Dumb things other climbers have said

BSU_Zac wrote:
I know I posted earlier but another dumb line came back to me while out this weekend. My partner and i was about to rope up on a sport route at the red with a large roof and a guy who i recognized from my old gym came over to offer "beta" on the route cuz he once watched a guy do it. He concluded it with... "If you get below that roof and feel intimidated I sometimes will clip TWO draws to the hanger and then clip them both. You know, cause sometimes that added bit of safety will give you the motivation to crank"

Scott McMahon wrote: Well that is actually in Craig Luebben's book.

that is a standard CT climber move, seen it many times

Sam Stephens wrote:The one I've heard a lot lately that bugs me is this: Climber gets to top of a single pitch route to clean it. "Ok, I'm in direct, off belay!" Does his thing. "Ok, ready to lower, take!" Why in gods name would you tell your belayer to take you off when you're planning to lower in <5 min? It's an accident waiting to happen.

And it does indeed happen. Ever read Accidents in North American Mountaineering? There is an accident like this every single year. If my partner says "off belay" at the top of a single pitch climb I ignore them and give them a bunch of slack unless I'm 100% sure they are rappelling.

jpvandever wrote: And it does indeed happen. Ever read Accidents in North American Mountaineering? There is an accident like this every single year. If my partner says "off belay" at the top of a single pitch climb I ignore them and give them a bunch of slack unless I'm 100% sure they are rappelling.

+1 to that.

Sam, you've opened up quite the jar of worms.
You going to Hueco this winter? I might have to get un-fat and go again...

Doing double checks with my cute climbing partner:

Her: Your knot looks good and your harness is set.
Me: Cool your doubled back and locked, but you forgot something...
Her: What?
Me: You forgot to put the rope through your ATC. DERP!

Double checks, that's what they are for kids.

After being lowered from the top of a trad climb:

Guy I was dating at the time: "Is the reason you didn't seem to want to climb the roof because you couldn't get any gear in before it?"
Me: blink... "Yes, yes it was"

Tevis Blom wrote:Sam, you've opened up quite the jar of worms. You going to Hueco this winter? I might have to get un-fat and go again...

It's a fun, and possibly educational topic.

Nothing was actually said but right around the time link cams came out I saw a kid at the university climbing gym bouldering in a harness with a brand new shiny link cam clipped to it...

"take"

Dan Bachen wrote:Nothing was actually said but right around the time link cams came out I saw a kid at the university climbing gym bouldering in a harness with a brand new shiny link cam clipped to it...

How insightful!

At the gym last night from what I think was probably a scout group, so not really a climber but...

"Do this one, the tag says you can climb it in 5 minutes and 10 seconds. I bet you could do it faster than that."

Somebody dropped an OPEN knife from 50 ft up at The Gunks last weekend. Almost hit a girl.

I love going to the circus.

ROC wrote:Love the awesome gym stories. Saw some kids there a while back that had their harnesses on underneath their sweatpants. The rope just disappeared into their pants. Sure it was perfectly safe, just looked awesome. What is that tied to exactly?

I'll have to +1, or +2, or whatever that!

I need to DO that!

Dave Bramlette wrote:Somebody dropped an OPEN knife from 50 ft up at The Gunks last weekend. Almost hit a girl. I love going to the circus.

Did he at least yell "knife"? Can't fault him for bringing a knife up though. There are some really remote spots in the Trapps, especially on holiday weekends, that would necessitate self-rescue.

Rockwood wrote:At the gym last night from what I think was probably a scout group, so not really a climber but... "Do this one, the tag says you can climb it in 5 minutes and 10 seconds. I bet you could do it faster than that."

Awesome!

Best climbing movie quote.

"Cut the rope save your sister"

At the gym today, "I bought a cinch because it looked cool." This was said by a guy who also had an ATC guide, reverso, and a grigri on his harness.

Just a few days ago, a local Springs guide was taking a family of what appeared to be foreigners out for an easy climb at Garden of the Gods. The guide had the father of the family belay him up to the anchors, obviously the guide was a solid climber.

Upon reaching the anchors he calls down "Take me off belay"
The foreigner shouts back "So this is when I take both parts of the rope out, huh?"

I guess at least he understood the concept... but it still made me shudder...

"Sam, shut up."

At the Oak Creek Overlook near Flagstaff on Monday my partner was talking to these two guys setting up a top rope above Mourning's Morning. One of the guys asks my buddy, "Hey, can you lead here?"

That's when we packed all the cams and left.