Shawn Snyder talks on HowNOTtoHIGHLINE

I think some people confuse being fair with being neutral.

Mike Climberson wrote:

To be fair, I haven't watched any of his other content besides this interview. This guy Sean disrespected him, didn't give him a chance to speak, and meanwhile this guy Ryan is demanding that everybody shows respect to Sean. Says he's gonna delete any negative comments from youtube. He came across as weak, and didn't even confront Sean about the real issues of vandalism, etc.

Ryan accused Shawn of chopping some of his bolt replacements which started a major pissing match. Ryan now believes that Shawn did not do the chopping and wanted to meet with Shawn to tone things down. Plenty of people have confronted Shawn about his shenanigans, to no avail. He is delusional and/or unwilling to listen. It is not "weak" to not confront him or challenge him. Sometimes it is better to let the other person do all the talking to get your point across.

Gene Bankswrote:

Ryan accused Shawn of chopping some of his bolt replacements which started a major pissing match. Ryan now believes that Shawn did not do the chopping and wanted to meet with Shawn to tone things down. Plenty of people have confronted Shawn about his shenanigans, to no avail. He is delusional and/or unwilling to listen. It is not "weak" to not confront him or challenge him. Sometimes it is better to let the other person do all the talking to get your point across.

If I remember the original video correctly, it wasn't just chopping. They hammered the bolts over - it was pretty ugly.

Shawn shows classic narcissist personality characteristics throughout that interview.  

Excessive need for others to admire him.

Disregard for others unless they agree with him.

Cant handle criticism from others.

Sense of entitlement. 

Sense of self importance. 

Expect special treatment from others.

Heck, the list goes on and on but half the climbers I know kinda fit into this category.

Not really sure what the purpose of the video was other than trying to make Shawn feel better. He didn’t really say anything of substance in the whole thing. Essentially just a vague idea that “bolts should be installed well” which obviously everyone agrees with. The rest was just a bunch of rambling. 

Gene Bankswrote:

Ryan accused Shawn of chopping some of his bolt replacements which started a major pissing match. Ryan now believes that Shawn did not do the chopping and wanted to meet with Shawn to tone things down. Plenty of people have confronted Shawn about his shenanigans, to no avail. He is delusional and/or unwilling to listen. It is not "weak" to not confront him or challenge him. Sometimes it is better to let the other person do all the talking to get your point across.

Been following this pretty closely. If you watch the video Ryan says Shawn claims he didn't smash the bolts. I doubt you will find any one who has met Shawn who believes that lie. If he didn't personally swing the hammer he was was directing it. Unfortunately there are people that look up to Shawn as an OG and have yet to be harmed by him or see the light. 

I don't agree with giving Shawn anymore attention but I have to give how not to highline kudos. If nothing else now everyone knows who to look out for. It takes a bigger man than I to sit down with someone as antagonistic as Shawn and attempt to find some common ground. I think that Shawn has proven again and again that he not only doesn't reserve any of the "respect" he feels entitled to,  he should be in jail again. 

If Jenks can throw a little spot light his way to calm him down, i see that as a small victory for our community. Absent Yosemite stepping up and banning him, I think Ryan's tactic has the best chance  (of any legal course of action) of giving the Valley a break from Shawn's terrorist actions. 

Michael Bakerwrote:

Been following this pretty closely. If you watch the video Ryan says Shawn claims he didn't smash the bolts. I doubt you will find any one who has met Shawn who believes that lie. If he didn't personally swing the hammer he was was directing it. Unfortunately there are people that look up to Shawn as an OG and have yet to be harmed by him or see the light. 

Correct, I misremembered. I thought Ryan said he "believed" him, in the "I'll just say it, but not really mean it" kind of way. I agree that Shawn was involved in one way or another.

In the end, it’s Shawn’s way or the tantrum highway

So how does "crazy man" get this cult like following of approval? Like even Tradi was on here a while back blowing the dude and all, his horn whatever...

BigCountrywrote:

So how does "crazy man" get this cult like following of approval? Like even Tradi was on here a while back blowing the dude and all, his horn whatever...

