Dirt Bag Climber are still around

Andrew Bisharat recently wrote, "Climbing used to be a refuge for social derelicts. The best climbers in the world were often the poorest people. Today, the best climbers are instead some of the richest."

Over at Mountains and Water Peter Beals say "The world of climbing never talks about that reality, referring instead to the "dirtbag" lifestyle, a cliché that is sounding just a bit too detached from the economic trauma this country is currently undergoing. If you have time to go off and climb rocks all over the world and not have to work all the time to support this habit, you are not a dirtbag. You are the 1% or damn close to it. And the demographics of the sport reflect this fact. Climbers are typically white, male, and typically have incomes in the upper five figures or higher. In other words the leisure class really only operates these days on one end of the spectrum, assuming the pretend climbing hoboes of yesteryear ever really belonged to the other."

The top 1% on American society are indeed not top tier climbers, they are too worried about earning money and making money to spend time visiting obscure cliffs all over the world. I say obscure, because of you're not a climber, I doubt you can tell the difference between the Tonsai Tower and Verdon Gorge with one quick look of a person scaling either.

While many climbers do earn a living climbing full time via endorsement of various products, not many are reaching the six figure salaries both of these blog post imply. Yes, a few do, maybe a dozen or two at that, but in today's world, even a six figure income doesn't qualify you for the top 1%.

Over the last decade, I've had the privilege of hosting many of the dirt-bag climbers who travel across Asia. I'd say we have a climber living in our house roughly five months out of the year. In December, my wife and I will be hosting two climbers for an extended stay here in Indonesia. Of over 100 climbers we've hosted in our house, many on extended trips across South East Asia's climbing area, non were making six figure salaries before they left the states or Europe. Most were very short on money and living on Ramen and rice while trying to live life to the fullest.

if you really believe the dirt-bag climber lifestyle is of year years is over, a both of you need to visit a few more trad climbing areas in the states. On my yearly summer trips, we meet plenty of climbers, living out of van or pick-up, doing the odd job here or there. Many of them climb hard, some don't, all are living on minimum money for years at time to climb as much as possible.

While I can't speak for Europe, I meet plenty of dirt-bag climbers around Asia too. Some work for a 150 USD a month guiding in Vietnam just so they can climb more. Visit Tonsai and ask some of the "local foreigners" how long they have there with low income and loving life because they live in a climber's paradise. While asking the full-time foreign local, maybe you can questions the ones who are just there for winter how much money they're earning or have in the bank.

I do think that place like Riffle has a higher incme per climber, but I also think that sport climbing appeal to people who work full time. It's easier to get started, much quicker to see progress, and more social when at the cliffs than trad climbing in the America.

Plenty of climbers are still giving up houses, regular income, and trips tot he restaurant in order to maintain climbing lifestyle.