Don't let some one kill you!

Yesterday I was out climbing at a popular climbing destination, all my partners had left and I had 3 hours to kill so I was doing a little free solo circuit. I was pulling on my approach shoes to do a run into a area when this car with three other climbers pulls up. They invite me to rope up I say sure why not and join them.
Turns out that two of them were total newbies, 4 days ago they had met this guy and he told them he would teach them how to climb. This fella may have known something about climbing but when I got up on top to see how his anchor building was going he was trying to wedge a old ice axe into a crack to make a TR anchor off of, this was after he declined the use of my shiny cams and perfectly good slings and cord. I downclimbed the route and grabbed my rack of cams and a harness and belay device and soloed back up the climb and built a anchor and then belayed these two newbies on a couple climbs.
I dont know what would have happened if I was not there, and I don't know how he would have belayed and lowered these two without a harness or belay device.
TL;DR Even if someone talks up all their climbing prowess PLEASE have some knowledge of what they are doing. Go up and watch them set a anchor, check them for belay devices and working harnesss's. More than anything use common sense!

Have fun everyone!

damn

CaptainMo wrote:damn

Pretty much my thought process when I saw his "anchor". It was pretty sketch.

Climb once with a guy who thought "take" meant that I was topping out and "taking" the rope up with me. I ended up closer to the bottom than the top when he finally caught the rope. Now I always grab the other strand of rope when I lean back.

J Hazard wrote: Pretty much my thought process when I saw his "anchor". It was pretty sketch.

glad u made it back to the forums!!!! good call on checkin their shyt...

Insane, Glad you are ok! I had a somewhat similar situation over the summer. I was just doing some after work climbing in Red Rock Open Space. My buddy & I were walking down the path when we saw a small group of 4 "climbers." We were watching them and I said something doesn't look right. The "belayer" was using a hip belay the lead wasn't wearing a harness, and the rope they were using looked like something you would use to water ski with!!!! They were at least using quickdraws. Later they walked by us and said "Wow look at that gear, maybe we should get some of that."

It's getting kind of crazy out there. Which brings me to this. I've noticed that R&I and Climbing have had numerous cool articles with the premise of "learn from the Pros" or "Learn How to Climb." Do you think the mags are helping fuel this newbie influx; giving them a false sense of security? (no I don't have any figures, anecdotally from posts on MP it seems like it's happening a lot more these days)

I started climbing back in 1990 and basically was more like an apprentice, following and cleaning many climbs before I took the sharp end.

J Hazard wrote: This fella may have known something about climbing but when I got up on top to see how his anchor building was going he was trying to wedge a old ice axe into a crack to make a TR anchor off of, this was after he declined the use of my shiny cams and perfectly good slings and cord.

Wow. Maybe he left his gear on Millet Tower, bailing off the 5.4?

Any conversation on how to setup TRs ensue?

Matt N wrote: Wow. Maybe he left his gear on Millet Tower, bailing off the 5.4? Any conversation on how to setup TRs ensue?

I pretty much told him I would belay after he showed no inclination to change what he was doing even after I set up a anchor. I mean I understand pride and with him being older than me maybe he wanted to show me how the old guys did it, I dunno. But I built a anchor and he didn't bother to clip into it or even consider it so I asked him if he would go down and check the climbers and make sure they were tying in right and I just belayed from on top and watched to make sure he got that knots right.
Man you should have stuck around, that guide that was next to us earlier in the day came by and while I was belaying up top he told me to be careful and thanked me for stepping in with a better anchor. Ha!

I was finishing a route at the Obed one day when the group of shinies next to me began to clean. This is the quote, verbatim, of the guy on anchors "They did it like this on Youtube." I quickly insisted that I clean it, and followed them around for the rest of the day doing little more than preventing their deaths.

By any chance was the guys name "Larry"?

I'm a little confused. Who belayed this fellow up? It seems that all four of you were together when he started his climb and you didn't notice an ice axe hanging from his whatever (how do you rack an ice axe?)and asked what he was going to do with it? Unless there was ice nearby I don't think I would go near any rock climber wielding an ice axe...unless I was wearing my ice axe proof suit.

Get the axe-proof suit and bolt-gun combo. They make liberal friendly ones with the seven max bolt clip installer.

John, I'm bummed I missed this one. If only I didn't have work Monday...That would have been tops for the weekend. And how did you NOT see him rack up an ice axe. This made my day!

rging wrote:I'm a little confused. Who belayed this fellow up? It seems that all four of you were together when he started his climb and you didn't notice an ice axe hanging from his whatever (how do you rack an ice axe?)and asked what he was going to do with it? Unless there was ice nearby I don't think I would go near any rock climber wielding an ice axe...unless I was wearing my ice axe proof suit.

Sorry I didn't make that very clear, he third classed his way around up to the top of the route. I was not paying any attention to him I was climbing a crack around the corner. He had a backpack and I guess I just didn't see the ice axe.

The lesson I learned is to pay more attention on the hike in. I mean the guy claimed he had a rack, but he didn't I should have noticed that his pack was rather light, and seriously how did I miss a ice axe?

William Domhart wrote:John, I'm bummed I missed this one. If only I didn't have work Monday...That would have been tops for the weekend. And how did you NOT see him rack up an ice axe. This made my day!

Ya Will! It was a pretty epic one! And I blame my not seeing the ice axe on just being tired from a long weekend haha!

I'm a little disappointed you built the guy a anchor. I would have expected an anchor out of you.
C'mon man!

matt davies wrote:I'm a little disappointed you built the guy a anchor. I would have expected an anchor out of you. C'mon man!

Is this a grammar correction?

I wonder if he knew the ice axe was an ice axe?