Climberism - Keeping the Stoke High

I think it was last winter that I began to notice Climberism. I would check in every so often to see what was happening with the website. I kept thinking "What's the plan for this website? Will it become something bigger?" It reminded me a bit of Splitter Choss and Climbing Narc, two other climbing blogs that cover news and do reviews of climbing-related gear.

I know what you're thinking.... If you're like me you think shredder porn (the magazines and websites) is dumb. I probably pick up an issue of Climbing magazine once/year and I seldom surf for climbing blogs that have no relation to me whatsoever. The only climbing publication I look at regularly is Alpinist.

Why would I cruise over to Climberism frequently then? The answer is simple - it focuses exclusively on climbers and climbs in the northeast. Moab, Rocky Mountain National Park, and Yosemite are all awesome, but they're 2000+ miles away. The newsworthy content on Climberism has all taken place within a few hours of your home and my home (and we don't even live near each other;). You can watch videos of boulderers cranking amazing b@llsh%t houdini moves up steep blank faces in the Gunks and CT, read about northeast climbers cranking really hard trad and sport routes, see pictures of the newest northeast mixed testpiece and get local climbers' opinions on new gear.

It makes total sense - humans care more about people they know than people they have no association with whatsoever. Climberism has run away with this concept and I think they're hitting a homerun.

David Crothers, who designed and manages Climberism does it for "fun" and considers it his second full time job. I spoke with him on the phone last week and he said his own climbing time has suffered as a result but that he enjoys what he's doing. Climberism's growth has been measured and steady, a surefire way to prove to advertisers that you have what it takes to keep viewers coming back. He's now selling adspace to major gear companies and getting about 1000 pageviews/day.

Dave has also been publishing a bimonthly online magazine through Climberism. I usually read each issue cover-to-cover right away. The focus is always on climbing areas I can check out soon, or places I love visiting and go to often. The interviews are with people you'll meet at the cliffs in the northeast, and the photos are great.

We have so much good climbing in the northeast, and a community of climbers that are psyched to climb year-round despite weather that can be discouraging. It's good to finally have a devoted climbing news outlet too. The next time you have a spare minute or several to waste browsing the web head over to Climberism, you won't be disappointed.