Toproping through Rap Rings - Gunks

This past Saturday I ran into a situation where I was stuck at the top of a climb waiting to rappel, only to realize that the reason the rap anchor was occupied was that somebody was toproping through the rappel rings.

Where things got amusing is that I obviously hurt the toproper's feelings when I pointed out that you shouldn't toprope though rappel rings, and that it is really a dickish move to tie up a rappel anchor like that. He insisted that what he was doing is perfectly fine, and that we were the party in the wrong. Figuring that we better things to do than arguing with him, we packed up and headed off to climb something else.

But in case anybody knows him (see picture), please point him at the attached description of climbing etiquette. Maybe that will convince him that rappel rings are for rappelling, not for toproping.

Is that fingers locks/cedar box? I've seen people TR through the rings there before.

Nice job posting the dudes picture! Haha..

Did you show him the page that you posted here? Sporting Under Armour. This is my shocked face :-o

A lot of guides do this in the Gunks - they insist it's "ok here"

Medic741 wrote:A lot of guides do this in the Gunks - they insist it's "ok here"

I guess we have differing experiences - I've encountered guides numerous times at the Gunks and can't say I've ever seen one toproping through rap rings. I've seen people tying up a rappel that way, but not guides.

There's discussion amongst guides as to whether you should lower through rap rings but TR-ing directly is just fucking lazy and using some proxy for status as a way to bully people. I've seen guides do it too, one time even tying up the whole Frog's Head cliff with a Tard Rope

Troll.

They "fixed" by putting two draws through the rap chains, not the loops. Not opposed, not locked. Then sent a guy up who had no clue (he was apologetic and confused, as well as thankful for the assistance.) to clean it and feed the rope to rap off of it. This guy tried to pull the rope through from the middle so there would be four strands hanging down, and one with loop.
Not a good situation, besides messing up a popular rap route, he put his friend in danger.

Logan Schiff wrote:Troll.

Logan, you know me better than that. I have better things to do with my time ]than trolling Mountainproject. The guy was toproping through the rap anchor above Hyjack's Horror/Fingerlocks, and was highly offended when I called him out on it.

Come on, look at that guy's smile. It's impossible to get mad.

Isnt TRing through two anchor points constitute the death triangle?

assuming these are two spaced rings and not chains...

Gunks Jesse wrote:Since when is there an anchor above fingerlocks/cedar box? There was a sling around a tree with rap rings a month ago or so. Did it get bolted?

You can use the tree to the right above Hugo's horror to TR cedar locks if you use a directional.

The tree has two pieces of nylon and a quick link for a rap anchor.

Yep - exactly what I remember. Medium size tree at top of locks and directional to the right hits another tree to hit horror. Everybody was talking about bolted anchors though...

Gunks Jesse wrote: Everybody was talking about bolted anchors though...

Where, I don't see bolts being mentioned once in this thread.

Schalk wrote: Logan, you know me better than that. I have better things to do with my time ]than trolling Mountainproject. The guy was toproping through the rap anchor above Hyjack's Horror/Fingerlocks, and was highly offended when I called him out on it.

Of course, just joking around :) ! Plus I am jealous you got out! Nice day? I can never sneak away these days. Super dick move by that guy and enjoyed the post.

When I came across them it was on the lower Madam G rap station.

Logan Schiff wrote: Of course, just joking around :) ! Plus I am jealous you got out! Nice day? I can never sneak away these days. Super dick move by that guy and enjoyed the post.

Yeah. It was ridiculously nice. Can't believe it is December. Last year this time I'm pretty sure I'd already skied the carriage road!

john2.71 wrote: You weren't stuck. You had many options from there. There are two 5.2s, a 5.3, and a soft 5.5 you could have climbed to the top, plus harder routes. You also could have climbed a short 5.4 to the bolted Madam G's rap station, down-climbed the gully next to Northern Pillar, rapped from the tree in front of you, rapped that guy's line, or you could have offered to re-rig it correctly for him.

Really? So I had to climb to the top of the cliff and rap off Madama G's because of some idiot's bad manners?

And how was I supposed to rap off the tree in front of me when that is the rap anchor they were toproping through? Leave gear? Be an even bigger asshole that our toproping buddy and throw the rope around the tree?

Wait till top roping climbers on the ground, thread your rope over theirs and rap. Dick move but they probably won't do this again.

Dana Bartlett wrote:You can walk left on the ledge and then climb up about 20 (?) feet to the Madame G's rap bolts. It's also an easy down climb to the ground off the left end of that ledge.

Miss the point much? Yes, there are a zillion ways to get down from there (downclimbing the gully to the left being the simplest and Le Teton being the most fun), but that doesn't change the fact that some guy was toproping through the rappel anchor. Which is a dick move, no matter how many other ways there is to get down from there.

Schalk wrote: Miss the point much? Yes, there are a zillion ways to get down from there (downclimbing the gully to the left being the simplest and Le Teton being the most fun), but that doesn't change the fact that some guy was toproping through the rappel anchor. Which is a dick move, no matter how many other ways there is to get down from there.

Welcome to Mountain Project. You should have known this would have happened and stayed home. And wearing that short skirt, you had it coming.