RRC Archives

I find that the route comments section of the online guide is a fantastic tool for beta, safety tips, location, personal perspective, etc. One of the most useful parts of the entire site.

What drives me crazy is the cock fights that erupt absolutely EVERY time someone questions the route grade in the comments section. The petty back and forth comments (often fueled by someone) end up making honest/helpful assessments of the climb difficult to find. Who wants to wade through all that mindless venom for a few gems?

The problem comes from the combination of ego climbers(climbers whose purpose is conquering high grades, not just climbing b/c it's fun and fascinating) and the inherent ambiguity of route grading system.

As it would be impossible to eliminate either of these two factors i suggest the route grading comments be eliminated from the route comments section . Afterall one can always input the rating one thinks is appropriate. And the someone's out there should be allowed neither comment or route grading.

I second Gladhander's opinion. The route comments section on some climbs is like inadvertently walking into a family fight. You guys don't know each other well enough for sex do you?

How well do you have to know someone for sex?
This is America, dammit.

howz about if you don't like the comments, don't read them?

Personally, I think even the pissing matches are kind of funny. Also, as was mentioned, there is often great beta there. Sometimes too much, but dammit it's still an onsite! 8)

sandy , no longer an onsite..that was pigsteak corollary 23a from 2004. duh.

People sure can weird about all this stuff. Well, how weird you may ask? Ok then......so Blake and I were watching some guy (James as I later found out) on that route with a loose bolt at the roof, and I tell him that it sure helped me a lot for my onsight to watch him do the route. He told me it was no longer an onsight. I told him that if I had the "vision" it was an onsight. He still disagreed. I had to insist, and with Blake's help I think I succeeded, that it often took me numerous tries to onsight a route and furthermore, that I had onsighted many routes more than once! He finally understood that some of us do things a little different here in the Red! I am sure his onsighting ability will improve.
Oh, I fell on my first attempt at the onsight. I got it my next go! It only took two tries for that one.

there ya go sunshine..you are mixing up "onsight" and "onsite"....easy to do.

from The Climbing Dictionary....

On-sight flash

Leading a climb with no falls and no dogging and without any prior attempts, watching someone do it or beta on how to do the moves.
(f) Enchaîner en tête à vue, (i) A vista, (e) A vista

Who said anything about leading! I don't think I mentioned leading. You could fall. Haven't you heard there are loose bolts about!