Passing parties making us wait … how to avoid

I try to be polite and courteous of others on multi pitch routes by letting people pass but lately multiple times parties I let pass made our party wait.

Once I realized the party caught up to us because they were simul climbing while placing no gear between them, once ahead of us, we waited 45 minutes while they belayed the next pitch.

Another time we stopped for a snack - ok no more snacks! Must carry sandwiches and bars in pockets not backpack. Wait women’s pants don’t have functional pockets. Carry Fannie pack! I realized they were actually slower at the actual climbing than us and we had to wait behind them. 

Another time a simul climbing party of three climbed over my follower as I waited below the anchor which had two parties on it already. Once ahead of us, the simuling 3 were slow and made us wait.

Have I been having bad luck or is there something I can do to prevent this? In every case these dudes did all kinds of other sketchy stuff including dropping rocks, struggling and almost falling while simul climbing on easy terrain, having spaghetti coils of rope around their necks not tied correctly, twisting their rope around ours, clipping into and then attempting to clean our gear…etc. 

Anyone have tips on how to deal with these people? They initially seem like strong young men, then I realize they lack skill and are terribly  over confident. 

Melissa Thaw wrote:

Anyone have tips on how to deal with these people? They initially seem like strong young men, then I realize they lack skill and are terribly  over confident. 

Strength has nothing to do with competency. I suggest saying something like "How about we wait a couple pitches and see if a pass makes sense?" Might be hard to tame the egos of young men as a woman, but be firm: you have every right to climb without dumbasses exposing you to additional risk. 

Usually parties speed up to catch up to a group in front of them, only to burn out immediately after or slow down when the crux pitch comes up. Unless you're being ridiculously slow folks should be okay with waiting a bit, perhaps having a lunch of their own. 

As a side note, I despise the glamor of speed climbing and adoption of advanced techniques by folks who shouldn't be using them. Get fast at standard climbing and rope work first, then add the fancy stuff. Standard young man thing to think you're better than you actually are. 

I feel like sometimes, people want to pass so they're in front of the line...then slow down considerably. It's like when someone on the highway speeds up 90mph to catch you, then slows down to 70mph once they're in front and it's infuriating. When people are kind enough to let me pass on a route, I try to make sure they'll never see me and my partner again, so we climb the next few pitches as fast as possible.

If this keeps happening to you, the solution is....don't let them pass. You were on route first. (You're probably also faster than you think you are). I don't let people pass unless I've watched them climb a pitch or two and kind of mentally time their speed. If they are significantly faster than my team, I'll let them go, but they have to be REALLY fast. I also watch the way they transition/efficiency. It also depends on how long the route is or how much we have left, if's shorter than 3-4 pitches, sorry no we can all wait. If we've just started or have 8-10+ pitches left, goodbye please pass me have a nice day.

Maybe a quick mini-interview to get an idea of their team.

"I saw you simul'd the last pitch, are you guys gonna simul the whole thing?"

"Have you done this route before?"

They could still lie about those questions, but hopefully, it'll give you an idea of where they're at skill-wise.

Or you can just go the crusty way, and tell them they can either wait or rappel down. 

Having parties climb above you is dangerous. If they weren't on the route before you, they can wait or pick a different line. If they get aggressive about it, there's not much you can do but take pictures and video and share away on the socials later. Word gets around quickly about antisocial behavior these days

I am wondering whether, with all the new attention paid to speed climbing, some climbers imagine themselves to be Alex Honnold or whatever. And yes it's ironic when the speedsters force others to wait via their incompetence. Speed climbing is about much more than overtaking other parties.

Be more adventurous and get on climbs that other folks are not heading for or waiting to get on. 

consider the climbing in front of you. Just because a party hustles up the 5.6 or approach doesn’t mean they will fly up the crux, even if belayed. Special consideration for the route finding crux, or OW or tricky slab moves.

If the party behind you leads the pitch faster than your follower more than once ( ie chilling while your second cleans gear) then consider letting them pass especially if the climb ahead is similar to what has been done. Doubly if the party behind you has their second up at the anchor when your sharing and your only 10 feet up the next pitch. 

I agree, the best way to avoid multiple parties is 

1) get on routes that are less popular, have a backup plan if a route is really busy

2) dial your systems so you are efficient and fast, noting if there is people behind you. consider things like trax the second so you can be efficient and eat your snacks too

3) if a party is doing something more risky (ie simul) its ok to have a conversation that you're not comfortable with their level of risk (ie a free soloist almost fell on a roped climber at the nutcracker in Yosemite a few years ago).  however you can't control people....

4) stop asking to pass.  just do it.  especially if they passed you earlier and now are moving slowly.  if anything is brought up, I would say, we are moving more quickly now and it would only be fair if you allow us the same courtesy as we allowed you.