To my knowledge, today was my first encounter with any representatives of the Salt Lake Climbers Alliance. I previously thought they deserved praise for any work they've done to help keep the Wasatch a great climbing environment. I WAS WRONG.
While climbing in the Perhaps area today, we witnessed the behavior of 6 guys who told us they were with the SLCA. I have never seen poorer behavior from adults, except perhaps at 3 AM inebriated at a bar. They loudly were yelling F#$% this, F&^% that, possibly 50 times per hour. The bolt-replacer also threw a crowbar from the top of the first pitch toward the approach trail. And this is in an area that families hike into to play on the lower boulders. How is our climbing community to earn respect and maintain access when SLCA members act like this?
Their project was worthwhile: replacing some anchors atop Touch Up and a few bolts. But beware, the guy putting the new anchors in was drinking while up on that ledge. For the respect of climbing, save the beers for the finale.
I love the Wasatch, but today I'm ashamed of those who profess to be their stewards.

Since when did climbing require etiquette? I for one am proud of my crass, low-brow and foul-mouthed fellow climbers - they give the sport its character. Thanks for the bolts SLCA, sounds like I missed a good time up there today!

Thanks so much to the SLCA for replacing the bolts! That's awesome work. I wish I could have been there to share a beer and top rope with the bolt replacers.

Cheers,
Nate

I am ashamed you feel the need to knit-pick those who protect and serve our local stash.

get a grip people. F-bombs abound everywhere these days, I hope you don't get so easily riled up on public transportation or at your local Smiths.

Whoa hold up. First let me come clean and say that I might quite possibly have the worst case of sailor mouth on this coast, so no, dropping F bombs does not bother me in the slightest. That said, if I was at a crag and there was a group that was loud, drunk, and obnoxious, then I would probably be annoyed. And lets be honest, throwing a pry bar or any other such heavy junk down towards an approach is in no way alright. Perhaps Teleit could clarify his complaints a bit more before: a) he slanders the SLCA so harshly; and b) you all slag him in return for what might be a reasonable complaint.

You all may have an argument that Teleit's comment and tone could be interpreted as nit picky and whiny, but if somebody threw a god damn crow bar down where I was walking, I would be exchanging a few "what the f-bombs" of my own in the throwers direction.

$0.02

When someone represents a Professional or Non-Profit Organization they should act appropriately. Their behavior certainly reflects upon the "Organization" and themselves.

I would like to publicly apologize for my foul mouth and my actions today.
I am very sorry if I offended anybody. Please don't fault the SLCA for my actions.

Some of the bolts today were not easy to remove and I tend to express myself openly with a drunken sailor mouth.

I would like to thank Teleit for bringing this to light and I will act accordingly in the future.
About my new crow bar that bent the first time I used it.
It was not nessicary to toss it off the cliff but I did survey the area and picked a good landing spot for this piece of crap from India.

Nobody was in any danger at any time.

I would rather step back from my board position with the slca than leave them with a black eye.

Mabey its time to let someone else carry the torch and lead the local rebolting effort. After 12 years of replacing bolts in the canyon it gets more and more frustrating every time, and the f-bombs increase with each bolt.

In the future if anybody has any concerns with me or what I am doing, then just tell me right there and I will shut the hell up.
I promise not to throw my crowbar at you.

And yes we will save the beer for after in the future.

Respectfully
Michael L. White

I have to agree with Teleit's assessment. I was up in the Perhaps area today as well and the supposed SLCA group was obnoxious and unprofessional.

Hank Helms,
Address the comments at hand without resorting to posting like prick.

Mike,
I am not a SLC local so my comments are pretty irrelevant, but your post seems sincere and judging from that, I don't see a reason to apologize. Kudos for taking time out of your life to give back to the community.

Watch those crow bar tosses,
J.

Something I'm confused about: how is drinking beer disrespectful? Moreover, exactly who is being disrespected by this beer drinking?

+1 for a bit of a tone down. I've heard, and uttered, my fair share of ISOLATED f-bombs while climbing but I was also falling on a shaky nut or a questionable cam. If I was out for an evening of climbing and heard a continuous barrage of this behavior it would sure take away from that night's experience.

