Things that give you "the ick"

There must be a simpler, more elegant, less clunky way to accomplish the need for communicating at the crags than those stoooopid pieces of ‘technology’. Put down the game controller and figure it out, Gen Z.

apogeewrote:

There must be a simpler, more elegant, less clunky way to accomplish the need for communicating at the crags than those stoooopid pieces of ‘technology’. Put down the game controller and figure it out, Gen Z.

get with the times boomer millennial...radios are the more elegant way of which you speak... 

Aaron Kwrote:

I don't own walkie talkies and have only used them a few times climbing, but I've you've used them on a busy weekend in the Black Canyon where you are in earshot of another party yelling "Aaron off belay!" you have to admit they're pretty nice. 

I’ve mentioned this in several posts.

My “invention” that I want (someone else) to make is a chapstick sized 2 way radio with no audio capability. 3 lights. Each light a distinctive color. One button per light. Simple.

Let the user determine what each light means. Probably “on belay” “off belay” and “climbing” but you can choose. It should be incorporated with a rope tug to confirm. Maybe a cell phone type vibration could be worked into it too.

It would give you the functionality of 2 way radios without any of the annoying noise. It would also eliminate the noise of yelling. I thought of this 25 years ago when I saw a deaf climber. 

Jay Crewwrote:

get with the times boomer millennial...radios are the more elegant way of which you speak... 

Poor Gen X... always forgotten

Brad Youngwrote:

Ah the new generation. Incapable of understanding that "simple" can bring joy in and of itself.

I gotta add though that even with all the shit kids these days insist on having on their harnesses (10 pounds of radios, "PASs," always a GriGri, prussics, the kitchen sink, God when does it end)? Even though they can't seem to climb with a gear sling and how can one miss the way they clip the 'biners to their harness backward? All that and most of them still climb harder grades than I do.

What's more, blind as they may be, they seem to have plenty of fun. Almost as much as we did at that age.

Agree. But pas is nice on some routes and a grigri is definitely the best. If you’re not belaying with an auto belay you’re dumb. 

^^^

Then I'm dumb.

I've caught 50 and 110 foot lead falls without an auto belay though. I pay attention and am not crippled by a need for help from a device.

If you can't belay without an auto belay then you're not worth trusting.

EDIT: Having said the above, I'll add that I will use a GriGri when it makes sense. As an example, at Pinnacles we hand drill, on lead when doing FAs. A GriGri with a backup knot saves a TON of effort while belaying a leader who is stationary and drilling.

apogeewrote:

There must be a simpler, more elegant, less clunky way to accomplish the need for communicating at the crags than those stoooopid pieces of ‘technology’. Put down the game controller and figure it out, Gen Z.

Whistles

The grigri 4 will have a 2 way radio built into it

I still hate grigris tho.  Even petzl knows that grigris suck, that's why they made the neox.

Brad Youngwrote:

^^^

Then I'm dumb.

I've caught 50 and 110 foot lead falls without an auto belay though. I pay attention and am not crippled by a need for help from a device.

If you can't belay without an auto belay then you're not worth trusting.

EDIT: Having said the above, I'll add that I will use a GriGri when it makes sense. As an example, at Pinnacles we hand drill, on lead when doing FAs. A GriGri with a backup knot saves a TON of effort while belaying a leader who is stationary and drilling.

When I started climbing I never used grigri I learned how to use figure 8 and atc. But at this point I personally know people where both the belayer and climber would’ve died if it wasn’t for the grigri. So I think the little more weight for way more protection at this point is worth it. Also a full metal grigri is safer and more reliable than more traditional techniques. But personally if I can’t have a grigri I’m taking a body weight belay or a Munter hitch. 

Eric Mosswrote:

Whistles

The grigri 4 will have a 2 way radio built into it

I still hate grigris tho.  Even petzl knows that grigris suck, that's why they made the neox.

Why the grigri hate?

Lars Edmundswrote:

Why the grigri hate?

Lars, there are plenty of threads on here already discussing why some of us prefer not to use Grigris, and are particularly turned off by the 'Grigri absolutists'.

You seem to enjoy putting forth extreme positions--as you did on this thread a couple of days ago---though later acknowledged that you'd "exaggerated". Maybe it would be better to think a bit more before making posts that insult others---or maybe you are one of those who just enjoy being a troll.

Lars Edmundswrote:

Why the grigri hate?

Because he's a weirdo

Ruining Rocktober in the kitchen.

Hart Fuffer wrote:

People that need to say anything more than "slack", "take", and "lower" on safe single pitch sport routes.

People that don't use rope tugs when it's windy.

What if you need to say more than that? Like if you or your partner got hurt and need a rescue from your partner?

Redacted Redactbergwrote:

What if you need to say more than that? Like if you or your partner got hurt and need a rescue from your partner?

He said “…on safe single pitch sport routes.”

Brad Youngwrote:

^^^

Then I'm dumb.

I've caught 50 and 110 foot lead falls without an auto belay though. I pay attention and am not crippled by a need for help from a device.

If you can't belay without an auto belay then you're not worth trusting.

EDIT: Having said the above, I'll add that I will use a GriGri when it makes sense. As an example, at Pinnacles we hand drill, on lead when doing FAs. A GriGri with a backup knot saves a TON of effort while belaying a leader who is stationary and drilling.

I don't think auto belay means what you think it does.

Hart Fuffer wrote:

People that need to say anything more than "slack", "take", and "lower" on safe single pitch sport routes.

People that don't use rope tugs when it's windy.

People that use rope tugs as their “out of voice communication” plan so they have no idea if it was their partner or the wind tugging on the rope.

Libby Southgatewrote:

People that use rope tugs as their “out of voice communication” plan so they have no idea if it was their partner or the wind tugging on the rope.

For the record, this is not a thing. Rope tugs work, wind or not, they're very distinct.

Obviously, you can't just say "Tug the rope when you're off belay." You gotta make it super clear, like, three full arm lifts up and down means X and so on. Only the leader needs to do this. I haven't yelled, while climbing, in decades.

Marc801 Cwrote:

He said “…on safe single pitch sport routes.”

Maybe. But I was taught that climbing is never “safe.” Even if the pitch is, how about your gear? What if the climber or the belayer notices a bad coreshot in the rope and needs the climber to go in direct? What if the rope gets wedged and stuck in a crack on lead, and the climber goes in direct too and needs a rescue? Seems like none of the basic commands will do the trick in these kinds of situations.

Calling a climb a “rig”.

Rop tugs on Long pitches with no visible leader are recipe for mis interpretation. There's a safe system that is dependent on the leader doing everything in the proper order.  Leader gets to stance does it in this order.

1. Make anchor.

2. Put on belay jacket or whatever other tasks are nessicary.

3. Pull up all the rope and immediately put follower on very tight belay. 

When all the rope gets pulled up the follower waits 20 seconds and then starts breaking down the anchor and should be good to climb and the rope stays tight as they climb until communication is re established.