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Stuck C3 at the first pitch belay on Gelsa in the Near Trapps

Original Post
Trevor Smith · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2011 · Points: 25

Hey all, we were probably the last ones on Gelsa today, Saturday 9/29. It was part of our anchor and my second couldn't get it out. By the time we walked off it was getting late and we had to get back, otherwise I would have scrambled up to try to get it out. If anyone pulls it out and is willing to ship it to me, I will send some cash and shipping and handling for your efforts. Thanks!

Nick Goldsmith · · Pomfret VT · Joined Aug 2009 · Points: 440

The Booty Rulze as I was taught them about 1982.

#1 Any gear that you leave on a climb due to lack of skill, persistance or sack is booty once you give up on retrieveing it and leave the crag for the day. You get a 12hr reprive if you announce your intentions to recover your gear but you do need to be at the base of the cliff at first light. Get drunk and sleep in will result in your gear becomming booty.

#2. Gear left due to inclemant weather or conditions is booty as a lack of skill was involved in the decisions that you made. You were not fast and strong enough to beat the weather or you made a poor decision regarding the weather or conditions.The mtn beat you and therefore your gear becomes booty.

#3 Any gear left in a rescue or accident resulting in real (not imagined) injury is not booty and shall be left at Rock and snow/IME, the Mountainere etc. to be returned to the proper partys involved. The booty game is supposed to be fun. once someone gets really hurt it is not fun anymore.

#4 If you lose booty do not be a whiny little bitch about it. Asking for your booty to be returned is very bad karma and results in a huge loss of face. If the booty hounds offer to return your lost booty and you accept you lose major face. The proper response is. " No,You keep it, you guys earned it." If they offer to return the booty and you refuse and offer to let them keep the booty and they then, insist that, "No you go ahead and take it back we have pleanty of gear." You may then accept the return of your booty gear. You will still lose some face but not too bad. At this point you need to offer them a libation to ease the shame.

The current trend of not even attempting to recover your own lost gear and headding straight home to whine and cry on the internet demanding the return of your lost booty is absolutly pathetic and shamefull!

#5 stuff that is lost in the parking lot is lost and found. Not booty

Nick Goldsmith · · Pomfret VT · Joined Aug 2009 · Points: 440

nothing serious about my rules. just the way it is.. You on the other hand are a bit uptight. must be one of those fancy pants college boys...

turbotime · · CT · Joined Sep 2012 · Points: 0
Jake Jones wrote:LOL. Yeah, I'm uptight because I'm the one that is telling other people what the "rulez" are. Oh wait, that's you. You do not have his gear. He is not asking you to retrieve it. Yet you are dictating how he should have behaved when you have nothing to do with his situation whatsoever. You just took the opportunity to spray your badass trad "rulez". Some would say that is uptight. Because it is. As a matter of fact, you take any opportunity you can get. That is called an inferiority complex. Luk it up. Yeah, I mus' be wunna them collij boyz cuz i kin spel "plenty". It's not 1982 anymore. Adults should know how to spell six letter words in their native language correctly.
Hey in case you didn't know:

The Booty Rulez

#1 Any gear that you leave on a climb due to lack of skill, persistance or sack is booty once you give up on retrieveing it and leave the crag for the day. You get a 12hr reprive if you announce your intentions to recover your gear but you do need to be at the base of the cliff at first light. Get drunk and sleep in will result in your gear becomming booty.

#2. Gear left due to inclemant weather or conditions is booty as a lack of skill was involved in the decisions that you made. You were not fast and strong enough to beat the weather or you made a poor decision regarding the weather or conditions.The mtn beat you and therefore your gear becomes booty.

#3 Any gear left in a rescue or accident resulting in real (not imagined) injury is not booty and shall be left at Rock and snow/IME, the Mountainere etc. to be returned to the proper partys involved. The booty game is supposed to be fun. once someone gets really hurt it is not fun anymore.

#4 If you lose booty do not be a whiny little bitch about it. Asking for your booty to be returned is very bad karma and results in a huge loss of face. If the booty hounds offer to return your lost booty and you accept you lose major face. The proper response is. " No,You keep it, you guys earned it." If they offer to return the booty and you refuse and offer to let them keep the booty and they then, insist that, "No you go ahead and take it back we have pleanty of gear." You may then accept the return of your booty gear. You will still lose some face but not too bad. At this point you need to offer them a libation to ease the shame.

The current trend of not even attempting to recover your own lost gear and headding straight home to whine and cry on the internet demanding the return of your lost booty is absolutly pathetic and shamefull!

#5 stuff that is lost in the parking lot is lost and found. Not booty
Jonas Salk · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2008 · Points: 10

I remember my buddy belayed me on that pitch from a dead, rotted out tree on a little ledge. Man I was not happy about that. We didn't leave any gear behind though. : ) Doesn't Gelsa mean mosquito?

