So, I got into a cute little debate with a certain industry leading photographer friend of mine yesterday. Well… not really a debate so much as a conversation about what climbers are willing to accept as honest representations of our sport.

As should be crystal f***ing clear by now, we here at NE2C are at once completely against having any kind of sacred cows that tell us what climbing “Should” be, while also feeling really compelled to do right by the people that came before us and making sure that what we put out there is, in fact, a completely honest representation of our sport. What’s not crystal f***cking clear about that? Yeah, you’re right, that’s a little bit confusing. Ok, let’s get to what got the conversation started in the first place. Please check out Chuck Fryberger’s trailer for his new film CORE:

So there were a couple of things that got us started. First, it’s pretty clear that Chuck is working hard to step outside the box from what we’re used to seeing in climbing films. To this end I think he’s making some progress. I’ve heard comments (criticisms?) that CORE looks and feels a little bit like some of the pretty standard issue snowboarding films out there, but I for one don’t watch snowboarding films and for two, I don’t care if it looks like snowboarding films because as far as climbing films go it looks pretty fresh to me.

The second thing that got us going was the quotes that begin about a minute into the trailer. they go something like this: “Immerse yourself in the glamour” (Ferrari and chick looking… err… something), “Enjoy the Satisfaction” (More shots of cars and another chick… the only chicks in the whole trailer btw…) “And indulge in the luxury, of climbing at the highest level” (shot of helicopter).

So, I have mixed feelings about this section and I suspect that the 15 people who care enough about climbing enough to think about these things will too. BUT, my mixed feelings aren’t critical, not at all. In fact I really dig this section (and the whole trailer actually), I just think that anyone who’s ever been around “The luxury of climbing at the highest level,” will get a good laugh out of that section. Sure we learn that the Ferrari actually belongs to a top climber, but still, it’s hilarious to see when we all know that most pros are still living in their parents basements.

That said… I think Chuck’s right on in how he chose to cut this trailer. I really don’t care to see someone sitting in their parents basement complaining about not making enough money. SHOW ME SOMETHING COOL, show me something I haven’t seen before. And a WWII F4U Corsair fighter plane painted up in Red Bull colors isn’t something I’ve seen before in a climbing video.

So back to the point of this post: What, exactly, is “True to Climbing” ? I would imagine that a popular criticism of the CORE trailer would be to point out what I just did, that this portrayal of pro climbers is hardly accurate on a large scale. So what is “True to climbing,”? Is it dirt bagging in the back of your Toyota? Is it ground up trad ascents at Indian Creek? Is it training your ass off in the gym everyday after work for a year so that you’re ready for your annual two weeks of paid vacation? People struggle all the time to define climbing, but for me its pretty simple. In fact, I think I can define what is true to climbing in one word:

Change.

From Fritz Wiessner to Royal Robbins and Warren Harding to John Long to Jon Bachar to Ron Kauk to Lynn Hill to Peter Croft to the Huber Brothers to Robin Ebersfield and Francois LeGrand (Remember him?), to Chris Sharma, Dave Graham and Tommy Caldwell, to Alex Honold and Adam Ondra and many, many more in between climbing has changed, changed some more and then changed again. We all get like Gollum with the f***cking Precious about climbing as though it was ours and ours alone. But the truth is that through ethics battles and bolt wars and sticky rubber and the invention of the artificial climbing wall and the rise of competitions, it’s worth noting that almost everything so far that was not “True to climbing” has ended up giving the sport a much needed kick in the ass.

And while comparing the trailer for CORE to Fritz Wiessner and the invention of the artificial climbing wall is certainly a bit of a stretch (ok, it’s completely outrageous, sue me), I would like to say that I for one enjoyed it quite a bit and whether or not the final film ends up being as good as the trailer, I really appreciate the effort at trying to find a new angle on the sport we all love so much. Whether or not it’s “True to climbing”, now or at some point in the future when the UBC is on ESPN and we’re all invited to the White House after the tour championships every year I could honestly care less. It’s true to Chuck right now and that’s good enough for me.

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