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THE AUSTRALIAN RE, RETRO-BOLTING OPEN FORUM 17-Apr-2004 At 1:09:29 AM BDee

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Re: Tel's posting of 16/4/04

Tel, thank you for your thoughts on what climbing is. If I understand correctly you are saying that that climbing is shaped by the moral judgements and edicts of the Predecessors. Presumably the Predecessors are the past masters of the non-sport and the aspirants (those of us still planning to lead XI) normally imbibe the lessons of the Predecessors from campfire oration. Are you then saying that climbing is an oral culture and the lynchpin in the system is the oracle (Hex-Troll), who is tasked with preserving the collective memory? I think Neil recently expressed wonder at Hex-Troll’s command of history.

Tel, I think you describe Victorian climbing well, however, the further you get away from 'The Pines' the more things change. In the Blueys, climbing is definitely a sport, in Maple Canyon it is absolute bliss, in Spain it’s one long party. The last time I was at the Pines you couldn’t light a camp fire. Sad, but as you say, there is still this website for keeping our culture alive - we do William Gibson proud. Should we be jacking in instead of tying in from now on?