Rope taken at Rumney

So I had just lead my new route at the Northwest Territories, Battle of the Bulge, then I wrapped the rope up in a backpacker coil. I was heading up to climb at Prudential where there were friends with plenty of ropes, so I figured I would leave it behind. Not thinking it was a good idea to leave it at the base of the cliff, I walked into the woods maybe 50 feet and left the rope behind a rock. I came back a couple of hours later and it was gone.

Just have to say I've been climbing for 38 years and have done similar things forever, this is the first time it has ever happened.

Hey Ward.

You've been such a key part of the Northeast climbing scene forever... I really hope someone returns your rope.

If no one comes forward, I have a brand new (still in the wrapper) 60m Sterling Velocity 9.8 that I would happily donate to replace your stolen rope- no compensation required.

Well done Christopher Adams! That sucks Ward, some people are just jackasses...

christopher adams wrote:Hey Ward. You've been such a key part of the Northeast climbing scene forever... I really hope someone returns your rope. If no one comes forward, I have a brand new (still in the wrapper) 60m Sterling Velocity 9.8 that I would happily donate to replace your stolen rope- no compensation required.

What a bummer, Ward. Let's hope it was just an inexperienced "do gooder" who thought somebody lost it and it will show up.

Chris, great offer.

Matthew Williams 1 wrote: That's good stuff :)

Bummer, Ward! I'll keep my eyes peeled. Did this happen on Saturday or on Sunday?

That is some bullshit. I'll keep my eye out for it.

Any chance you could give some specs, like brand, color, length etc and also the type of pack? The more details, the higher the likeliness the rope will be discovered. I'm preparing for my first trip to Rumney with my girlfriend in the next few weeks, its saddening to hear stuff like this is occurring. We would like the atmosphere to be nice and inviting, and not having ourselves and others to be on high alert. Hopefully like M. Sprague said, its someone just trying to return the rope to their rightful owner.

Edit: my girlfriend has had a little experience travelling, she recommends for the future that you tag gear with little info/contact cards if you don't already do so.

Christopher, I really appreciate your offer, but I'm a big boy and can take the hit without selling my kidneys.

It was an orangish sterling marathon 10.2, wrapped in a backpacker coil. One of the ends had been cut back and has a lighter-finished climbing tape end. It was actually a pretty new rope but I had worked it hard during it's brief lifespan. It was my wife Paula's rope, so she is now using "my" brand new one, lol.

I was posting more in the hopes that someone thought it had been dropped by mistake and was looking to return it. It was Saturday, and I had left the rope laid out at the bottom of my new route along with my shoes, chalk bag and harness for a similar period earlier in the day but didn't think anything of it.

If somebody stole it deliberately then shame on them. Nothing I can do about that except to be more careful.

ward smith wrote:Christopher, I really appreciate your offer, but I'm a big boy and can take the hit without selling my kidneys. It was an orangish sterling marathon 10.2, wrapped in a backpacker coil. One of the ends had been cut back and has a lighter-finished climbing tape end. It was actually a pretty new rope but I had worked it hard during it's brief lifespan. It was my wife Paula's rope, so she is now using "my" brand new one, lol. I was posting more in the hopes that someone thought it had been dropped by mistake and was looking to return it. It was Saturday, and I had left the rope laid out at the bottom of my new route along with my shoes, chalk bag and harness for a similar period earlier in the day but didn't think anything of it. If somebody stole it deliberately then shame on them. Nothing I can do about that except to be more careful.

I was working an RCA event in the parking lot on Saturday and asked just about every human walking by where they were headed. I remember a handful of parties heading to NWT (some of whom were your buddies, I think), so if I see those folks around I'll ask if they saw it lying around.

Good luck!

Ward, hope you get your rope back.
On Sun, I stashed my rope near Crowd Pleaser to go exploring for a while. Luckily it was still there when I got back. Not sure if I will do that kind of stuff anymore after this.