The ongoing weekend idiot report

[A.Hubbuch]

Thanks for clearing that up Rp.

[KD]

Quit making fun of Canadians Redpoint! Canadians are nice people and most of them can onsight harder routes than Twinkie. Anti-canada-ite! You probably misunderstood anyway because you don't even speak fluent Canadian!

[Rotarypwr345704]

Saturday at Roadside (usually how these things start isn't it?) we were warming up at the 10 wall. I was busy belaying when I hear a THWAP! I look to my right and there is a girl hanging upside-down, screaming on Valor over Discretion (name is fitting, I believe). In the time it had taken me to look over at her, she was bleeding from the head. I guess I looked like I was someone of "authority" because the leader of this 10 man group came explaining to me what happened over 20 other people there. Apparently, it was her first time outside, climbing on top rope without directionals, fell on the first 5 feet or so and came swinging around the arete, somehow flipped upside down and cut her head open on a flake. I informed him in that she really needs to see a doctor for any head injury and they promptly left.
THEN.
We headed across the street to the Zoo. After a couple of climbs we headed to the wall that includes Monkey in the Middle. There were two euros there climbing Geezers, with the belayer standing about 15 feet away from the first bolt. At the same time, next route over, different group, same belaying technique. I hear SHIT! SHIT! SHIIIIIIIT!. And the climber falls, and then you hear music playing. Apparently he had headphones on, and loud enough that when they fell off of his head I could hear the music 50 ft down. I didn't see it, but I was informed later by my partner that he had beer with him at the crag too. To top it off, right after the fall and large group, the same large group in fact, from roadside were heading up the trail our way, with bloody-head girl in tow. I had had enough and we promptly left.

Common Sense. Be safe folks.

[tbwilsonky]

i went to biblio today and saw 4 different groups all climbing like sane people. safe. sane. normal.

consider this thread momentarily rejoined.

[Rotarypwr345704]

I'm glad your weekend went better

[krampus]

quit hijacking threads tommy

[Sarnoth]

Left Field, Sunday, saw someone belaying with a gri-gri, left hand on the cam, right hand on the climber side of the rope for the entire duration of the climb.
Me: "Excuse me, I don't mean to interrupt, but there have been a lot of accidents lately where people have accidentally held down the cam during a fall"
Him: "I'm not holding down the cam. I've been doing this for 13 years" continues to "belay" the same way.

[Cromper]

This last saturday I was at the gallery finishing the day off with a few nice relaxing 10s over by the far right side of the wall and there were atleast 2 people belaying 20 ft from the wall. I tried to tell the one guy that he should maybe stand a bit closer to the wall but was greeted with a snide look and was told to mind my own business and he knew what he was doing. I'm really tired of trying to help people out and being greeted with angry replies. Anymore I am really considering not telling these people what is wrong with their technique. Maybe the only way for people to realize that climbing is a life and death sport is for someone to be made an example. It's really sad...

[tbwilsonky]

quit hijacking threads tommy

dude. i'm not. i'm just making them fair and balanced.

[rhunt]

This last saturday I was at the gallery finishing the day off with a few nice relaxing 10s over by the far right side of the wall and there were atleast 2 people belaying 20 ft from the wall. I tried to tell the one guy that he should maybe stand a bit closer to the wall but was greeted with a snide look and was told to mind my own business and he knew what he was doing. I'm really tired of trying to help people out and being greeted with angry replies. Anymore I am really considering not telling these people what is wrong with their technique. Maybe the only way for people to realize that climbing is a life and death sport is for someone to be made an example. It's really sad...

I am with you on that one. And sadly those examples are already being made but it still doesn't seem to matter. It's the case that things will have to get really really bad before anything will change.