6 ms·

What amazes me more, right now, is that there are people on HN who not only KNOW about climbing, but actually DO it. By comparison, I tend to consider a brisk

by Jaruzel 10y ago

What amazes me more, right now, is that there are people on HN who not only KNOW about climbing, but actually DO it. By comparison, I tend to consider a brisk walk too much exercise.

robin_reala 10y ago
Climbing seems to be the developer’s sport. It’s not team based (beyond your belayer), there’s no schedule so you can fit it in around other things, and especially with bouldering it’s split into short challenges that are as much mental as physical.
- Fricken 10y ago
  If you draw a venn diagram for jocks, hippies and nerds, the point where the three circles intersect is where you find climbers.
  - steveax 10y ago
    Frank Sacherer worked at CERN: http://www.rockandice.com/lates-news/tnb-forgotten-hero-frank-sacherer-1940-1978 http://www.rockandice.com/lates-news/tnb-forgotten-hero-fran...
    - bhickey 10y ago
      Bill Shockley won the Nobel Prize in Physics (https://www.mountainproject.com/v/shockleys-ceiling/105799687 https://www.mountainproject.com/v/shockleys-ceiling/10579968...) Hans Kraus was JFK's back doctor (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Kraus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Kraus)
  - sideshowb 10y ago
    @Fricken Genius. That's the first new thing I've heard said about climbing in years, and hits the nail right on the head :D
- dwightgunning 10y ago
  The gear and tech involved is also pretty easy to nerd out over.
- geephroh 10y ago
  I've seen it posted on HN before, but worth mentioning again that climbing also has a culture of open evaluation and continuous improvement as well. Detailed accident reports and analysis from the American Alpine Club are available in an online database (http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/search http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/search). Rock and Ice, one of the leading media outlets for climbers, has a regular "Climbing Accidents and Prevention" column (http://www.rockandice.com/climbing-accident-reports http://www.rockandice.com/climbing-accident-reports) as well as failure testing for gear. Given the "dirtbag extreme sport" image that is often projected on climbing, the vast majority of folks I know are keenly aware of the risks and have an engineer's mindset when thinking about ways to reduce the chance of failure. Hmmm...actually, that's very unlike many of the developers I know... ;-)
russtrotter 10y ago
Ha! ture, i feel like the sport trifecta for developer types might be climbing, cycling (road and/or mtb) and ultimate frisbee :-) Am I out on a ledge here ? (pun intended)
- calebm 10y ago
  Yep, those are my 3 favorites :) I also like snowboarding, but don't get to do it as often.
  - stinos 10y ago
    Same here.. Skating/boarding/climbing/bmx/frisbee.. Never forget a lot of sports are actually a bit like engineering and likely trigger the same brain areas to be used. That, plus adrenaline, makes this stuff an addiction.
- thelollies 10y ago
  You need to try slacklining/highlining!
  - debatem1 10y ago
    +1, also juggling!
- nisse72 10y ago
  I flew gliders many years ago (briefly) and it seemed that IT was extremely overrepresented in the club. Also at my previous job I had 3 glider pilot colleagues in a team of about 18 developers. Climbing and cycling are fairly common among people in general it seems, but to my knowledge I've never even met anyone who plays ultimate frisbee.
saiya-jin 10y ago
well, it is properly amazing activity. endless creativity in movements and situation (unless you only go to gym which would be a shame, but even that is great thing to do), you work out yourself to decent fitness at least, and usually in beautiful mountainous/natural environments. and let's not forget constant need to overcome one's fear of dying/getting injured, which a pretty strong reflex - this builds good overall character over time. add to it very friendly community, possibility to focus on anything from 2m boulder problem to few thousand metres of altitude difference alpinism depending on your current wishes, and I am not surprised. there are tons of great sports out there, tried many (but far from all!) but this one just works for me personally best (+ ski touring in winter).
- tunap 10y ago
  "add to it very friendly community" Mmmm, my experience was quite different. I found it very click-ish and there was never a shortage of people saying "you're doing it wrong" based entirely on an incomplete observation from an obstructed vantage, technical differences of opinion or merely vanilla brow-beaters. If lots of testosterone(not exclusively) and competition is what you're after, then my point doesn't apply to you. This does not imply all climbers, but enough times I opted to avoid established routes and crowds. To each their own. Been exploring remote canyons & game trails solo for 25 years, I find the experience of discovery on 3s and 4s more satisfying than conquering 5+s for the nth time. edit; addwd an "If"
  - saiya-jin 10y ago
    Hmm, then our experience is quite different. Are you in US? my experience is solely in Europe, Switzerland and France to be more precise. Nevertheless those explorative scramble/easy climbs are indeed very nice experiences, but it depends. Matterhorn hornli route has only 4c french grade as at crux, but doing it with massive exposure, cold, in alpine boots/crampons and gloves makes it damn stressful and hard for us weekend warriors for example.
    - tunap 10y ago
      Yes, the south-west US exclusively. I never achieved "big wall" climber status. I have much respect for those who achieve such heights, while not necessarily caring for the attitude/mindset/personality required to reach such lofty goals.
wonder_er 10y ago
I bet you could find some of them to help you learn more about climbing! I climb, many of my climbing partners are developers, including a few who recently climbed in Yosemite. It's engaging and fun. If you've got a climbing gym around, you should check it out!
rdslw 10y ago
Greetings from Europe, im kinda SVP and COO (yeah i know, embarassing, but still coding!) climbing 7a OS. Forty plus. On most business trips I have always pair of my climbing shoes and first lookup in a new city is for climbing gym :-)

by Jaruzel 10y ago

What amazes me more, right now, is that there are people on HN who not only KNOW about climbing, but actually DO it. By comparison, I tend to consider a brisk walk too much exercise.

robin_reala 10y ago

Climbing seems to be the developer’s sport. It’s not team based (beyond your belayer), there’s no schedule so you can fit it in around other things, and especially with bouldering it’s split into short challenges that are as much mental as physical.

