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Sioux Juan
Big Wall climber
Costa mesa
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jan 16, 2012 - 09:03am PT
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like on toe jam..anchoring from the rap chains.....is one
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YoungGun
climber
North
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Jan 16, 2012 - 09:10am PT
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saw guys top roping off of this anchor at the ice cream parlor in moab. i started laughing when i saw it, and whipped out my camera to take a photo.
my buddy and i were discussing which individual in the crowd of four or five guys had lead that pitch. another party on the opposite side of us noticed, and walked over to have a conversation with them. the opener: "do you wanna live a long time?"
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kc
Trad climber
the cats
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Jan 16, 2012 - 10:42am PT
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Was climbing at Indian Rock at Castle. Two guys were toproping next to us. The belayer had the rope threaded through a carabiner. That's it. Darndest thing I've ever seen. He did not intend to do this, and he looked extremely shocked when this was pointed out. His friend was climbing on a very overhanging route with some nasty rocks on the ground. We backed him up, and his partner got down safely.
Major brain fart there. Turned out ok.
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WBraun
climber
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Jan 16, 2012 - 10:47am PT
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The rope threaded thru one biner and one bolt for the top rope anchor.
I've done that a lot times.
Don't go climbing with me ......
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kc
Trad climber
the cats
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Jan 16, 2012 - 10:53am PT
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Fair enough, but I think the difference is that these guys were new climbers who absolutely did not consciously choose this method of belaying! The belayer was pretty frightened when he 'discovered' his setup just as he was going to lower his friend. It was just lucky that the guy hadn't taken a fall before then.
I'd go climbing with you any time!
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WBraun
climber
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Jan 16, 2012 - 10:54am PT
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Just remember, .... just because I'm stupid doesn't make it right ......
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kc
Trad climber
the cats
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Jan 16, 2012 - 10:55am PT
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With an ATC! :)
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Sioux Juan
Big Wall climber
Costa mesa
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 16, 2012 - 11:15am PT
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THE STUUPEDEST THING I'VE SEEN WHILE CLIMBING ::::: WAS ME! LEARNING TO CLIMB ON MY OWN IN THE EARLY 70'S. WATCHING MY GEAR FALL OUT BELOW ME, MOSTLY ALL OF IT ! I DID NOT KNOW WHAT A RUNNER WAS OR WHY ? ALWAYS ROPE DRAG THAT IS IF MY GEAR DID NOT FALL OUT BELOW.
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harihari
Trad climber
Squampton
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Jan 16, 2012 - 11:56am PT
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I saw a party of 3-- one "experienced" woman with two noob guys-- at Frenchman's Coulee top roping with the rope running over a sling that I could see visibly corroding from my perch 20 feet away.
I told the woman "you WILL die" and explained why (I was very polite), and she said "mind your own business". So I threw a bail biener and sling on their setup and when we got to the ground I went to the noobs and said "I recommend you stop climbing with your leader; your lives are in danger" (and explained why). One of the guys told me to f**k off so I thought, well, I left backup up there for them, at least we won't have an ambulance disturbing our climbing experience in an hour or so.
Weird thign; women tend to be a bit more willing to listen than guys.
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YoungGun
climber
North
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Jan 16, 2012 - 12:10pm PT
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Werner: risk is relative to skill. You obviously don't compare to the crowd we ran into, who were climbing outside for the first time ever. They were actually grateful for the advice on how to setup a proper top rope.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Jan 16, 2012 - 12:19pm PT
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On Pygmy Alien there used to be an old ring angle among the drilled angles protecting the first pitch. A few meters to the right was a double bolt rappel/ midstation.
I saw a teenage kid rap off the first pitch with one rope and, rather than swing a few meters to the 2 bolts with a chain, he stops at the ring angle and proceeds to use it as the next rap point.
"I wouldn't trust that thing by itself when you have a double bolt chain right there." I said.
"Fuk you a$$hole. They put these things in good."
I was tempted to tell him that "they" was ME. But then I figured that this could be a problem that solves itself.
Days later I went up and clipped the ring with bolt cutters so it HAD to be tied off and others wouldn't be tempted to rap from it.
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rlf
Trad climber
Josh, CA
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Jan 16, 2012 - 12:46pm PT
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You should have left it there Ron.
Darwin rules...
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Eric Beck
Sport climber
Bishop, California
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Jan 16, 2012 - 01:00pm PT
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This was me. It's May 1961 and we had just climbed North Palisade. We knew from the register that we were the first ones up that year. We get over to the rappel point into the U Notch. It is a single Gerry horizontal/vertical piton halfway into a horizontal crack with a single loop of parachute cord (anyone remember that stuff?) throuth the eye that had obviously been there all winter. Without hesitating or having any second thoughts, we set up the rappel and descended without incident. It was a good day, we traversed over and also bagged Sill.
