As a PhD neurochemist, I can say I wouldn't trust anyone to have proper brain function while under the influence of either of these substances.
lol so that guy is a tool haha anyway i have had people belay while drinking a beer first off and they did fine okay....would i want someone slamming shots belaying me no but as a PhD neurochemist i can say that i really dont know what i am talking about because i never once broke the rules or anything blaha blah blah blah blah.... I think this is like the second time this poll has been taking no ones gonna let a super drunk person belay them they have no business belaying if they are super ripped or drunk but i have never seen a wasted person at a crag beside kentucky joe and that was pretty hilarious to think about it i have never seen kentucky joe climbed huh
I have had the bong belay before --there is a difinite delay in rxn time, attention etc. I don't care what other people do at all. If you don't mind your spaced out belayer taking a while to notice that you are falling through the air, need slack, or need a take then... have at it!
I'd rather have the sober belay
Hauling a big ego up a route adds at least a full grade.
It's not surprising to me that many climbers don't mind if an experienced belayer had smoked or had a beer. I think the risk that we take by going climbing in the first place far outweighs the additional risk imposed by a slight buzz. Look at the general respect for boldness in our sport. Taking calculated risks has always been a part of the game, and any kind of risk we take in climbing is ultimately pointless. I've never seen someone really blitzed at the crag, but there is certainly a limit somewhere between lifelong sobriety and currently passed out.
Depends on the person. I'd let sco bro belay me after 3 beers. I wouldn't let pigsteak belay me after 1 beer.
As for weed, they'd have to be a common smoker of it for me to consider it...that being said I'm pretty sure I've belayed be people who were high and have belayed other people in a similar state. It really all depends on how affected they are.
A good belayer typically isn't gonna turn into a bad belayer under light influence, but a bad belayer is always gonna be a bad belayer.
yeah, that about sums it up. an intoxicated stranger, no way (or a stranger PERIOD, for that matter) but someone you know well and smokes weed every day, sure. but a belayer with bad habits is always a belayer with bad habits no matter what he's smokin.
Last edited by dustonian on Mon Apr 26, 2010 3:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I mean...do you really need the smoke or the beer that badly that it couldn't wait till after the climbing day? With my personal experiences and what not while my reflexes may be fine high, that beautiful little catepillar can easily distract me. I've never had an addiction, and I've never fully enjoyed being blitz out of my mind so I'm a little biased here. I just don't understand why add any risk to a risky sport.
But as it's been said many times, ultimately it's all up to the climber.
