Etiquette for found gear

Dow Williamswrote:

If you drop gear on those below you, then you definitely know who took it 

A call to 911 would most certainly be in order 

So if you are 1000ft up on a 1500ft multipitch and were to drop a piece of gear... the people on the ground know which of the 4 groups currently climbing it that day dropped it? and they can just wait at the base for a few hours for them to get down and hand it back? I am sorry but if I was walking along the base of a climb and found a piece of gear I am just going to take it unless I can look up and see the people who dropped it. Heck the people who found it when you are talking about those heights may not even be able to see who dropped it.

Imagine walking along the base of royal arches in Yosemite and finding a piece of gear on the ground. There is no way to know who dropped it or when they will be back. You can leave the gear sitting there but the climbers don't even know where that piece will be or if it even made it to the ground. If it was me I wouldn't even look for it and just call it a day when I got back down so if someone finds it good for them and a prize to take home.

On the other hand if it fell down on a ledge 1-2 pitches below and there was a group following I would expect that they saw it and would return it. I have personally had this happen with 2 groups of climbers in front of me on the same route and seen people return the gear no questions asked.

Cory N wrote:

Pretty sure they were joking saying that if a piece of gear was dropped and hit someone, you might need to call 911 because they would be injured…

Maybe I didn't read it as hitting them just dropped near them so guess I maybe overlooked that and was thinking they dropped it on the ground next to someone and they took it so they were calling 911 to arrest them for stealing since they watched them take it.

(Stupid post limits)

John Smithwrote:

So if you are 1000ft up on a 1500ft multipitch and were to drop a piece of gear... the people on the ground know which of the 4 groups currently climbing it that day dropped it? and they can just wait at the base for a few hours for them to get down and hand it back? I am sorry but if I was walking along the base of a climb and found a piece of gear I am just going to take it unless I can look up and see the people who dropped it. Heck the people who found it when you are talking about those heights may not even be able to see who dropped it.

Imagine walking along the base of royal arches in Yosemite and finding a piece of gear on the ground. There is no way to know who dropped it or when they will be back. You can leave the gear sitting there but the climbers don't even know where that piece will be or if it even made it to the ground. If it was me I wouldn't even look for it and just call it a day when I got back down so if someone finds it good for them and a prize to take home.

On the other hand if it fell down on a ledge 1-2 pitches below and there was a group following I would expect that they saw it and would return it. I have personally had this happen with 2 groups of climbers in front of me on the same route and seen people return the gear no questions asked.

Pretty sure they were joking saying that if a piece of gear was dropped and hit someone, you might need to call 911 because they would be injured…

John, one respondent suggested calling the police if you know who took a piece of gear you dropped, left or lost (911 reference).  Another is complaining about dropping her piece and would someone please return it.  The shameless should feel more ashamed about dropping anything from above vs who might or might not have took said item.  Sarcasm is all I have left to add to this beaten to death subject.  

Booty is booty. But personally if someone made an effort to track down their lost gear 90% of the time I’d try to get it back to them because it would be more rewarding to see that person stoked to get their gear back than keep it. Especially dropped gear. If someone acted entitled about getting the gear back (like they left a cam on the wall, and posted accusatory like, someone stole my cam) I’d be less likely to return it. But if someone was contrite (like, I’m sorry I dropped a cam, hopefully no one was below us, I’d love to get it back and will be happy to buy you a beer) I’d make sure they got it back. 

It is kind of a crazy set of “rules.” When I was young and couldn’t afford it, I lost gear. And when I was new at making anchors, I was trying to bail off 1 piece I kinda knew how to place in order to save my small and expensive rack.

Now I have nicer stuff, and am a net collector of booty. But it’s not as valuable to me as it would have been back when I was a net payer into the common booty fund.

They’re sensible “rules” on mountains and big walls. At the crag, it’s kind of just a regressive tax. 

Mork Mwrote:

I don't have social media aside from MoPro and Reddit so I don't have a means to see if anyone lost gear. This is intentional.

