Dear helmet stealer...

Dear helmet stealer,
Please reply on this forum, so I can find you and drop heavy rocks on you and crush your head. Actually, thank you for stealing my helmet. I didn't really need it. Those silly things. May your life bring you no satisfaction. Although, if you're selfish enough to take away someone else's life saving equipment to keep as your own, chances are you will never experience happiness, real friendships, or any other enjoyable aspects of life. The least I can hope is that you will be tortured by my excessive forehead sweat and probably some dandruff. Punk.

In case you're not the helmet stealer and reading this: be careful at Eldorado with your equipment. No more packs on the ground, valuables in car, etc. Minus one point for the locals of Boulder. After three years of traveling, climbing, dirtbagging, lending gear, this is the first climbing gear theft I've been around, and I've really only ever heard of one other.

I have an extra helmet if you really need one. Sorry yours got stolen.

-chris

Is that all they took?

That's lame.

--Marc

Is there any chance it could have rolled down the hill? (not sure where you set it) - wind gust, someone accidentally kicked it walking by... ???

If it was stolen, that really sucks.

I let someone borrow it. They said they put it down along with the rope that I lent somewhere in the parking lot (I'm unclear of some details of the story). They left it unattended, and when they came back the helmet was gone, but the rope remained.

Chris - wow I appreciate your kindness. However, the borrower is going to reimburse me with a new helmet. I just get bummed when folks steal things, especially people who I might associate with and are into nature.

AndrewinBoulder wrote:Minus one point for the locals of Boulder. After three years of traveling, climbing, dirtbagging, lending gear, this is the first climbing gear theft I've been around, and I've really only ever heard of one other.

Have you ever been on this site before? People are bitching about their stuff getting stolen all the time. That sucks it happened but I don't think Boulder is the only place where your expensive gear will get looted if you leave it behind.

It's just strange that this theme comes up all the time yet people still feel inclined to trust the better good of our society.

Lets see, off the top of my head over the last few weeks Ian's left behind rope was bootied, multiple peoples draws that were left on the routes were bootied, someone's car in clear creek was broken into and lots of stuff was taken...the list goes on.

Sorry to rant here but I just don't understand why people trust other people to do the right thing. Life doesn't work that way.

So let me get this straight. I shouldn't complain about my gear getting stolen, and I should just realize that theft is common place. Right.

AndrewinBoulder wrote:So let me get this straight. I shouldn't complain about my gear getting stolen, and I should just realize that theft is common place. Right.

sorry, unfortunately Yes. As long as the cost of living keep rising with salaries not keeping up, sadly this trend could increase.

Also, just because your gear was ripped near Boulder does't mean the thief is a local from the area. Many climbers travel to ElDo from all over the world as well as relocate to attend the universities.

Sounds like the borrower is kindly offering to replace your helmet, is that what you are saying ?

Some Fuck in ultra 80's tights stole my partners approach shoes a few weeks ago when we were on the wind tower! The funny thing is he left my whole rack and shoes alone. Weird.

Last summer in Eldo lots of gear was being stolen that was left at the Bastille and Wind tower in the evening hours. Play it safe and take it with you or leave it in the car. Lots of tourists roaming around while we are up on the rock.

(sorry, unfortunately Yes. As long as the cost of living keep rising with salaries not keeping up, sadly this trend could increase.)

If it was so simple.
Theft is as old as mankind

I think the way to handle it is what (rumor) was done to a climber thief caught stealing from camp 4.
The climber was found with hands tied and rope around his neck. Oh he was standing on a stump four feet of the ground and one foot of slack.

Also, just because your gear was ripped near Boulder does't mean the thief is a local from the area. Many climbers travel to ElDo from all over the world as well as relocate to attend the universities.

I agree as I have had no problem up at the base of BC or Eldo away from street traffic

kirra wrote: sorry, unfortunately Yes. As long as the cost of living keep rising with salaries not keeping up, sadly this trend could increase.

