Unsafe Crag Usage

[goodguy]

On Sunday 6 of us went up to Torrent to avoid the rain and get in an endurance day. While there and on route, a group of 4-6 climbers on the 5.8 right of Wadcutter had a girl top-rope up the route trailing a rope. When she reached the top 2-3 of the climbers in her group started yelling up instructions. I looked over to see what was going on and noticed that the climber was shaking and beginning to cry because she was so scared and didn't know what to do.

I didn't say anything at first for fear that I would make the situation worse, and then the climber started trying to unclip the 2 anchor quickdraws that she was hanging on! I then yelled down the the group of climbers giving her instruction and asked if she was supposed to be cleaning the anchors. I got a nasty short answer and they then proceeded to yell up to her.

At that point I yelled down to the group and demanded they lower the climber and told them that she had no business being up there. They soon lowered the climber, and in there haste managed to bang her into the roof at the base of the route which only added insult to injury.

I think it is completely irresponsible that people will put a beginner in an extremely dangerous situation for no reason.
I found out after the fact that she wasn't trying to clean the anchors, but was trailing a rope to run directly through the chains so that the last climber could top-rope through the chains and the "experienced" climbers wouldn't have to climb the route again.

One of these days someone is going to get killed at the Red over something stupid. I just hope it isn't a beginner being forced to do something to make there "experienced" climbing partners day a little easier.



COMMENT?

[jcwhite]

I know what you're sayin Goodguy. Unfortunately, I've seen this situation more than once and once was still too much. However, I've seen over-zealous noobs insist that they be allowed to do such tasks in spite of their lack of experience because they feel like they have something to prove. The way I see it, if there is some fall protection and they are competent enough to keep a anchor in order(which is not complicated by any means) then let 'em give it a shot. I was cleaning anchors on my second trip outside but I had a solid understanding. Sometimes people just don't get it and should have someone who's competent to look over their shoulder for safety.

[Ballss]

I agree with JC. People have to learn sometime. However, the first climbing trip is not that time. If the girl was crying, her idiot "friends" should have lowered her, and it shouldn't have taken a stranger yelling to them for this to happen. From my experience, anchor cleaning is best taught by ONE person who is at the anchors with the newbie. This of course AFTER the process has been explained on the ground.

[Mboss]

It was my rope they were hauling up. I don't know what they were trying to do to that girl. We had a top rope set up for a friend of mine who had never climbed but then we went to do a route on the 5.11 wall and just left the top rope up because everyone seemed to be climbing other routes. That group came to me and asked if they could climb the route since we still had our rope hanging. We told them to go ahead and not worry about it. I don't know why they felt the need to haul our rope back up after they had finished. We could have easily run it back up and when we realized what was going on, we told her not to worry about it. Then the guy on belay lowered her very fast and dropped her onto a boulder below the route. The poor girl was in tears, probably should not have been climbing the route at all and certainly should not be hauling a rope.

But just to be clear, it was two different groups of climbers and we certainly did not ask or intend for her to haul a rope for us.

[steep4me]

this type of situation is common among new climbers. The second time I ever went climbing in '94, I toproped a trad route and when I got to the top, the "more experienced climbers" decided that I should clean the anchor and set up a rappel off of a tree without ever having done this before. They were yelling up to me 70 feet above them. I ended up hooked to just one side of the rope with nobody on the other end. I was just about to step off the edge with my rappel set up on one side of the rope, when I realized there was nobody holding the other end. The people at the bottom were talking and completely ignoring me. Needless to say, I set it up correctly the second time around and reached the bottom safely--but I was about 3 inches away from pitching off a 70-foot climb to the rocks below.

[the lurkist]

Good for you, Gguy. Good thing you did speak up. We should really all have less hesitancy to speaking up when we see numb nuts doing stupid, ill informed, or dangerous stuff at the cliff.

[pigsteak]

mboss...hopefully your rope was originally thru draws, and not being used directly thru the chains...let's all do our part to keep the anchors from wearing out.

[Spragwa]

Yeah Goodguy, it is great that you spoke up. Thank goodness. That poor girl. I feel for her.

[spuzo]

Cheers for speaking up too. I recently was at New Jack City and an outdoor group was out there (yeah we all know what climbing with those groups is like) they were a really large newbie group. The leader of the group was standing right there and never said anything, but the belayer (on an ATC) was taking pictures while belaying a new climber on toprope. He had BOTH hands OFF the device completely, snapping shots and then we stood there open-mouthed while he completely took the climber OFF BELAY so that the rope would not cast a shadow on the picture. They were all shouting for the climber to "pose" on the route. I don't care that the route was a 5.7 or 5.8....doesn't matter. THe leader of that group just stood there and watched....they were a VERY large group and we immediately packed up and left that wall...why we didn't say anything? I don't know....I guess I was just really shocked. The club leader was there and I guess I figured it was his job....

So good job for speaking up...I guess I should have too.

[Mboss]

Our TR was through the draws.