Rock climbing vs skydiving

[boondock_saint 0]

Well I figured I'd start an official thread here on what rockclimbing and skydiving have in common and where they differ. Obvioulsy, some of my thoughts may be completely wrong, since I've never jumped, so feel free to correct, add yours and discuss.

Similarites
- everyone things you're insane for doing it
- the sport can be dangerous and lead to injuriy/death
- you care for your gear VERY much and take better care of it than you would of your firstborn child
- it can get very expensive


Differences
- Skydivers have bigger balls
- Rockclimbers are a lot stronger
- Rockclimbing is like puzzle-solving. physically exhausting puzzle-solving
- Rockclimbing is more rewarding because of how much practive and physica/mental effort it takes to climb at a certain level (and you are fighting gravity, rather than letting it do all the work)

your turn ...

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"Do ya know what we need, man? Some rope. Charlie Bronson's always got rope!"
- The Boondock Saints

[Lainey 0]

Rockclimbers have bigger balls. I only started climbing this year and to be honest everything i've done has been indoors, primarily because i'm so damn scared of heights like that.

I was scared before I ever made a jump. After that the fear has been minimal... but with climbing, i'm scared, i'm tired, i'm dizzy, i'm hanging off a freaking wall only meters up but still re-chalking every two seconds thanks to my sweaty palms. (and my sorry excuse for muscles)...

they're both satisfying in different ways... skydiving is beautiful, (like i'm sure big wall climbing could also be) sureal, calming, breathtaking, a damn lot of fun. Climbing for me is satisfying when i finally make some overhung hold that i just didn't have the guts to jump for before...

My opinion is that climbing is a lot more scary.

(also climbers have better bodies, generally speaking.)

And you shed not a single tear for the things that you didn't need
'Cause you knew you were finally free - Death Cab For Cutie

[billvon 2,471]

>Rockclimbing is more rewarding because of how much practive and
>physica/mental effort it takes to climb at a certain level (and you are
>fighting gravity, rather than letting it do all the work)

Maybe. But after spending a week dealing with -34F exit temps, people trying to tear you limb from limb, having to land in formation with a few hundred skydivers, balky oxygen systems at 26,000 feet - setting a world record is pretty rewarding. A different kind of rewarding, to be sure.

[boondock_saint 0]

Hmmmm you got a point there Lainey. I still think skydivings takes more balls. I'm not afraid of heights and I love cliff-diving. But jumping out of a plane with nothing but a parachute to save my ass ... I don't know ..

I've always imagined skydiving to be beautiful but imagine this picture: http://photos.rockclimbing.com/photos//603/60358.jpg and the view you have from up there. It's funny that you mention beautiful, calm and breathtaking because that is what I love so much about rock climbing. You do all this hard work and finally make it to the top and then you enjoy the view and the peace. With skydiving I've always viewed the concept to be backwards. You're in a beautiful place and then you rush back down to earth

I think you're alredy catching on to the addiction of climing ... when you make that hold you couldn't do before, what a rush of satisfaction!

Are there instances like that in skydiving ???

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"Do ya know what we need, man? Some rope. Charlie Bronson's always got rope!"
- The Boondock Saints

[br0k3n 0]

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Rockclimbers have bigger balls. I only started climbing this year and to be honest everything i've done has been indoors, primarily because i'm so damn scared of heights like that.

I was scared before I ever made a jump. After that the fear has been minimal... but with climbing, i'm scared, i'm tired, i'm dizzy, i'm hanging off a freaking wall only meters up but still re-chalking every two seconds thanks to my sweaty palms. (and my sorry excuse for muscles)...

they're both satisfying in different ways... skydiving is beautiful, (like i'm sure big wall climbing could also be) sureal, calming, breathtaking, a damn lot of fun. Climbing for me is satisfying when i finally make some overhung hold that i just didn't have the guts to jump for before...

My opinion is that climbing is a lot more scary.

(also climbers have better bodies, generally speaking.)

Hey Lainey

where do you indoor climb?

-Oli

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--+ There are 10 types of people in the world: Those who understand binary, and those who don't.. --+

[Trae 1]

Rock climbing is heaps scarier and demands more respect than skydiving.
Any sack of potatoes with an AAD can skydive but the same is not true for climbing a rock (except perhaps downwards)

Outside the general delusion that skydivers are some-how automatically cool once they fall out of an aeroplane and not die -- skydiving can be a bit of an adrenalin junkies disappointment.

