Mountain Project Logo

Music At the Crag?

bdiddy · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2007 · Points: 0

Music in fine for the gym rats, but at the crag is a different opinion. If you dont like their music.....go John Bulushi on them and dont skimp on the mustard. I'm sure I could huck an IPOD or a boombox a fair distance. Just sayin...

Jeff Scheuerell · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2007 · Points: 2,298

Just one of the many inconsiderate things that is kinda standard at most crags. Not much you can do about it other than being ready for it if you go to about any crag with a short approach.

Eamon Doyle · · Sierra Madre, CA · Joined Nov 2011 · Points: 5

I don't mind music outside unless it's so loud that I can't hear the climber when I'm belaying or vice versa. Barring a safety issue or notably bad music taste, I'd normally let it slide, but I do appreciate when people are kind enough to ask if I mind having music play. I do the same for anyone else on the rare occasion I bring music with me.

J Q · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2012 · Points: 50

Crank up the music and let the cry babies deal with it how they always do: in on-line forums with pathetic self entitled rants.

Eric Coffman · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2009 · Points: 735

Why does it seem like everyone else wants to tell others what to do?
There are already enough rules and regulations in both the city and
the climbing areas. If you cant enjoy yourself without bossing someone else around or expecting them to be courteous stay home.

Chris Owen · · Big Bear Lake · Joined Jan 2002 · Points: 11,617

"When Ivan Waller climbed Belle Vue Bastion (VS, 1927), a steep and spectacular route on Tryfan, the party carried a gramophone to the large ledge at the foot of the climb which they played during the ascent."

From Unjustifiable Risk?: The Story of British Climbing by Simon Thompson.

So it seems this kind of behavior has been around for a while, I'm not a huge fan of imposing my musical tastes on people, especially when they're seeking the exact opposite.

Colin Parker · · Idyllwild, CA · Joined Mar 2008 · Points: 2,370

I think that's exactly it. There is no question I have days where I feel like playing music when I'm climbing, but out of consideration for others I have never done so. Silence is something that everyone enjoys. If, instead of playing music, I yelled 'TAKE!' all day right next to you, how would you feel? It's basically the same thing, someone else's noise pollution.

By the way, thank you Jonhy Q (sp?) for joining MP and lending your wit to these forums.

Will S · · Joshua Tree · Joined Nov 2006 · Points: 1,061
Darren in Vegas wrote:If you don't like the music, don't listen to it.
Awesome. Darren for the win.
J. Albers · · Colorado · Joined Jul 2008 · Points: 1,926
Eric Coffman wrote:Why does it seem like everyone else wants to tell others what to do? There are already enough rules and regulations in both the city and the climbing areas. If you cant enjoy yourself without bossing someone else around or expecting them to be courteous stay home.
...said the self-entitled person.
Mike Lane · · AnCapistan · Joined Jan 2006 · Points: 880
Ian Stewart wrote: No, what Darren said was essentially "if you don't like their music, ignore it", which is exactly what you'd likely do in these situations.
Actually what Darren did was a play on the "If you don't like the bolt then don't clip it" statement, which I think was extremely well-played
Colonel Mustard · · Sacramento, CA · Joined Sep 2005 · Points: 1,241

There's no satisfying the unhappily pious, so you may as well crank the freedom rock ;).

J. Albers · · Colorado · Joined Jul 2008 · Points: 1,926
Jonhy Q wrote: Crank up the music and let the cry babies deal with it how they always do: in on-line forums with pathetic self entitled rants.
Perhaps it is the other way around Mister Q. I have had the opposite experience, i.e. I asked (nicely) for someone to turn their music off at a crag a couple of times. Instead of discussing their discontent with me personally, they tracked me down on MP, made up a new profile moniker to hide their name and then proceeded to send me email rants telling me what a sh*thead I am and that I should stay out of their state (little did this person know that I was a local in their "home" long before they moved there). It is my observation that most people that want to listen to music loudly outside fall into one of two categories:

(1) people with a huge amount of self-entitlement (i.e. their statements begin with: "I want to do/listen to [X]....")
or
(2) people that are completely clueless as to how their actions might affect those around them
APBT1976 · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2011 · Points: 55
J. Albers wrote: ...said the self-entitled person.
Ding ding ding. You win the prize.

