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I need a college to go to, and location is everything to me, what's the climbing like? I'm thinking of checking out UC Merced. I see that Yosemite is only 2 hours away!!! but is there cragging close by? like after class/work close? kayaking nearby would be a major plus too. Thanks.

I want to be a guide (maybe) mostly I want to live out of my car and climb all the time but my parents say I won't amount to anything doing this, I say bullshit, I'll climb a lot.
anyway, I want to check schools.

others I'm looking at are Quest up in squamish, and western in washington. it'd be way cheaper (and more productive) to just live out of a car and bum all the time though!

kiwiw wrote:...it'd be way cheaper (and more productive) to just live out of a car and bum all the time though!

Why don't you try it for a year or two and see how it goes? Of course, you'll need money for gas, food, car insurance, vehicle maintenance, gear replacement...

...oh, and health insurance...or you can scrap this and hope you never hurt yourself climbing full-time.

Of course, your limited income will probably restrict you to climbing fairly locally. Unless you save up your minimum-wage dollars and spend a couple days driving in your poorly maintained beater car/van that will likely break down half-way there, costing you most of the money you saved for the trip.

Think about it, man. Living off the coins in your pocket might get old pretty quick. Poke around on this site and get feel for the educational level and career choices of the people who get out climbing a lot. Guiding is an option, but ask yourself if you really have the skills to even pursue this yet. There are plenty of options out there that will provide you with ample opportunites for climbing...and more than a pittance to live off of.

And there are plenty of colleges within minutes of world-class climbing...seems like a no-brainer to me.

I dunno, I really hate school, like it sucks a unbeliveable amount. at college I wouldn't learn anything, I'd spend all my time getting smashed and/or skipping class to climb. seems like I could streamline my time by taking the 20k a year education out of the equation.

Living out of your car at 19 isn't a big deal. If you hate school now take time off and mull over life rather than piss it away in college.

If your not into college, don't go. You will fart it away.

I wish I could recall the lecture Mark Powell would give his Geography 101 class after the midterm....

In short, he tells a tale of his life, Paying to graduate from some HS in Fresno with a d- GPA.... discovering rockclimbing, being called "to fat to ever amount to being a climber".... working on a trail crew and dumping 100+ lbs.... Living in the Valley, becoming a climber of some note, doing worldclass cutting edge climbing, having a life altering injury.... after 12 years of bumming he had a desire to go to college.... to become a teacher (so he could climb and have summers). When he went to school he focused on it with the same effort he put into climbing, and earned a degree, and a 3.5 average. .... so in short, "dont take up my valuable time holding down that seat, if you want to be at the beach please go, come back when your ready."

So go get a PHD in "fingercracks" ......

Guyzo's right. If you aren't ready, don't go. And it sounds like you're not ready. And when you do go, go someplace that has good academics, not good climbing.

Someone posted a similar thread on Supertopo and Werner, that master of understatement, put it best: "Why do you want to go to school to study climbing?"

You're going to be around another 60 yrs. or so and if your job sucks, your life will probably suck too. I have a good standard of living. I'm able to give my family everything they need and I don't get an ulcer wondering where I'm going to get the money to buy new tires for the Subaru. The reason for that is, unlike alot of my early climbing friends--all of whom fell off the face of the earth-- I decided early on that education came first but I'd still make the time to climb, which I did.

The world of human knowledge is way more fascinating than the world of climbing. Plus you'll never have that much time in your life again to learn a new language, read Shakespeare or Chaucer, learn about the Reformation, etc., etc. Don't waste your time or money just spinning your wheels unless you're ready to dig in.

You have to find the balance between what you want now and what you will want later in life. Living in your backseat gnawing fake beef jerky and chugging stale beer may seem like livin' the dream but that loaf of bread can get pretty stale fast - especially when your shaking a tin can to pay for dinner, gas, or car repairs. We all have to do stuff that sucks, thats life. Go ahead and play but don't forget to plan too.

1000Pks wrote:Head for UCB. Cool studies, register archives, rocks close by, and the beautiful Oakland Hills (yet unburned). You can live cheap, plenty of other panhandlers if that's your drift. Cool jobs, exotic arrays of food and culture, certainly not a cow town. You can easily get by without a polluting car, only an hour from any part of SF by BART.

Your degree will be valuated more highly, not some idiots who obediently obey whatever dictum (as MLC SC), you will be able to think for yourself, not what right wing politicians dream up for you. Plenty of laureates close by.

If UC Merced is anything like Sac State, you have to ask yourself. Is my money worth this? Feeble minded faculty and similar student body. Quick to hate whatever they're told, and do as your peers do, however hateful or illegal. Lots of geniuses at UC, morons at CSUS.

How old are you?

also looking at canadian schools, I hear you can get a degree in outdoor education, which sounds cool to me.
I lead 5.10 trad and around that sport, also getting into alpine ice. know glacier travel. whitewater kayak class V.
also, my plan was work construction all winter and then climb the rest of the time. not exactly living out of dumpsters...

I dropped out of high school the day I turned 18. The next day I was working as a maid at Yosemite Lodge. Dream come true. Hiking every day before work, hiking every day after work. The valley was a great place to explore.

By summer I weaseled my way into the best job in the world, night cleaner at the Tuolumne Grill. Hiking every damn day. Yosemite is kinda weird though. Seemed like everybody was stoned or drunk all the time, so it was time to move on. Got some real jobs, but lived in a VW van for 5 years.

Van living was tough at times, but it sure beat living in a crappy apartment. Weekends were spent in the mountains, deserts, or the beach.

Finally, I found a town filled with folks who put their passion for the outdoors above all else. I moved to Mammoth, worked hard, and raised a family. I always told our kids to study hard and go to college, so they wouldn't end up like me. It worked.

I think people do their best when their doing what they love. If you find a trade that you enjoy, you could live in an area close to climbing. As was said above, go to college if/when you're ready.

BTW there is a two year college in Mammoth, Cerro Coso Community College. You might also want the look at CU Boulder, lots of outdoor folks around there.