Article here.

The Dawn Wall, as Caldwell’s project is known, is the latest example of what has become an increasingly accepted practice among professional climbers and the wider climbing community: from-the-route social media. Observers enjoy it, sponsors encourage it and climbers get to share what is inherently a selfish pursuit.

But a vocal minority questions what happens to a sport whose ideals of purity are traditionally based on adventure, commitment, self-sufficiency and individual achievement when online interaction happens instantly.

That's a surprisingly good article.

Also interesting is that the Comment with by far the most 'likes' is the most negative (ignorant, but negative).

I think David Roberts' quote is a bit disingenuous, as always. As a guy who's made a living writing about his outdoor exploits, he has a long history - waaay before Twitter - of doing his outdoor activities with an eye, and ear, to how he will write them up for an audience. Technology and social media just make that process easier and faster - and mean that publishers and people will no longer pay for long print articles and books like Roberts' writes, because adventure stories are now out there for everybody, by everybody, for free.

Social media etc is easy enough to avoid and other folk's use of the media in the mountains doesn't affect my experience. Personally,I refused to carry a camera while climing as I felt the onus of trying to accurately report on my own experience to be an unhappy intrusion. Ironically perhaps, it was only after point and shoot digital cameras became inexpensive and easy to use that I started routinely photographing my climbs. Having the photos innately in electronic form makes it much easier to share the experience with others via the interwebs.

Nice article, definitely a good perspective. I think it shows a good point, the difference between professional climbing and climbing as a hobby. I honestly don't care what Tommy C. has to say while living on the wall, but I think its great hes trying some new even though its on a rock that has been climbed already to many times.

Everyone has their own goals and standards, to say someone is ruining the entire purpose of climbing because they chose to publish it live, is a little silly. Everyone has their motives and if someone wants to become famous by doing it "live", go for it, if someone wants to climb new hard objectives because they want to get out there, far away from the world, that's cool too.

I think that if you are not a sponsered climber and you are updating your social media constantly, you're a douche. If you are a sponsered climber, then that is just doing your job. The companies are not paying climbers just to climb, they are going to want pictures and articles to go along with the couple of grand they gave the climber. If the climber goes on a trip and takes no pictures, he won't get anymore money, if the climber is doing constant updates then he may get more money for future trips. Just my opinion.