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saxabar - MemberWow, back to the days of Nicomachus – that's going some.
Complaining about the youth of today isn't a new thing, you know...
I don't think there is less adventurous stuff going on. I think there is much more of a divide between people who do stuff and people who don't nowadays. But if you want adventure, it is much easier to find people to do it with, and get information about it, and get out there.
For example I do a lot of 'wild swimming', or what in the past would just have been called 'swimming'. In the past, lots of people would have swum outdoors every so often, so if I went down the river for a dip, your average person wouldn't have thought I was a nutter. Yesterday, my pile of clothes next to the river was briefly mistaken for evidence of a suicide attempt (thank goodness I got back before they called the police - I shall hide my clothes better next time!), that is how odd outdoor swimming is to the average person nowadays.
But on the flip side, thanks to the internet, there is tons of information out there and I know loads of other people who also choose to go swimming outside on a regular basis. For example, I've got a bit of an ongoing swimming project relating to our local river. Before a swim, I have easy access to good maps and aerial photos to check out where is swimmable, where weirs and rapids are, what the banks look like, I can ask other local swimmers about the area and the access, I also get a lot of good info off canoe sites, the current water level is available on the environment agency website so I know if it'll be deep enough, and sometimes I can arrange people to swim with. I can also access more information about how to push myself safely with relation to currents, extremely cold water, big lakes or whatever which mean I can do bigger things without being in too much danger.
Good question OP!
I think there are two answers to this - and they are diametrically opposed.
One the one hand we have become much greater risk takers - biking, off-piste skiing, white water rafting, rock climbing (does anyone start on diffs and v diffs anymore?) etc. To the extent that I believe that we often under-estimate risks and over-rely on technology improvements.
On the other, we have become absurdly risk-averse in more mundane aspects of life and our kids are being prevented from enjoying a lot of the freedom and controlled risk-assessment and risk-taking that their parents enjoyed. Could that be a reason why they increasingly find solace in binge drinking? (ok a bit left field there!)
joemarshall - MemberI don't think there is less adventurous stuff going on. I think there is much more of a divide between people who do stuff and people who don't nowadays.
Very true.
"The Trafford Centre set"?
Most [i]ordinary[/i] people in the UK have it quite good or are at least warm/fed/sheltered/clothed/TV'd/car'd/iPhone'd these days (the wealth may decline in future decades) and there is no need to do difficult/arduous/risky activities in the course of a normal, everyday life.
Even a foreign holiday involves only a taxi ride to/from the airport and a 'resort' for most people.
Those who do 'adventurous' activities actively seek them out.
rock climbing (does anyone start on diffs and v diffs anymore?)
If we are talking outdoor trad leading I never progressed beyond V Diffs (well, Severe actually) 😳
One the one hand we have become much greater risk takers - biking, off-piste skiing, white water rafting, rock climbing (does anyone start on diffs and v diffs anymore?) etc. To the extent that I believe that we often under-estimate risks and over-rely on technology improvements.On the other, we have become absurdly risk-averse in more mundane aspects of life
I sort of agree with this. If you define adventure as doing something where the outcome is unknown and the consequences are potentially dangerous, on an individual level the outliers are probably more adventurous than in the past (think: Rampage, Baumgartner et all). Collectively though, we have become more risk averse and therefore less adventurous.
I am not sure if I would catagorise most biking (even with a map)or even rockclimbing as adventure though. Not massively dangerous and too close to civilisation and security.
I'm nearing 50. Do you think my dad would be out on the hills on a pushbike when he was that age?
munrobiker - there are some exciting bits of track into, and out of rivelin if you know where to look........
I actually agree with the OP on this one. I for one am much less likely to be seen with a map these days.
I think I simply have less time, and I am fatter, and I have a bigger bike. It all adds up to not really wanting to spend 5 hours trudging through a bog to figure out what a certain piece of trail is like.
I'm much more likely to go to Greno \ wharnecliffe \ parkwood \ bolehill \ some trail centre and at least know I will be able to get the wheels off the ground
imnotverygood - MemberI'm nearing 50. Do you think my dad would be out on the hills on a pushbike when he was that age?
Possibly not.
My Grandad, who had been quite adventurous, was still into a bit of urban exploration, or "trespassing" as it was known then when in his 60s-70s. If he was around now he'd probably be posting up photos on the www.
I'm nearing 50. Do you think my dad would be out on the hills on a pushbike when he was that age?
or whizzing round woods at night with a head torch.
🙂
I plan to be doing things that would have been classed 'adventure'
back in the day ,for as long as I can.
[url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20026099 ]Keep going[/url]