Gumbies are the best partners.

I do want to specify self-actualized gumbies are the best partners and I consider myself a self-actualized gumby. First, I suppose we should define a gumby lets just say someone inexperienced is a gumby. A self-actualized gumby is someone who recognizes their inexperience. Now this might be the debatable part but if you look at mountain project threads the entire basis of whether people determine you are a gumby is based on your tick list. If I started this thread calling myself a crusher there would be 20 people saying 5.x isn’t even that good you’re a trash climber.

Okay so what makes a self-actualized gumby a good climbing partner? Well they recognize what they can and cannot do. Secondly, they are absolutely psyched to climb. There are so many ‘experienced’ climbers that only care about perfect conditions or flawless rock climbs. Well I wanna climb and I would rather have a partner who wants to rock climb then talk about the absolute perfect climb all day at home/gym. Third, they are generally happier. I really don’t like being anywhere near some super crusher that rages everytime they don’t send their mega project. Forth, they are receptive to feedback. Its pretty annoying when someone doesn’t really belay you for the first 3 bolts and just has a pool of rope on the ground because the section you are on ‘isn’t even that hard.’ Fifth, flailing your way up a rock climb is always funnier and more memorable than crushing your project. I love reminiscing over a climb I couldn’t send because I didn’t see the jug or giving up your best hand to a gear placement when way better alternative gear existed.

Being a gumby is fun, hanging out with other self-actualized gumbies is fun. Mega experience is over rated. Change my mind.

I approve this message.

The only problem with your argument is that gumby does not mean inexperienced, it generally means dumb and bumbling  (usually due to inexperience). Thus, being a self-actualized gumby effectively negates one's gumbiness. In effect, a self-actualized gumby is actually just an inexperienced holder of the flame of stoke. 

Fail Falling wrote:

The only problem with your argument is that gumby does not mean inexperienced, it generally means dumb and bumbling  (usually due to inexperience). Thus, being a self-actualized gumby effectively negates one's gumbiness. In effect, a self-actualized gumby is actually just an inexperienced holder of the flame of stoke. 

Yes, a self-actualized gumby seems to me to be someone operating outside the Dunning Kruger effect. 

Princess Puppy Lovr wrote:

I do want to specify self-actualized gumbies are the best partners and I consider myself a self-actualized gumby. First, I suppose we should define a gumby lets just say someone inexperienced is a gumby. A self-actualized gumby is someone who recognizes their inexperience. Now this might be the debatable part but if you look at mountain project threads the entire basis of whether people determine you are a gumby is based on your tick list. If I started this thread calling myself a crusher there would be 20 people saying 5.x isn’t even that good you’re a trash climber.

Okay so what makes a self-actualized gumby a good climbing partner? Well they recognize what they can and cannot do. Secondly, they are absolutely psyched to climb. There are so many ‘experienced’ climbers that only care about perfect conditions or flawless rock climbs. Well I wanna climb and I would rather have a partner who wants to rock climb then talk about the absolute perfect climb all day at home/gym. Third, they are generally happier. I really don’t like being anywhere near some super crusher that rages everytime they don’t send their mega project. Forth, they are receptive to feedback. Its pretty annoying when someone doesn’t really belay you for the first 3 bolts and just has a pool of rope on the ground because the section you are on ‘isn’t even that hard.’ Fifth, flailing your way up a rock climb is always funnier and more memorable than crushing your project. I love reminiscing over a climb I couldn’t send because I didn’t see the jug or giving up your best hand to a gear placement when way better alternative gear existed.

Being a gumby is fun, hanging out with other self-actualized gumbies is fun. Mega experience is over rated. Change my mind.

You are talking about noobs, gumbies will get you killed.

Fail Falling wrote:

so when I get called a Gumby on mountain project I can just say: “I know therefore I am not?”

Climber 4Community wrote:

You are talking about noobs, gumbies will get you killed.

I don’t know when you look at the aac report it seems experienced and intermediate experience make up a surprising amount of the deaths.

Trevor Taylor wrote:

I don’t know when you look at the aac report it seems experienced and intermediate experience make up a surprising amount of the deaths.

Exactly. Gumbies can have a large amount of experience but they're still gumbies. The attributes you describe are describing noobs.

everybody is on the gumby spectrum somewhere.  and i mean everybody...

Trevor Taylor wrote:

so when I get called a Gumby on mountain project I can just say: “I know therefore I am not?”

Yes

You might be a gumby when; most of your injuries happen on the approach because moving with anything less than three points of contact is too hard.

R E R wrote:

You might be a gumby when; most of your injuries happen on the approach because moving with anything less than three points of contact is too hard.

Your grandma is a Gumby? Most my injuries occurred with two points of contact so am I double Gumby?

