It started in april, I think, 2001.
Actually, SP was online on my birthday on March 19 of that year.

you ought to be able to get the story from any of them, if they have the energy to write it down.
Good luck. It took me nearly a year to research and compile and write the history of SP.

I hate when people take good stuff away with them when they leave, especially if that stuff is a museum piece on the culture of SP...
They were outdated and most of the "founding fathers" were and are gone from SP. It is a history no longer relevant to SP's current context and direction. That is my opinion. It has always been the option of the author to remove their material from SP.

Aaron was all for keeping the site pure, as was mentioned.
Incorrect. I was enthusiastic about innovative pages, such as Climbwild's Ice Climbing page. It stretched the limits, but reasonably so, and added a new dimension to the mix. I assisted him in pioneering the format. I'm not sure how the page and concept have fared recently. I also supported the ideas of canyoneering pages and routes, much to the chagrin of some of my fellow "purists." I'm pleased to see this trend has continued on SP. I wasn't so sure about "Area" pages, which was Josh's idea, but I was made a believer when the first examples were completed. Thanks to thoughtful planning and extensive discussion among the concerned members, the area page format has done well. For the most part.

...but I think trying to keep the site "pure" is an impossible task.
Agreed. This unfortunately chased a lot of the "old ones" away.

Happy reading these excellent histories!
Thanks for posting the links, MVS, and thanks for your kind compliment. Those who wish to wallow through those articles can do so. It's nice to know folks are still interested, but overall, that number will be very small. Readership dropped off dramatically, which is one reason why I removed the articles. It's appropriate they are read elsewhere in an archived version, rather than here on SP. I know my opinion may not be in harmony with folks here, but since I'm the author, my opinion is the determining factor.

I think a follow up should be done. Maybe a "where are we now" type of article, still showing the history but updates on the long time members, new stats, new Q & A's etc.
I wish the brave soul that undertakes this edeavor all the luck and patience in the world. He'll need it. Folks don't realize the time and committment involved. I sure didn't!

One thing I did notice and maybe it was mentioned on another thread but the complaining of the scoring system was an issue back in '06 a well.
And it always will be.

Great Stuff!
Thank you.

I just read the articles again, and to refer to another thread here, there were so many names from way back, now gone. Makes me sad.
Sad for certain, but there are may reasons why, enough for a single, lengthy tome on the subject. It's the nature of the beast, unfortunately.

It is sad what has happened to SP over the years. I also think it started to go downhill after Version 2 was implemented and has continued the downhill slide ever since.
At times I felt the same. The change to SPv2 was a fun challenge and painful as well. Many liked V1 more, and in ways I understood and agreed with them. The previous concept was better...for mountain climbers. V2 was better in design and original intent.

Take Aaron for example. Just read his text...it seems to come from a place of incredible wisdom, and intimate knowledge of all the subtle problems that can plague a site like SP. He seems absolutely committed to it, as well. He speaks with balance and understanding (and pity) for the foibles that knocked one or another great contributor off of their game. And yet he is gone too...even taking these pages with him, which are actually a kind of tribal history that doesn't belong to any one person anymore. How strange!
Thanks again for your kind words. I have written this a million times: Much more goes on behind the scenes than one could ever imagine unless they are in a staff member's shoes. Most of it cannot be discussed openly in this sue-happy society of ours. This is the chief reason for my departure from SP and internet/staff member life. The management direction of SP no longer suited me, and I no longer suited them either. It was suggested a "fresh approach" was needed. I agreed. It was time to boot the old founding father out the back door! Any pages I took with me were dated in one way or another, or made mention of members no longer present or perhaps caught up in the behind-the-scenes controversies I refer to and I felt it was better to remove them from the spotlight. This included me as well. So there's nothing strange about removing the pages, and the article specifcally. According to copyright law and SP's FAQ (most of which I wrote and is still in effect), the article does indeed belong to me. The notion that it's posted on the internet and therefore ownership is transfered to the greater good is not correct.

Aaron makes his view clear under his User Name.
Thank you Hans.

Aaron's work will not be forgotten and I believe SP will be around for a long time.
Thanks for your kind comment. I do not share your enthusiasm for SP. SP must take initiative and be innovative to survive in an ever more competitive world. SP was a pioneer, but from what I've seen in the forum, it could quickly become a has-been with the MPs of the world out there taking over. What is the answer? I do not know. It is not my field of interest or expertise any more.

