People not giving a F$%k about wet rock. Wall Street, Moab

Was in Moab this last weekend (3/16) and it rained HARD Saturday and Saturday night. Went to do a hike on Corona arch Sunday (day after rain) and on the way out drove past Wall Street. Many parties were climbing. Belaying right next to massive puddles. I stopped and lectured them but it felt like I was just shouting into the wind. 

Should signs be set up along wall street stating "don't climb wet rock?". Feels bad man because the climbs on Wall Street have 100% changed in character over the last 10 years.

Is this just something I have to accept because its Moab's "gym" and move on with life? 

There's several things that *could* be going on here.

1. They actually don't know (VERY doubtful).
2. They know and don't care.
3. The area is missing quality mentors that people actually respect enough to follow their advice/warnings/instruction etc.
4. The rules aren't being enforced

My guess is that it's a combination of 2, 3 and 4.  My guess is also that it'll all get shut down eventually, either for this infraction or some other.  Move east.  The rock isn't as tall, but it's way stronger.  Sorry people are dickbags.  Not much to be done about it and though I can't predict the future or alternative lines of time, I suspect you are 100% right when you say correcting them would have been "shouting into the wind".  That has been my experience as well- even when trying to tactfully keep someone from killing themselves inadvertently.  

I go to Stoney Point on wet days. I tell folks that I’m not the police and I cant stop them from climbing. But if you really love climbing (most say that they do) I ask what would you think if that problem you’re on disappeared next week?
I get a dialogue going and my opinion is that about 90% are ignorant of the reality of wet sandstone. So I offer a list of local spots that are “good to go” when it’s wet.
Keep up the good fight grug, Jake 

Sandstone: Don’t take it for granite

Should signs be set up along wall street stating "don't climb wet rock?"

I think this might help.  It’s certainly not fair to expect someone to police/‘mentor’ Wall Street every time it rains.  I drove past there yesterday and it was pretty depressing-as noted, people stepping around huge puddles in order to climb obviously damp routes after a solid couple days of cold, wet weather.  

pretty sure Kalous said it’s cool, braj 

Red Rock has entered the chat...

Robert Dizzlewrote:

Red Rock has entered the chat...

Yep. 

They put signs up at every trailhead here and plenty of people still climbing the day after a heavy rain. 

Wanted to note, there IS a (small) sign on the board when entering the area regarding climbing on wet rock.\

I don't think any amount of signage will actually work, as uninformed people will think "The rock isn't wet to the touch, it's good to go!" 

Robert Dizzlewrote:

Red Rock has entered the chat...

Yeah it my experience it is usually experienced knowledgeable climbers and locals who are climbing when it is wet. Newbies and tourists are like "ew water" and they go to the gym or hike an instagram waterfall. The core climbers are the ones who are obsessed, and need more sessions on their projects, and have their finger on the conditions, so they can get out there in tinier and tinier weather windows. 

They know fully what they are doing but I just need a quick sess please bro, I just need to touch rock bro, this overhang is always dry, and I only worked the dry section promise bro, I used towels on the seeping bit, it's good to go bro.

It's a dirty secret.

We had La Nina effected weather for 2 years and I think it took about 6 months for people to crack and stop waiting for stuff to dry then a suspicious amount of hard stuff started getting sent again.

Drove down to Moab Friday night since the forecast I saw earlier in the week looked clear. Did some sight seeing all day instead because of the wet sandstone, drove past Wall Street on the way out. Fuck I almost racked up and climbed. Went by during a few-hour lull in the weather. Really hard to make the ethical decision when you just drove all the way down and woke up early expecting good weather.

Not sayin what anyone on Wall Street did was right. No one should climb on wet sandstone. But man that was a tough decision to make in the moment to keep the cams packed up and drive home. It would be hard to keep other tourists from climbing under those circumstances.

(To clarify: I did not climb that day)

The comercialization and thusly increased popularity of the game is/will continue to destroy the resource.  More money coming in must be balanced by more investment in education, outreach, and stewardship of the land by profiting companies. 

The bennefit of bolts and easy access is concentrating the whords/damage.  

Where does the Access Fund, the American Alpine Club, and Leave No Trace come into this degradation?  Tourist towns' Chambers of Commerce and tourism boards?  

The resource is bringing in money.  Funds must be spent to protect the resource.  

How many inches/milimeters of rain fell?

P Bwrote:

Dove down to Moab Friday night since the forecast I saw earlier in the week looked clear. Did some sight seeing all day instead because of the wet sandstone, drove past Wall Street on the way out. Fuck I almost racked up and climbed. Went by during a few-hour lull in the weather. Really hard to make the ethical decision when you just drove all the way down and woke up early expecting good weather.

Not sayin what anyone on Wall Street did was right. No one should climb on wet sandstone. But man that was a tough decision to make in the moment to keep the cams packed up and drive home. It would be hard to keep other tourists from climbing under those circumstances.

There is so much to do in Moab. Sooooooo many hikes/bikes/sights. Same with Red Rock. You dont NEED to climb. 

Sam Mwrote:

How many inches/milimeters of rain fell?

~0.25" - the rock was soaked. waterfalls were streaming off of everything. 

grug gwrote:

There is so much to do in Moab. Sooooooo many hikes/bikes/sights. Same with Red Rock. You dont NEED to climb. 

Some people do, look at all the 2 star limestone that people flock to in Vegas instead of 4 star hiking and being alone with their thoughts for a few hours.

Moab needs a similar alternative, maybe a gym with splitter cracks in all sizes, free PBR. A trad dad day care center if you will.

Hell, someone post up some sick buildering routes up the Kane Creek Excavators, those things are begging for FAs.

Folks will climb on wet rock in places they dont live, so they dont miss the opportunity that they took time off and spent money to make happen.
Sucks that it's just the reality of folks prioritizing their own experience when they have finite time in an area, unfortunately.

Also, many people just DGAF. Also unfortunate.

It's already a safe assumption that people who go to Wall Street to climb are idiots, because why would you go climbing six inches from a road?   Idiots climbing on wet sandstone should not be surprising 

This thread exists, and many like it, and yet people on this forum will try to claim that climbers are good at self-policing and that the community can manage itself. 

It's interesting to watch the cognitive dissonance. 

J Ewrote:

This thread exists, and many like it, and yet people on this forum will try to claim that climbers are good at self-policing and that the community can manage itself. 

It's interesting to watch the cognitive dissonance. 

I'm not sure this is a useful contribution at all. Any proposals or ideas?