The documentary gives an account of the developments and revolution of rock climbing. The video starts with a generation of climbers who began climbing in the 1950s law (Mortime & Rosen, 2014). In the 1950s, John Salathe was the leader of climbing (Valley Uprising, 2014). The climbing started in a small village outside San Francisco in Loss Angelos with the Mecca Camp adventure. The rock climbers in the golden age, 1955-1970 included Royal Robbins, Yvon Chouinard, Tom Frost, Steve Roper, and Chuck Pratt law (Mortime & Rosen, 2014). Royal Robins was the group leader, but Warren Harding later started competing against him and decided to go to the tallest rock, El Capitan, which was 3000 ft. He is described as having an overly imaginative mind and an inspiration for his commitment and the, level of guidance, and resilience.
Robin and Harding stopped the climbing, and a new revolution of the stone masters, which lasted from 1973 to 1980, was established. The group comprised Largo, Dale, Bulwinkle, Kaukuator, Bachar, and Lynny. This group used free climbing using their fingers instead of ropes. The next significant group that came about was the stone monkeys, a form of modern climbing. They were called rock stars and had a love and passion for risky mountain climbing. The main feature of the 1970s was rocks, and the group explored different places, including Ethiopia.
Social Context
When the first group started climbing the rocks, society was devastated and looking for ways to explore life. The climbers formed a group after the Second World War when people were increasingly focused on family and adventure. The climbers are described as a group of young rebels who vigorously followed their dreams (Valley Uprising, 2014). The young people had just witnessed the aftermath of way and vented through sports. Thus, they were trying to leave a mark (physical through writings on the walls and making a name that people will remember), hooked for the adrenaline. The 1960s, which was the height of Civil rights justice were characterized by constant protest (Mortime & Rosen, 2014). The cultural rift in the United States in the 1970s was widening with some remarkable events such as the Vietnam war and a wide discontent.
Subculture Relationship to the Broader Society
The life of the rock climbers was significantly detached from that of the wider society. For instance, they had no expectation of ever having a job because they promised themselves that they were going to keep climbing forever (Valley Uprising, 2014). They spent most of their time training and climbing and existed as a small family. The the group would sometime live in the park for long periods. They even attracted tourists who came to watch their expertise and balance with rock climbing.
Society perceived most the Rock climbers as rebels due to their culture of drinking alcohol and chasing women. Particularly, Harding never left his alcohol down, whether he was with his mother chatting or climbing law (Mortime & Rosen, 2014). Moreover, climbing is an outlaw activity, and attracts constant scrutiny by the law authorities. There remains a clash between the rangers and the climbers because they view them as stupid and their degrees irrelevant.
Maintenance of Boundaries
The group maintains its boundaries through expertise and prowess in its skillful climbing. For instance, Lynny, the only girl in the rock masters group, states that she knew the only way to stay with the boys was by working harder and ensuring that she gained the necessary climbing skills. The group was driven by a passion for committing to the unknown and getting to do extraordinary exploits, which the public was unwilling. For instance, the first time Hardings climbed the El Capitan was after two years of strategies and coming up and down the rock. Similarly, the most famous monkey climbers of the age Tucker avoided surveillance while staying in the park and climbing. The clothing and scheming strategies maintain a firm boundary that the general public and the police cannot easily penetrate.
Rigidity and Flexibility of Boundaries
The boundaries between the wider society and the climbers are mainly due to the nature of the skills needed for the profession. Sometimes even within the different groups, there are several rigidities. For instance, the people led by Robins were considered the valley Christians who followed a strict way of doing things law (Mortime & Rosen, 2014). The rivalry between Robins and Harding, who was more of a free-spirited person, came to its height in the 1970s when the latter eyed the dawn wall, which was unimaginable to climb. The first attempt took 28 days, during which they were almost rescued but refused until they reached the top. In addition, the star found marijuana, which motivated them further because they could get cash from the sales.
Change Over Time
At the time when the group was starting, the primary motivation was an adventure and releasing the adrenaline. Later, the Stone masters group started doing sports climbing as a profession so that they could earn a living. They later started internal rivalry and could no longer work to gather, disintegrating the group. The rock climbers then moved to the art of flying from one cliff to another, which was dangerous and prohibited by the law (Mortime & Rosen, 2014). In addition, they did base jumping, using parachutes to move from one cliff to the next. Moreover, the climbers culture has changed due to tourist and the guards constantly interfering with the climbers. There are now laws and penalties for climbers who jump and fly off the cliff. One thing that remains constant is that the climbers are adventurous explorers with a thrill for the adrenaline release
Reference
Mortime, P. & Rosen N. B. (2014). Valley uprising [Documentary film]. Sender Films