Major Tom

@Camp4 Do you think Tesla would exist if there were no import taxes on Chinese electric cars?

Death throes. Auto incumbents face the same problem all big companies face: They can’t build from first principles. It’s just that no industry has been challenged by a startup like Tesla. Here’s the thing most people don’t get: Tesla’s competitive advantage isn’t its cars or even FSD. It’s the company itself, which is an embodiment of Elon’s 5-Step Engineering Algorithm—where you ruthlessly question everything, delete, and simplify. 👉This is the OPPOSITE of how big companies operate. They add more complexity over time, not less. One of the better examples of the algorithm at work is the evolution of the Raptor engine. By the time Ford produces a Model Y competitor (“next year”), it will be obsolete.

@Camp4 @RebeccaCNReid I agree with that perspective as well, a simple 40 hours more to spend directly with children each week. Its just detached from the current world we live in. And would add this is true for both parents. Win the lottery, stay at home.

@MajorTomToG @RebeccaCNReid You're arguing against things I didn't say. I didn't comment on the financial feasibility of large families but I do believe a stay-at-home mom of any number of kids is more present than a full-time working mom of a smaller number.

You cannot give nine children adequate time, attention and connection. You are, unquestionably, with nine children, spending less time with your children than a working parent with two kids.

@Camp4 @RebeccaCNReid Your mom lived in a different world. My grandfather had 4 kids at age 22. Gave them a middle-class life with a high school education. Similar to your Mom and Dad. Now look at your kids. How much did each spend on education, a car, a downpayment for a 1st home? *9 Times change.

@MajorTomToG @RebeccaCNReid How is this related in any way to what I said? I don’t want 9 kids, but I applaud those who do. My mom was one of nine and they had an incredible family life.

@Camp4 @RebeccaCNReid Two things: a. Folks who actually take care of large amounts of children as parents or teachers have a better idea of how effective they can be in a 1-9 ratio vs a 1-2 ratio. You have 0 experiences providing this type of care.

@Camp4 @RebeccaCNReid Ya have you spent 1 day with 9 kids ages 1 -10 in a caregiving role? Consider volunteering at a local school in pre-kindergarten through 1 grade for 1 week. Then see if your perception still stands.

@RebeccaCNReid A stay at home mom with 9 kids is more present than a working mom with 2 kids. There is a lot to be said for the presence of a parent (instead of a paid caretaker), even if it’s not focused 1-on-1 time.

@ClimbingMag Fiddlesticks work too!

Before you leave your ATC behind in the dark depths of your gear closet, read this. climbing.com/skills/rappell…

@Camp4 When was FSD first promised? When do you think it will become a reality?

The Model Y is the highest value car ever produced by a wide margin. Once you drive one for a few months, all other cars feel like relics from the past. My car does 80% of the driving and it’s flawless. Once they stop requiring supervision, it’s game over.

@ClimbingCoachX I agree, and I think the biggest risk was the slab pitches at the start. There were just so many more moves with no margin for a foot slip than the "crux."

The clip of Alex rehearsing the "boulder problem" really helps you understand the difficulty & shows why the El Cap free solo was such an incredible feat.

@Camp4 Are you still marketing testosterone supplements? If so, what % allocation would you give that ot the bio hacker measurement?

These “biohackers” massively overthink and over-measure everything. They miss the forest for the trees. Most of them are silver-tongued charlatans—hawking garbage supplements. When it comes to health, the 95/5 rule applies… 95% of optimal health (the forest) is getting the basics right: —Eat real, clean food —Tons of movement —Regular sunshine —Quality sleep —Healthy relationships —Purpose —Spiritual practice These things can be optimized for free through lifestyle changes. The last 5% (the trees) is optimizing at the margin. It involves a lot of effort and cost relative to the benefit. And many of the things promoted by biohackers don’t provide any benefit at all—or worse, negatively impact your health. I do a few things in the 5% category, but only when the bang-for-the-buck is extremely high.

@ZacksJerryRig Could we hang them from the bridge in SLC instead?

How about anyone found abusing kids in the Epstein Files gets to permanently swing from the Golden Gate Bridge?

@Camp4 @DrCamRx Ya I am trying to get about as lean as these two rock climbers.

Go read this discussion. It raises an important question: What are you optimizing for—form or function (or health)? @DrCamRx posted an unpopular opinion that most guys—even those who look lean and ripped—carry too much weight. I’ve been saying this for years. Guys are obsessed with muscle mass, but… Ripped is not fit or functional or optimally healthy. Bulk doesn’t perform or age well. If you look at the fittest guys in their 50s and beyond, none of them are meatheads—they’re all lean and mobile and strong enough. They’re not chasing deadlift PRs. As a lifelong athlete who is still performing at an elite level at 55 (in perhaps the most physically demanding sport), I can tell you that when I carry too much bulk (whether it’s muscle or fat) my body is noticeably less functional—and ultimately that impacts longevity. I’ll point the finger at myself: I like lifting just as much as the next guy and as we speak I’m carrying too much mass. I look reasonably lean and at 6’3” 198 lbs nobody will say I’m overweight, but I’m carrying ~10-15 lbs too much bulk.

