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And fun, like anything, can be nuanced; not all fun is created equal. But it wasn't until June 2001, while bushwhacking through thickets of Alaskan devil's club--home to hungry grizzly bears--that I learned of the Fun Scale. Fun, it turns out, is quantifiable. The bushwhacking came about because my friend Peter had invited me to join him on a low-key outing: a boat ride across a gorgeous bay to climb a small, mellow mountain. It sounded like the perfect finish to my trip, as I'd spent the previous month climbing in the Alaska Range. My climbing partner, Scott, and I had had a terrific trip. Though we were often terrified while actually climbing, we loved it later. I tried to keep up with Peter as branches whacked me in the face. "You know that there are three types of fun," Peter said, bushwacking onward. "Hey, bear!" I responded. We were trying to return to his sailboat--home to a cooler of cold beers. Peter kept going, and described the Fun Scale. Here it is: Type I Fun Type 1 fun is enjoyable while it's happening. Also known as, simply, fun. Good food, 5.8 hand cracks. Sport climbing, powder skiing, margaritas. Type II Fun Type 2 fun is miserable while it's happening, but fun in retrospect. It usually begins with the best intentions, and then things get carried away. Riding your bicycle across the country. Doing an ultramarathon. Working out till you puke, and, usually, ice and alpine climbing. Also surely familiar to mothers, at least during childbirth and the dreaded teenage years. I remember that very trip to Alaska, just a week before learning about the Fun Scale, when Scott and I climbed Mt. Huntington. Huntington might be the most beautiful mountain in the Alaska Range, but the final thousand feet was horrifying--steep sugar snow that collapsed beneath our feet as we battled upward, unable to down-climb, and unable to find protection or anchors. On the summit, with the immaculate expanse of the range unfolding in every direction, Scott turned to me and said, in complete seriousness, "I want my mom so bad right now." By the time we reached Talkeetna his tune changed: "Ya know, that wasn't so bad. What should we try next year?" Type III Fun Type 3 fun is not fun at all. Not even in retrospect. Afterward, you think, "What in the hell was I doing? If I ever come up with another idea that stupid, somebody slap some sense into me." Many alpine climbs. Failed relationships that lacked Type I fun. Offwidths. Writing a book. Into which category a given experience falls, of course, is highly subjective and highly subject to shifts (particularly from III to II) born of the rosy reflections afforded us by the passage of time. Which is probably a good thing. After all, as alpinists and mothers both know: It doesn't have to be "fun" to be fun. [pixel_7144] ClimbKelly Cordes Kelly Cordes Headshot Kelly Cordes Being outside makes Kelly Cordes smile, and his love of climbing and the outdoors has led him on adventures around the world. He was a longtime editor for the American Alpine Journal, author of the 2014 award-winning book, The Tower: A Chronicle of Climbing and Controversy on Cerro Torre, and co-author of the 2017 bestseller, The Push: A Climber's Journey of Endurance, Risk, and Going Beyond Limits . He lives in Colorado. Read More 22 Comments Cancel Reply Write your comment [] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] Join the discussion [ ] Fill in your details below, or select an option to login: Staff Login Your Name*[ ] Your Email* ( address never made public ) [ ] Post Comment [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ] D[ ] 1. [] rushthezeppelin November 19, 2017 Offwidths are type I fun for me.....does that mean there is something wrong with me? Reply 2. [] Karen A Viola May 15, 2018 Just recently learned about the term Type 2 Fun. Been engaging in it all my life. Thanks for this perfect description. Own your own fun! Reply 3. [] Karl Heiz July 31, 2018 Isn't Type III Fun logically the kind of things which are so much fun in the moment and which you horribly regret later? E.g. binge eating ice cream or drinking whiskey all night. Reply + [] Timothy Baker September 12, 2018 This is correct. Reply + [] Rich G March 30, 2021 I've always characterized Type 3 fun as Kelly does and call what you're talking about Type 4 fun Reply 4. [] Timothy Baker September 12, 2018 Type 3 fun is fun at the time, not fun in retrospect. (Binging anything, hooking up with an ex, etc.) Type 4 fun is fun for everyone but you. Reply + [] Samuel Dawson May 14, 2019 Hahah yes! Reply + [] Bob Lopez June 6, 2019 It's like a Johari Window of fun. Reply 5. [] Frank October 15, 2018 Type 3 Fun is actually Fun telling others how hard or challenging the activity was. Reply 6. [] Jboi February 1, 2019 My girlfriend says she might have experienced type 3.5/4 "I lost all will to live and just wanted to drop dead" while belaying me on an ice climb. Reply 7. [] Gregory Doggett June 22, 2019 Yeah...I took a break from Type 2 bikepacking to do a nice Type 1 bicycle tour in Ohio this year. Already dreaming up the next Type 2 trip to compensate... Reply 8. [] Alan Durning September 12, 2019 No, no, no. This numbering system is all wrong. Type 1 is correct. Type 2 fun is enjoyable at the time but regrettable later, e.g., overindulging. Type 3 is what you call type 2: not fun during, good fun later. And type 4 fun is neither fun at the time, nor later. This numbering scheme forms a simple, four-cell matrix, with now/later on the vertical axis and fun/no fun on the horizontal axis. Reply + [] James Alexander April 30, 2021 Are you a management consultant? Reply + [] Quinn McHugh May 31, 2021 The fun matrix... Love it. Reply 9. [] random November 3, 2019 for fun i watch minecraft porn Reply 10. [] Legs Akimbo December 11, 2019 What about the fun of watching someone else do it, but no way in hell you would do it. Candide Thovex and hisilk. Maybe Type 0.5 Fun Reply 11. [] Saisha Griffith July 26, 2020 HI Mr, Cordes. I found your article to be immensely eye-opening. However, I would like to suggest the existence of a fourth type of fun. Type 4: When it is fun in the moment, but not-so-fun afterward. For example, eating ice cream whilst being lactose intolerant is exhilarating in the moment, but only leads to regret. I have lived experience, and I resent the type four erasure. Please contact me with any questions, or if you would like to collaborate in the future. My colleagues would love to back from you as well. Thank you, enjoy your day. Reply 12. [] SG March 14, 2021 Math in school was Type II fun, I suppose Reply 13. [] I.M. Wright July 5, 2021 The outdoor industry loves this type of stuff: to quantify something that is pure then package and sell it or even better opt into it and make it a lifestyle and make it a hashtag to target the right people. Reply 14. [] stumpnugget August 4, 2021 How is not fun at all, now or in retrospect, a type of Fun? Reply 15. [] Jimmy December 14, 2021 Huh so that's where woodysgamertag got it from Reply 16. [] Tom Duguid January 30, 2022 Remember: It doesn't have to be fun to be fun! Reply Return to TopTop Begin dialog REI Difference 100% satisfaction guaranteed We stand behind everything we sell. If you're not satisfied with your REI purchase, you can return it for a replacement or refund within one year of purchase, except for outdoor electronics, which must be returned within 90 days of purchase. Outdoor electronics include activity monitors, GPS-enabled devices, bike trainers, emergency-communication devices, and cameras. 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