Being quiet

People climb for various reasons. There are folks that enjoy getting day drunk, yelling quite a bit, playing music loud etc. Individually or in combination it can be a distraction from climbing and everything associated w it. Without taking you further into some philosophical tangent I really wish folks could learn about the benefits of shutting up.

So my question is this. Could ya try to hold it down?   I thought about approaching this in a way that didn't offend anyone and found it hard to do any better than this.

Party climbing is the future, better chances for a sweet Instagram post too.

The grand torino quote kinda sums it up. 

Jarrod Webbwrote:

People climb for various reasons. There are folks that enjoy getting day drunk, yelling quite a bit, playing music loud etc. Individually or in combination it can be a distraction from climbing and everything associated w it. Without taking you further into some philosophical tangent I really wish folks could learn about the benefits of shutting up.

So my question is this. Could ya try to hold it down?   I thought about approaching this in a way that didn't offend anyone and found it hard to do any better than this.

Get old, lol!

I once very nicely asked some younger dudes on the route right next to us if they would turn their (not all that loud) music off. They kinda stared at me. Then, I pointed to my hearing aid, explained it doesn't differentiate between their music and climbing commands, it's all the same volume, and they were suddenly quite happy to help me out. Turned it off entirely. I think we ended up offering them a turn on our rope while it was up.

Or, an earlier time, at a really busy Smith rock, the group of peeps just hanging out behind us, conversing very loudly while sitting on a fence not doing anything but making way too much noise? I simply turned around, and bellowed "HEEEEEY!!! I CAN'T HEAR MY CLIMBER!!!!"

That worked too. 

:-)

Being nice works sometimes...but safe is more important than not offending people.

Depends on the spot / date / time. You can't expect buttermilks on a Saturday afternoon to be a zen garden but I'm with you that it'd be nice if people were more aware of themselves and kept the noise down in general when out and about. 

TAKE

When Biden told Trump to Shut Up in the first debate. Brilliant. I bet dump had never been told that. Must have felt great telling Potus to shut up.

"Never miss an opportunity to the shut the fuck up."  -Andres Marin quoting someone else

The gym is so loud it’s like there are 100 people trying to talk in 10 feet of space.

Kill them with kindness in your request, it’s much harder for the offending party to refuse said request. The more angry and belligerent the individual I encounter, the kinder and more gentle my response becomes.I’m guessing 90% effective for me.Also extremely important when communicating ,”say what you mean, mean what you say”Emphasis on kindness so as not to bruise delicate egos , give them an out and an opportunity to return the same.

HEY IS ANYONE ELSE DOING THIS ROUTE?!?!

IDK, JIMMY YOU DOING THIS OR SHOULD WE CLEAN IT?

UHHH IS IT HARD?

NO YOU GOT IT JIMMY, DO IT!

Then Jimmy gets stuck before the crux and a whole new long range ballistic conversation ensues to figure out who's going to clean it.

It boggles the mind how loud some people are at the crag. Most people go outside and expect a modicum of peace and tranquility, it's a matter of being mutually respectful and considerate. If MP posts are any barometer that's something the younger climbing community is clueless of. The loudness is endemic to most large groups so maybe just stop stomping the crag in groups of 8/9+ to begin with. But at the every least turn your crappy speaker off, stop yelling "does anyone else wanna climb this one?!"  Yes, I just keep on walking and get far away from loud people as possible, but these days that's becoming a challenge itself. 

I bet this works

Jarrod, the climbing in solitude and/or quiet is what I like to refer to as alpine or back country climbing. If you're just going to the crag then you accept the environment as is, much like the mall. Old Lady H's suggestions are a far more effective, and more pleasant, approach than your vent session here friend.

Nértovk Sklimnerwrote:

It boggles the mind how loud some people are at the crag. Most people go outside and expect a modicum of peace and tranquility, it's a matter of being mutually respectful and considerate. If MP posts are any barometer that's something the younger climbing community is clueless of. The loudness is endemic to most large groups so maybe just stop stomping the crag in groups of 8/9+ to begin with. But at the every least turn your crappy speaker off, stop yelling "does anyone else wanna climb this one?!"  Yes, I just keep on walking and get far away from loud people as possible, but these days that's becoming a challenge itself. 

