Hey Guys its that time of the year when the best climbers in the world get some votes.... maybe we could do a south african style version.Certainly doesn't have to be straight of 8a. Perhaps Justin could even do pretty poll
Otherwise check this out.

http://www.climbing.com/golden-piton-2012-survey/

We can do a poll, but not a pretty one... I would do it here in the forum.

But first we need to nominate candidates.

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Climb ZA - Administrator

What about most improved climbers, or people climbing under 2 years/5 years or something.
Noobs (like me, yes) are always overlooked

I am prepared to donate a bottle of Johnny Walker Green label Whisky for 3 categories.

The winner of the Snort Category

The winner of the 53 year old category with the most new best friends who have Birthdays on 13 December 1958 and who has had his arse handed to him the most times at Yellowwood Amphitheatre this year.

The winner of the SA's best, no the world's best Mediocre trad climber born 13 Dec 1958 who climbs on the Ledge and YW and Blouberg a lot.

Right now I need someone to nominate me! Anyone?????

I'll nominate Charles to get the Johnny.

Justin, how about a http://www.surveymonkey.com poll. Easy to set up and I think a bit less finicky than phpBB.

Pierre, I guess I will have to share it with you..... Your are so kind.

Sorry to be the cynic here, but I don't know if the polls that are normally taken on this forum is the best method to decide this. A silent ballot would be more logical, and for this there are two basic options:

1. A committee
2. Publicly advertised candidates, with votes going via email or some other method where by the current results aren't public until they are final.

Personally I think option 1 is more logical as the candidates could be scrutinized in greater depth, as apposed to a popularity contest.

Getting back to Snorts comments, I agree that the best climber is the one having the most fun- and as this is a definition we would need to add more, such as discipline related points: do you have the best sport, boulder, trad, mountaineer, ice climbers as separate categories, or do you have an average of them all? Perhaps it would be better to say "Best Rock Climber"

I wonder what is the most impressive year performance across bouldering, sport and trad? My guess is Joe Mohl would take this

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If you aren't willing to solve your own problems, how can you expect others to?

Snort, I reckon if you take all three categories you should be able to trade it for a bottle from Islay

How about a category of the worst ascent? I think Willem Douw and I should win that as we got so spanked at YW last Sunday.

Naah guys, I don't think this is a good idea. There are just too many variables. It is way too subjective. There are lots of climbers doing great things all around the world and it is the ones that market themselves and thereby also get the best support that win. There are villages of people in the Alps that have climbers that if they were to bother recording their ascents on 8aNU would knock off a lot of the names you see there.

Most of the guys I climb with try as hard as anyone I know, are as passionate and it give it their all as much as any of the best climbers in the world. The reward is in the friendship and the sharing. And that is plenty. Climbing is not about accolades. It is about passion, contribution and participation. I recall making a movie with the FAC about this. Leave the bling and the wow out of climbing I think. It is not a meritocracy!

What might work is if you merely make a hit list of achievements of good routes done, spectacular failures, new routes done, individual highlights and so on. That would inspire people and makes no judgement.

Some years ago there was a poll to decide which was the best route in SA. Sterling Silver at Silvermine came out tops. I mean that is ridiculous by any measure. Not that there is anything wrong with it as a route. But there was no merit to the vote.

i agree with SNORT on this one - SA is just too small a community for any real competition; and part of the magic (for me at least) is that achievement is in personal terms; not competing with the crowd.

we already got that who's sending what thread and that makes for pretty inspirational reading - matt soloing 31s; joe crushing on trad; arjan sending some badass boulders; hillton & guy opening sick routes in the far places etc. no less merit though to a beginner pushing themselves out there on an 18 or something.

All methods too complicated. Keep it simple. Andy de Klerk...for all awards... always!

http://www.climbing.co.za/2011/12/rock-legends-2011/

Forget about the 10s of rising or current SA stars.

Election should be by scorn committee over said bottle of Islay (or any bottle of single malt from one of the finer Inner Hebridean distilleries, it's all good).

I could win the award for "most difficulty experienced on a grade 12 trad route by a non-lead climber"

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If you are what you eat, rock climbers must be people who eat nuts...

And not everyone knows everyone. The only way someone knows I've been on a route is the existence of a bail-a-bina at the crux! Haha

On a serious note, I don't think a vote, as good idea and motivation as it is, would really mean anything online.

Having said that, any competion where alcohol is the prize, questions the morals, ethics, motivation and credibility of a sport, and I for one would without any doubt like to enter such a competition.

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Strangers have the best candy!

I think it's a good idea! Nominate some people (post some photo's)and then just vote on it. It doesn't have to be a something serious with loads of rules and nonsense. There doesn't even have to be prizes at all.
I nominate Dickie Talma for climbing the most in the worse pair of worn beaten torn shoes ever.
Two of his toes are already sticking out but he still climbs in the shoes.

I agree with RockOn - this is for fun, we don't need rules or prizes. Its like KZN MCSA's underachievers awards - just for fun.

Oh - that reminds me, my difficulty on that grade 12 route was partly due to a shoe failure I experienced 2m up, I had to take my shoes off and climb the rest of the way barefoot. I only noticed the volume of blood at the top

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If you are what you eat, rock climbers must be people who eat nuts...

there should be a prize for someone only "seen" on the forum and never at the crag. or guys who claim to need partners but are never available when you ask them to go climbing.

Garvin

Ya certainly doesnt have to be the guy's climbing 30 grades can be simply the guys that have really been noticed this year around the crag certainly not the big name climbers but of coarse dont exclude them. Perhaps we could email Justin a list of names and the names that come up the most can be put on a annonynous poll voting system.Although most of us will be out climbing in dec but ya who knows maybe a good idea for next year.