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Any glaring holes in my sport rack?

Brian Croce · · san diego, CA · Joined Aug 2011 · Points: 60

circumsizion. trad is scary and dangerous, you dont want to end up climbing trad. removal of the balls will ensure you stay a sport climber.

ze dirtbag · · Tahoe · Joined Jun 2012 · Points: 50

^^^castration maybe? i'm circumcised and climb trad/alpine just fine.....gotta cut those extra ounces everywhere you can.

csproul · · Pittsboro...sort of, NC · Joined Dec 2009 · Points: 330
superkick wrote:circumsizion. trad is scary and dangerous, you dont want to end up climbing trad. removal of the balls will ensure you stay a sport climber.
I don't think this word means what you think it means.
chuffnugget · · Bolder, CO · Joined Sep 2011 · Points: 0

Superkick, the brave 5.9 trad climber, is correct:

If your parents did the Jewish male genital mutilation ritual, you will have sport climbing/musical theater tendencies.

Train4life · · Boulder, CO · Joined Feb 2013 · Points: 90

If your parents did the Jewish male genital mutilation ritual, you will have sport climbing/musical theater tendencies.

OMG!!! HAHAHAHA Musical Theater Tendencies! Hilarious ;)

Locker · · Yucca Valley, CA · Joined Oct 2002 · Points: 2,349
"No kidding.

A lot of people stuck in the past too.

Pretty cool to see some folks still growing and learning as climbers though- rgold springs immediately to mind, there are certainly others."


"These wanks recommending gri-gris either don't know what the mega Jul is or have never used one."

"It's always obvious who doesn't do much sport climbing."

Gri gri's are so yesterday!

LOL!
doligo · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2008 · Points: 264

TMI, ze_dirtbag! Your female partners will never look at you the same.

bearbreeder · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2009 · Points: 3,065

to the OP

youll be fine

go climb and dont worry about all the MP whining ...

its THAT simple

;)

Woodchuck ATC · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2007 · Points: 3,280
David Sahalie wrote: that's not ghey or anything
I said stand on his back,, not sit on his ass or face !!!but you never know with back country tent buddies after 20 years or so away on their own ,without the women on their 'adventures'.......
Craig Childre · · Lubbock, TX · Joined Aug 2006 · Points: 4,860

Don't fall for the gear snobs advice. High School peer pressure to join their club.

Gri Gri - LOCKER's on it!... just consider this... how many gyms use the Gri as their primary belay device? Hell, how many allow you to use your personal Gri?

Spirits - really??? Only time I've been stoked at the sight of someone's quick draws, was when they had the Petzl Sponsored dog bones ... which meant I was about to witness someone crushing it. Also know other veteran climbers, who crush almost as hard, I was surprised to find they're on Mad Rock Concordes. Just don't show up with Ukrainian made gear, you'll be just fine ;) .

Craig Childre · · Lubbock, TX · Joined Aug 2006 · Points: 4,860
Woodchuck ATC wrote: I said stand on his back,, not sit on his ass or face !!!but you never know with back country tent buddies after 20 years or so away on their own ,without the women on their 'adventures'.......
My girl Palmela never leaves my side! You'd have to cut her off to keep me away from her. ;)
Peter Jackson · · Rumney, NH · Joined Aug 2010 · Points: 445

Once you know how to use it, consider adding an adjustable wrench. But learn to use it first. Otherwise, it's solid enough. No glaring holes. I'd add a couple more lockers, but that is personal preference.

ze dirtbag · · Tahoe · Joined Jun 2012 · Points: 50

via dictionary.com

circumcise- to remove the foreskin of (male)

castrate- to remove the testes of ; emasculate ; geld

so yes dolingo, i am proud of my sleek, circumcised tool. and yes, a female partner might look at me quite differently if she saw the meaty clackers hanging under it.

this concludes todays a&p lesson

what was the op about again?......

Craig Childre · · Lubbock, TX · Joined Aug 2006 · Points: 4,860

Locker is even more right than I thought, as I forgot how revolutionary the Mega Jul is... as it is just as much of an auto lock device as the Gri, if not better.

Screw Gri Gri completely... too heavy, too expensive, and only works on a single strand...

Mega Jul is your hot ticket! My ATC guides about to get retired ;)

Eric Chabot · · Salt Lake City, UT · Joined Jul 2011 · Points: 45

Hammock and webbing to rig it. Essential for conserving energy between burns on your sick proj. *no one* will think you are a douche ;]

...but in all seriousness, consider getting a helmet. All up to your own risk preference, but I wear one whenever I lead climb outside of the gym. It has kept me out of the hospital at least once. Shit happens, even when you're sport climbing.

doligo · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2008 · Points: 264

^^ reading comprehension: the OP already has one. Helmet that is.

