Has anyone else noticed an unprecedented amount of whining happening lately, or is that just me? As a magazine editor, I have the opportunity to occasionally rub elbows with the industry’s elite, and because of that, I have the “privilege” of being privy to the wayward opinions and sanctimonious problems of some of the most fickle people on the planet. (That’s a harsh generalization, of course.)

For instance: I just wasted half an hour of my workday. I thought I’d find something illuminating in the blogs, notes, Facebook posts, etc., about a certain issue cropping up around the Front Range in Colorado regarding a bouldering area near Mount Evans. I was sadly mistaken. I should have learned my lesson earlier this month when I wasted another valuable chunk of time trying to understand the controversy surrounding David Lama and his attempt at the Compressor Route on Cerro Torre. Instead (and as with every other issue that arises in climbing), I halfheartedly subjected myself to another set of knee-jerk diatribes written under the guise of well-researched reprimands and thoughtful mini-essays intended to admonish the seemingly poor decisions of a 19-year-old. We even printed something about it in this issue, which finally provided me with some balanced knowledge concerning the issue.

I suppose it will never stop. Having all those opinions must be exhausting, though. Everyone is so dang sensitive these days; you can barely make a first ascent without coming under all kinds of fire for one reason or another. Sometimes I think I get it. Other times, not so much. It’s like we all forget we participate in the most insignificant activity on the planet. We are rock climbers. We’re not saving the world. We’re not fighting apartheid or genocide. Hell, we rarely donate to anything that doesn’t benefit us as climbers.

Instead we’re arguing about grades, ascents, and ethics as they pertain to ROCKS. Certainly there are some tenets we should all abide by, but none that aren’t derivatives of one of life’s greatest axioms: Don’t be a dick to thy neighbor.

Perhaps I’m being somewhat hypocritical. It’s quite likely; I admit it. Just because I have a magazine as a vessel to voice my opinions doesn’t make me any more special than you. I mean, just listen to me; I’m whining about whining! I’ve long been a proponent that climbing, at its base, should be fun. Everyone seems to define that in a different way, and typically I think that’s okay until they start making it a universal law.

No sir, I don’t think I should have to be scared out of my mind when I go climbing. It’s why I climb on well-protected sport and trad routes and never do highball boulder problems.

No sir, I don’t have as much fun unless the adrenaline danger provides is present in my ascents, which is why I climb frightening routes and boulder problems.

Both of those sound much better than “Climbing must be dangerous to be climbing,” and “Climbing must be safe for everyone.” I don’t think we need to deal in absolutes here. There’s enough rock for everyone out there.

Go find some and go climbing. Make sure you’re smiling when you’re finished and heading home, and for goodness’ sake, keep those shredded tips off the keyboard for a while.

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