

I remember bumping into a thru-hiker on the AT a few years ago. He adopted the handle 'Blackpacker'. Of course, if he weren't the only nigga* on the trail it wouldn't have been as funny.

*I have a black friend so it's cool if I use the vernacular. :roll:

by **MoapaPk** » Sat Nov 14, 2009 2:39 pm

About 5.5 years ago, I knocked myself out on a lunge move, and fell about 25' at Red Rock. After I woke up, I was able to downclimb and walk out, but went to nearby Summerlin Hospital to have a CT scan.

I was asked several times to explain the accident, and at first all the listeners responded with indifference. Finally I was asked again by the radiologist, a Black woman, and she responded, "Hon, don't rock climb; it makes no sense."

by **phydeux** » Sat Nov 14, 2009 3:28 pm

HandjamMasterC wrote:I asked a black guy I worked with once why more blacks didn't climb. He said " we're not crazy enought to go in the woods with some white guys with a rope ............. "

Similarly, a black co-worker, on finding out I spent four days/three nights on a peakbgging trip, responded with " . . . I got enough of that backpacking shit in the Marines."

by **haivanhuynh** » Sat Nov 14, 2009 9:07 pm

JHH60 wrote:I hear there may have been one or two OK climbers from central Asia. Called Sherpas or something like that. Probably never climbed anything serious though.

Your point is well taken, however, in respects to the title of the thread, this only supports that mountaineering is indeed a white man's sport.

Would they have ever bothered to climb/desecrate their holy mountains as porters without the insistence of the Europeans and Englishmen who invented the sport?

by **haivanhuynh** » Sat Nov 14, 2009 9:10 pm

MoapaPk wrote:About 5.5 years ago, I knocked myself out on a lunge move, and fell about 25' at Red Rock. After I woke up, I was able to downclimb and walk out, but went to nearby Summerlin Hospital to have a CT scan.

I was asked several times to explain the accident, and at first all the listeners responded with indifference. Finally I was asked again by the radiologist, a Black woman, and she responded, "Hon, don't rock climb; it makes no sense."

rofl.

by **haivanhuynh** » Sat Nov 14, 2009 9:48 pm

1000Pks wrote:
Would they have ever bothered to climb/desecrate their holy mountains as porters without the insistence of the Europeans and Englishmen who invented the sport?

Well, here in the Pacific West, we have many indications that Native Americans climbed the peaks, with even living structures up to 11,000 feet. Sadly even the NPS promotes a hateful slight to them, being that Lassen Peak firsts were credited to "white" people, as I suppose Native American claims are ignored or disregarded.

I thought I read similar about Mt. Fuji in Japan. I think Japanese lore states that it had been climbed, many times in ancient times, there's nothing that hard about that. In the style of the 1850's, it was to be credited to others, or something like that.

Sounds like more racial arrogance that many claims even in the Sierra have been made, to firsts, as Native Americans are simply not in the picture. While the Himalayas are a different story, as the Moon and other recent technology enabled events, there has been some claims or even evidence that Asians were the first to CA and the West Coast, by adrift fishing boats and even Chinese junks. Some in the MLC SC refute even that there was a Christopher Columbus and all, that white people were here first and always here, making them the original inhabitants and therefore not immigrants, just more of their hate science.

You can speak with these people, directly if you choose, the SC knows who they are. Disturbing that some of them are high ranked government, and well known even to higher ranking people, with apparent full approval!

Very fascinating.

As far as Native Americans, there are some tribes that have no qualms climbing their high peaks to conduct their rituals and ceremonies. Their unsung mountaineering status would make perfect sense then. Likewise with Japan and primarily their trinity of holy mountains.

The mindset in the in the Himalayas is different, however. Some Tibetans (not necessarily more northerly sherpa people) still disapprove/forbid climbing certain peaks (e.g. Kailash). Likewise with the natives around Monument Valley, who most likely never even considered climbing the desert towers since they appeared unclimbable until the advent of modern rock climbing.

by **kheegster** » Sat Nov 14, 2009 9:48 pm

Really dumb question, but what's the MLC SC?

Climbing=White Person's Sport?

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