Scott McMahon · · Boulder, CO · Joined Feb 2006 · Points: 1,425
Craig Childre wrote:Locker is even more right than I thought, as I forgot how revolutionary the Mega Jul is... as it is just as much of an auto lock device as the Gri, if not better. Screw Gri Gri completely... too heavy, too expensive, and only works on a single strand... Mega Jul is your hot ticket! My ATC guides about to get retired ;)
I hadn't seen this device...looks very intriguing.
Dan Allard · · West Chester, PA · Joined Mar 2011 · Points: 1,070

I know this is a thread about sport gear but since gear choice is obviously influenced by the techniques used, there is a relevant concern I have with a suggestion made here.

Alvaro Arnal wrote:As for rappelling: don't rappel off of sport routes; lowering through the anchor is quicker, easier and safer.
I was really surprised to see this suggestion and I disagree with this blanket statement. Like most things in climbing you need to assess each situation you encounter and do what makes the most sense for THAT situation.

That said, I find rappelling preferable to lowering in virtually all descent situations for the following reasons:

1) Rappelling and lowering have the same amount of steps (one you tie back into your harness, one you clip a rappel device to your harness) so I don't see an argument for one being quicker or easier.

2) Regarding safety, to me, being in personal control of my descent is safer. Having one sole person involved means there is no opportunity for miscommunication regarding whether you are on or off belay. Being the one who is controlling my rate of descent is advantageous because I can see more accurately what obstacles I am encountering as I go and can compensate accordingly versus the limited 3rd person perspective of a belayer. Rock fall, bee stings, a fit female in tight yoga wear, or any number of other distractions that a belayer is susceptible to at the base of a climb are additional opportunities of unnecessary risk. Those things can distract a rappeller too but a well installed backup can keep you from dropping to the deck if you go unconscious. A fireman's belay can offer even further safety if that is a concern.

3) Additionally, the integrity of the permanently installed hardware is what makes sport climbing possible in the first place and I feel that as participants in the outdoors it is everyone's responsibility to leave the place we play in in the same or better condition than we found it ('better' in sport climbing might mean something like tightening loose bolts or nuts, for example). Lowering a weighted climber with the friction of dirty climbing ropes unnecessarily wears on hardware while rappelling down an effectively fixed line and pulling an unweighted rope produces little to no wear on steel anchor hardware.

4) Also with regard to hardware, there are so many different kinds of anchor installations out there including simply 2 ordinary bolt hangers with thin, non-radiused, flat, often sharp edges. Nylon versus sharp steel edges - nylon looses. I'd love to live to climb another day so lowering off a pair of standard bolt hangers isn't an option for me.

There's a lot of throwing around the "fuck it, it's just sport climbing" in this thread and generally I agree. I'm a proponent of the KISS principle and like many of you have said, sport climbing's appeal is in it's simplicity. In comparison to trad climbing. There's a reason rappelling and lowering have been the respective themes of the last two year's editions of Accidents in North American Mountaineering. Anytime you are untying yourself from your life line you are at a heightened risk and should proceed knowledgably with care. While we're talking in depth about the risks of descent options, it is worth noting that one of the most common causes of rappelling accidents is with regard to rope length and rappelling off the end of your rope. In single pitch sport, this isn't usually an issue but nevertheless, this issue plagues lowering as well. No matter who is controlling the descent (rappeller or belayer), if they aren't being vigilant of rope length it doesn't matter what method you using, the effects will be unfortunate.

Regardless of the fact that the hardware atop a climb dictates your descent options often ruling out lowering anyway, I see no benefit to lowering. In fact for the reasons mentioned above it adds unnecessary elements of risk. If you think getting stung by bees or hit by rock fall is unlikely or that weighted nylon climbing rope can't wear through steel anchors... hah I'm glad you haven't experienced these scenarios yet, but if you keep climbing long enough, I assure you you will see there is truth to their likelihood and not overly prudent nor merely hypothetical or theoretical considerations.

If you read this whole thing, thanks and look forward to your thoughts.

-Dan
bearbreeder · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2009 · Points: 3,065
Dan Allard wrote:Regardless of the fact that the hardware atop a climb dictates your descent options often ruling out lowering anyway, I see no benefit to lowering. In fact for the reasons mentioned above it adds unnecessary elements of risk. If you think getting stung by bees or hit by rock fall is unlikely or that weighted nylon climbing rope can't wear through steel anchors... hah I'm glad you haven't experienced these scenarios yet, but if you keep climbing long enough, I assure you you will see there is truth to their likelihood and not overly prudent nor merely hypothetical or theoretical considerations.
rapping and cleaning very overhanging routes is a biatch and can be quite dangerous

lowering is much safer with the proper techniques

;)

petzl 2014 literature

petzl 2014 literature
Dan Allard · · West Chester, PA · Joined Mar 2011 · Points: 1,070
bearbreeder wrote: rapping and cleaning very overhanging routes is a biatch and can be quite dangerous
That's a great example of when lowering is preferred. Thanks for adding that scenario.

The terrain is indeed another important consideration that is route specific that makes blanket statements inappropriate. If the top anchors are actually on top of the climb rather than on the face, or set back ("recessed" if you will) say above a ledge, lowering could mean the weighted rope is going to be sawing on that point the whole way down.
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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