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docsavage
Trad climber
Albuquerque, NM
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Jan 16, 2012 - 01:09pm PT
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Stoopidest thing I ever saw was a trio of Koreans at the toe of the Apron, one on the ground & two on a ledge about 30 feet up that you could reach by scrambling. This was in '76 or so & the guy setting the rap anchor used a single #4 wired stopper. Not just that, it was in sideways so it kept falling out unless he put his thumb on it. Next to him there's this little slip of a girl in a big-ass sunbonnet threading for the rappel on maybe an 8 mm rope. Remember back then 11 mm was the norm, with maybe 10.5 as a minimum. I called up the guy on top.
'That's not a very good anchor,' I said.
They acted like I wasn't even there. Talking in Korean so maybe they didn't understand so I said it again.
'Hey, that anchor is shit!'
By now the little girl is rapping down the face wearing her huge sunbonnet while the guy on the ground is holding the end of the rope as if that's going to help her any. I just went away shaking my head. Later I think I vomited.
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Tfish
Trad climber
La Crescenta, CA
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Jan 16, 2012 - 01:36pm PT
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Stupidest thing- http://mountainproject.com/v/107431081
These kooks saw a boulder up on Mtn Project with no routes listed, so they climbed them and thought they were the first ever so they claimed FA's and named all the routes. And they over rated the sh#t out of the routes.
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Eric Beck
Sport climber
Bishop, California
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Jan 16, 2012 - 02:13pm PT
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Here's another. A party has just rapped off Chimney Rock, JT. They are having difficulty pulling the ropes down. Finally both are jumping on it with jumars. It doesn't budge. As we are leaving I hear one say "Okay, I'll get the truck".
One more, again at JT. On Echo Rock a guy has set up a TR for his girlfriend. They have run the rope right through the webbing. Normally, I let evolution take its course, but here, the lady was innocent. They were actually grateful when I explained how dangerous what this was.
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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Jan 16, 2012 - 02:47pm PT
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Here's a good one, and I was the guilty party. Moreover, I'd been climbing for many years, and was, even if I do say so myself, a solid and experienced climber.
So, me and the homies are out at Woodson. I set up a top-rope anchor on Starving in Stereo. Back then, you needed a good 20 feet of extendo runners to get from the way-back-from-the-edge stoppers and TCU's anchor, across and over the broad rounded top of the boulder, to the edge of the climb (has anyone put bolt anchors on that thing yet?)
So I put in an anchor and clipped a 15' length of 11mm cord to it, then clipped a string of 1" tubular runners connected with 'beaners to get the anchor over the edge. Clipped a couple of beaners to the end of this extendo, clipped in the rope, tossed it down and voila, we're good to go. Mind you, where the rope hung over the edge it was smooth, gentle, and rounded: no sharp or abrupt edges, nothing cutter, just a gentle rounded edge (see photo).
So about a gazillion of us flail on the thing, taking many falls (mere bodyweight top-rope falls, remember), lowering off, trying it again, falling, lowering off, etc. As was routine in those days, all this was accompanied with plenty of herbage, brewskis, good-old-fashioned Woodson slander, and went on for hours.
"Spray" Dave Robinson took the last burn of the day, and when he called it quits I went up to break down the anchor. To my amazement, the last 1" tubular runner was abraded damn near all the way through. Because 11mm climbing rope stretches, and 1" tube does not, everytime the rope was weighted the 11 mil stretched an inch or two, grinding the static flat webbing across the rock.
I get back down to the base and I'm like "check this out, dudes." I stuck the runner under my foot and yarded on it with my arms and the sucker snapped in two like a frayed thread. Ho Man. One more burn, and somebody would have hit the ground. And it was my rigging.
I have a tendancy to overbuild anchors these days...
Scene of the crime: photo of Starving taking on the day in question.
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Sioux Juan
Big Wall climber
Costa mesa
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 16, 2012 - 03:16pm PT
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old school
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Big Mike
Trad climber
BC
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Jan 16, 2012 - 03:17pm PT
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Back when my partner was still a noob, I took him out to Starchek, a nice 3p sport multi, with an incredible setting in the chek canyon. He was climbing pretty good and had led a couple easy pitches lately so i decided to let him have the first 5.7 pitch.
He led it fine, and then brought me up. When I arrived at the belay, I found him belaying me off a nice anchor, but his atc was clipped to his gear loop!!
I quickly reminded him that his gear loop would not have held 220 pounds of me, and asked if he could please use his belay loop in the future. :)
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cliffhanger
Trad climber
California
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Jan 16, 2012 - 03:30pm PT
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A fellow preparing to rap off Suicide had set up a 6 carabiner style brake but with just 3 biners, no reverse gate, double biners. He insisted he was an expert and in no need of any advise.
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