A couple weeks ago I was climbing with my partner when the party on a route to our right was yelling about not being able to get a cam unstuck. My partner and I were listening carefully, waiting for our moment to get on the route to rescue the cam the other party was trying to get for around 30 mins. We finished our route and hung out at the base of the next climb. We noticed the other party's bags and shoes at the base, so we stopped for lunch to make sure they were clear of the route and picked up their stuff before attempting to get the cam. We didn't want them seeing us trying to get the cam out. It took all of 15 seconds for me to free it not even letting go of the rock with one hand. Gave it to my partner, it was his first 0.4.

If you leave a cam and it takes 15 seconds for another party to free it one handed, then you just donated gear to someone else.

Dick move dude

I was just in this situation yesterday. I  pulled out a $150 cam. But I intentionally asked my party not to talk about it and I didn’t brag because I didn’t want this situation. I don’t feel bad about keeping it. But I know if someone asked for it back and I believed it was theirs I would probably return it. Because that’s what I do. I don’t want that conflict.

but I’ve never had anyone return my own lost gear so…. When I find something I want to keep it.  If others were trying to find the original owner and give the gear back then I would do that too. I would probably have some of my gear back. But that’s not what others do so that’s not what I’m going to do.

Martin Colwellwrote:

I was just in this situation yesterday. I  pulled out a $150 cam. But I intentionally asked my party not to talk about it and I didn’t brag because I didn’t want this situation. I don’t feel bad about keeping it. But I know if someone asked for it back and I believed it was theirs I would probably return it. Because that’s what I do. I don’t want that conflict.

but I’ve never had anyone return my own lost gear so…. When I find something I want to keep it.  If others were trying to find the original owner and give the gear back then I would do that too. I would probably have some of my gear back. But that’s not what others do so that’s not what I’m going to do.

Bro loves tragedy of the commons.

M Awrote:

Bro loves tragedy of the commons.

I don’t know about “loves” but I accept it as a fact of life.

I support groups working together and doing the right thing but I don’t support trying to change the world all on my own and having the only result be that I get taken advantage of by everyone else.

Years ago I left eight ice screws behind bailing because we dropped our v thread tool and didn't have fancy tricks up our sleeve. The next week I went back to get them, now armed with extra thread tools. While I recovered four or five, the rest were either taken by people or the mountain. Both reasons are acceptable. I also found two other new aluminum screws at the base of the climb. I posted here on MP to see if anyone found my screws and another about the aluminum ones I found. I never found my screws, but my partner lived within a mile of the person, by chance, who accidentally dropped their screws so we were happy to give them back. I would have been happy to have gained two screws, especially given my loss, but really I was happier to salve someone else's loss at a relatively mild and zero-cost effort.

It seems pretty straight forward to me to just try a little bit to return gear. With the advent of the internet we have the ability to easily post about lost gear whereas in the past there wasn't a forum to let people know you found\lost booty. Times change and you can choose whichever path makes you feel good.

with ice screws unless its an accident or you know the person just keep them. guaranteed you will donate a few of your own soon enough. especially in big snow years.  it all works out if you climb regularly.  last season I lost one found two. The year before I lost two and found two  but one of the screws  I found was mine from the season before that...  if i see the party drop it and spot it in the snow I put it on their pack. If I find it in the spring clean up it's  sweepers keepers.  Jake, always make sure that  both climbers have their own thread tool.  on top of that I have a spare in the pack. Naturally my spare is a booty rig i picked up over by shaker heights... 

Martin Colwellwrote:

I was just in this situation yesterday. I  pulled out a $150 cam. 

$150 cam?? wow!!!

Sep Mwrote:

It is kind of a crazy set of “rules.” When I was young and couldn’t afford it, I lost gear. And when I was new at making anchors, I was trying to bail off 1 piece I kinda knew how to place in order to save my small and expensive rack.

Now I have nicer stuff, and am a net collector of booty. But it’s not as valuable to me as it would have been back when I was a net payer into the common booty fund.

They’re sensible “rules” on mountains and big walls. At the crag, it’s kind of just a regressive tax. 

It's mostly people twisting themselves in knots to justify grabbing anything that isn't nailed down so they don't feel bad. 

Nick Goldsmithwrote:

Agreed,nick. It was an expensive and late night adrenaline-fueled lesson early in my career. I now climb with two thread tools in different places and ensure my partner has at least one. Plus some other skills that may help in the moment.