His articles belong to him and no one else. I hate to see them go too, but he put all the work into creating them.
Thanks.

I agree Aaron's articles are his own. But I can't help but see similarities between why he left and why I left. I returned because I was able to see some hope of change. And that hope was realized. I do feel some sadness because he didn't get to see that.
MVS, you are spot on. We left for very similar reasons. I left. You came back. I have seen what has transpired since. I'm still around occasionally (I was alerted to this discussion by a fellow lurker). Some is very good. Most is not, or at least, it's no longer appealing to me as an individual member. I'm one of those old, fuddy-duddy ancient guys!

True I was part of that, and having been a victim of such harrassment took some time for me to deal with.
I'll be first to admit I was part of the problem as well (too involved to discuss here). I too ended up being harassed as well, a chief reason for my departure. As long as I was a staff member, I would continually be harassed and be a liability to SP.

at the end of the day, Summit Post is just a website.
Agreed. I wrote this many times as a staff member. It made no difference, and I was easily swept away. When I realize this, I realized I had to get off the the roller coaster.

On the other hand if a mountain or route is rarely visited due to location or rarely completed due to difficulty, then that information is a real loss because it's not likely to be anywhere else either.
I was convinced by Ellen that my pages should remain, especially ones fitting this description. We manage them together. For minor edits, she addresses the notices she gets from members. For more involved matters, I look after the pages.

Would I repost the SP history article?
No. It's "out there" for anyone who really wants to read it.

some people might have more going on in life than a website, and chose to leave for reasons that don't really concern anyone other than themselves.
That would be me.

Thanks again to everyone for their kind words and reviews.

butitsadryheat wrote:Hope all is well with you Aaron, and I hope you've found a way to cope with recent history. Hope you and your family are living life on your terms.

Cheers!

X2, Aaron. I don't spend much time around the forums, which is probably how I maintain my sanity around here. LOL. But, I sincerely appreciate everything you did over the years for SP. Have a safe, rewarding journey wherever life's path may lead.

--mark d.

butitsadryheat and Mark Doiron: Thanks guys. Indeed I have enjoyed my life beyond SP. CRT keeps me busy and we are actively climbing. We climbed around 30 mountains this year. My best to you and yours and your future adventures.

Aaron, I have long appreciated your efforts on behalf of SP and the reasonable way you dealt with the issues confronted by the site. I am saddened to see you backing away from the site and the community. It is a great loss to SummitPost. If you continue to reduce your presence to just a kernal of what it was, I hope you would consider continuing to post on access and fee issues. It was your efforts that made me aware of the WSNFC. Good climbing!

I agree with Bubba Suess. I don't happen to read all the articles submitted, but thought the writeup on The Wave that Aaron did was outstanding. Probably helped by my complete agreement with his postion.

And yes, the articles of the history of SP were terriffic. Sad to see them go, but understand his postion. And true... like Aaron says... best of luck to anyone who might try to replicate it. They will need it!

Thanks a lot Aaron for stopping by and your perspective! Somehow, we truly needed it. All the best with mountains this year! +1

I echo everyone else's comments. In many respects, Aaron was the heart and soul of SP. I appreciate the countless hours/days/weeks/months/years you spent managing the site, Aaron.

You don't have me fooled for a second though. Montana Matt, Bob Sihler, Gangolf, JasonH; I know those are all avatars of Aaron Johnson. There's really only 1 Elf behind the curtain...

Baarb wrote:...// but it's great that a lot of the original folk are still around and other great people have joined since, and will continue to join, so long as there's a positive attitude and direction from its members.

That's quite true!!
Everything changes and evolves.

Alpinist wrote:
You don't have me fooled for a second though. Montana Matt, Bob Sihler, Gangolf, JasonH; I know those are all avatars of Aaron Johnson. There's really only 1 Elf behind the curtain...

INTERESTING ... it's very EASY to fool people on the Internet. Just the Nature of the human beast; and WHO KNOWS what LURKS behind the curtain ???

Nice to hear from you Aaron. I always thought you were the level voice of reason and common sense and if SP had been more in line with your philosophy it would be a better place today. imo

Grace us with your presence a little more often.