Kirra- people don't steal climbing gear because the cost of living is up and salaries are not. They steal climbing gear because they are F%$#ing morally reprehensible and ethically bankrupt a$$holes. Climbing is a recreational activity that is beyond the scale of sustanance living.

If someone was desperate for a living they wouldn't be paying $5 to get into a state park, or much more for an annual pass. Let's not play a sympathy card for thieves, most of them are not starving- for the most part they just want more bling or tweak.

And someone who is unemployed doesn't care if salaries are up or down- they just are not working...

Hey, speaking of which, did anyone read about Rock Bottom Brewery letting go of 30-40 employees to keep payroll on scale- turns out some Colorado folks thought that they'd give the working poor a break by voting for a minimum wage hike. Sounds like a few people got a break alright...

On that whole subject (but off-topic) of cost of living- looks like most of it is fuel price related these days.

Tony Bubb wrote:Kirra- people don't steal climbing gear because the cost of living is up and salaries are not. They steal climbing gear because they are F%$#ing morally reprehensible and ethically bankrupt a$$holes....If someone was desperate for a living they wouldn't be paying $5 to get into a state park, or much more for an annual pass. Let's not play a sympathy card for thieves, most of them are not starving- for the most part they just want more bling or tweak. And someone who is unemployed doesn't care if salaries are up or down- they just are not working.

Tony ~ No sympathy card meant by my post. Yep thieves have been around a long time with many (personal) reasons why they steal; no job, no $$, for spite, mo'bling etc. I listed one general observation of a current dilemma and trend. Bear in mind the $5 cost (now $6) is per vehicle. Driver pays and perhaps passengers did not. Reasons why people steal are as numerous as the thieves themselves IMHO

But while we are somewhat off-topic, does anyone feel that stealing in Robin-hood style reduces the degree of guilt ? What if the thief had stolen it for someone who couldn't afford a helmet but he cared about them & wanted to protect them ? (I'm not condoning 'any' stealing, just curious what you think)

Bob D'Antonio wrote: Don't know what that has to do with helmet stealing...

Someone sited wage vs living costs as a possible root of the issue- so it is only loosely connected at best.

Bob D'Antonio wrote: ...more than likely their sales are down and making adjustments. Happens all the time. Restaurants on the average in US make 6-7 cents per-dollar...if that. Not a big margin for profit. most of those layoffs were in the corporate office...has more to do will the recession than minimum wage.

Possibly, but that is not what they are telling the press. In fact Bob, I was simply telling you what the CFO said and gave figures for. He has stated with impunity that the cut was forced to keep payroll in control on the cost of the minimum wage increase.

I found a good article that explains and also attempts to cast doubt on that at (and attached a relivant exceprt, below):
yellowscene.com/2008/03/06/…

But 12% is 12% and saying 'liar liar' doesn't prove it otherwise. If they were on the 6-7% margin line you guessed, well, then they had no choice.

-------------------------

Rock Bottom’s chief financial officer, John Coletta, insists it happened. “There is no doubt that there was a direct correlation in minimum wage increases and the layoffs,” he says. Coletta called the November 2006 ballot initiative that approved minimum wage increases for tipped and regular minimum wage employees, “too much, too soon. …In 2007, we took a 12 percent bite in operating cash flow just from (the rising minimum wage).”

Tipped employees’ pay went from a minimum of $2.13 an hour in 2006 to $3.83 an hour in 2007. Non-tipped employees’ pay went from $5.15 to $6.85 an hour. Coletta says the tipped employees at Rock Bottom’s Old Chicago, Rock Bottom Brewery, ChopHouse, Walnut Brewery and Sing Sing restaurants didn’t need the raise. “Our average tipped employee makes $16 an hour,” he explains. Raising pay for those receiving tips raises expenses while doing little to help those at the bottom of the pay scale, the CFO maintains.

“This doesn’t do much to change poverty,” Coletta says.

