threads

[skinsk]

I notice a lot of people misusing the "upcoming trips" thread. Please use this to post specific trips or desired trips. If you're new to Korea or want general information, please use "climbing chat".

[skinsk]

Great to see new people! Please read the sticky. there are threads to find partners, advice, shopping, etc.

Maybe there needs to be an introduction thread? "upcoming trips" is exactly for that-- planning actual trips!

[obsessed]

I honestly think the introduction threads a good idea. People seem to be posting " hey new to korea i wanna go on a trip oh btw where do you find gear around here" Mabye we need to start a "where the hell are all the climbing stores?" search kind of like you do with the climbs. Cause If I go into one more nepa where a guy says he has climbing stuff and he tries to sell me some trail shoes i'm gonna go all explodey.

[danger]

It pisses me off to no end to walk into outdoor stores here in Korea with huge posters covering the walls of people camping and climbing, that sell everything except what you need to actually camp and climb.

[skinsk]

Oh, hey, there is a shopping forum!

[blacklotus]

Oh, even worse is when for example the shop has a Five Ten sign in its window yet in fact carries nothing from Five Ten : p

[skinsk]

That's surprising as 5.10 has a large presence here! It was one of the first companies to sponsor Korean climbers and manufacture climbing goods here-- so I don't think they would be so happy to hear someone has their logo but not their goods. Are you sure?

Many climbing clothing shops have pictures (even displays of) camping and climbing equipment because they sell clothing for camping and climbing. Such displays are common in Europe and the USA as well. Fortunately this forum has a shopping thread, as I've noted, so you can find things even if your Korean isn't good enough to tell a clothing store from a camping/climbing store

However, I'd be curious to know if you see a store that has a brand logo and doesn't carry that brand-- especially 5.10 (or Mad Rock or Scarpa or Trango or North Face . . .) or any other brand with Korean partners.

For expressing frustration and whining, there are many other websites! this is a good one for useful information, asking questions and constructive analysis, even debate. Oh I pray it stays that way

[blacklotus]

For expressing frustration and whining, there are many other websites! this is a good one for useful information, asking questions and constructive analysis, even debate. Oh I pray it stays that way

Huh? I'm not sure to whom you directed this, but I was most definitely not intending to express frustration or whine. I was simply making an observation that I found humorous. If I had intended to express frustration or whine, then I would have begun my statement with something more like, "It pisses me off to no end..." and would certainly not have ended it with : p Little faces like that serve a purpose, to mean, "hey, don't take this too seriously."

That's surprising as 5.10 has a large presence here! It was one of the first companies to sponsor Korean climbers and manufacture climbing goods here-- so I don't think they would be so happy to hear someone has their logo but not their goods. Are you sure?

The shop's located in Anyang, although I couldn't tell you where, as it was my first week here, and I was lost at the time. I walked in because I was curious to price rock shoes in Korea. As far as I could tell they simply didn't sell rock shoes at all. I said 'Five Ten' to the woman working there, and she seemed not to understand. So I took her to the sign and pointed to the Five Ten logo. I don't recall the exact response, but it wasn't affirmative. It's possible there was simply a miscommunication, as I spoke/ understood very little Korean at the time, and she very little English. But it was a small shop (seemed more themed towards skiing) and had no apparent rock shoes or climbing equipment.

My guess is that they stocked climbing equipment in the recent past but no longer.

[blacklotus]

http://tuscarora.koreasme.com/com_01.html

Tonight as I rode the escalator in Lotte Mart I noticed photographs of people climbing. Well, Lotte Mart doesn't exactly sell climbing equipment... So what's the deal? I think danger's observation and associated frustration maybe has to do with how outdoor apparel is marketed in Korea.

In case you haven't noticed yet, there's a huge market for outdoor apparel in Korea. You can buy softshell pants and waterproof hiking boots at Lotte Mart, for example. On practically every day in March I noticed MANY older native Korean people carrying trekking poles and dressed from head to toe in specialized outdoor apparel. Every neighborhood shopping district has a shop that sells outdoor apparel, sometimes three or more shops on the same block.

In North America or Europe, maybe, the market for such specialized clothing isn't so mainstream because we tend to wear more versatile clothing throughout day-to-day life. Whereas in Korea people tend wear more formal clothing in day-to-day life and then specialized clothing for recreation. If you study trends in North American outdoor apparel, I think you'll notice it's filled with hybridization, versatility. "You can wear it to work and then wear it when you go climbing after work." A quick look through a Patagonia catalogue shows this well enough. Even their cotton clothing they want us to believe is somehow perfect for long days spent climbing.

And how about in Korea? I noticed this photograph in Lotte Mart of a woman crack climbing, apparently somewhere in North America, and it bears the name 'TUSCARORA'. I visited their website and of course it's an apparel brand. They don't make cams, they don't ropes, rock shoes, or as danger put it, "anything you actually need to camp or climb". People who have lived here all their lives, I think, realize that the product is outdoor clothing and not dynamic rope. And to them, outdoor clothing IS needed, because the clothing they wear to work or out to dinner is not at all suited for going camping or climbing.

So I get the sense that in Korea, practically EVERYONE goes hiking, at least at some stage in his/ her life. But maybe comparatively very few ever go camping, and a negligible number ever buys a rope or pair of rock shoes. People here like to be active outdoors, but that generally means simply walking in the mountains. Displaying pictures of people camping or climbing simply communicates 'outdoor activity', 'nature', or 'adventure'. To a foreign climber in search of equipment, finding this frustrating seems understandable. The crux, I think, lies in understanding how Korean people dress and what outdoor activity means to them. And then, how Korean companies market their products on the basis of that.

Anyway, that's all I've to say. I hope this observation is less subject to misinterpretation : p