@mhp_guy A lot of folks who heat with wood do this labor themselves. Thats the issue.

THE ECONOMICS OF A FIREWOOD BUSINESS Do you know what the net profit margin is on a firewood business? 85% And I know that because I've talked to dozens of people running these businesses and the numbers are wild This is exactly how it works: 1) You can get firewood for free or extremely cheap. People are literally paying tree companies like mine to get rid of trees. You show up with a truck, you haul it away and they're thanking you for it. 2) Then you split it, you stack it and you season it for a few months and sell it for $300 to $600 per cord. Startup costs are almost nothing, a chainsaw, an axe or a log splitter and a truck and you can rent a log splitter for $70 a day. You could be in this business for under $800. Some people start with even less by borrowing equipment and this is perfect because the demand is consistent. People need fire wood every single winter. It's not a fad, it's not going away and it's local and in the summertime you sell to the barbecue enthusiast. You're not competing with Amazon or big corporations, you 're competing with maybe three other guys in the area that don't even know what a website is. The work is physical but it's simple, you're going to the gym anyway. Cut, split, stack, deliver. No complicated systems, no tech skills required. You run this entire business from your phone with a Facebook marketplace and a Craigslist ad and winter's coming. The kicker is that you build up a customer base and then they come back every single year. So it's recurring revenue without a subscription model. People find a firewood guy that they trust and they stick with them forever. You could realistically do $50,000 to $150,000 a year seasonally working part-time. I'm stumped why more people aren't doing this.

@Camp4 @sporadica I agree that he good and neurodivergent person. Eating in a van does not change that. Just go to the El Cap Meadow in October, and you will see lots of climbers eating in vans. Some nurotypical some are neurodivergent.

@MajorTomToG @sporadica No, there's been a lot of discussion about Alex's autism and his amygdala but he's actually a very normal and well-adjusted person. He's just chosen a non-traditional path.

you guys really don’t know what an autistic person looks like, do you

@Camp4 @sporadica @camp4 You took the rage bait.

@sporadica This isn’t autism—it’s extreme simplicity of lifestyle. Very common in climbing culture.

@Camp4 @ClimbingCoachX And if he goes to a gym he gets mobed by fans. So it makes sence for him to have a home gym built and paid for by sponsors.

@ClimbingCoachX He also lives literally 100 yards from a bouldering zone.

In case you missed this yesterday... Alex Honnold's home gym is absolutely bonkers.

@Camp4 @NickPrijic Its a 1700ft ladder climb for Alex. He a working father with kids to suport. This climb was about the safest solo job he could do to make money and support his family. I do not blame him or see this as reckless on his part in any way.

@NickPrijic Yes, this was first and foremost a mental feat. The physical danger was low and as others have pointed out, thousands of climbers have the ability to do that climb with a high margin of safety.

This is a great example of most people’s inability to distinguish between: 1) Risk vs. consequence — Many high consequence activities are low risk. 2) Fear vs. danger — Things that look scary aren’t always dangerous. Honnold’s amazing feat was high consequence (death) but low risk due to his skill and preparation. The odds of *you* falling would be 100%. For Alex, the odds of falling were not zero, but likely under 0.1% (1 in 1000). Hanging off the side of a 101-story building triggers extreme fear in most people. But for an elite climber like Alex, the actual danger was low. Perhaps more than anyone else, he is able to rationally separate risk from consequence, fear from danger. Any climber will tell you that Honnold’s free solo of El Capitan (in the movie Free Solo) was 100X more dangerous. Likely a low single-digit percent chance of failure.

@Camp4 Any interest in a trip together? 1. 10/02/2026 Tenaya Canyon canonering route top to bottom 2. 10/03/2026 Cathedral Peak 3. 10/04/2026 Matthes Crest

@MajorTomToG I’ll be there this fall.

It's been a great winter in CO for climbers... not so much for skiers. All good things must end — spent the day shivering in the Flatirons. (Can any of my front range peeps name the iconic route?)

@TracyBethHoeg March 9, 2023 is the date the filing was made. What is the status nearly 3 years later?

What was Stanford thinking? My friend & colleague Ram Duriseti MD PhD worked in Stanford's ER for >22 years Had had covid Had a personal history of myocarditis He declined a booster Which led to him losing his job But worse, he explains he was singled out for political reasons👇

@ClimbingCoachX I think it's great that Sierra is making a living as a climber and model. Diversity in the sport is a good thing. And it is women like Kate Kelleghan and Laura Pineau who I see as the folks who are going to inspire the next generation of climbers.

Sierra Blair-Coyle bouldering near Winslow, AZ