Rock climbing delivers and delivers in the adrenaline department and is also very swift in showing you your true capabilities as a person.
It's also fairly unforgiving . You also sometimes get a lot of time to think of your approaching fate after knowing you are gunna fall.... gotta love those muscle spasms.

Skydivers once they realise skydiving is safer than driving home can tend to lose respect for the safety aspects as if they've subconsciously gotta make it more dangerous to get the same buzz.

Rock-climbers rarely forget that one mistake could be their last. Unfortunatley a lot of skydivers need constant reminding.

Gotta love them both as a worthwhile semi-extreme persuit...... but you want real danger ( the statistics back this up ) go SCUBA DIVING .
If you do try do it with people who know what they're doing not learning at your expense.

The same applies for rock-climbing and Skydiving.

[Loonix 0]

are you serious? scubadiving is more lethal than skydiving and rock climbing? do you have a link to some info there? I'm curious, I do all three.. I'd say it depends 100% on yourself in all three, i think you can do all very safe, or very dangerous...

edit to add: i fully agree with you about climbing vs. jumping

[bert_man 0]

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I think you're alredy catching on to the addiction of climing ... when you make that hold you couldn't do before, what a rush of satisfaction!

Are there instances like that in skydiving ???

That's part of the addiction in skydiving as well. Though we are falling with gravity, we have to use the wind every bit of the way. It takes a really good sense of balance and awareness to be able to do what you want in the sky, as well as a strong understanding of the aerodynamics involved. It takes a ton (thousands) of jumps to learn to do it really well.

Not to mention that you only have 45 seconds (freeflying) to a minute (flat-flying) to learn before you have to save your ass, land, pack, manifest for the next load, etc.

They both require a certain amount of balls. In fact, I trust my skydiving equipment more than I would trust protection that I placed into rock. Every aspect of my skydiving gear was engineered to work a certain way. Climbers (trad, aid, bigwall) have to take what they have and find a crack to jam it into and trust it to stay put.

One other major similarity between skydiving and climbing is the necessity for dependence on others. In climbing, your belayer could drop you, a partner could screw up a knot or unclip the wrong rope, or place bad pro. In skydiving, somebody could collide with you, deploy below you, screw up a pin check, etc.

In both sports, that trust really helps bring people together.

[Trae 1]

Sorry no link.(what button do I press?)

Last time I checked scuba diving had THE most deaths out of all the sports.

This may have changed but I doubt it.



in reply to Bert man's "It takes a ton (thousands) of jumps to learn to do it really well. "

Different people learn at different rates. Just having thousands of jumps doesn't necessarily mean you're any good at skydiving. I've know people with only hundreds of skydives that could out skydive people with 10,000 jumps.

High skill levels are all about application and dedication not how many jumps you've got . Natural ability can also play a large part as well as available cash.

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[Loonix 0]

well, it also have the most participants, if im not mistaken :) im going to google a bit, see what i can come up with..

[Lainey 0]

That picture is absolutely stunning… I love it. One of my dreams is to climb a mountain in Nepal, I’m no where near fit or skilled enough to do it within the next year but maybe after that. I have a mate who has done one and I’m dying to join her on another.

There are definitely instances like that in skydiving, it’s so much more than just ‘falling’ as you might imagine. The different disciplines take skill, a lot of work and focus. I don’t do much rel work but I know when people get that last perfect point before break off how much of a rush it is for them. When the swoopers get that perfect glide across the pond, when freeflyers make that big way head down in the afternoon. When you do a full load, summer, sunset, cross country, hop and pop and chase each-other around the sky at 10K and you try to squeeze as much lift as you can out of it because it’s so beautiful up there you just don’t want to land. The Crew dogs who pull off amazing feats thousands of feet up without wrapping themselves, the skysurfers pulling out of a spin that would make you sick with dizziness. Or just doing a simple jump with a mate, watching the back door open up to an amazing azure sky with puffy white clouds, holding hands and running out the back of the van, doing flips, and just enjoying the view.

It’s not like you start jumping and all of a sudden you’re flying head down, or turning 20 points and hooking your landings. It’s a long road to get to the point, and you’ve only got 60 seconds in which to do it each time. When you finally get that move you’ve been working on, it’s the same kind of satisfaction as you get when you finally make the hold. It might not be as physically straining but it’s still a triumph over the physical and mental limitations you were bound by previously.

They’re both beautiful sports.

