PART THREE

Is there politics involved in the sense that maybe
speed climbing does not necessarily have the
"cool" label as far as kids are concerned
compared to, say, skateboarding or snowboarding?

THERE ARE NO TRICKS YOU CAN PULL IN CLIMBING. IT'S AS SIMPLE AS THAT. YOU GO UP, YOU COME DOWN, YOU GET STRONG. THE REALLY GOOD CLIMBERS MAKE IT LOOK SO EASY THAT WATCHING PAINT DRY CAN BE SLIGHTLY MORE INTERESTING. THE X-GAMES IS BIKES, BOARDS, AND BLADES. ALL TRICKS NO "REAL" ATHLETES. AND NO WOMEN. ONE REASON CLIMBING STAYED IN FOR SO LONG, IS THAT IT HAD EQUAL REPRESENT-ATION BY WOMEN AND MEN. NO OTHER SPORT EVEN COMES CLOSE. I THINK THAT SAVED CLIMBING IN THE X-GAMES AFTER SAN FRANCISCO.

Has the sport lost popularity directly because of
the lack of exposure on the X Games? Or is the sport
of speed climbing intertwined permanently with the
other branches of rock climbing, and doing fine on its
own?




THE X-GAMES MAY BE A SMALL FACTOR, SINCE THE NATIONAL COMPS WERE THE X-GAMES QUALIFIERS AND NO ONE DOES SPEED FOR THE FUN OF IT (WELL NOT MANY PEOPLE). CLIMBERS DON'T REALLY TRAIN FOR SPEED CLIMBING, AND LARGE COMPETITIONS
AS A WHOLE HAVE DECLINED IN THE UNITED STATES IN RECENT YEARS. THERE ARE STILL A HANDFUL OF EVENTS, BUT NOT LIKE IN THE MID-90S. THERE HAS ONLY BEEN ONE NATIONAL SPEED EVENT IN THE PAST YEAR, AND ONLY 10 PEOPLE PARTICIPATED.
IT'S PRETTY MUCH DEAD UNFORTUNATELY.

Tell me, Chris, about some of your most meaningful
experiences in rock climbing outside of the context or
specialization of speed climbing . . . Is there a
real comparison between the pure aspects of climbing a
real, living but inanimate cliff and being out in
nature versus climbing on a synthetic surface that is
very purposefully erected by human hands and minds?

THE MAIN COMPARISON IS THE FACT THAT YOU USE THE SAME MUSCLES, BUT THEY ARE REALLY TWO DIFFERENT SPORTS. YOU NEED BETTER FOOTWORK AND TECHNIQUE OUTSIDE AND YOU CAN GO PLACES THAT ONLY A FEW PEOPLE EVER GET TO SEE. INDOOR
CLIMBING IS EASIER SINCE THE ROCKS WERE SHAPED TO GRAB, AND HUMANS CREATE THE ROUTES, SO THERE IS A LOT LESS GUESSWORK WHEN YOU ARE FIGURING OUT HOW TO GET UP THE WALL, AND MORE FOCUS ON THE PURE WORKOUT ASPECT OF IT.

Follow up: any harrowing near escapes or important
lessons learned about safety you would like people
entering the sport as rookies to know?

ALWAYS DOUBLE CHECK YOUR PARTNER AND YOURSELF BEFORE YOU START UP A CLIMB, AND FIND SOMEONE YOU REALLY TRUST AND GET ALONG WITH. I HAVE BEEN IN A COUPLE OF SITUATIONS WHERE THE PERSON I WAS WITH TURNED OUT TO BE A
TOOL, AND INSTEAD OF A FUN DAY OF CLIMBING, IT WAS A COUNTDOWN TO GET BACK HOME.

What information can you give about the Mission
Cliffs climbing wall in San Francisco in terms of
opportunities for the general public and more
specifically for students to get involved with the
sport?

IT'S A GREAT WAY TO LEARN IN A CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT. IT IS IN NO WAY A SUBSTITUTE FOR OUTDOOR INSTRUCTION, BUT IT IS A GREAT INTRODUCTION TO BASIC CLIMBING SAFETY PROCEDURES AND TECHNIQUE. THERE ARE SOMETIMES DISCOUNTS FOR STUDENTS AND THERE ARE CLASSES EVERY DAY.

What would be your biggest challenge that you ever
faced in and around this lifelong passion to climb to
the top?

I DON'T THINK I HAVE HAD IT YET. ASK ME AGAIN IN 50 YEARS!

Chris I want to thank you for your time and
patience in doing this interview!

Well, if you have become more interested in the sport and want to find out more about the history of the sport's conception, these websites can help you!

http://classic.mountainzone.com/xgames/summer99/speed.html

http://www.wwwright.com/climbing/speed/