This is kinda exactly like the guy that ties his dog to a tree all day for you to listen bark and cray all dam day and then when he does let it off the leash it is so wound it goes and sniffs every dam leg and piece of gear at the crag just before it pissed on your stuff or bumps you of the rock as you are getting started up it.

Self entitled are those whom make decisions that force others to go along with there decision. But trying to talk sense to the self entitled is a waste of your dam time.

I live next to a a hand full of towns that are the east coast equivalent to Beverly Hills and i will be dammed if it does not seem it is everyone for them self and fuck you if you get in my way or don't like it. Really makes you want to run for the hills in many ways and never come back.
Rob Dillon · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2002 · Points: 760

WHOA! Rock! Sorry, it was loose- it hit your tinny little iPod? Really? Guess you shouldn't have brought that thing to the base of a cliff with people climbing on it.

J Q · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2012 · Points: 50
J. Albers wrote: Perhaps it is the other way around Mister Q. I have had the opposite experience, i.e. I asked (nicely) for someone to turn their music off at a crag a couple of times. Instead of discussing their discontent with me personally, they tracked me down on MP, made up a new profile moniker to hide their name and then proceeded to send me email rants telling me what a sh*thead I am and that I should stay out of their state (little did this person know that I was a local in their "home" long before they moved there). It is my observation that most people that want to listen to music loudly outside fall into one of two categories: (1) people with a huge amount of self-entitlement (i.e. their statements begin with: "I want to do/listen to [X]....") or (2) people that are completely clueless as to how their actions might affect those around them
Personal e-mails seem way more direct than an mp thread addressed to the community at large, maybe they were taking it up with you directly and you couldn't handle their directness? It is my experience that people who ask other to turn off their music at the crag have a few self-entitlements as well:

"My experience is more important than yours so let me have what I want and you can suck an egg."

Kinda like:
"I love the nature and you make it cry"

Or:
"Mom told me I am special and I should get what I want"

Let me ask you this? Did this person set down next to you and enforce their will on you or did you set down next to this person and enforce your will on them? No way you had any part in this experience huh?

Damm those other people, always causing you problems!
mitchy B · · nunya gotdamn business. · Joined Aug 2009 · Points: 0

I don't really have a problem like this at my local crag, primarily because it's an effing secret and need to keep it that way so BS like this doesn't happen. If, on the other hand someone came up and started blasting some tunes, i prolly wouldn't mind as long as it's some shit i dig. If the jams were harshin' my mellow, then i would have to smoke another bowl and reasses the sitch, do i go and confront the person and prolly cause a scene, or do i just chill, do a few more laps and split. if for some godawful reason i forgot my weed in the car, then i pull the rope start some trouble and leave. So you need to ax yourself if tunes are really necessary at the crag.

Darren S · · Minneapolis, MN · Joined Feb 2006 · Points: 3,388
Mike Lane wrote: Actually what Darren did was a play on the "If you don't like the bolt then don't clip it" statement, which I think was extremely well-played
I'm glad someone picked up on this.
Brian Tessier · · Lakehood, Colorado · Joined Dec 2003 · Points: 295

Fight the power!

Tony B · · Around Boulder, CO · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 24,665
Jeff Chrisler wrote:I hit up Boulder Canyon with some buddies this afternoon and when we arrived at our crag of choice, there was music playing on an ipod connected to a battery powered speaker. I enjoyed the first music they were playing, but then it got a bit ridiculous and loud. I felt like an old man muttering to myself, "Damn kids, and their music!" Really though, I go outside to climb to enjoy all that comes with that, and that means... quiet! Should that be my reaction or am I just a dirty old man... already?
Internally, any reaction you have is the one you have.
The question is, did you approach the people playing the music and try to talk to them about it?
How you handle your reaction says a lot more about you than what your feeling is on the matter.
M Sprague · · New England · Joined Nov 2006 · Points: 5,090

Fortunately, at the crag, when there are people who are too rude and out of it to know when to turn their radio down or off when politely asked, there is usually a convenient scree field to toss it into. The "accidental" kick into a rock also works.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

General Climbing
Post a Reply to "Music At the Crag?"

Log In to Reply

Join the Community

Create your FREE account today!
Already have an account? Login to close this notice.

Get Started.