To the climber that peed on my girlfriend and me on Yellow Spur....

Climbed Yellow Spur yesterday afternoon and as my girlfriend was following p2, we both felt the first few drops of a light rain hit our neck and arms. "Strange" I thought; I didn't think any rain was in the forecast. Then I looked up, and saw the steady stream of urine descending from the climbers on p4. I yelled in outrage and hurled a few obscenities, all with no reply. The climbers were well within earshot, but they never said a word. I had a new-found desire to climb fast in order to catch up to the [EDIT] that peed on me and my girlfriend.

I reached his partner (Paul) on red ledge pretty easily. He apologized profusely and blamed the urine on his partner (who was now belaying from the top of p4). Fair enough, I couldn't get angry with the dudes partner.

It's mind blowing that someone would be stupid enough to pee out into the air on a route as highly trafficked as Yellow Spur.

To the dude that peed on us; the least you could have done was to shout "sorry", but you were silent. Proper etiquette would have been for you to yell out how sorry you were, and then you should have left a note on our packs at the base offering to buy us beer. Since you didn't, you still owe us beer. If I ever run into you at a pub you'd better buy me a pitcher or two.

I wasn't even there and I feel sorry for you both.

well, good attitude, that's super gross, but maybe you'll get a beer or six out of it

Thanks Obama

Just one of the dangers of climbing under another party.

If you drink the beer just prior to climbing then you too can help keep the spur yellow.

I actually think it used to be called the Yellow Shower.

more reason to start early.

I assume not many of the commenters have been on the Nose or other trade routes in Yosemite. Some pitches you can feel the millimeters thick urine goo as you approach a belay. Often there is no way around it except to accept it. :) But I cant blame the parties before me for having to relieve themselves in the same water trough as hundreds of others because I did too. But only after my partner made it to the ledge.

A full golden shower is a lot worse than the crawling through dehydrated slimy urine... IMHO

Thanks for making my monday.

My understanding is, the best thing to do is: piss on the rock face away from any actual line. Don't do it in the cracks (which is tempting) because it hangs out in there and the sun/rain can't nuke it.

If I met that dude in a pub I would dump my pee on him not ask him to buy a round.

Seriously, good job handling the situation mature like.

John Greer, don't forget how great a rain storm in August can be. Washes the rock clean. No more smell either.

Adam Burch wrote:My understanding is, the best thing to do is: piss on the rock face away from any actual line. Don't do it in the cracks (which is tempting) because it hangs out in there and the sun/rain can't nuke it.

so true. pee bottles can help to save it for a clear fall line.

It's mind-boggling that people choose to climb under other parties in the choss-mines as Eldo. Yellos Spur is probably one of the cleanest lines, but still there are some chossy ledges.

there are 2 types of climbers in this world:

those that have been pee'd on

those that will be pee'd on

there is just no way around it, short of never climbing below anyone else.

Bill Kirby wrote: Seriously, good job handling the situation mature like. John Greer, don't forget how great a rain storm in August can be. Washes the rock clean. No more smell either.

Nothing can wash away the stench on Yosemite's trad routes. Seriously, you can climb right after a storm, you can still smell it. God forbid if it's the belay spot for a long nutting pitch.

climbing friend,

May I suggest you move on the climbing rocks a little better and faster to reach the offender of urinary type, and cut off his johnson with your tool of nuts.

The pee bottle solution helps a lot (also when it has to go off the portable ledge). Be careful however to keep pee and water bottles separate. =)

At least fresh urine is sterile

WAY better than running to the next belay with a pile of shit on it

just noticing how there have been no female responses to this here post. ...probably because we women are masters of self control and common decency.

TBrumme, what an awesome bit to post! though i'm quite sorry to hear of this happening to you and your girl. indeed, you're owed a beer for the pee, and a pitcher for the lack of apology. i'm pretty much as kind as they get whilst still embodying a backbone, and i believe in modeling good behavior. and part of those two bits is knowing that sometimes, even social shunning has its place in demonstrating what is appropriate and inappropriate, acceptable and unacceptable behavior in this pack of ours.

and as for you few big fishies in a small pond out there that have commented referencing yosemite and big wall bits, eldo, ever awesome as it is, is definitely no yosemite nor big wall bit. so there is absolutely NO EXCUSE on your behalf to pee on another person or on the climbing route itself. no one should be peed on nor have to climb through a urine trail here. meow get yourself a bottle or just hold your cock-iness. besides, you fellas are all big fans of holding your bits, no?

There was a female response earlier from myself. I would've peed as I would've not expected to have anyone climbing under me. Better pee into the air than onto ledges or the rock. And I'm not effin bringing a pee bottle on a 5-pitch climb, or 10-pitch or even 30-pitch climb for that matter...

Jan Tarculas wrote:At least fresh urine is sterile

Um, nope:

livescience.com/45800-confi…

TBrumme wrote:Climbed Yellow Spur yesterday afternoon and as my girlfriend was following p2, we both felt the first few drops of a light rain hit our neck and arms. "Strange" I thought; I didn't think any rain was in the forecast. Then I looked up, and saw the steady stream of urine descending from the climbers on p4. I yelled in outrage and hurled a few obscenities, all with no reply. The climbers were well within earshot, but they never said a word. I had a new-found desire to climb fast in order to catch up to the [EDIT] that peed on me and my girlfriend. I reached his partner (Paul) on red ledge pretty easily. He apologized profusely and blamed the urine on his partner (who was now belaying from the top of p4). Fair enough, I couldn't get angry with the dudes partner. It's mind blowing that someone would be stupid enough to pee out into the air on a route as highly trafficked as Yellow Spur. To the dude that peed on us; the least you could have done was to shout "sorry", but you were silent. Proper etiquette would have been for you to yell out how sorry you were, and then you should have left a note on our packs at the base offering to buy us beer. Since you didn't, you still owe us beer. If I ever run into you at a pub you'd better buy me a pitcher or two.

I think trad ethics requires that you check with the first ascent party and find out if they pee'd from the same spot, before you start demanding beer.