From: Joe Hedge (jghedge@earthlink.net) Subject: Climbing and Relationships(or lack thereof) Newsgroups: rec.climbing Date: 1999/05/25 While ruminating over my current lack thereof, I came (no pun) to the following conclusions: Free Soloing is like marriage w/ kids-total commitment. If you don't think it's total commitment then don't do it. Big Wall Climbing = marriage w/o kids. Still committed but less than with kids. You can get rescued (divorced) and it's embarassing, but you and your partner will get over it and hopefully still be friends. Multi Pitch Trad Climbing = boyfriend/girlfriend. Even less commitment, or you think you're committed but maybe you're kidding yourself. You think you wanna do walls (get married) and are working up to it, and you're trying to ignore the seductive charms of...yup, you guessed it... Sport Climbing = casual sex. No committment whatsoever. Just stamina and athleticism. Way fun but not terribly fulfilling in and of itself. Bouldering = masturbation. Purest form of climbing. Pure pulling all by yourself. Or you can do it with your friends circled around you, but if they touch you then you cheated (got a handjob). Hard core practitioners sometimes yell and scream upon "topping out", or even during the act itself- see "Free Hueco" video. Always look out for choss, and avoid partners with bad reputations... From: Duncan Powell (powelldc@cf.ac.uk) Subject: Re: Climbing and Relationships(or lack thereof) Newsgroups: rec.climbing Date: 1999/05/25 You forgot one Joe: Indoor Sport Climbing. I reckon this is casual sex but with a warm and expensive partner who's quite used to beginners resting on her and being mounted in a lot of style but not a lot of effort.............. Dunc.