Yesterday did a climb and found some booty looks like someone bailed and strangely with only one short easy pitch left. This is not a popular climbing area as it is a rather tough hike as far as I know not climbed very much which is probably why I've found gear both times I've done the climb. What is the proper thing to do when finding gear like this should you put a post to see if anyone claims it or is that your reward for being able to finish the climb?

Brett, if you send me the gear I'll go ahead and sort out this problem for you.
josh

it depends. If you find a lot, like a rack, then definitely post it up. however, for example. I bailed on a #1 hex on friday because I hurt my ankle falling onto a ledge on cob rock. I wouldn't really care about it, so it and the cheap biner it is attached to are finders keepers. I've posted up about camalots and the like, because those are more expensive. But it really is whatever your conscience dictates.

I usually post if it's something more than a nut or biner.

Thanks, everyone I decided it was the right thing to do and posted it.

I wouldn't feel right about keeping booty unless I first posted it in the lost and found. Though a random nut here and there I don't bother with as they're pretty cheap.

There's etiquette/ethic, then there's style.
No certain one right way, but I'll say this- I think anyone who tries to return anything to its owner has great style...

I guess the question is- what would you be proud to be known for? If or not you get the rep is irrelivant- it's a question of what you think is right...
I think you did the right thing.

Etiquette when finding booty?

Be kind. Be loving. Call her the next day for a late breakfast... then you are free to change course if you wish.

I found a BD C3 last week and posted it. The guy who lost it responded right away. I personally would not feel good climbing with someone else's gear unless I made some reasonable effort to return it and it felt great to see him get his gear back, he was really happy. Very cool guy from Ft Collins, he gave me a 6 pack of Fat Tire!

Tony Bubb said "I think you did the right thing."</quote
I agree with Tony, Brett, If you have the least reservation about your found treasure. You will always feel unworthy of it.
mo beta fa you,cuz,fa dat one go hana.You get so much "aina" fa give um back! In other words, Good on ya mate!

I climbed the Bastille Crack the other day and it's like a musiem of old gear when you look back into that crack.
I saw a fucking tube-chock!
We were able to fish a nut out.

If it is a stuck piece that I have to work hard to fish out I keep it. I assume that who ever's it was tried their best, but still couldn't free it. My reward for the trash pick-up is the gear.

If it is at the base of the crag or clearly some bail gear I post it as that might just be bad luck that fell on another party.

Speaking of abandoned gear....a buddy and I tried Moveable Stoned Voyage on father's day, and things just did not work out. Another good day in the Black.
Anyhoo, we had to bail with a single 70m rope from about 100'above the traverse. We ended up leaving a smorgasbord of gear including nuts and an assortment of cams (BD of course buddy). I would not have posted this, but you guys changed my mind-there are alot of responsible, positive karma seeking individuals that climb and would return found gear. Rock on!!
If I find any gear, I will post my booty find here. I cannot wait to get back to the Black again, it hasn't fed for a while.
Jaaron

Well in my opinion, What would you want someone to do if they found your gear? Try to get it back, at least make an offer. My two cent's...........nothing more~nothing less.

In your example, I probably would have taken the shit and thrown it in my box of miscellaneuous crap. If I knew who lost it, I would have returned it. But I wouldn't give it much thought. If you decided to keep the stuff. No big deal. If you tried to get it to its previous owner, more power to you.

In climbing, losing gear and finding gear is routine. Just part of the experience. What to do depends on the circumstance.

About 8 yrs ago, I found a brand new rope that had rolled down the hill from the trail at Lumpy. I posted some "found" notes at the trail head and online. I never got a call.

That is probably the best booty I have found over the years. :)

There are still some fixed #4 and #5 camalots on Epinephrine for the those dedicated booty hunters looking to add to their OW rack.

What was the etiquette before the internet?

About ten years ago, my climbing partner and I found a 8 mm rope stuck on the rappel on the descent off El Cap. We took the rope and somehow the rope found its way into his pack. I ice climbed with him last year and one half of his rope system was composed of THAT rope. He had been using it for ice climbing for the last number of years. Booty's booty, and sometimes it becomes the primary piece of gear, for better or (more likely) for worse.

A good part of my rack is booty. If its there I will take it if it is easy to remove or in decent shape, I will ask others climbing at the area if people are present. Other wise, finders keepers...

hehe. booty.

Did a climb the other day. Found about four nuts on the way up.

It was an alpine route and we decided to rap the face so we replaced the same booty on the way down. Seemed only fair. I left an entire rack of nuts and cams once in the Bugaboos due to retreating in a vicious storm. We felt happy to just get away with the skin on our tooth. Climbers staying at the Kain hut recognized the anchors as "retreat booty"...Two days later after the storm left, there was a mad rush to be the first to get all the gear. We didn't even have enough gear to go reclimb our route so we missed out. Anyhow, aforementioned booty found new owners, Pam and I were abit bummed to not get any back but that was the ethos at the time and we were still alive. We went sport climbing on short routes...........

Since then I've found alot of gear. I've returned some and kept some.
If I know who it is I'll try and return it. Otherwise it stays on my alpine rack. Seems like over the years I've broke even.

This damn thread comes up about once every two months... and that is silly for a couple reasons:
1. Can't we look back at the last time someone (an administrator) posed it?
2. Do we need a consensus on whether or not we should be nice to our fellow climber?

Be kind. Lets move on.