Wobbler

[trog]

laughing at witnessing near death:
1. release of severe mental stress, or
2.schadenfreude (my fav german word), or
3. insensitive jackass

[JR]

I thought "wobbler" was part of the climbing vernacular.

It means to have a temper tantrum. And just as Anti-Climber was eluding to, it usually happens when you take climbing a little too serious.

Used it a sentence: "I fell off the Africa hold on Tissue Tiger for the 10th time and I tossed a wobbbler that you wouldn't believe." or for you traddies out there "I got my number one Camalot stuck on the Underling and threw a wobbler something awful."

[anticlmber]

wobbler - a tantrum occurring at a climbing venue, (crag, boulder, gym, gay bar) that involves many of the following:
yelling, swearing, swearing while yelling, punching/kicking the rock, cussing loudly after punching/kicking rock, throwing of items, huffing and puffing, choking, kicking of dogs, yelling at strangers, swearing off climbing, pissing on a climb(saw this), yelling at belayer, self-mutilation,etc.

after the wobbling the person continues as if nothing ever happened and that you will want to climb with them some more.

[krampus]

once i was watching another dude climb, unknown by me, and his belayer wasn't paying near as much attention as he should have been and was playing with the lever of the gri gri WHILE THE DUDE WAS CLIMBING. next thing everyone knew the dude was falling, and falling, and falling. he probably fell 40 to 50 feet, and the entire time the pitch of his voice kept rising and by the end he was pretty much scrowling (yeah, i made that up)! he stopped just before he hit the ground, totally okay, and as soon as the "holy fucking shit the dude is alive" thoughts passed through my head i started laughing HYSTERICALLY and could not stop for about 15 minutes.

my friend started laughing too, but probably just because i was laughing. i'm glad no one felt like kicking ass that day b/c i sure felt like a jackass although i couldn't help it.

anyone have any ideas why i was rolling on the f'n ground after watching someone nearly deck? in fact, when i imagine that scream even now it still makes me chuckle. maybe i am just a jackass

I don't remember what I was laughing at more, the dude schreeking or you laughing, either way I couldn't help myself. That was some funny shite.

[Brentucky]

krampus wrote:

I don't remember what I was laughing at more, the dude schreeking or you laughing, either way I couldn't help myself. That was some funny shite.

dude, i wasn't gonna call you out as my mentally demented counterpart, but i guess anyone who knows you probably already figured that out about you anyway.

[ScrmnPeeler]

I guess its new to climbing -

A 'wobbler' is to the British what a 'temper tantrum' is to Americans.

Sort of like a boot and bonnet are parts of a car in England.

[JR]

....after the wobbling the person continues as if nothing ever happened.

Good observation. It is clear to me that you have witnessed some wobblers. Let's hear about one.

[bcombs]

Actually....ScrmnPeeler just reminded me of my only wobbler (at least I think it was)....

I remember it like it was November 8th 2004. My climbing career consisted of a TR on one route and half lead on another. My buddy ScrmnPeeler took us to Phantasia to make the obligatory ascent of Creature Feature. I knew it was going to be bad because we drew straws to see who was going to lead the thing and I lost..err...won!

I made it to below the roof easy enough, caught my breath and leaned out to clip the draw just above the roof. Five minutes of huffing and puffing and it was hung and clipped and I came back down to rest on the ledge. I got the beta one more time..."Just throw your left leg up there and pull hard!". So I went to make the move. Once I was horizontal and basically stuck I looked down and my belayer had slack out. The normal amount that you should have out on a lead but I didn't know any better. So I start yelling at him to take up the slack. He says "Cmon man, go for it" like an encouraging belayer should. I panicked and let go. I outweighed him by a bunch and we ended up side by side.

Once I was on the ground I cussed at him for 15 minutes and told him he had to walk to Shell to call his wife for a ride because I was leaving without him. After about 10 minutes of arguing I finally chilled out and went over and lead the world famous Pogue Ethics.

I bet this same scenario plays out each and every weekend at that crag.

[anticlmber]

since you asked i'll share one sorta two.

my first couple of trips to military were spaced out over a year's time. during each of those visits we would see the same couple, and once just the woman of said couple; everytime she would be on tissue tiger. each time, she would climb, get up to the crux, fall, and then proceed to yell at first the climb, (usually just 1or2 swears) and then as soon as the belayer (usually the BF/husband) would say ANYTHING, she would EXPLODE on him. this went on EVERY time we went to military; so we stopped going.

i saw the BF/husband out climbing and watched him lay into his belayer over and over. some was a little deserved as far as catches went, (i still try not to cus the person in charge of my rope) but at the same time i don't think i would have just anyone belaying me on such a hard route at the lode. either way i don't think i ever felt sorry for him, or anyone for that matter after that.

[skychick]

No sh!t, there I was.....Valentine's Day at the RRG with my honey.

He said, "I'll take you to this great trad crag where you can lead 5.8's all day long!"

Knowing he was a much harder climber & that usually, I struggled to find stuff to lead, I eagerly replied, "Great! You're so sweet"

About an hour or two later, I'm half way up Muscle Shoals....wobbling away, "I'm not a better person for climbing this route!!!"