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Boulder is full of awesome people!

Original Post
Tim Stich · · Colorado Springs, Colorado · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 1,520

We got to the start of Ruper just behind another party and decided to do the Rover variation. Then right behind us came another party intent on doing Grand Giraffe. I got the vibe they were good, so I say "You can cross our rope. No problem." Then I thought about it. "You can clip our gear too. That'll speed things up."

So that's what the guy does. He quickly leads up the first fifteen feet of the crack that both routes share and adds a draw to each of our pieces. He makes it to his belay before my leader and up his follower goes taking each draw and sling they placed. I follow right behind her and remove our cams and head up Rover.

It was sweet! Just like Europe, brah. Oh, I can see some of you are squirming. I used to be bothered by this sort of scene at one time myself. But it's really cool working with another party like this so that no one has to wait for the other. It was a sort of facilitated passing. And true, it only works with people who have their climbing wired. No falling allowed.

Then, we do the Vertigo raps and get back to our packs and mine is gone. Stolen!

"No, it's over on that tree."

"But I didn't hang my pack. There's no food in it and it's old."

But someone did hang it. In fact, they took my friend's food sack that had been sitting on the ground and stuffed it in my pack and hung it. More awesome community evidence! Take that, chipmunks. We look out for humans.

So don't kid yourself. Boulder peeps are the shizzle.

Did I ever tell you about the Russian guy that came up to the summit of the Bastille just after dark one weeknight just to see if the people on it were OK? (We were!) Yeah, this sort of thing happens. People actually give a hoot.

But I do love a good Boulder Sucks thread, so back to that when you have a good story. It probably involved sport climbing (which has ruined my tradabilities thus far this season! Damn you, relatively safe no-brainer pro routes!)

Calirado · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2008 · Points: 0

Nice story. Thanks for the good vibes.

J. Thompson · · denver, co · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 1,425

They were probably from Denver.

Josh

Jon H · · PC, UT · Joined Nov 2009 · Points: 118

And originally from the East Coast.

marty funkhouser · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2007 · Points: 20

If they didn't tell you about 12 times (for no reason) that they're from Boulder then they're probably not.

Morgan Patterson · · NH · Joined Oct 2009 · Points: 8,945

Def east coasters! lol... nice share!

Mike McHugh · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2013 · Points: 420

Thanks for being awesome, Stich. Nice to hear something nice every so often.

Ryan Watts · · Bishop, CA · Joined Apr 2013 · Points: 25

Pretty cool that you were able to work things out.

I'm trying to picture the scenario for future cluster-reducing purposes. If the guy clipping your gear falls, assuming the gear holds everything is fine right? I mean it wouldn't pull you off or anything (if the gear ripped, obviously it would). Beyond that, anything inherently unsafe about the situation?

I feel like I'm missing something -- too early for armchair analysis.

Em Cos · · Boulder, CO · Joined Apr 2010 · Points: 5

Chipmunks have no trouble climbing trees. I never leave food in my pack while I climb, and I have to say I'd be pretty annoyed to find that someone else had added chipmunk bait to it for me. I'd rather lose my food for the day than find a hole in my pack. Just my two cents. Glad you had an awesome positive interaction on your climb!

Jason Antin · · Golden, CO · Joined May 2009 · Points: 1,375
Jon H wrote:And originally from the East Coast.
Ha!
Bill Kirby · · Keene New York · Joined Jul 2012 · Points: 480

Hold me! The next thing you know there won't be any more smart ass comments, trolls or people running their mouths on MP.

Maybe those guys were from Halifax. I met a couple guys and girls in Squamish a while back. After the day was over they asked where I was from. I said Baltimore.. You know near Washington DC. They replied " You were upfront about your ability, polite and fun to climb with. We would have never guessed you an American. We thought you from Halifax!"

Tim Stich · · Colorado Springs, Colorado · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 1,520
Ryan Watts wrote:...If the guy clipping your gear falls, assuming the gear holds everything is fine right? I mean it wouldn't pull you off or anything (if the gear ripped, obviously it would). ...
Sure, it could have turned out poorly, but it was only the first 15 feet of the route. The guy showed mastery of that thin crack, so the chances he was going to fall were next to none.

Say the guy falls and one of the pieces pulls. That pieces then slided down both ropes and stops at the next piece below it, as does the guy's rope where it then hits the carabiner it's passing through at the next piece. Assuming this holds, then all is well. My leader never feels a thing.

Also, my friend thought this was completely cool, which I had a feeling she would because she rolls like that.

And Mike, there were absolutely no piles of human grump with Starbucks nampkins next to them with the printed words "delicious" on them that day, either.
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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