Anthropology and Rock Climbing
Posted in Editorials on October 28, 2009
Recently, ClimbingNarc ran a story on whether the Europeans were better rock climbers than Americans, noting that some of our biggest names – Chris Sharma, Dave Graham, et. al. – all seemed to be making a mass exodus to… places other than the U.S. It focused on the high-profile-competetive-althlete status that European climbers were able to attain, and the higher level of popularity that competition climbing possesses in the E.U. I suggest you read the article first – it’s very interesting – and then read my buddy’s amazing exposition below:
By Derrick Smith, in response to UC editor Justin Roth’s “Is Europe Taking America’s Lunch on the Rocks? Yes… and No.”:
Two of my favorite things – rock climbing all wrapped up in anthropological inference! For the latter, the author gets it right on. The world is built on constructed patterns of quality – values and morals – so when you are talking about “cross-cultural” comparison, those are exactly what’s being discussed. I think he categorized the differences pretty well. To wit – American = exploration, communion with nature, individual testing against the natural elements, cowboy bravado on a personal level, getting shit done vs. Euro = stylistic perfection, societal recognition, controlled movement over raw progress.
I figure it comes directly out of the “frontier” mindset for Americans, while Europeans have had things pretty much explored for a long time now (not to say that there isn’t more to do – Sharma *American* at Mallorca) and have turned their cultural attention inward toward controlling what they already know. Americans are always on to the next. The next challenge, next technique (again Sharma at Mallorca DWS), the next boundary to push.
Cedar Wright and Renan Ozturk climbing the
first ascent of Birthday Bash, Zion National Park.
Photo: Eric Draper (ericdraper.com)
Plus, we value big fucking balls – individual courage to the extreme, hence trad climbing and Alex Honnold free-soloing Half Dome. Danger, head-pointing are far more impressive here than making some insanely difficult competition move in as fully a controlled environment as possible. Nobody in Europe wants to free-solo 5.12 for 20 pitches or lead x-rated trad routes because, well… its fucking stupid. You can see it in the style of movement as well – where American climbers are jumping all around, making big, powerful moves, yelling, whereas the French are all bendy, always trying to remain static – the French blow… And they make fun of us, even though they can’t climb as hard, because they value the method and style over just making it up however you can. Something related to a nobleman’s honor, maybe…?
| Honnold free-soloing the Regular North Face of the Rostrum, Yosemite National Park, California. [Photo] Asa Firestone |
However, because Europeans aren’t obsessed always with pushing, and struggling, and progress – “Take it easy, this continent doesn’t have many secrets left, and its not getting any bigger” – its a cool place for an American to live. Seems so relaxed. Refreshing. Probably what Sharma likes so much, even though he still climbs like an American. But, for the foreseeable future, Sonnie Trotter sending Cobra Crack is going to be lauded far beyond climbing a V84 on plastic on this side of the pond, even though I guess he’s Canadian – America’s little buddy. We just don’t really care if a guy spent 14 months on a regimented training schedule and diet so he could compete. As a matter of fact, especially here in MT, it is held to be much cooler if you eat burgers, drink beer, smoke cigarettes, and climb moderate trad. Gym climbing is marginally acceptable for meeting chicks, and training if there is no way you can make it to the rock that day – and competitions are alright as long as its a kind of aside to actual climbing. You train to climb rock and enter a competition if you are hung over or something. Bunch of fucking cowboys… In the end though, if you want to compare results in the spirit that rock climbing started out as – exploration, climbing to see if you get “up there” – Americans win. Fuck, we even win some comps.
Thats my reaction. I think I love to hear myself talk? type? Anyway, climb hard homes.
Derrick currently resides in Missoula, MT, where he is finishing up some grad work. Besides rock climbing, he enjoys French poetry, eating the occasional croissant in a charming café, and gazing into the works of Claude Monet.
