I am in a mini non-climbing relating vacation right now but climbing is always on my mind. I am in Kansas City which is the last place I would expect to find a climbing shop but low and behold there just happened be one across the street from my hotel. Dynamic Earth Equipment is an interesting place. I walk in there and it feels like you entered into the hippie version of Abercrombie and Fitch. There is noticeably loud music, a back lit wall for hanging backpacks and the distinct feel that an interior designer was given the mandate to be ‘earth friendly’. Sadly, there was just enough gear to get my hopes up but not enough to actually play with.
I want a climbing store to be well stocked in both equipment and climbers. I want a gear shop that is slightly disorganized because the customers and the employees are playing with the gear. I don’t want a neat stack of Arc’teryx harnesses stylishly arranged on a table, I want a pile of harnesses on a table to feel. I want experienced climbers telling me about rapping off 6mil in a blizzard on the Cassin Ridge, not talking about the new Trango Cinch they use at the gym.
This is my rant and all the pretty little clean shaven, epic-wantabe climbers can deal with it.