Yep 100% on young people, there were no rock climbing legends that drank and partied on the wall, did drugs at the base, or in general liked to make a scene. None of that ever happened. We should want climbing to be more like golf and less like climbing.

I don't expect quiet if I go to a popular cragging area (Maple, Wild Iris, American Fork, certain areas at Indian Creek, certain areas at City of Rocks, etc). It doesn't make me happy when I experience loud music, barking dogs, or unnecessary yelling, but I have learned to expect it. These days I typically avoid those sorts of crags. In Utah its not hard to get off the beaten path and climb alone.

Nértovk Sklimnerwrote:

It boggles the mind how loud some people are at the crag. 

Ha ha ha. One time I was at a small crag and two older ladies were literally yelling commands and talking loudly at each other. They were probably in their 60s and hard of hearing, so I understand. My friend and I start joking about some movie. Next thing, we are reciting lines from the movie in the voice of the characters. This really bothered one of the old ladies and she said something. They went to another route around the corner and just kept yelling at each other back and forth. One was at the packs and the other out of view.

"IS THE WATER BOTTLE IN YOUR PACK?":

We laughed at the whole scene. 

If you're going to the crag you accept it as it is, like going to the mall. The mall? That's good. I have terrible news, you dont have to accept that and no amount of spiritual bypass grooviness is gonna fix it.

A busy Spring day in the 'Gunks, 1997. I'm a college junior belaying my friend Rich, a sophomore, as he rattles a rack of hexes up some 5.9+, which seemed cutting edge at the time. Meanwhile, among the many other parties at the cliff is a husband/wife/dog group, which starts yelling up conflicting beta as Richie tries to navigate the 5.9+ crux (which, in my memory, has slash grade of 5.9+/13b...). Not to be left out, the dog, whose name is Kugel, starts barking frantically and it goes something like this: "No, no! Get your foot up! Kugel! No, Kugel! Bad Kugel! No, your LEFT foot! Kugel! [Woof! Woof! Woof!] Now reach -- no, other hand! Reach! No that's not right! Sidepull out left! Kugel, no!" Finally, Richie, who is now fully awash in existential dread, turns back and screams at the absolute breaking point of the human voice, "Shut the FUCK up!!!!!!" which echoes off the rock and presumably across most of the state. In the wake of Richie's scream, the silence is punctuated only by the sound of birds. Even Kugel STFU. Rich sent.

That said, I now very much enjoy getting day drunk and yelling quite a bit.

Princess Puppy Lovrwrote:

Yep 100% on young people, there were no rock climbing legends that drank and partied on the wall, did drugs at the base, or in general liked to make a scene. None of that ever happened. We should want climbing to be more like golf and less like climbing.

You're comparing some lore from decades ago to the issues of today. Catch up. I really don't care what age you are. But are you justifying a cacophonous "crew" of 8/9+ people hollering at the top of their lungs about anything/everything, music farting out of a blutooth speaker, covering every square inch of the trail with packs and coolers, and tying up the warmups with a top rope for six straight hours? If so, we will never find common ground. If we made a pie graph, guess what age bracket to going to dominate my description.... probably not the old and crusties. But that's not even the point. It's about being a marginally considerate human being and having some awareness of your surroundings. 

The golf analogy is a non starter. People keep making excuses for shitty behavior at the crags. "Well it's a crag so that's what to expect." We can and should expect better. It's time to stop accommodating the influx of ignorance into the sport. 

__

Already over my post limit so here ya go, Trevor: 

Yes. Anecdotally speaking, the big loud groups ARE young people. I tried to move on from that and focus on the real issues at hand but if you want to hitch your wagon to that argument, yer gonna loose. Look around! Most big groups are younger/newer climbers = loud + everything I already mentioned. And no: just because it's a busy day at the crag, doesn't mean it has to be a loud and obnoxious environment. But it is because people don't have good etiquette. And it's 100% appropriate to not be content with that. 

I've very glad you haven't run into folks with speakers, genuinely stoked for you. Doesn't mean it's not happening. 

Princess Puppy Lovrwrote:

Yep 100% on young people, there were no rock climbing legends that drank and partied on the wall, did drugs at the base, or in general liked to make a scene. 

"Who was Warren Harding, Alex (Trebeck, RIP)."