Nick Goldsmith · · Pomfret VT · Joined Aug 2009 · Points: 440

If you kids would stop stareing at your smart phones all day, learn some self reliance skills and stop being such cry babies I would not have to re post the rules ;)

Tylerclimb Labelle · · Huntersville, North Carolina · Joined Feb 2013 · Points: 0

I dropped a few nuts on the second pitch of a climb there Friday. I told my second wow that was a dumb mistake on my part oh well that's the price I had to pay that day. I wouldn't ask for them back or even take them if someone finds them. Lost them on Madame G's Happy hunting:)

turbotime · · CT · Joined Sep 2012 · Points: 0
Jake Jones wrote:I agreed that it's booty. Scroll up. If you do scroll up, you will also likely read this "If anyone pulls it out and is willing to ship it to me, I will send some cash and shipping and handling for your efforts. Thanks!" This isn't really whining, and it certainly isn't demanding as you suggest. For the record I agree with your rules to a degree, and I do think things have gotten out of hand with every other post similarly asking that if someone happens to pull booty.. or I left my shoes, rack, wallet, phone, camera, etc. I've left a piece or two, and never asked for them back. Not over the phone, not on the interwebs. Not in a box, not with a fox. And I won't ever ask for a piece back that I got stuck- or that I bailed on for that matter. If I pull a piece, and I know nothing of it, I will likely keep it. However, if I pull some pieces, and someone humbly and kindly asks for them back, and offers some sort of compensation, I will oblige in kind. That's called decency- at it trumps a dumb code of conduct. It's not up to you and your Rulze to teach everyone a lesson especially when it looks like a retarded toddler wrote the "Rulze".
Yea I was merely trolling you for being so uptight over his misspellings... The Ruelez posted by Nick clearly have an element of humor built in, where you took them for face.

However, redemption comes in the form of your Suessical response
Jake Jones wrote:I've left a piece or two, and never asked for them back. Not over the phone, not on the interwebs. Not in a box, not with a fox.
I thank you for that. I loled.
Nick Goldsmith · · Pomfret VT · Joined Aug 2009 · Points: 440

I have given booty back when asked however the person who asked for it lost face by asking. It is just one of those things you should know that if you go begging after you got spanked you should feel shame. Some folks have no shame and will cut lines, ask favors and generaly act like worms. Seems like one of their favorite lines is "it never hurts to ask" and "free is key" I try not to hang out with those kinds of people. Personally I feel like I am imposeing on someone when I ask a favor so I try not to ask unless it is absolutly nessicary and then I feel in debt to that person who granted the favor.

Trevor Smith · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2011 · Points: 25

Didn't realize I would spark such a lively debate.

Correction to the original post - I meant to say Sunday, not Saturday.

With regards to the "Rules" and general ethics of the area, I am aware that gear is considered 'booty' although I had no idea to the extent of which that is spelled out and the resultant suffering of "face".

I apologise if in asking I offended your significant ethical sensibilities. I am a relative new-comer to trad climbing and like many of you (I assume) do not have the financial flexibility to part with my gear or perhaps in your esteem, learn my hard lessons with grace. Either way, in this case fiscal concerns far outweigh concern for your regard of my character or abilities.

The cost of that piece was more or less equivalent to the cost of my day on Sunday. I was severely limited on time otherwise I would have scrambled back up that relatively ugly first pitch without a second thought. That day was also my first and likely last day of the season due to said fiscal and geographic pressures along with a whole host of other responsibilities and obligations we all presumably face and as such aren't worth mentioning beyond that the situation is certainly more nuanced than your rules allow for.

The replacement of that C3 will likely come at the expense of a day of climbing. That pursuit we all endeavor for, in some cases the only time we find ourselves truly fulfilled, truly at peace, or maybe the only collection of moments we can shut out the noise and entropy of our daily lives. I welcome your scorn then as my price to pay for continued access to that (some would say contrived and futile) pasttime we all share a passion for.

I admire the passion you have for your ethos, however I will not allow it to dictate what is for me not a choice but an obligation to, as another user said, humbly ask if you happen to come across it and it isn't too much difficulty for you, send it back and I will reward your efforts in what ways that I can.

Peace, and keep climbing!

Nick Goldsmith · · Pomfret VT · Joined Aug 2009 · Points: 440

If it meant as much to you as you imply then why did you not find a way to retrieve it?

It is sad when money means more than good charecter...

PS it is acceptable to ask your 2nd to replace the piece that they lost. does not work well in any kind of boy girl relationship climbing team but amongst guys this is somewhat SOP.

Rob D · · Queens, NY · Joined May 2011 · Points: 30
Nick Goldsmith wrote:PS it is acceptable to ask your 2nd to replace the piece that they lost. does not work well in any kind of boy girl relationship climbing team but amongst guys this is somewhat SOP.
This. If your partner is a gentleman, then this should be fixed without any conversation other than "what size was it?"
Nick Goldsmith · · Pomfret VT · Joined Aug 2009 · Points: 440

Agreed.

Woodchuck ATC · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Nov 2007 · Points: 3,280

a cam? does that lessen the route difficulty? We climbed that route and many others nearby (like Disneyland) in the early 80's by using our talent of placing nuts, stoppers, and hexcentrics for the whole route and we survived to brag about our endeavors.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Northeastern States
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