Hey hey hey you can be a Gumby and only want perfect conditions too. Ain’t no way I’m touching a boulder unless it’s under 65 Fahrenheit and humidity is under 20% 

Princess Puppy Lovr wrote:

Forth, they are receptive to feedback. Its pretty annoying when someone doesn’t really belay you for the first 3 bolts and just has a pool of rope on the ground because the section you are on ‘isn’t even that hard.’ 

Lol, this!!!!

Gumby and n00b are not interchangeable. Gumby is the perpetually slow, inept climber that jams up classic climb belays, because they are trying to impress their unfit, non-climbing girlfriend, usually named Mary for some reason. Their belay is usually a clusterfuck, because they only know the one way to build an anchor, they drop rocks and gear on lower parties, but rarely shout "rock". They will throw their TR down on top of folks, and have a mean dog. 

N00b's can be found in REI/gym classes at your local crag/gym, because they are curious, but don't know any climbers personally.  They listen to you when you tell them their belaying is going to kill someone, by asking what they should be doing. The carry the rope and the 1/2 the rack on the approach, and pay for a cam if they fix it. They say thank you for taking them climbing, because they would have never even found the climb without you.  They listen to you, and repeat back stuff they aren't sure about. They practice tying knots at home, they buy guidebooks on where they want to climb. They hire guides, and tip them, when they can't find a partner. 

Lots more things distinguish a n00b from a gumby...

Buck Rio wrote:

Gumby and n00b are not interchangeable. Gumby is the perpetually slow, inept climber that jams up classic climb belays, because they are trying to impress their unfit, non-climbing girlfriend, usually named Mary for some reason. Their belay is usually a clusterfuck, because they only know the one way to build an anchor, they drop rocks and gear on lower parties, but rarely shout "rock". They will throw their TR down on top of folks, and have a mean dog. 

N00b's can be found in REI/gym classes at your local crag/gym, because they are curious, but don't know any climbers personally.  They listen to you when you tell them their belaying is going to kill someone, by asking what they should be doing. The carry the rope and the 1/2 the rack on the approach, and pay for a cam if they fix it. They say thank you for taking them climbing, because they would have never even found the climb without you.  They listen to you, and repeat back stuff they aren't sure about. They practice tying knots at home, they buy guidebooks on where they want to climb. They hire guides, and tip them, when they can't find a partner. 

Lots more things distinguish a n00b from a gumby...

I will remind everyone on mountain project that I am a noob  and not a gumby then!

The best climbers are generally social gumbies.  They might excel at climbing, but they are usually weird AF...

Whatever term you go with, the climbers you describe are nice to go out with. It’s fun to teach people who are genuinely stoked and eager to learn. It’s also nice to get that second hand stoke; sometimes I forget just how awesome climbing is, and someone else’s excitement reminds me to appreciate what we’re doing.

Andy Eiter wrote:

Whatever term you go with, the climbers you describe are nice to go out with. It’s fun to teach people who are genuinely stoked and eager to learn. It’s also nice to get that second hand stoke; sometimes I forget just how awesome climbing is, and someone else’s excitement reminds me to appreciate what we’re doing.

^what he said.

I took a couple newbies(girlfriend-boyfriend) to Devil's Lake, dropped a couple TR's on Bill's Buttress and climbed all day, starting with Push Mi Pull Yu and ending with Breakfast of Champions, with everything else in between. I did Cheatah, so I had some fun too.  Their absolute awe of the place was refreshing...I had climbed DL so much that I forgot how cool the place actually is. It took a n00b to bring back that feeling of being blessed with what we have in the Midwest.

TBlom wrote:

The best climbers are generally social gumbies.  They might excel at climbing, but they are usually weird AF...

This is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me on mountain project, if being an actuary doesnt make me a social gumby I don't know what would.

Princess Puppy Lovr wrote:

 Fifth, flailing your way up a rock climb is always funnier and more memorable than crushing your project. I love reminiscing over a climb I couldn’t send because I didn’t see the jug or giving up your best hand to a gear placement when way better alternative gear existed.

I feel this. I can remember pretty much every climb that was over my head but none of my low grade sends of the same days. Bonus points revisiting those climbs with more experience and killing it.

There is a balance though between over your head in a fun way vs over your head in a dangerous or annoying way. For example, I'm not gonna hang on a TR for 10x the amount of time it took my partner to climb the route. This balance is inherent to the "self-actualized gumby" way.

I've also found that busy crags full of "gumbies" are pretty fun sometimes. Usually, these people are more open to sharing their food and beer and are generally out to just have a good time rather than send. Having said that I do love having my hardened climbing partners that can offer me valuable feedback and beta tips. Everything in moderation I guess.