And you shed not a single tear for the things that you didn't need
'Cause you knew you were finally free - Death Cab For Cutie

[Loonix 0]

ok, here it is. i have no idea whatsoever about the correctness of this, but:

Scuba Diving : 1 in 200,000 dives
Rock climbing : 1 in 320,000 climbs

don't know for skydiving, but isnt that around 1:100,000?

anyway, i would take this with a large grain of salt...

[Lainey 0]

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Hey Lainey

where do you indoor climb?

-Oli

Hey Oli, I climb at climb fit in St Leonards or the indoor centre at St Peters. Yo do much? I haven’t been in a few week, probably next week though. I try to go at least once a week.

And you shed not a single tear for the things that you didn't need
'Cause you knew you were finally free - Death Cab For Cutie

[Trae 1]

Mmmmmm....So the rates indicate some similarities .

Wonder what the current totals are ?


I've known a few scuba diving instructors even though I've only done several dives..... one beauty to 80' .

I was told that the large number of incidents is due to people underestimating it as a dangerous sport.
In scuba diving you can die at relatively low depths for a host of different reasons. The phuck up factor and nasty combinations are apparently even more variable than in skydiving which has relatively simple emergency procedures.

When in doubt etc. In scuba you've got to think a bit more in a dangerous situation. Automatic response rarely save the day.

[ViperPilot 0]

I do all 3, I'd say skydiving is by far the best for the "rush" feeling. Scuba is awesome for the "exploration" side (you get to see such awesome stuff and go crazy places at times), and climbing is definitely the best for accomplishment (at least over the day-to-day skydiving). Now doing a world record like bill was talking about, that's completely different. I'd just say day-to-day jumps don't compare w/ the stuff you can do in just a "normal" climb.

However, when it comes down to it, I choose skydiving!

[bob.dino 0]

Wow. I didn't know you could write like that. Colour me impressed.

[TomAiello 25]

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- Skydivers have bigger balls

I dunno, dude. Climbing a wall can be 4 days of total, abject terror. Getting through that takes a lot more than any skydive I've ever done.

-- Tom Aiello

[email protected]
SnakeRiverBASE.com

[MarkM 0]

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- Rockclimbing is more rewarding because of how much practive and physica/mental effort it takes to climb at a certain level (and you are fighting gravity, rather than letting it do all the work)

I think you'd be suprised how much practice and effort goes into skydiving. There are lots of disciplines to the sport: relative work, freeflying, freestyle, skysurfing, wingsuits, crew, swooping and each can consume years worth of practice to get good at.

As for danger, I think it depends on what you're doing in the sport, not the sport. I'm guessing ice climbing is a lot more dangerous than climbing small rocks, just like swooping is a lot more dangerous than RW.

I'd kind of wonder how the communities are different or similar. Skydiving has dropzones... does climbing have anything like that? Places climbers just go to on the weekends and chill out?

[incode 0]

i never knew how much was involved in skydiving untill i started my AFF and then was very shocked to find out how hard it was just to flat fly, or recover from loosing control. I get a feeling of accomplishment every jump i do at this stage, i dont know about climbing but i can imagine that it takes alot of time, effort and practice just as skydiving does.

[wjca 0]

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Mmmmmm....So the rates indicate some similarities .

Wonder what the current totals are ?


I've known a few scuba diving instructors even though I've only done several dives..... one beauty to 80' .

I was told that the large number of incidents is due to people underestimating it as a dangerous sport.
In scuba diving you can die at relatively low depths for a host of different reasons. The phuck up factor and nasty combinations are apparently even more variable than in skydiving which has relatively simple emergency procedures.

When in doubt etc. In scuba you've got to think a bit more in a dangerous situation. Automatic response rarely save the day.

Never jumped. But I climb and I'm a SCUBA instructor. I agree that when something goes wrong under water, shit can snowball fast if you panic. There are physiological things going on under water that will get you quick.

One of the biggest reasons why there may be more fatalities and injuries with SCUBA divers is the sheer volume of people that have access to it. For a few bucks at an island resort, you can spend an hour in the pool then get on a boat. People get the impression that they now know WTF they're doing, and get into trouble fast. Compare it to maybe a half hour in a hanger, then a tandem jump, then the person goes off packing his own chute and thinking he's a jumper. Bad things waiting to happen.

[Amanduh 0]

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- Skydivers have bigger balls

I dunno, dude. Climbing a wall can be 4 days of total, abject terror. Getting through that takes a lot more than any skydive I've ever done.

