RRC Archives

I hear folks bragging of "crag takeovers" and personally I think it's kinda rude. I'm just wondering what others think.

i agree, i used to travel in larger groups and i realized i get plenty of socializing done, but hardly any climbing. plus other folks can't get on their climbs.

now i hate crowds and try to avoid them when i can.

the worst is absolutely the college groups that come down...they have a million people with them and not one of them knows what they are doing

I think it depends on what "large" -- I think 5 - 10 people at a crag (usually spread out across a couple climbs) is not bad at all. I think 25-30 is definitely bad.

The difference and problem I think comes when people are not willing to share ropes. Usually in the past when we talk about "siege" tactics...we've gone in a group of maybe 5 or so and met up with others, ran into others and strung up a bunch of ropes and just made a day of doing laps on stuff. Granted - if people wanna work on leading...then ropes are pulled - draws are shared.

It's all about sharing. Remember what you learned in kindergarten?

Outright refusal of letting another party get on a route IS definitely rude.

Just stay away from Roadside and Fortress and you don't have to worry.

i have seen seige climbing, at Torrent, Pebble Beach, Left Flank, Military and the Oil Crack as well.

Yeah. It bothers me when a group takes over a climb you wanted to do. I was in West Virgina at the bridge and had to race a guide to the route called Zag. The guide won and had the route tied up all day...I did not get to do the route on that trip... bummed out does not explian the way I felt.

It depends on the people, but unfortunatly most people will not share ropes or draws. If people won't pull their rope and allow you to climb, and stay on a bunch of routes all day, then its extremely rude.

I guide and I try to be very conscious of where I take large groups. In RRG it is very difficult to find a place that is suitable for the needs of most groups and still leave the crag open to other users.

I have a two rope policy. Unless I am at some completely UNKNOWN crag I will not put up more than two routes at a time. When I am finished I pull my ropes and move to other routes. I also limit my groups to 15 which I think is still a bit too many.

Having said this I hate going to a crag and seeing any size group on any route. We raced a group of four (that ended up meeting another group of four) to Wall of Denial a couple weekends ago. They dropped ropes on everything and then told us we could use their ropes. No thanks, I like using my own gear. We ended up leaving after doing one route.

I prefer to climb with four or less people myself. And I try to go to more obscure places with any size group. Unfortunately the best crags are the most popular ones (the irony).

If they are actually bragging about taking over a crag that would annoy the hell out of me.

If it is just a nice friendly group that is out climbing I'm not bothered by it too much. I understand that just a few years back I was basically part of those groups myself.

yawn...why does it matter? why do I have a right to climb a route any more than gumby number 17? with this attitude, it is assuming that the late arrival has some sort of "right" to get on a climb when they want?

yeah, it trashes the enviro with a large group, but hanging out at one climb all day is their right. I thought climbers were all about "no rules man"....seems funny to me to now make up some arbitrary rule of an acceptable number of people on a route...

and to stir it further..usually the lines and crowds are on the 5.9 and under routes....please tell me you have actually climbed these lines before, and that a new group "sieging" it is not going to ruin your climbing weekend....may I suggest putting forth the effort to climb harder routes, so you can avoid these situations...


your right to climb the route is no greater than those already there...move on if you don't like it...