That being said, I would have also had no problem politely asking the guys to tone it down a bit instead coming home and complaining about it on the internet. I'm 100% sure that if you sacked up and said something, these guys would have absoultely obliged.

The SLCA and ASCA do a HUGE service around here so lets cut these guys a little slack but on the other hand I expect people who openly represent an access-sensitive organization to behave with a bit more maturity and tact.

Man oh man... like the dog biting the hand that feeds it....

Thank you SLCA and Mike White for all your hard work, and for replacing the bolts up there. I'll clip them with total confidence.

OP I think you owe him a bee.. tuna casserole or a jello salad or some cookies for posting this here, and on general principle for all the work he has done to help keep our canyons safe and pristine.

This is slightly off-center of the topic, but I am impressed with the fact that Mike would offer a sincere apology like that rather than defend his actions which clearly could be quite defensible if that was his motivation. I don't think I have ever seen anyone respond like that on a forum squabble. That is some serious balls. Everyone offends other people but very few people actually care to try and rectify the situation.

my hat's off to you Mike...and thanks for the new bolts!

100 climbers like Teleit could quit climbing and no-one would even notice.

If Mike White quit his efforts, the entire valley would suffer.

Paul Nelson and I had a simple policy in Indian Creek. Replacing anchors on routes meant we could tell dead baby jokes around the campfire to people who didn't want to hear them.

Will there be refreshments in the relief society room?

I guess I'm just really confused about this whole "represent a climbing organization in a professional manor" business. It doesn't make sense for a volunteer climbing organization to be concerned about acting professional, because it's kind of not the nature of the sport. Professionalism when they are at meetings/negociations, yes, but not way the hell up LCC on the middle of a Friday. I'm thankful that somebody spent a good LCC day doing a job that no one else was interested in.

Mike, you shouldn't have to apologize for choosing to drink at any point in your bolt replacement adventure. People climb at their own risk. Drinking and climbing may seem like a bad to choice to you, just like running out a hard climb seems like a bad choice to me. To each their own. What business is it of yours Teleit, the choices someone makes in their leisure time? It's not hurting you. If anything, Mike would have gotten hurt. I feel like you are the same people getting pissy about people climbing shirtless or in sports bras at the gym. Live and let live, and more importantly, MIND YOUR OWN DAMN BUSINESS!

And lastly, I don't care how eloquent your post was, the fact of the matter is that you didn't have the guts and the respect for Mike to actually say something eloquent to his face. The beer has no impact on you, but if the noise is irritating- SPEAK UP! You are showing the most disrespectful etiquette of all by A)Not talking to Mike to his face, and B) Not bothering to say anything after posting up the moment you got home from climbing, and C) Pigeon-holing the entire SLCA after one encounter- especially since you have clearly never participated in any of the SLCA sponsored events. I'm pretty sure you just pointed out the definition of indiscriminate hate.

You should be ashamed of yourself, and your lack of tact.

Thanks to Mike and to the SLCA for keeping out ever crowded crags safe and clean so that we all may continue to enjoy them.

Furthermore, if it's a distraction free experience one is after, the Green A area- come on. I like seclusion and quiet as much as the next guy sometimes, and on those days I head for an area that will guarantee me that, of which there are many. Not to the Green A or, say, the popular areas in Ferguson. That said, sometimes it's pretty fun to climb where there is a ruckus going on too!

More wild west and less family theme park, this is climbing goddammit!

Knock Knock.

Who's there?

Tina Turner.

Tina Turner Who?

Tina Turner name into a knock knock joke!




Knock Knock.

Who's there?

Ike Turner.

Ike Turner Who?

Ike Turner'round and hit Tina, cuz she Turner name into a knock knock joke!






ok, I'm definitely going to have to replace some anchors for letting that one loose on you guys. Oh, and original poster, your complaining that Mike was "unprofessional" implies that he is a professional, i.e. was replacing the bolts for money. Not even. So STFU.

No one cares that you tele.

Also...

Cussing? Drinking? Holy shit, we're not at Momentum anymore!!

Funny how the people that bitch the most never lift a finger to help out.