Love of climbing, disdain for climbers.

For the record, there is nothing wrong in going bolt to bolt on the warmup.  Some people prefer not getting flash pumped silly on the first climb of the day.

Dude, you haven't experienced annoying yet. A couple of weekends ago I was climbing at the uber popular limestone area that's my local crag, you know, within 1.5 hours of driving. I was with this awesome lady that had driven all the way down from Montana just to see me on a whim. So we are putting up this sick 5.9+ and I hear a sound from below that is oddly familiar and annoying as shit, but oh so foreign. I quickly try to place it. Is it a crying baby? No. Is it an iPhone pumping out a shrill hip-hop song with enough trebble to cut glass? No. Was it some bros yelling beta? No. It was a didgeridoo.

So of course I win this contest.

mediocre wrote:

I need to publicly shame people because I want to feel better about myself.

Its a vicious cycle.

2/10

Tim Stich wrote: Dude, you haven't experienced annoying yet....No. It was a didgeridoo.

So of course I win this contest.

I would go as far as to say you aren't really a climber until you've had an encounter with a didgeridoo.

Rocklands (geographical parallel of "Nice warm-up, bro!") January 2015 - It was scorching and there were only about 10 people camping at De Pakhuys. Some German dude had managed to bring one with him. Would play it all hours of the night. Psych was so high.

Lena chita wrote:

For the record, we were at the Red on Easter weekend. but not at Muir or PMRP. And we didn't meet anyone boasting about their warmups... They were all at the crag where JRZane went

I was at Muir and PMRP Easter weekend, and though it was plenty crowded, everyone was super nice.  I am just piping up to say another Northeast climber was down there, and all I experienced was a bunch of southern hospitality.  People offered to share ropes with us at one crag so everyone could maximize their time.  Everyone seemed to be generally trying to keep out of each other's way considering the crowds.  

It was my first time at the Red, and I totally loved it.  Anyone thinking of visiting, don't let this thread deter you.

ETA: and there were no didgeridoos.

doligo wrote: For the record, there is nothing wrong in going bolt to bolt on the warmup.  Some people prefer not getting flash pumped silly on the first climb of the day.

I'll use that one next time I'm flailing up something and people are watching. "I'm just warming up people!"

I've done what you say, usually at crags where the only warm up is some no star 5.10/11, but usually end up getting flamed out trying to send the warmup, Its a macho thing I think.

JRZane wrote: Im relatively new to climbing (entering year 4) and as a resident of the Northeast have spent the majority of those climbing years in the gunks or our local poor quality sport crags.  learning to climb traditionally in the gunks, Ive experience more fear falling on bolts than I do my own gear, nevertheless Ive ventured down to RRG twice and am wondering if someone can help give me some insight into my experiences down there.

First trip was with my wife for 4 days, we climbed Muir and PMRP.  By the end, we were making a joke about how many times a day we would either here "this is a good warm up" implying the OTHER climbs they were doing later were MUCH harder.  We also climbed next to a group where a guy swore because he worked at a gym and received samples and pro deals that he was "sponsored by Arcteryx."  These are just a couple select examples that immediately come to mind.

My second trip was Easter weekend.  As you may know it was fairly wet and Day 1 we were stomping my buddies new $250 rope into the mud.  We decided to go to Miguels and potentially split a cheaper rope for the trip and use it as a beater moving forward.  When I asked the worker there if they had any 60m ropes, the response I got from the peanut gallery sitting in the store was "nobody who lives in the Red climbs on a 60" with such a snicker and attitude, me and my partner actually laughed out loud. yes, Im sure there are more than a couple of longer climbs in a place with thousands of climbs, and yes, I understand that sport climbers often chop the first 12' or so, but what kind of response is that? And no, Miguels stocks exactly ZERO 60m ropes. We hung out at the pavilion for about 30 minutes that night before the bullshit spewing from climbers got too deep and we made our escape before drowning.

Ive had my fair share of questionable observations in the Gunks, but this place seems above and beyond the absurd.  I am beginning to realize as much as I love climbing, I don't like climbers.  Am I missing something? Am I just too cynical? What pieces am I missing here??

