martin asks: Stodgy? Correcting my `stogy' typo...
---------
Absolutely.
``Stodgy ...2.fig. Dull, heavy, wanting in interest, gaiety, or brightness 1887...''
I guess it's a little over drawn. But American climbers under the influence of the Chouinard-Robbins generation were too serious, competitive, and clean-cut. The Euro climbers, some English, Welsh, but mostly French and Germans were a lot more fun and relaxing to be around. If you got drunk and made an ass out of yourself like I used to, nobody cared. Next morning no dower looks---just a laugh and pat on the back.
After the late 80s the Russians started showing up. They were clearly out of their tree. I've never been more scared, or laughed harder, or been through more emotional trauma of all kinds than during a brief few hours climbing with some Russians---and they never stopped talking.
This grim bigoted righwing Bush crap is really bad. The US has got to get back into the world.
Berkeley and Yosemite are (or were) linked together in the climbing scene. Both are small worlds, so little changes in the social and cultural climate immediately register. Since Bush took office (and 9/11), a lot of foriegn climbers and visitors seem to have disappeared from both places. Part of that is probably due to the constant pressure by the National Park system to make Yosemite more and more inaccessible, expensive, and inhospitable. But I think most of the loss of foriegn visitors is the US righwing atmosphere---greatly enhanced by toxic travel hassles getting into this fortress. Who wants to go to the Third Reich for tourism and a climbing vacation?
CG