The Aid Climbing Rant

Chris Kalous gives us the low down on hard aid climbing. In case you don't get it, it's supposed to be a joke! As in funny! So laugh, and stop taking it so seriously. Freakin aid climbers. Sheesh. http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.html?topic_id=471777&msg=475070#...

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• climbing
• rockclimbing
• aidclimbing

[alpinejerr]

Dude..You dropped your rope,and its no big deal.You lost all credability right from the start!And while your rant on the aid climbing grade system carries weight.Your altruistic attitude about free climbing,as the end all be all,makes you look like a chump!As an alpinist I free ice,rock,neve,and snow. I climb with rope ,solo and partnered.I do aid and what ever (except bolts) it fricken takes to get to the top!Free climbing is one skill set in the realm of climbing not the pinacle!

[splitterchoss]

no, free climbing actually is the pinnacle. it's the best style, with free soloing being the absolute purist form. and sheesh people, chill out, it's all in good fun. maybe everyone is so fired up because he is striking close to home?

[splitterchoss]

chris is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. he's just having some fun here.

[HarryJVaughn3]

right or wrong, I enjoy listening to this guy rant. " we have a confirmed A5 pitch, here's the corpse."  classic line.

[irock1839]

This is one of my favorite videos on YouTube. Everything he says about the aid rating system is true. Aid climbing is a god-awful slow way of almost cheating at climbing...plus it involves a SHIT TON of equipment, is super expensive, and places almost no emphasis on training or ability.

"...he dropped his rope and STARTLED AN AID CLIMBER"

"...we have a confirmed A5 pitch......here's the corpse."

"i'm reformed....i sat in the meadow and sprayed!"

[ecotahoe]

I think you have diminished the skill involved with performing at a higher technical standard. Kayaking is similar even free climbing indicates danger in most rating systems. Climbing, in general, is so arbitrary that as long as people are agreeing on an ethic then we can leave them be. The wall would only be truly free in a non stop free solo ascent and that would be even more pointless and impossible withoud decades of development. Anchors, Ropes, Gear woohoo have fun its a lark anyway.

[room490]

@alpinejerr,

Dude, chris didn't drop the rope, some other dude in the crowd did.

You've misunderstood what you viewed

[tylerjbellows]

@traemccombs It's almost summer, and clearly you're yearning, so give in to it. Don't make excuses.

[1138thz]

@splitterchoss e

It is funny, but his point about the way some do aid is true (turning A4 into A2). I heard that in the 80's some Japanese climbers graced the dihedral wall with a load of 1/4in X 1/2 inch deep direct aid bolts on a section that had been done clean XX times. From what I saw in JA they shit on their own rocks too. There's a 1500ft tall face North of Kurobe dam that was so loaded with soft pins that it made me sick when combined with the chopsticks and sushi litter that abounds.

[1138thz]

Question: When someone free climbs long rows of pin scars, uses the fixed pro left by the aid climbers on the first ascent have they really free climbed it?

For a truly free ascent shouldn't you shun pin scars as artificial features and fixed pro altogether? I'm just kidding actually, freeing old aid routs from the ground up is fair game(a great game). I can't say the same for so called 'free climbs' that were rap bolted, manicured and strung together with pre-placed pro.

[1138thz]

@traemccombs

I hear ya, I can't comp hard free climbing to aid but I can say move thirty feet from a shitty copper head up a blank face using only hooks and tiny HB offsets towards what you think 'might' be a good placement and it gives us a good buzz. If I showed up at the bottom of an aid rout and was ready to blast off and some serious free climbers showed up wanting to 'free it' I would step aside and cheer them on! If they pulled it off I'd buy the beer. Then I'd aid climb it clean.

[AlSwearengen15]

This video is funny. I agree with russellsteapot. Maybe aid climbing needs to revise its scale to be more focused on difficulty. I dont really know, I'm a free climber. I think aid climbing is interesting though. I'd like to try it someday.

[traemccombs]

The drilling bit I disagree with, but I see nothing wrong with doing clean aid. It's a mechanical fun. And yes, it allows those of us who weren't born 5'7" and weighing 101lbs to be able to access areas that may be otherwise inaccessible.

Entertaining point nonetheless. It's just sad to see the divisiveness this guy feels and perhaps that's come from others who were as vehement about some other position.

Anyhoo, I haven't climbed in years so I should shut my fat old buttocks up. :)

[Tarzan07330]

this dude has his shit together!! i back him up 100%!!!!

[joedag90]

In response to all the comments and not the video, people need to learn to stfu and enjoy what you do. I free climb and want to start aid climbing. I love every aspect of climbing, and I LOVE not being an asshole to other people. I bet that many of the people here are your regular gym rats. Btw, I am interested in clean aid, not leaving pin scars and using pitons.

Good video, stupid viewers