I gotta agree. I have never been rock climbing, but when I went caving with some friends back in July I was scared out of my wits. The ledges I was having to shimmy across, the drop offs below me, the climbs I had to do...it was f'n unbelievable...I had never been that scared before in my life (But in a good way..especially once I survived it all!)...It honestly intimidated me more than my first base jump. (yes, I know that is probably strange)..but we didn't have safety ropes / harnesses and the thought of falling / sliding down one of the crevaces really got my edrenaline pumping..

[SkymonkeyONE 3]

While I never really did any technical climbing, I did used to live in Colorado and used to boulder and hike a buch of steep stuff. I also still own my own gear and used to go to the climbing gym pretty regularly. I have been a LOT more exhausted climbing than I have ever been on any skydive. I have also been a lot more scared on a climb (at muscle failure) than I have ever been on a skydive. While I like climbing, I just don't have the time to spend doing it and I just don't see myself travelling somewhere "just to climb." It's neat, but not that neat. That said, I was really strong when I climbed (and when I barefoot waterskiied a bunch) and I ought to do something to get back into shape like I was then.

Same for diving. I was a diver all but three of my 21 years in the army. I really like diving, have a PADI dive master rating, have done a lot of technical dives, and even got paid for it, but I really would not consider it as a primary hobby/sport. It's fun, but not that fun.

Skydiving is far more socially rewarding to me. It's absolutely worth it for me to travel around and attend skydiving events.

Chuck

[VanillaSkyGirl 6]

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they're both satisfying in different ways... skydiving is beautiful, (like i'm sure big wall climbing could also be) sureal, calming, breathtaking, a damn lot of fun.

That is exactly how I feel about BOTH skydiving and rockclimbing. I have always found climbing outdoors to be so peaceful and spiritual.

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Climbing for me is satisfying when i finally make some overhung hold that i just didn't have the guts to jump for before...

Ok, lead climbing overhung routes is a lot less scary for me. If you take a whipper on an well overhung route, you will freefall into the air and swing a bit. You will not hit anything. If you lead a vertical route and fall, your body will be swung back into the rock. Think about that one.

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My opinion is that climbing is a lot more scary.

Climbing felt much less scary to me than skydiving, at first. Then again, I'm not scared of heights, and I've never felt more natural, than when climbing. I get lost in the moment and in the climb. I can say similar things of skydiving, but then again, I am usually trying to accomplish something (turn various pts.) in a short period of time.

***(also climbers have better bodies, generally speaking.)

[rehmwa 2]

I climb and skydive -

similar - you have to have a certain level of trust in your equipment. And we love our equipment.
Both have great views and satisfaction.
Both are very social with relatively long periods of interaction mixed in with the activity of the sports (this is a big aspect that I do both - the people bond is more genuine).
I don't see a point in trying to compare danger or 'balls' in either - you either trust, in both, that your skills and equipment are up to snuff or you don't. Anything else is just self stroking egos.
As you push your limits, that's when you get a real buzz in accomplishment and challenge.
In both, you personally choose how hard you want to progress.
If you're fit, it helps both sports
Newbies can't get over themselves
Both have a clicky group of people at an advanced level that get over it when they move up to the more advanced level
The best are in it because they love the sport, not because it makes them feel like 'big men'
You won't get rich being a pro.
Expensive

different - You will get fit climbing hard. You have to do other exercise to get fit skydiving no matter how hard you jump.
Climbing is solving puzzles (on great routes). Skydiving (except for competitive dive engineering) isn't so much.
Skydiving you must load your safety equipment every time, climbing, you hope you don't load it even though your use it.
Climbing I sweat. Skydiving, rarely.
Climbing a good route, I'm breathless from exertion, Skydiving (a great jump) I'm breathless from excitement.
I rarely laugh during a good climb, but quite often during a good dive.
Eye contact
teammates
Climbing can be more of a solitary feel to the individual. It's a big aspect really for me. I only challenge myself while jumping with the teammates are such a huge part of the sport for me.

There's no real comparison here to me other than the people tend to bond similarly. And that's worth it right there to keep doing both.

Climbed in the gym last night. Climbing vs skydiving? NO, Saturday we're climbing outdoors, Sunday jumping - 4 of us are both skydivers and rock climb. There's no 'vs.' about it.

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[JohnMitchell 14]

In rockclimbing, you only get to do a long freefall one time.

Done it some, not my cup of tea.

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