Slackline on Cathedral

M Mwrote:

Naw, just one of those climbers with practical sense to not ever leave my crap all over the crag overnight at a destination spot even if it will take an hour to set shit back up the next day.

Imagine the day top ropers start leaving ropes up overnight.

Oh this is has happened twice in the north end for me. Once on kiddy crack and once on raise the roof. 

Eliot Hackwrote:

Oh this is has happened twice in the north end for me. Once on kiddy crack and once on raise the roof. 

What did you do? Did you find the people?

caesar.saladwrote:

What did you do? Did you find the people?

I didn’t do anything, once I saw the party leave kiddy crack and never returned, and to be clear the othe rope was on Jack the Ripper the roof crack left of raise the roof so it may have been a projecting line as it’s pretty hard. But either ways it was wild, not as wild as someone tr ing the first pitch of thin air. 

Philip Queenwrote:

Hi Chris,

Thanks for sharing your opinion. I led the group highlining at Cathedral this weekend. As far as we're aware, there is no park regulation we are breaking by leaving the line up over night. We have spoken with park rangers in the past that have indicated they have no problem with the practice. I'm not sure how else access would be jeopardized, but of course if the park expressed they have a problem with us leaving the line up the situation would be different.

As far as your other points, it is hardly more of an eyesore leaving the line up from sunset to early morning than it would be taking it down and putting it back up at those times. Moreover, it is obviously subjective what is an eyesore and what isn't. When we spoke to the tourists at the top when we arrived Sunday morning, they were eager to see us walk. As far as reputation goes, I also fail to see your point. The line was up for about 12 hours while we were away, and about 10 hours where climbing friends of ours weren't right nearby. We've had exactly 1 negative reaction vocalized to us while highlining at Cathedral in the past, and it was from someone who assumed we were bolting (we use all natural anchors). We try our best to remain out of the way and appease the variety of user groups at the top.

If you (or anyone else) would like to talk about it further, shoot me a message and I'll give you my phone number so we can call.

Also, someone decided to make this point by stealing some of our gear (a BD #2 and #3, a Petzl Connect Adjust, 100' of green static with yellow tracers, and a steel shackle - the cams and PAS are marked with red and blue nail polish in a distinctive pattern). If you stole our gear, please reach out also. Words are much more fruitful to communication than theft, and theft certainly does hurt one's reputation.

Thanks,

Philip

Philip,

Just as a heads up, I wouldn't be trusting one lone pine as my anchor.  It is a very shallow root structure on the cliff.  There are a number of trees that I thought where "Good" and rappelled off of for years, that now lie at the bottom of the cliff.  

Looked cool, walking the line, from where I was.  Bummer about the gear but thousands of tourist walk through that area at all times of day.

Sam 

M Mwrote:

Tell that to the folks who live there and dont want to see it left up overnight, I'm just someone who hangs out there once in a while and brings his gear home every day. Its your gear not mine.

I had no problem seeing it. Nor are they breaking a rule. I would be more worried about the tourists crapping in the woods instead of the pit toilet or their garbage in the trai

In fact I would rather that over what most visitors bring to the area do (garbage, fireworks at all hours, poor driving, bad attitudes, and parking on west side road next to the no parking signs (or idling for 1-2 hours to sit at a waterfall).

M Mwrote:

Naw, just one of those climbers with practical sense to not ever leave my crap all over the crag overnight at a destination spot even if it will take an hour to set shit back up the next day.

Imagine the day top ropers start leaving ropes up overnight.

Saw an out of state rock gym group do just that at the flume (ice climbing) a couple years back to claim the climbs first thing in the morning. Just dropped their ropes in that were stashed at the top. “We will be using this area for the weekend so....” 

 For what it’s worth, they also parked like shit and were generally trying to be territorial DBs.

Not so far fetched.... 

Insert namewrote:

I had no problem seeing it. Nor are they breaking a rule. I would be more worried about the tourists crapping in the woods instead of the pit toilet or their garbage in the trai

In fact I would rather that over what most visitors bring to the area do (garbage, fireworks at all hours, poor driving, bad attitudes, and parking on west side road next to the no parking signs (or idling for 1-2 hours to sit at a waterfall).

So you call living at the base of Cathedral "hell" or are you just 'sayin from New Haven CT? Sure the tourons suck, they suck just enough that some local didn't want to see more of a mess. Like the school teacher used to say, if you get a special exemption to do this than everyone gets the special exemption. What happens when the liners decide they want to do this all summer long, how long will that last? I've set lines before, I have a pretty good idea of the time it takes and its not an all day event. 

I think people get caught up in their own "communities" and sometimes forget that the world is not in love with them (even though the tourons got a great show and showered the liners with the highest praise). 

M Mwrote:

So you call living at the base of Cathedral "hell" or are you just 'sayin from New Haven CT? Sure the tourons suck, they suck just enough that some local didn't want to see more of a mess. Like the school teacher used to say, if you get a special exemption to do this than everyone gets the special exemption. What happens when the liners decide they want to do this all summer long, how long will that last? I've set lines before, I have a pretty good idea of the time it takes and its not an all day event. 

I think people get caught up in their own "communities" and sometimes forget that the world is not in love with them (even though the tourons got a great show and showered the liners with the highest praise). 

