Partner woes
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My main climbing partner, who has tapered off his climbing dramatically over the last few years to pursue other interests, has also stopped learning about new and perhaps better ways of constructing trad anchors and sport lowering setups. |
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Honestly, it sounds like a non problem. If his anchors are safe, why nitpick? This new equalized quad bullshit just causes people to fuck around at the transition more. Your anchor checklist should be for quality of placements, redundancy, and equalization. That's it. If he accomplishes that with the rope or cord, then you have nothing to complain about. |
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There is a lot of easily accessible information available these days, but it's on him to actually read/watch it and convince himself that he's not gonna die. |
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Sounds like a non-issue. The only time I consider showing an experienced partner a new technique is when my method is safer and/or faster. |
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Best remedy might be for them to get out and climb with those systems more. The issue you are describing happens to me all the time, but often with noobs i am taking out that have not seen many multi pitch stations, natural anchor setups or the all to common sketchy sun bleached slings for rap stations. |
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Sounds like Buck isn't complaining about his partner's anchors but but his partner is about Buck's. |
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Señor Arroz wrote: Sounds like Buck isn't complaining about his partner's anchors but but his partner is about Buck's. This. I am always looking for the quickest-safest-lightest etc way of doing things. But I guess I could just let it be. He is a fast climber, that puts in a lot of gear, usually nuts and hexes, that take me a long time to get out. I am trying to get him to put more cams in. My partner isn't really that into climbing anymore, just does it to keep in touch with me, I think. I don't SCUBA or MTB, he doesn't ski, so we kind of lost touch for a while. I think I'll just shut up and not try and sell him on the efficiency of MY way, and we'll just climb slower, just to maintain the relationship. I want to do JTree over Thanksgiving... |
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Buck Rio wrote:Untie from the rope. You just escaped the belay. |
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Buck Rio wrote: How about you practicing getting nuts out quicker? Using heaps of nuts are after all lighter than the standard "double rack of cams". |
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I don't tell him anything. |
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Patrik wrote: Dude: I am a PRO at getting out nuts. I started climbing when nobody had cams...But my buddy often has a full rack of cams left at the belay, and no nuts lol. Plus he is so strong, he can stop mid-crux, and throw in a nut, its crazy. Cleaning that of course is a problem for ME. I don't like hanging unless necessary. My leads are usually 3/4 cams, maybe a nut or two... I am just whining, he is a great friend and will do anything for you. Since he pretty much stopped climbing I missed out on a lot of trips we could have gone on.Finding a reliable partner that I enjoy spending time with is super hard for me. I am not naturally an outgoing person. But I love climbing. The physicality and movement and the sense of danger all combine to focus your thought on the moment....not many other things do that for me. |
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Concentrate on save v. unsafe. |
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Harumpfster Boondoggle wrote: Concentrate on save v. unsafe. Thanks, seriously. Uber safe, just something of a Luddite when it comes to climbing... |
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Buck Rio wrote: I use either a quad or just an unknotted sling ... Buck Rio wrote: Finding a reliable partner that I enjoy spending time with is super hard for me. I just gave you a hint ... BTW, how do you make an unknotted sling have redundancy as used for an anchor setup? |
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The first question to answer: Do you want to be right? Or do you want to be happy? |
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Paul Hutton wrote: Untie from the rope. You just escaped the belay. Why 13 people liked this is beyond me. It's possible to to still be belaying and not tied in. This is idiocy. Untying from the rope just means you're not connected. It doesn't mean you've escaped the belay. |
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Patrik wrote: Lighter doesn't always mean faster... Carrying a bit more gear will probably speed most parties up - easier to just fire in what is convenient, don't have to spend time fiddling to make that nut work just to save that cam for the anchor, don't have to climb cautiously and deliberately because you're needing to run it out between placements and that makes you nervous, etc. I maintain that it is quicker and more efficient to clean a cam than a nut (especially if the partner is in the habit of setting his nuts every time) in the majority of scenarios, and it takes less time to re-rack and sort at the transition.There are a plethora of reasons speed-ascent parties (for most routes) carry a rack of cams and not a rack of nuts. |
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You didn't say what kind of climbing you're doing...1, 2 maybe 3 pitch climbs on developed crags, or 8-10 and more pitch climbs in the "outback". I've been climbing 5 decades and still have "old friends" still using the "old ways and old gear, I climb with on the former, but wouldn't go on the latter with. Time is usually the essence....a 4-biner "rap break" takes a while to set up and get right...no issue for 2 raps on a sunny day, a different story 8 raps in the rain. |
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don'tchuffonme wrote: Obviously, you should establish some kinda knot below the belay device to retain progress and prevent your follower from being dropped when you leave the belay. Overhand on a bight for assisted braking devices; and for ATC: bight through the belay device's biner, mule hitch on the load strand, backed up by overhand knot immediately next to the mule hitch. Did I cover the Barney style for ya? |
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Patrik wrote: you use a clove hitch on the master point Just got back from a week long trip with said partner. That was his last climbing trip, he told me flat out he is no longer interested in going on a "climbing" trip with me or anybody. His tolerance for risk has really dropped over the years, and now he doesn't even like 5.7 trad routes. But he'll go caving and canyoneering and scuba diving or sport climbing.... Oh well, all things must pass. I guess I'll be hitting up the partner boards and Facebook for new climbing partners. We had a good run of fun trips to cool places. City of Rocks Yosemite Joshua Tree x 4 Devils Lake x many North Shore x many Boulder/Estes Park/Eldorado x 2 Black Hills x 2 Devils Tower Blue Mounds x many Mount Lemmon Section 13 Wolf Ridge Taylors Falls x many RMNP Probably forgot some... |
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Hey Buck, sorry to hear that. |