Fricken 10y ago
If you draw a venn diagram for jocks, hippies and nerds, the point where the three circles intersect is where you find climbers.
- steveax 10y ago
  Frank Sacherer worked at CERN: http://www.rockandice.com/lates-news/tnb-forgotten-hero-frank-sacherer-1940-1978 http://www.rockandice.com/lates-news/tnb-forgotten-hero-fran...
  - bhickey 10y ago
    Bill Shockley won the Nobel Prize in Physics (https://www.mountainproject.com/v/shockleys-ceiling/105799687 https://www.mountainproject.com/v/shockleys-ceiling/10579968...) Hans Kraus was JFK's back doctor (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Kraus https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Kraus)
- sideshowb 10y ago
  @Fricken Genius. That's the first new thing I've heard said about climbing in years, and hits the nail right on the head :D
dwightgunning 10y ago
The gear and tech involved is also pretty easy to nerd out over.
geephroh 10y ago
I've seen it posted on HN before, but worth mentioning again that climbing also has a culture of open evaluation and continuous improvement as well. Detailed accident reports and analysis from the American Alpine Club are available in an online database (http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/search http://publications.americanalpineclub.org/search). Rock and Ice, one of the leading media outlets for climbers, has a regular "Climbing Accidents and Prevention" column (http://www.rockandice.com/climbing-accident-reports http://www.rockandice.com/climbing-accident-reports) as well as failure testing for gear. Given the "dirtbag extreme sport" image that is often projected on climbing, the vast majority of folks I know are keenly aware of the risks and have an engineer's mindset when thinking about ways to reduce the chance of failure. Hmmm...actually, that's very unlike many of the developers I know... ;-)

russtrotter 10y ago

Ha! ture, i feel like the sport trifecta for developer types might be climbing, cycling (road and/or mtb) and ultimate frisbee :-) Am I out on a ledge here ? (pun intended)

calebm 10y ago
Yep, those are my 3 favorites :) I also like snowboarding, but don't get to do it as often.
- stinos 10y ago
  Same here.. Skating/boarding/climbing/bmx/frisbee.. Never forget a lot of sports are actually a bit like engineering and likely trigger the same brain areas to be used. That, plus adrenaline, makes this stuff an addiction.
thelollies 10y ago
You need to try slacklining/highlining!
- debatem1 10y ago
  +1, also juggling!
nisse72 10y ago
I flew gliders many years ago (briefly) and it seemed that IT was extremely overrepresented in the club. Also at my previous job I had 3 glider pilot colleagues in a team of about 18 developers. Climbing and cycling are fairly common among people in general it seems, but to my knowledge I've never even met anyone who plays ultimate frisbee.

saiya-jin 10y ago

well, it is properly amazing activity. endless creativity in movements and situation (unless you only go to gym which would be a shame, but even that is great thing to do), you work out yourself to decent fitness at least, and usually in beautiful mountainous/natural environments. and let's not forget constant need to overcome one's fear of dying/getting injured, which a pretty strong reflex - this builds good overall character over time. add to it very friendly community, possibility to focus on anything from 2m boulder problem to few thousand metres of altitude difference alpinism depending on your current wishes, and I am not surprised. there are tons of great sports out there, tried many (but far from all!) but this one just works for me personally best (+ ski touring in winter).

tunap 10y ago
"add to it very friendly community" Mmmm, my experience was quite different. I found it very click-ish and there was never a shortage of people saying "you're doing it wrong" based entirely on an incomplete observation from an obstructed vantage, technical differences of opinion or merely vanilla brow-beaters. If lots of testosterone(not exclusively) and competition is what you're after, then my point doesn't apply to you. This does not imply all climbers, but enough times I opted to avoid established routes and crowds. To each their own. Been exploring remote canyons & game trails solo for 25 years, I find the experience of discovery on 3s and 4s more satisfying than conquering 5+s for the nth time. edit; addwd an "If"
- saiya-jin 10y ago
  Hmm, then our experience is quite different. Are you in US? my experience is solely in Europe, Switzerland and France to be more precise. Nevertheless those explorative scramble/easy climbs are indeed very nice experiences, but it depends. Matterhorn hornli route has only 4c french grade as at crux, but doing it with massive exposure, cold, in alpine boots/crampons and gloves makes it damn stressful and hard for us weekend warriors for example.
  - tunap 10y ago
    Yes, the south-west US exclusively. I never achieved "big wall" climber status. I have much respect for those who achieve such heights, while not necessarily caring for the attitude/mindset/personality required to reach such lofty goals.

wonder_er 10y ago

I bet you could find some of them to help you learn more about climbing! I climb, many of my climbing partners are developers, including a few who recently climbed in Yosemite. It's engaging and fun. If you've got a climbing gym around, you should check it out!

rdslw 10y ago

Greetings from Europe, im kinda SVP and COO (yeah i know, embarassing, but still coding!) climbing 7a OS. Forty plus. On most business trips I have always pair of my climbing shoes and first lookup in a new city is for climbing gym :-)