Andrew, sorry if it came off like I was critizing you. I am critizing anyone complaining about leaving there gear somewhere, coming back and it's gone. Loaning your things to people who in turn cannot return it for whatever reason sucks. My point is that people are becoming complancent in their practices and trusting that they can leave things anywhere and they will be there. Perhaps this is a good lesson to your friend and everyone else to not leave gear outside of your control. You leave things behind and trust the better good you will probably get bit...

Jeff Barnow wrote:Andrew, sorry if it came off like I was critizing you. I am critizing anyone complaining about leaving there gear somewhere, coming back and it's gone. Loaning your things to people who in turn cannot return it for whatever reason sucks. My point is that people are becoming complancent in their practices and trusting that they can leave things anywhere and they will be there. Perhaps this is a good lesson to your friend and everyone else to not leave gear outside of your control. You leave things behind and trust the better good you will probably get bit...as we all see all the time on this forum as people post their losses here and we see lots of stuff getting "stolen".

really? i leave gear at the base of multi-pitch climbs for half a day or more. you're saying next time i should take it with me, but if i don't and it gets stolen then it's my fault for leaving that extra 15 pounds at the base of the climb? i see climbing gear unattended all the time but i just walk right by it and don't think twice.

if it's a tourist-heavy area we're talking about then yeah, it's fair to say you shouldn't leave stuff around but if you are in an area where only climbers go then you should be safe to leave your stuff lying around. that's one of the reasons the sport works: climbers need to be able to trust one another to not walk off with their stuff. anyone who breaks this sacred rule should be tarred and feathered and hung for all to see (figuratively) so they don't ruin it for the rest of us. a thief caught stealing climbing gear should as part of their sentence be forced to sit at the base of a popular crag and hold a sign saying they are doing time for stealing climbing gear. they should be run out of the sport just like anyone who drops their partner.

as climbers we trust each other with our lives. lots of us travel the country picking up climbing partners we've never met before and tying into a rope with them, trusting them to catch us if we fall. with all that we should really be able to trust each other not to steal our gear while we're up on a climb.

I have a BD Halfdome helmet that just sits in my attic now that I bought one of the lightweight foam helmets. You can have it. Heck anyone can have it. Just send me an address and I'll send it to you

Leaving a pack at the bottom of a climb is a little different than leaving it unattended next to a car in a parking lot. For one, I would expect only other climbers to be mulling around the base of climbs, especially if they involved a hike of some sort. I dropped my practically new mountain axe in the yard of my apartment. Of course it was gone the next day and I fully expected it to be. I somehow doubt whomever took it was going to use if for mountaineering, but whatever. I didn't get too bothered by it. I shouldn't have dropped it. Now if the punk kid breaking into cars in Clear Creek nabbed it and broke my window in the bargain, I'd be pretty pissed. All different levels of suck.

Jon, considering how many people have been posting about their lost gear I would say that you are at risk. I'm not saying it's right but I'm saying any unattended gear can be at risk so beware and take precautions to ensure this doesn't happen. When I need to leave gear at the bottom of a climb I hide it and I am still semi worried that it might be gone when I return.

You and the thief are different. I would bet 99.9% of the people on this site would never touch anyone's gear. Bad Karma in this sport doesn't buy brownie points for anyone.

Jeff Barnow wrote:Jon, considering how many people have been posting about their lost gear I would say that you are at risk. I'm not saying it's right but I'm saying any unattended gear can be at risk so beware and take precautions to ensure this doesn't happen. When I need to leave gear at the bottom of a climb I hide it and I am still semi worried that it might be gone when I return. You and the thief are different. I would bet 99.9% of the people on this site would never touch anyone's gear. Bad Karma in this sport doesn't buy brownie points for anyone.

yeah, hiding it is a good idea. but it's that 0.1% of people that we need to eliminate from the climbing world whenever possible...hell maybe even eliminate them from the entire world.

Jeff Barnow wrote:I would bet 99.9% of the people on this site would never touch anyone's gear.

But would they poop on it?

Hmmmmmm.