Belaying

[SCIN]

Would you let someone belay you if you saw them drinking a beer or smoking weed at the crag? Just wondering. I see it every once in awhile.

[Jeff]

I've never knowing had a catch from someone drinking at the crag, nor would I want one. I've only seen someone drinking at the crag once, years ago, and I wasn't climbing with them.
Weed, on the other hand, yes it's happened.

[bcombs]

If I trust someone to belay me in the first place, I also trust them enough to refuse if they are not up to the task. This is speaking strictly about friends and acquaintances. If they are a stranger I would want them to be sober.

[krampus]

sober strangers for sure. You should rephrase the post though because drinking and smoking are completely different scenarios, so different that I can not answer. Drunk belay, hell know. If someone is a competent belayer then being stoned won't change that.

[SCIN]

I don't smoke weed so I wasn't aware that being high would not make you less attentive. Are you saying it doesn't?

[Crankmas]

there is a difference for sure... Climb High yes- Climb Crunk?? thats for bouldering

[SCIN]

Edited the poll but now the initial results are screwed up.

[krampus]

I don't smoke weed so I wasn't aware that being high would not make you less attentive. Are you saying it doesn't?

It would be really hard to find hard proof either way. I have read studies that claim it has little to no effect on short response motor skills like stepping on the brakes, lowering the brake hand, etc. thats why snow boarding and hackysack are achievable while high. Alcohol does effect these motor skills very much and would result in a painful snowboarding experience. Basically, from my experience, activities that require quick physical responses, especially the drilled in instinctual responses of a skilled belayer, would not likely have trouble while high.

[camhead]

largely irrelevant to me; there are some folks I know fairly well, and I would trust them to belay me even if buzzed a bit. There are others whom I wouldn't trust. But, the same goes for sober folks.

[TankAzz]

i think it's absurd to assume that smoking thc has no impact on judgments or reflex time. the answer on both accounts for me is absolutely not; if you can't refrain from smoking weed to belay a buddy, your priorities are in the wrong place, and you should consider taking a rest day to blaze up.