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"A Secure Anchor" .... has anyone else seen the flaw?

Original Post
Derek Jf · · Northeast · Joined Feb 2012 · Points: 335

Just watched this video over on DPM... Being the vids from 2013 I tried to find an older thread breaking down the clip but nothing on MP.
The purpose seems to try and correlate Christianity to climbing... Anyone buyin this?

Disclaimer: to each their own... dont care what you follow or dont (unless its me, and then I hope you free my stoppers)

In the vid, they first depict soloing as dangerous and like living life without following the Big Guy... They have the climber fall at the top.
Then proceed to compare protected free climbing with a partner to being a devout follower of Christianity.

They show the name sake and purpose of the vid (a secure anchor) mid way and it is so ironic it hurts.

Watch through all the way if you want, or just skip to 2:10 to see the irony.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnkwLCGuZ24#t=144

George W · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2015 · Points: 6

Ironic as hell! Also, nice joke about your stoppers.

Eric Thomas · · Colorado · Joined Feb 2013 · Points: 60

Did that guy just die for an LDS commercial?

Jack C · · Green River, UT · Joined Mar 2013 · Points: 325

It is ironic. But calling the anchor "ironic as hell" is similarly ironic so it appears irony happens to the best of us.

In the creator's defense (of the video that is. More irony dammit) the drilled bolt looks secure but you can never be sure what will actually happen. Sounds like some deeper Christian theology can definitely get on board with that assessment. I suppose most Christian's don't look for a back-up deity if Christ doesn't work out for them, they'll just keep wasting their Sunday morning. They sure do trust that bolt though; probably because they'll tell you the bolt won't fail.

Hey, I'm guilty of trusting to my life to one piece of equipment all the time. Single belay carabiner, I don't wear two harnesses simultaneously, that crux piece, etc. I guess spirituality can go the same way just as easily and frequently. Maybe we look at this philosophically and not in a safety oriented fashion and it'll make more sense?

Thanks for sharing, beautiful landscape and rock in the very least. They should seriously build better anchors though.

Joe Crawford · · Truckee, CA · Joined Jan 2014 · Points: 105

Jesus take the lead. Take it from my hands.

George W · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2015 · Points: 6
Jack C. wrote:It is ironic. But calling the anchor "ironic as hell" is similarly ironic so it appears irony happens to the best of us.
Happens to the best of us?!? Don't you think that phrase was chosen specifically? Give me a little credit, man. Jeez... It's not even ironic.

Also, I don't think you appreciate the strength of your gear in a dynamic system as compared to that single expansion bolt in sandstone. A single harness, belay biner, or crux piece doesn't even begin to compare to a single bolt anchor. Please don't spread your misunderstanding.
EeT · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2015 · Points: 0

What kind of LDS experience are you having? Ill take two hits please!

highaltitudeflatulentexpulsion · · Colorado · Joined Oct 2012 · Points: 35

This came up on FB yesterday. I actually wasn't too bothered by the narrator reading the wikipedia description of climbing. The part that I couldn't get past was just how white Jesus was. Seriously, the actor they got for him is even whiter than the Fox News version of the 2000 year old middle eastern man.

Jacob Koffler · · Las Vegas · Joined Jan 2014 · Points: 10

+1 for black jesus

Jack C · · Green River, UT · Joined Mar 2013 · Points: 325
George W wrote: Happens to the best of us?!? Don't you think that phrase was chosen specifically? Give me a little credit, man. Jeez... It's not even ironic. Also, I don't think you appreciate the strength of your gear in a dynamic system as compared to that single expansion bolt in sandstone. A single harness, belay biner, or crux piece doesn't even begin to compare to a single bolt anchor. Please don't spread your misunderstanding.
Whoa boy reel it in. I was giving examples not spraying absolute truths. Not to mention you put your gear through much greater rigors on lead than you do giving a top-rope belay but that's of course besides the point because I'm misunderstanding.

I'm not arguing it's a good anchor. If you read the last part of my comment I think you would realize we are probably agreeing...I might be misunderstanding however. It is a possibility.

And "ironic as hell" is ironic. You proved that yourself by saying "Don't you think that phrase was chosen specifically?" If it wasn't ironic you wouldn't have chosen it. Give me a little credit, man. Plus irony is using the opposite to describe something to make the statement humorous. "Ironic as hell" while talking about Jesus is definitely something I would call irony. Maybe I'm misunderstanding...
Captain Ahab · · Austin, TX · Joined Jun 2015 · Points: 19

Finally, people will understand my "my belayer is a Jewish carpenter" bumper sticker

EeT · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2015 · Points: 0

Is that your free solo belay?

Rubber Tramp · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2013 · Points: 5

Says at the beginning the narrator is a member of the "Quorum of the twelve apostles". It's just an LDS video to keep their youth safe. Hence the reason Jesus is "so white" and most of the cast have blond hair. Welcome to Utah. Surprised they didn't mention how they should go around with a stereo playing the Apostle's sermon while climbing and hiking (yes, seen that).

Zac St Jules · · New Hampshire · Joined Dec 2013 · Points: 1,188

Interesting

Royal · · Santa Rosa, CA · Joined Jun 2010 · Points: 410

Not really a 'Christian' commercial. It's Mormon, aka LDS. Tobin Sorenson, who was justifiably famous in his day, was both an intense Christian and soloist. He was famous for being generally crazy. Personally, I think he was the most interesting of the stonemasters. Point is, I don't think Christianity is incompatible with soloing.

Funny video though. I disagree with the premise. Well, some of it. Soloing for a thrill is the wrong reason to solo. Good find!

George W · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2015 · Points: 6
Jack C. wrote: Whoa boy reel it in.
Don't patronize me, Jack. Lest we get into an Internet showdown and I have to kick your virtual ass.

White Jesus ain't gonna put up with this behavior so we best just drop it. You're wrong, and it's ok. ;)
TSluiter · · Holland, VT · Joined May 2013 · Points: 314

I'm about as far away from religious as you get but I'm glad they didn't butcher the concept and used the correct terms. Even if it was reading from Wikipedia.

Decent production.
+1 for White Jesus, ha.

Austin Baird · · SLC, Utah · Joined Apr 2009 · Points: 95

I'm the guy who "summited" Castleton at the end with my little sister (it was too windy to get the drone up that high, so we faked the summit on that little formation across the ridge).

Yes, the irony of me just using the single bolt when I'm the "safe" climber is delicious. The director didn't get some shots he wanted on Castleton, so we went to Red Slab up Rock Canyon for that scene. I'm standing on a ledge about 30 feet off the ground, about five feet down from a two-bolt anchor, and my sister never really got more than about 10 feet off the ground. The director said he just needed some tight shots of me belaying, so I ran the rope through that bolt so he could get his shots. He wasn't supposed to pull back that wide and make it look like I was belaying off that thing. Whatever. For a church-sponsored video, they did a pretty good job making it mostly realistic and getting things mostly right.

And I tracked the IP addresses for each of you and sent LDS missionaries to your homes. You all obviously need Jesus.

Zac St Jules · · New Hampshire · Joined Dec 2013 · Points: 1,188
Austin Baird wrote: And I tracked the IP addresses for each of you and sent LDS missionaries to your homes. You all obviously need Jesus.
hahahahaha incredible
Jack C · · Green River, UT · Joined Mar 2013 · Points: 325
Zac.St.Jules wrote: hahahahaha incredible
+1. Austin, you did a good job.
Anonymous · · Unknown Hometown · Joined unknown · Points: 0

So where the rope going from the guy that is belaying? Is someone belaying the belayer?

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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