Climbing Courtesy 2

[J-Rock]

I've had people ask me if they could borrow the bolt gun. I'm definitely not cool with that (unless it is a good friend of mine or one of the other team members).

Many times I have noticed another common climbing courtesy that often gets overlooked:

Stepping on people's ropes. I don't particularly like it when people step all over my rope in the dirt, sand, and rocks and then when I ask them politely not to do that they respond that it's no big deal. I don't care if you want to step on your own rope or if I step on my own rope, but I don't want other people doing it to my rope! Does this make me an asshole?

[kato]

Sure, you can borrow my rope. When you cut down the mightiest tree in the forest... with... a herring!!

[Paul3eb]

nee!!

[Spragwa]

Artsay you were totally in the right. A rope was the first major climbing gear I bought. I felt weird that people were hanging their ropes for me and allowing me to flail all over them.

People have offered to let me TR on their ropes and I'm always grateful. But I cannot imagine asking a stranger if I could use their rope to lead on b/c my beau was on mine. That's just a little forward and presumptuous.

[Pete]

rhunt said "She should have been following her 'rope gun' around and TR'ing his routes instead of trying to poach routes off of you"....

what makes you think that her rope gun was her beau? maybe she was HIS rope gun, he was hanging all over the rope SHE put up...

"crag courtesy" should exist - i.e. letting folks climb on your draws if you've got them up on something for the whole day... but asking a stranger to use a rope? nah!

[C'est Si Bon]

I believe that she said that she barely knew her not that she was a complete stranger. Almost every weekend I end up at a crag climbing with people that I barely know but that the person I usually climb with knows. Just this weekend was at the crag with Wes, Meadows, Pawilkes, and Sunshine. I would say that I barely know any of them but the guy I was climbing with knows them. If one of them had asked me to jump on my rope to warm up on something because their rope was up on something else I would have let them.

Maybe it is because like Diggum said I am new to climbing and can remember many nice people letting me climb on their ropes until I got my own. But if they are not taking big whips, running off with it, and I am not using it at that second I wouldn't have a problem with it. I don't see the big deal; one climb won't hurt it. If it does hurt it oh well. It's just a thing; things are replacable.

[Artsay]

That's kindy tricky what you brought up, C'est. Our climbing community is pretty big so there are people that I may see every weekend and even a few times a week in the gym (when we had a gym) FOR YEARS!! But that doesn't mean they're someone I talk to or would call a friend.

The girl looked familiar and I think I've seen her before. How much different is that to a complete stranger? How much different is someone I see every week for five years but have said five words to in my life to a complete stranger? Maybe it depends on how much weight you put on the term "friend"?

Personally, I think there are some pretty bold expectations in climbing these days. For example, if your draws are on a route then folks are psyched because they don't have to hang they're own. They assume that your draws are up for everyone. The thought doesn't even occur to them that A. You don't want them using your draws OR B. You're going to clean them off the route when you're done. I'm just as guilty to owning this mentality as others but ropes just seem much more personal.

[busty]

I think this is a situation where a person, Artsay in this case, is justified in not allowing someone to use their rope/gear. Its seems awfully presumptuous (Sprag - you took my word before I could post) to ask if you can lead with someone's rope that's still in their bag - especially when you hardly know them. Its a little different if a TR is set up and you aren't on the route.

Maybe I just see it this way.... I work hard to earn the money to buy the things I own, so I have the incentive take care of them. Others don't always share this approach, and you are unlikely to know if a stranger/person you barely know does. Yeah, a rope and draws are just things and they are replacable, but they aren't cheap and I'd rather not have to replace them because someone didn't use the care I would. Plus, if you aren't climbing with the person, you may end up having to wait on your rope if you are ready to move on.

[busty]

Its a little different if a TR is set up and you aren't on the route.

Even in this case, I personally wouldn't ask to use the rope.

[Meadows]

Ha! Pete, I wanted to say that!

Artsay, If your draws are on a route and you don't want people climbing on them, aren't you hogging the route?