Climbing Vernacular
“Dirtbag”
RR
May 6, 2020
Informant Data:
RR is a 22-year-old in her senior year at Dartmouth College. She was born in Washington DC, United States on July 26, 1997. Rachel has a younger sister, who is 20 years old. Her dad works in the foreign service and her mom is an epidemiologist. Her family origins are Eastern-European Jewish. R is white, upper-middle class, and Jewish. R started climbing recreationally when she was in freshman year of high school due to her school’s outdoor program. She climbed more during her gap year and at Dartmouth College. No one else in her family climbs. She was chair of the Dartmouth Mountaineering Club (DMC) and teaches people how to Sport and Trad climb. She climbs outdoors primarily. She is planning on taking time before graduate school to “dirtbag” and is currently building out a van to do so.
Contextual Data:
Cultural Context: The outdoor climbing community originated in Yosemite valley in the 60s as part of a counter-culture movement. The movement revolved around living long term in campgrounds, a tent, or your car. The people that lived this way climbed full-time. Climbing was their sport, passion, and lifestyle. These people have been idolized in the climbing community. They gave up a lot to live this way and therefore lived rather frugally, not paying for lodging and sometimes taking food from hotel lobbies or out of trash from other camping groups. Good climbing spots are often crowded, so the earlier a climber arrives the more access they have to climbing. Therefore, it is very advantageous to sleep near the climbing location. There are many famous climbing sites scattered across the United States so the most efficient way to get great access to all climbing is by parking your van near the location and sleeping in it overnight. The best climbers dedicate their lives to climbing full-time. There is also a dirtbag community that will climb with each other.
Social Context: The vernacular term “dirtbag” is used during conversations between climbers to describe a who a climber is or a climber’s lifestyle. The term refers only to outdoor climbers that have dedicated themselves to full time climbing and usually live out of their vans. Climbers can also use it to refer to themselves. An example of the way “dirtbag” can be used is: “I’m building out a sprinter van and I’m going to dirtbag for the next year.” Climbing vernacular folklore is used to create a sense of community among climbers. Knowing vernacular means that climbers are instantly accepted in different climbing locations, regardless of if they are locals. This is particularly important because climbers travel a lot to find the best climbing. The unique vernacular defines a group that is “in the know” and therefore respected more as climbers. This vernacular in particular reinforces the idealized version of climbing/climbers. Vernacular also promotes verbal efficiency and defines ideas that are important to the climbing community, but do not exist outside of climbing. It can also be seen as a status symbol to be a dirtbag because it means you are serious about climbing.
Text:
I have recorded “dirtbag” as closely as I could to the way RR told it. The following description is from the notes I took during the interview, and are paraphrases of what she shared during it.
The term “dirtbag” is used to describe a climber who has fully dedicated themselves to the lifestyle of the original Yosemite Valley climbers. It can be used as a noun and a verb. People can “go dirtbag” or someone can be a “dirtbag.” It is used by outdoor climbers. Someone is deemed a “dirtbag” if they are living out of their van or in a climbing area. A “dirtbag” typically has a carefree attitude and lack of sense of time. They are considered by the outside world to be a hippy, dirty, and poor but they are idolized in the climbing community. “Dirtbags” are experienced outdoor climbers. The term “dirtbag” comes from the dirty look of the climbers that live this way.
Roxanne Holden, 21
Dartmouth College
Russ 13
Spring 2020