Maybe hang out literally anywhere but Miguel's, home of the spray lords. Perhaps your sarcasm detector needs calibrated on the Arcteryagucci comment. No one in the Red buys a 60. #70isthenew60. Bring a rope tarp next time, who would have thought that a climbing destination in the woods (where the cliffs are made of SANDstone) would have mud or sand at the bottom. 

DrRockso wrote:

Maybe hang out literally anywhere but Miguel's, home of the spray lords. Perhaps your sarcasm detector needs calibrated on the Arcteryagucci comment. No one in the Red buys a 60. #70isthenew60. Bring a rope tarp next time, who would have thought that a climbing destination in the woods (where the cliffs are made of SANDstone) would have mud or sand at the bottom. 

actually, we had a mat AND a tarp. and an ikea bag with the rope flaked in it. almost 3" had fallen in the days prior and everywhere had a few INCHES of mud.  most of the mud on the rope came from pulling the rope after cleaning it. wed watch and try to play defense to knock the rope onto the mat/tarp but nothing helped.  Thanks for the advice tho.

As far as Miguels, I was still virgin to RRG and heard from others how "cool" of a place it is to hang out.  I realize I live in the Pizza Belt and can't expect good pizza in Kentucky, but pretty much everything about the place was a disappointment (except for the history and their contribution to climbing in the area.)

Miguels is great if you are a dirtbag or a college student.  Otherwise it is an overrated shitshow sprayfest.  Worth going once just to check it out, but otherwise there are much better places to stay down there...

I should add Miguel's is tolerable if you go off-season...

JRZane wrote:

actually, we had a mat AND a tarp. and an ikea bag with the rope flaked in it. almost 3" had fallen in the days prior and everywhere had a few INCHES of mud.  most of the mud on the rope came from pulling the rope after cleaning it. wed watch and try to play defense to knock the rope onto the mat/tarp but nothing helped.  Thanks for the advice tho.

As far as Miguels, I was still virgin to RRG and heard from others how "cool" of a place it is to hang out.  I realize I live in the Pizza Belt and can't expect good pizza in Kentucky, but pretty much everything about the place was a disappointment (except for the history and their contribution to climbing in the area.)

I think you shouldn't go to KY. Why go through all the trouble only to get muddy rope, disappointing pizza, and lots of annoying climbers? Sure, you could mitigate things a bit by staying at a cabin and cooking your own dinner. And if you wait until August, you might even experience dry conditions, and  could climb without other people near you. But seems like staying home would be the best way to avoid all the hassle.

Okay, flip this on its head - let's think about all the reason why you really should fn' love climbers:

• A random dude you've never met and who owns you absolutely nothing spent a couple days brushing moss/greens off the walls, removing dangerous flake/loose rocks, deafened him/herself with a power drill (or worst drilled by hand if their were in a reserve like I think Miller Fork & other places in the red).
• Random strangers put up about 40$ on bolts, 10-20$ on an anchor most likely of their own money (or an assortment of strangers came up with that money and gave it to the bolting stranger) plus whatever their drill & other gear costs
• Other, completely un-related random strangers possibly replaced those bolts after 15-20 years if it's an old climb
• More random strangers put up tons of reviews, comments and online move-by-move beta so that you could pratically go do that climb blind-folded from home if you really wanted to, and give you access to that information for free
• All so that you can practice an activity in which if any of the above failling may very well kill you, or at the very least get you seriously injured. well saved for the MP dude sharing beta I guess.

I'm not sure I can think of another sport, or activity at all, where so much stuff is done for free by so many random people, just because they really enjoy it, while the consequences for them fucking it up would be catastrophic. IMO this level of self-organisation with little or not hierarchy overseeing it is quite remarkable.

