BigEarsNoNeck

Not wearing a helmet endangers my partner's life as well as my own. So, for me, it's not just about the risk I'm willing to take, or the experience I want to have. It's about my partner's well being too. It doesn't matter whether I think the terrain is low risk or not. Columns fall, unforseen things happen, etc. The safe and respectable thing for me to do (for all parties involved) is to wear a helmet to maximize the likelihood that everyone will go home in one piece and subsequently be able to return to the hills to climb another day. Hiking McClellan Butte trail several winters ago on an unseasonably warm day. Came across a guy in summer garb several miles up the trail in sneakers, from So Cal. I warned him that the chutes there are notorious for avalanches and have claimed several lives in recent years. He responded, "Really, but the freeway is right THERE!" pointing to I90. I told him that the mountain doesn't care that we built a road there. It's still a mountain.

Thanks Jay. I needed to step away for a few days to cool off on this. For the permanent record, here are two pictures of my injury. The third one shows blood pooling in my junk so I'm going to abstain from posting that one, you're welcome. ) Hmmm... not sure if they are going to show up. Added them as attachments. Let's see. -Chris

Gee, excuse me if I was a little pissed when I returned from ER to find myself being publicly flamed for faking my injury. Makes total sense that I should have responded privately. Best Regards, Chris, the gun-metal-4-runner-driving-lying-bullshit-artist

For the record, I don't blame you for my injury. I should have just used the trail instead of following you when I didn't agree with what you were doing. That was my bad and I'm paying for that now. Good luck to you as well. Chris P.S. I think I'm the only person on the planet who experiences full blown insomnia while taking Oxycodone. WTF!?

I just read your recent post. You may have FELT like you communicated those things but you DIDN'T ACTUALLY SAY ANYTHING. Your INTENTIONS may have been good but you were for the most part SILENT. Do you understand what I'm saying? You didn't communicate out loud, about anything. That's how I remember it. I had a nagging minor issue that in no way affected my ability to climb before the accident. Even after the accident I was in no way creating a safety risk from a belaying/rescue perspective at a single pitch crag. It was a decision I made to stay and it was not a mistake. I enjoyed the climbing I was able to do. I was pissed at what happened and but I tried to make light of it. I told you that I obviously couldn't go to Goose Egg on Friday. It felt like you were pissed the whole time, from the moment I showed up. How was I not receptive to you cam advice? You answered in 4 words... THEY WOULD HAVE HELD, and that was it. I chatted with you about how the lead I did felt harder than a 5.7 and I joked about maybe I was just being a wimp. Your answer, 4 more words... IT FELT LIKE 5.8. That was how you socialized with me all day. Short terse responses for 6 hours. My spray on you was a retaliation for your poor choice to spray me in the first place and make the assumptions that you did. So take your medicine on that one and we'll call it a day. Aside from the comment about repecting the land, I made no false or exaggerated facts. Climbing without a helmet is not safe. Saying "pay" instead of "slack" is totally inappropriate as it can easily be confused with "take", which is exactly what happened, and you got pissed at ME for it. Generally not using or responding to my voice signals was also not cool or safe. Complacency kills. I lost a friend to his complacency on a BC ice climb and I don't play well with people who disregard essential safety issues that are the number one killers in climbing. We obviously had a personality clash, perhaps I'm an ape too, but for all the experience you have, you have many lessons to learn yourself. I've learned lots here, that's for sure. Good luck to you, Chris

CLARIFICATION!? Seriously Geoff, which of the 20 or so times I said I tore my groin muscle to you on the approach and at the cliff was not clear enough for you? Which part of the screaming and swearing as I stood there for 5 minutes before I started moving again was not clear enough for you. Which part of me yelling out in pain on certain moves all day was not clear to you. It was AFTER that happened that I said I would TRY to lead easier stuff (5.6, 5.7) but I wasn't going to be a dick and leave after we both drove down there. I was being NICE by saying I'll stay here and belay you all day because I felt guilty about what happened. I TOLD you I was pissed. Did I not LOOK pissed to you? In MY book I did you a favor by staying there so YOU could climb, when I was clearly in no condition to climb myself and you accuse me of making up excuses to stay off the sharp end? I tried to make the best of it and only had the balls/brains to lead stuff I knew I wouldn't fall on subsequently fucking myself up even more. Do you normally assume people are lying to you or trying to pull the wool over you? And then you come on here and flame me for it? Not cool man. As for respecting the land... sorry but someone who bounds up the side of an eroding hill when there's a dedicated access trail to get to the crag doesn't fall into that category in my book. Exaggeration on my part, perhaps, but I was pissed at your flaming and your hill approach is what ended up fucking me up before I ever got started. Yeah, I'm a pussy. Moving on. LOL... I'd love to know how on this Earth I was a dick to YOU. You didn't say hi at the car, didn't shake my hand when I approached you. No how the hell are you, nice to meet you, thanks for coming out, what kind of experience do you have (an important question don't you think?). No, you just walked on ahead of me like I wasn't there. Truthfully you completely turned me off in the first 10 minutes and I was --> <-- close to telling you to f-off. Brutal but honest. Clearly we are not compatible, for whatever reasons, skill, personality, etc. I didn't realize it was a crime to have new cams and/or not be confident in placing them. I tried to duck your ego by asking you to check my placements for me, let me know how I did, clearly identifying you as the alpha male, but you wanted no part of that either. Every bit of advice, witticism, remark, small talk, etc. I made received no response from you. When you did answer it was like pulling teeth. This shit's supposed to be fun dude! What's clear to me now is that you expected someone else out there that day and that person was not me. I thought I was clear about my skill level in the post and I'm confident that I clearly communicated the severity of my injury when it happened. I've never met anyone who's made up injury excuses to get a free rope gun (perhaps I'm lucky in that regard), and I would never do that myself. I've got no ego when it comes to my climbing ability or inability. If I'm afraid of doing something I'll tell you. I was really looking forward to pushing myself for two days, and it all came crashing down when my foot slipped out followed by pop... pop... on the fucking approach of all places! Talk about uber dork! In the future I'm going to be more explicit and verbose in my posts for climbing partners and make sure there's good compatibility before agreeing to hook up with someone. That's probably the biggest lesson learned for me here. Peace Out... and have a fun and safe climbing season. Chris

