Well, ok, first off I am a really new BASE jumper so I am not qualified to talk about much here. But I am a rock climber and boulderer with 15+ years experience and while I'm far from international stardom, I have bouldered to V9 which at least shows dedication in someone who doesn't have much inborn skill.

Anyway, my point is that many, many climbers are opposed to big, glitzy, nasty competitions. Back in the late '80s, competitions were going to "revolutionize" climbing. Media exposure, big sponsorship gigs, loads of new climbers, recognition, legitimacy. So there were a bunch of comps in the U.S. and the (completely predictable) political nastys and back-stabbing and crap that comes with big-ticket competition.

What happened? Not much. Rock climbing didn't become some big phenom as a result. TV crews didn't flock to the local crags to film climbers. Nobody got rich. But alot of friendships were blown out, and alot of political crap was tossed back and forth.

Well, then bouldering got big. More of a loose vibe, more friendly, more individual. Less focused on grades. Guess what happened: it attracted lots of new climbers, lots of GOOD climbers, lots of young climbers. These new climbers were much attracted by the fun vibe of bouldering. They pushed the sport - REALLY pushed the sport - to new levels like no competition ever did.

Now bouldering comps are all the rage, but they are collegial and fun and not back-stabbing gabfests. They are an excuse to climb and hang out, not a goal in themselves.

So my point is this: is some World Championship really going to do good things for BASE? I think not. I think it will just make us look like the same money-grubbing, TV-whoring, "extreme" bozos one can find on any TeeVee set any day.

In contrast, local comps with a good vibe and good folks are going to make the sport seem less populated by pompous goons and more by people who love experiencing the world in good company. Tombstone, etc. seem good examples of this. They work. Big, flashy, corporate gigs do NOT work.

This is not meant to diss anyone who has worked really hard on doing the big comps. I respect that, as I did the work that went into climbing comps in the late '80s and early '90s. But I think that passion could really make more happiness by doing more local events that are fun and mellow and SAFE and go well. That's grassroots, and the sort of growth a niche sport can really support without coming apart at the seams.

As I said, I'm new here so what the heck do I know. Still wanted to share my experience. Comps don't lead to Nirvana. When taken too far, they lead to recriminations and nastiness and backstabbing and in the end make us look like bitter wannabees. Case in point: Petronas thread.

Just my thoughts,

d-dog
ddog@wrinko.com