Plus most will let you climb on their gear if you want to do the same route they're already equipped... Or they'll even put you a top rope on their climb if it's a tad too hard for you... assuming you can get past any initial remark you didn't like and put up a smile ;)

Kidding aside - if you want quite sport destination, go to Spearfish Canyon, South Dakota. It's not quite as big as Red, but pretty huge anyways and there won't be that many people there... the scene doesn'T seem to lend itself to spraying as far as I could tell at least.

JRZane wrote:

actually, we had a mat AND a tarp. and an ikea bag with the rope flaked in it. almost 3" had fallen in the days prior and everywhere had a few INCHES of mud.  most of the mud on the rope came from pulling the rope after cleaning it. wed watch and try to play defense to knock the rope onto the mat/tarp but nothing helped.  Thanks for the advice tho.

As far as Miguels, I was still virgin to RRG and heard from others how "cool" of a place it is to hang out.  I realize I live in the Pizza Belt and can't expect good pizza in Kentucky, but pretty much everything about the place was a disappointment (except for the history and their contribution to climbing in the area.)

Hey JRZane, as the shop employee that was part of “the peanut gallery” that day, I apologize if you had a less than pleasurable shopping experience in our gear shop. The climbers in the shop that day were some long term locals with a combined 35+ years of climbing experience in the Red, and were doing nothing except trying to help with their mild heckeling. We do not stock 60m ropes for a fairly specific reason; people do not buy them, people do not want them. You were the first person to specifically come in wanting a 60m in months, and the only person to complain about it once explained the merits to climbing on a longer rope in a sport climbing area. What is there even to complain about considering the fact that we have a great selection of 70m cords for under $180 and 80m for under $200. Perhaps if you find your rope mysteriously falling in puddles due to no fault of your own you should be looking for a nice dry treatment and a burly rope bag instead of a cheap beater and an ikea bag. #70isthenew60 #yourprojismywarmup 

Mike Byrnes wrote:

Hey JRZane, as the shop employee that was part of “the peanut gallery” that day, I apologize if you had a less than pleasurable shopping experience in our gear shop. The climbers in the shop that day were some long term locals with a combined 35+ years of climbing experience in the Red, and were doing nothing except trying to help with their mild heckeling. We do not stock 60m ropes for a fairly specific reason; people do not buy them, people do not want them. You were the first person to specifically come in wanting a 60m in months, and the only person to complain about it once explained the merits to climbing on a longer rope in a sport climbing area.

You should have stopped there.  Even if JRZane is wrong, you look like a dumbass by giving merit to his original gripe by being passive aggressive.  Hmmm, maybe the Red is full of elitist spraylords.  Who knew?

Franck Vee wrote: where so much stuff is done for free by so many random people, just because they really enjoy it,

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!

Mike Byrnes wrote:

Hey JRZane, as the shop employee that was part of “the peanut gallery” that day, I apologize if you had a less than pleasurable shopping experience in our gear shop. The climbers in the shop that day were some long term locals with a combined 35+ years of climbing experience in the Red, and were doing nothing except trying to help with their mild heckeling. We do not stock 60m ropes for a fairly specific reason; people do not buy them, people do not want them. You were the first person to specifically come in wanting a 60m in months, and the only person to complain about it once explained the merits to climbing on a longer rope in a sport climbing area. What is there even to complain about considering the fact that we have a great selection of 70m cords for under $180 and 80m for under $200. Perhaps if you find your rope mysteriously falling in puddles due to no fault of your own you should be looking for a nice dry treatment and a burly rope bag instead of a cheap beater and an ikea bag. #70isthenew60 #yourprojismywarmup 

Hohmannn you just got Mike Byrnes'd right in the A!

Locals Only wrote:

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!

I mean climbing, of course.

The issue is the venues you have chosen to climb... 

Morgan Patterson wrote: The issue is the venues you have chosen to climb... 

Yeah, I feel like this has some truth to it. Sometimes the better the climbing venue the more obnoxious the climbers.

Of course, the exception obviously would be Vermont. We're all super friendly and somehow the climbing is pristine and clean with reliable warm sunny days 9 months out of the year.

Your biggest mistake was being closer to New River Gorge and choosing to go to the Red anyway.