I went to ER after climbing with you for six hours yesterday and I have a groin tear in 3 places with an abdominal hematoma. I climbed on it for 6 hours with you just to not be a dick and go home as opposed to you, who was a complete dick the whole time, from the minute I approached you at your car, said hello and you didn't answer. Converse with humans much? You said about 5 sentences to me the entire day. I tried to make friendly conversation and you'd either flat out not answer or grunt in response. It was like talking to a wall, and it started at the car before I "faked" my injury. I point out the trail to the crag but you're too cool for that huh? No land stewardship in your climbing manual I guess. Too cool to use a helmet, despite the fact that you were complaining about the loose mess on top of Goose Egg the last time you were up there. Learn much? And what kind of genius says "pay" for slack on lead? Voice signals on the rope, virtually nonexistent. Hell, voice nonexistent, period. So I had a real injury and I was tentative about falling on it on lead. Perhaps you WERE born yesterday if you think people follow at the same level they lead at, even when they're not injured. You answered my post and agreed to meet me when it was clear that you were a much better climber than I was. So what exactly is your complaint, hard man? You agreed to meet me out when I stated that I was 4 grades inferior to you. Here's the exact text from the post: YOU: P.S. Looking to get on a bunch of .10's maybe some low .11's ME: My lead limit is probably around 10a/b these days. I can probably finish high tens but I don't want to keep a brotha down if you know what I mean! ;O) ME: More specifically, I don't have any prob lead belaying you on harder single pitch stuff, and even trying to follow myself, but multi-pitch high tens and low elevens on Goose Egg is probably out for me from a safety perspective. Don't want to get stuck halfway up unable to follow. YOU: Cool! Let's do it. Sounds perfect. Tell me where and when you want to meet up in the Tieton and I'll be there. ME: Right on. Why don't we meet at the Oak Creek Wildlife Area that accesses the Royal Columns. Say around 10am? It's my first outside for the season and I could use to warm up on some moderate stuff with gear. Then Friday we can go over to Goose Egg for some multi-pitch if we're both cool with it. So you led what, 4 pitches? 3 at 5.9 which is 4 grades below the level you said you wanted to "work" in your post and one at 5.10b. I led two 5.7s with adjacent harder routes that you could have top roped because I had a 3" tear in my fucking groin. As opposed to you who bragged how you wanted to get on 5.10d and 5.11 on the post and barely made it up a 10b. I followed you on your 10b and I set up top ropes for the 11a next to one of the 5.7s I led so you could work the route. But you we're "done". Done when YOU had to do something hard for YOU I guess. Sorry if I'm not cool enough for you. Sorry if I was not up to my ability to lead 10a with a triple groin tear. You're a real nice friendly guy Geoff. Enjoy being a legend in your own mind. There's plenty of space in there for you. As for everyone else out there, if you want to climb with an ape who snorts and grunts at you with an occasional "dude" thrown in, doesn't use voice signals, doesn't put safety in practice, doesn't respect the land, and leaves you at the crag when you have a real injury, then DirtyFace is your man! Good riddance. Chris

Hey there, All my climbing partners have either gone old and sedentary on me or have moved far away. Looking to meet new folks to do some cool stuff with. I'm currently not working and have lots of time on my hands, especially during the week. Looking to head over to Tieton river for some play on Goose Egg Mountain and maybe Royal Columns. Let's say leave this Thursday (28th) morning and return Friday (29th) night. I could stay another day too if desired. Let me know if anyone's interested! Cheers, BigEarsNoNeck

Hello, Sorry if I've posted this in the wrong forum. I was just wondering if anyone out there knows of any decent deep water soloing places near Positano, Italy (Amalfi coast). Random question I know. Thanks, BigEarsNoNeck

Hello, I am looking for someone to start Endurance/Power/Performance training cycles with at the Vertical World Gym in Magnolia. You are: 1) any skill level 2) reliable, consistent, dedicated, etc... 3) able to be on the wall from 6:30-8:00am every Tuesday/Thursday morning Please email me directly at embedded-es@qwest.net if you are interested. -BigEarsNoNeck