Is it alright to ask random people for a belay?

Question for fellow climbers. Is it frowned upon to show up to a sport climbing crag and ask random people to belay you, in return for a reciprocal belay?

Probably not wrong to ask, but I'd be cautious about asking random people to give me a safe belay.

Observe them belay, first, then ask if you are satisfied they know what they're doing. Be prepared to get turned down a lot.

FrankPS wrote:

Probably not wrong to ask, but I'd be cautious about asking random people to give me a safe belay.

Observe them belay, first, then ask if you are satisfied they know what they're doing. Be prepared to get turned down a lot.

Thanks for the input! I’ve been doing a lot hard sport climbing at a pretty high volume. It’s been hard to find people belay. Wanted to hear what people thought before I started asking. 

9 times out of 10, they probably won't mind but as frank said, be prepared to get turned down. Some climbers I know intentionally have a significant rest period before they try to RP a hard route, especially if they've been projecting for a while. Please don't be offended if they seem like they're not doing anything but shut you down if you ask for a catch.

In my experience climbers are a pretty good bunch, especially away from the crowded crags and if someone asks I will usually give a belay. I'll never ask for a belay though. Too many sketchy dudes out there!

But if you're doing 50-minutes of working the same 7-feet, nah. Forget about it. That's like asking a stranger to help you move.

Cherokee Nunes wrote:

But if you're doing 50-minutes of working the same 7-feet, nah. Forget about it. That's like asking a stranger to help you move.

Good point. When I'm projecting, I usually do it w a partner that's projecting too. That way there's equal time spent climbing & belaying. Definitely different from a 6 minute "can I bum a belay" route. If you ARE planning on doing an epic, be considerate of your belayer's time. They're there w their partner who's expecting a belay, expecting to leave at a certain time, expecting whatever else.

On the other side of this my experience —

I’d just finished punting for the day at a popular single pitch sport area and was standing at the base with a beer in one hand and a lit joint in the other.  A guy I vaguely recognized from my gym walked up and said “hey, would you be willing to give me a catch while I warm up on this?” and gestured at an .11c…  I didn’t really know what to say but just said “uh, I mean, if you want me to?”

He cruised the route, cleaned while I lowered, said thanks and continued up the trail.  I still see him at the gym so it’s worked out for him so far ¯\_(ツ)_/¯