The same reason folks have a hard-on for certain authoritarian leaders: toxic masculinity rewards overconfidence, inflated self-worth, egomania, violence, dogmatism, and by-any-means-necessary tactics.

I skipped around a while but found one small side comment that kind of sums up my feelings on him.

He was using an example about a bolt on bearded cabbage going bad, and someone asking for a bolt replacement one year... then another bolt the next year, that won't be the same one... meaning that when the entire route needs to be stripped and reboltred, the person doing the rebolting has to carry extra equipment and it makes their backpack heavy.

Sean has a feeling, then scrambles to justify it with poor logic.

Bolts being replaced isn't a big deal, especially in Joshua Tree where there are tons of volunteers and a great process to it. In addition, why would an ENTIRE route need to be rebolted, after having bolts already replaced by several parties?

The only logical conclusion to this is, a standardized system - something sean would never be happy with unless it was one he got to lord over himself. However that isn't what Sean is espousing, he is trying to justify his behavior rather than discuss bad practicies.

The entire conversation was an ego stroke and shouldn't have been done under the guise of anything but "heres what Sean thinks." You put a via ferrata at the parking lot at smith, you steal stuff, you tamper with anchors and endanger peoples lives - these actions means he doesn't have a voice in this stage. He's just manipulative at this point, and not very good at it either. 

Greg Daviswrote:

The entire conversation was an ego stroke and shouldn't have been done under the guise of anything but "heres what Sean thinks." You put a via ferrata at the parking lot at smith, you steal stuff, you tamper with anchors and endanger peoples lives - these actions means he doesn't have a voice in this stage. He's just manipulative at this point, and not very good at it either. 

You forgot attempted murder, right? That's what sets this guy apart for me - he's not just damaging things; he's shown to be a violent person. Yeah sucks about bolts or whatever you nerds are doing up there, but shit's gunna get real when he starts cutting ropes with people attached to them.

Long Rangerwrote:

You forgot attempted murder, right? That's what sets this guy apart for me - he's not just damaging things; he's shown to be a violent person. Yeah sucks about bolts or whatever you nerds are doing up there, but shit's gunna get real when he starts cutting ropes with people attached to them.

I'll be honest I'm no encyclopedia of this drama. Feel like I've missed half of it, for which I'm grateful. 

He tried to kill Dean Potter. And then in this video, he talks about since well: Dean is now dead, he's the sole torch bearer on how to bolt shit for all the areas they all frequented. It's fucked.

Wait. Hold up that sending gravy a sec. You mean to tell me climbing is a haven for pathological narcissists?

Also a lot of trolls. 

Long Rangerwrote:

You forgot attempted murder, right? That's what sets this guy apart for me - he's not just damaging things; he's shown to be a violent person. Yeah sucks about bolts or whatever you nerds are doing up there, but shit's gunna get real when he starts cutting ropes with people attached to them.

I've been out of the conversation for a while but it seems I've seen more people threaten to cut his ropes than I have him threatening to do the same. Maybe I'm just thinking about the keyboard warriors?

Kevin Mokracekwrote:

Shawn shows classic narcissist personality characteristics throughout that interview.  

Excessive need for others to admire him.

Disregard for others unless they agree with him.

Cant handle criticism from others.

Sense of entitlement. 

Sense of self importance. 

Expect special treatment from others.

Heck, the list goes on and on but half the climbers I know kinda fit into this category.

That list also describes the majority of people that spend their lives trying to be YouTube heros as well don't you think? I do.

M Mwrote:

That list also describes the majority of people that spend their lives trying to be YouTube heros as well don't you think? I do.

This list describes most majority of PEOPLE.

Especially climbers:)

M Mwrote:

I've been out of the conversation for a while but it seems I've seen more people threaten to cut his ropes than I have him threatening to do the same. Maybe I'm just thinking about the keyboard warriors?

Shawn posted a video of himself with a knife on top of a pitch at an anchor miming cutting the rope that was being used. Or is that something he plausibly denies doing, too?