Climbing and dating ;) *Valentine special*

Hey, my girlfriend, climber but not 8a member was philosophizing about climbing and love and stuff. Here her little thoughts :) What do you think...how do we get more girls into climbing and where do we find climbing-girls...   Girls and *love* in climbing In at about a week it's Valentines day. Not in every country we celebrate this but we at least know what it's about. Love. Love and climbing go perfectly together. I mean, we love climbing, we love the rocks we love the routes. But what about a relationship? I'd rather don't be that intimate with a rock. Its a bit too cold and rough... Climbers have, if you are a “real one” quite a special lifestyle. They like to go out camping, sleep under rocks, don't take showers for days and have primitive habits like screaming when something is difficult. Even, depending on your style of climbing this primitivity can be more or less. (Alpinist, iceclimber, boulderer, speedclimber, trad climber, multipitcher...) Now imagine, you'd like to love something more then the rock you climb on. You like to have a girl. Where do you find them? And more important, what are your criteria? Now I am a girl, so I can only imagine the other side, but all my friends in climbing are guys. Actually, in the country I live in there are hardly any girls climbing at all. And if they climb, then its at about just once a month... Too bad for me, not having any girls to climb with. But imagine, being a guy and wanting a girl! In any crack on the world you will see 1% girls, 99,9% guys climbing. And most girls climbing have a boyfriend anyway. Mostly one who forced them into climbing because they love the rock more then the girl. So no chanche at all for the single climber under us... And thus you try it over the internet. Male 27 Looking for girl 18-30 And then you have to describe yourself... Often away from home, real traveller. Strong light build, browned body. Likes to enjoy French breakfast with coffee and baquette. Casual clothing style. Or actually: bum, no real home, no money either. Never strong enough, accidentaly browned body. No money for new clothing, doesn't mind holes in trousers. No girls who are going to find you attractive when you enter a bar. And now I come in. Damn girls, don't you realize what you're missing? Imagine, no worries about money, you never have it anyway, no worries about city life. You live in beautiful surroundings. You learn how to enjoy the little things life has to offer you. And next to that you have this muscely guy lying next to you in your tent? So whats the problem? Hey, what, smell you say? Just take one shower less yourself I would say, better for the environment anyway. And you know, finding sweat stinky is learned? Not natural? And then comes the best. The climbing. You can climb all day and have your personal belayers always with you. He will love you so much when you'll try a climb that he will belay you for the whole day. So, why are there so few girls in climbing? Girls, we need you. Those hot monkeys up at the rocks also have the right on a girl! I started climbing four years ago (I climb 7c or 8a or something, but just for serious fun) and now have no idea of what to do without it. I could never imagine having a boyfriend whos not climbing. So I put up some criteria...because I had so much choise. Minimum 8a climber and nice looking. Those criteria were a bit too easy actually. In Céuse two years ago I met my boyfriend. We're living and mainly climb together now and I could never do without him. I hope more guys will be so lucky to find a climbing girl! Wouldn't it be a idea to put up a climbers-dating-site on 8a? ;) Marianne