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Gear Sabotage

Original Post
reese butler · · Paris, FR · Joined Feb 2013 · Points: 65

Have you have had your gear tampered with or totally sabotaged? I pulled my harness out of my climbing box this week and noticed the leg loop was cut off, blatantly cut. It either happened over memorial day weekend out in Joshua Tree when I left some gear at camp to do a circuit, or much less likely but a possibly, some housemate with a grudge snuck into my place while I was doing laundry and cut it, but I don't live with anyone that would know to cut right there to pretty much render it useless. Some LA girl that probably just touched dirt for the first time that weekend was out there bouldering, she asked us to keep it down by the fire one night but thats the only complaint I've ever really gotten, period. Pretty strange, and scary, they could have slit some slings or my rope and I might not have even known (checked all my other gear when i found this and its fine). This ever happened to anyone?

sabotaged harness

sabotage!

reese butler · · Paris, FR · Joined Feb 2013 · Points: 65

its a pretty knew harness and kept it away. I guess its possible that a little animal chewed through it, it was in a milk crate so they could have gotten in. There are a few ways this could happen I guess, all pretty ridiculous, was sending in the harness that weekend!

mitchy B · · nunya gotdamn business. · Joined Aug 2009 · Points: 0

That wouldn't have happened with a Mist Mountain harness. whatever ate through your harness woulda cracked a tooth on a MM rig, time to go get one.

shannon stegg · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2013 · Points: 0

That's not sabotage, too obvious. If you had bought a misty mountain harness and was caught previewing a route in North Carolina like I was than you would need to worry. The criminal act they pulled on one of my routes almost got my friend hurt or anybody else who might of attempted my direct finish to Groover on Laurel Knob. I complained on the N.C. sight but their administrator deleted my thread. I hope your administrator has the balls to keep this up!

reese butler · · Paris, FR · Joined Feb 2013 · Points: 65

Its got me really jostled for some reason, what if someone instead cut through part of a sling or a rope and I didn't notice? Something I would have never even considered before this. I guess Im now going to paranoid about checking my gear.

jaredj · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2013 · Points: 165

Have you ever heard of Occam's Razor?

Bill Lawry · · Albuquerque, NM · Joined Apr 2006 · Points: 1,812

Rodent
+1

Bill Lawry · · Albuquerque, NM · Joined Apr 2006 · Points: 1,812

Here is an idea: Use a pocket knife to quickly cut a similar section of the harness. Compare that to the current damage to try to discern if it was caused by the same mechanism.

Chris S · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2008 · Points: 446

Rodent + 2

You can test that by following Bill's idea.

michael s · · Denver, CO · Joined Apr 2012 · Points: 80

dude! someone has it out for you for SURE. Better start doing background checks on your belayers.

DannyUncanny · · Vancouver · Joined Aug 2010 · Points: 100

I think it was sand people

slim · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2004 · Points: 1,103

definitely looks cut to me. usually rodents chew all over the surface of the webbing (because that is where the most salt is).

Chris S · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2008 · Points: 446
slim wrote:definitely looks cut to me. usually rodents chew all over the surface of the webbing (because that is where the most salt is).
I agree, but recently I retired a harness and cut off the leg loop and waist buckles to re-use as belt buckles and the webbing didn't fuzz near as much as this looks. And now that I think about it, if it had been rodent chewing wouldn't the place to look for salt be around the waist belt?

Pondering...
Hank Caylor · · Livin' in the Junk! · Joined Dec 2003 · Points: 643
Moritz B. · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2013 · Points: 185

Might really have been mice. When I was at Joshua Tree a mouse ate my bananas. Maybe it was him?

Phil Esra · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2010 · Points: 100

Doesn't *definitely* look like rodents (a little clean and straight), but given the unlikeliness of it being a human, I'd assume rodents. I have a pair of pet rats--mine do like to chew on stuff, salty or not, and they can get through regular clothing fabric in a heartbeat. If properly motivated (though the exact motivation is sometimes mysterious), that harness damage would be a quick task.

Altered Ego · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2008 · Points: 0

Sabotage, no doubt. Look at the pictures. You can see where the cut blew out leaving some longer threads. Trying to say a mouse did that? I don't know, I think it looks intentional.

Sherpthederp · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2013 · Points: 40

Very possibly rodents...
A little off topic but I had to stop a Marmot from chewing through someones rope halfway up Cathedral Peak yesterday. Little bugger waddled up to the line as a climber was being seconded up, had an investigatory nibble and went to chomp down hard. whipped the rope away from him and he kept at it for little before wandering down the slab...

mitchy B · · nunya gotdamn business. · Joined Aug 2009 · Points: 0

Maybe, you're chick did it. Instead of going to crag with the fellas, she wants you to stay home and take care if bitness.

Locker · · Yucca Valley, CA · Joined Oct 2002 · Points: 2,349
"That or someone cut it with the dullest knife known to man."

LOL!
Buff Johnson · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2005 · Points: 1,145
jaredj wrote:Have you ever heard of Occam's Razor?
That is some sharp shit right there.

By looking at the incompetent technique in cutting, maybe it was a liberal. They usually spit passive aggressive acid and screw everything up.
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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