I’m saying it someone who lives/votes and pays property tax in North Conway.

Slacklining isn’t climbing. So climbing ethics don’t apply to it. The other things I mentioned clearly violate a law (littering, noise ordinance, traffic violation, etc)

you bitch about slacklines, people that bitch about pitons/bolts/etc. others don’t want trails in the woods that allow dogs or bike. If they aren’t breaking a rule, there is nothing you can do other than be the old man chanting “get off my lawn”. Because climbing ethics don’t apply and there have been fixed lines on cathedral for projects within the past 3 years. 

You were the one saying “what do the people that live there think”. My friend lives on the closest road to Cathedral and doesnt give a shit about a slack line or climber leaving a line for 12-24 hours. But they do care about what I mentioned along with most of the people I know who live in the general area near a crag or trailhead.

If the park thought they violated law they would have issued a summons or confiscated the gear. 

M Mwrote:

Imagine the day top ropers start leaving ropes up overnight.

Or maybe an analogy that makes more sense: imagine climbers leave fixed ropes semi-permanently on the bottom of El Cap.

Oh wait, they do and no one steals them . . .

Insert namewrote:

I’m saying it someone who lives/votes and pays property tax in North Conway.

Slacklining isn’t climbing. So climbing ethics don’t apply to it. The other things I mentioned clearly violate a law (littering, noise ordinance, traffic violation, etc)

you bitch about slacklines, people that bitch about pitons/bolts/etc. others don’t want trails in the woods that allow dogs or bike. If they aren’t breaking a rule, there is nothing you can do other than be the old man chanting “get off my lawn”. Because climbing ethics don’t apply and there have been fixed lines on cathedral for projects within the past 3 years. 

You were the one saying “what do the people that live there think”. My friend lives on the closest road to Cathedral and doesnt give a shit about a slack line or climber leaving a line for 12-24 hours. But they do care about what I mentioned along with most of the people I know who live in the general area near a crag or trailhead.

If the park thought they violated law they would have issued a summons or confiscated the gear. 

They will not allow this much longer, enjoy it while you can before having to wake up an extra hour earlier. Once leaving it up overnight becomes a regular thing it wont last long.

 "I’m saying it (AS OR FOR )someone who lives/votes and pays property tax in North Conway." Didnt answer the question.

M Mwrote:

So you call living at the base of Cathedral "hell" or are you just 'sayin from New Haven CT? Sure the tourons suck, they suck just enough that some local didn't want to see more of a mess. Like the school teacher used to say, if you get a special exemption to do this than everyone gets the special exemption. What happens when the liners decide they want to do this all summer long, how long will that last? I've set lines before, I have a pretty good idea of the time it takes and its not an all day event. 

I think people get caught up in their own "communities" and sometimes forget that the world is not in love with them (even though the tourons got a great show and showered the liners with the highest praise). 

And off the top of my head here’s some fixed gear that is directly Climbing related 

3 trashed hand lines @ Attitash Crag (I may replace one as the others arent needed if the leaves are moved from the trail.

3 bad lines fixed lines @ The Bluff by Humphreys

2 bad Fixed lines at Hart Ledge

2 fixed lines at Mineral Site crag (or whatever the name)

1-2 bad fixed lines at Band M

Possibly one left at Lost ledge

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There was a fixed line I removed by Winterlude and there is another there on a 9/10 slab that I didn’t have time to pull. There was one at sundown and another at Jackson Crag I removed as well.

all of these have been up for atleast 3 years and are directly climbing related trash. Feel free to remove and replace/remove the shitty rotten anchor slings in most of those areas as well if you really care about making climbers look bad and acting on your words.

Insert namewrote:

And off the top of my head here’s some fixed gear that is directly Climbing related 

3 trashed hand lines @ Attitash Crag (I may replace one as the others arent needed if the leaves are moved from the trail.

3 bad lines fixed lines @ The Bluff by Humphreys

2 bad Fixed lines at Hart Ledge

2 fixed lines at Mineral Site crag (or whatever the name)

1-2 bad fixed lines at Band M

Possibly one left at Lost ledge

There was a fixed line I removed by Winterlude and there is another there on a 9/10 slab that I didn’t have time to pull. There was one at sundown and another at Jackson Crag I removed as well.

all of these have been up for atleast 3 years and are directly climbing related trash. Feel free to remove and replace/remove the shitty rotten anchor slings in most of those areas as well if you really care about making climbers look bad and acting on your words.

Different subject.

M Mwrote:

Different subject.

Hell would probably be a ship in the middle of the ocean for a month or so. AKA work.

Not really.Intentionally abandoning gear is deemed trash by the USFS and state parks therefore that actually hurts climbers in the eye of the public/government. So it isn’t a different subject.

Bailing in a rain storm or rigging in the evening isn’t clearly defined as a rule and clearing the gear means it isn’t trash. With your logic no one should ever leave bail gear overnight because it makes us lol bad to the general public is. (We can agree it isn’t the greatest form, but most climbers will use bail gear or leave something behind in their career).

Slack line isn’t climbing so climbing ethics don’t apply & only actual laws do.

better yet what about a local guide company who occasionally leaves bagged ropes at a local guide friendly ice crag overnight because there is a minor approach... that violates ethics in front of beginners and it takes about 5 minutes or less to rig.