Novice climbers

[TheBootfitter]

I was top-roping with a couple other people last weekend. There were a fair number of day-hikers passing on the trail near the bottom of the wall. At one point a rope came hurtling down from above and almost hit a day-hiker below. I was belaying less than fifty feet away from the guy below, and I didn’t hear anybody yell a warning that they were dropping a rope. (The day-hiker was understandably upset, but probably over-reacted in my opinion, using several choice expletives with small children nearby.)

 

A short time later, we started packing up our gear to head home. When I was at the top, I passed by these yahoos. They saw my full gear sling and commented that I must have been climbing for quite awhile. After recognizing that this was the same group that threw down the rope without a warning, I asked how long they had been climbing. There were four in the group, and it was the first time for three of them. The fourth had been out a couple times before with some friends. I asked if they had taken any classes or done any reading or anything. They indicated that they had not and asked if I thought that would be a good idea. Sheesh!

 

After explaining the procedure of yelling “Rope”, looking below, etc., I took a moment to assess their anchors. They had a sling of tubular webbing draped over sharp rock edges (not even girth-hitched), a single length of webbing tied with an overhand knot around a tree, and none of the anchors were equalized. They simply tied loops at the end of the three pieces of webbing (all of which were secured to questionable anchors), all reaching about the same point at the edge of the cliff and clipped a single locking ‘biner into the three loops. It was pretty obvious they didn’t have a clue. (Yet later I heard them whooping it up as they rappelled down the wall in great leaping bounds, having the time of their life.)

 

I strongly suggested that they take a class from a certified professional in order to gain more knowledge and climb more safely. In the meantime, I offered some unsolicited advice regarding their anchors and the concept of equalization. To their credit, they were open to listening to what I had to say. After I left and had finished gathering my gear, I walked by their set-up again, and they had made a few adjustments based on my suggestions. But I still wouldn’t have climbed on their anchors. No way, no how!

 

Oh… and they brought a dog with them and left it tied up at the top such that no one of their party was with the large, barking dog when they were all below belaying or climbing. The poor dog would bark loudly at anyone who was walking by on the narrow path at the top of the cliff, but then would whimper after they walked away and left the dog to itself.

 

I just have a hard time comprehending how anyone could have so little experience, make so many blatant errors in judgment, yet still go ahead and climb without experienced supervision. And do it with apparent confidence that they will be safe. I don’t know how widespread stuff like this is, but it’s pretty scary. It’s surprising there aren’t many more climbing accidents than there actually are.

 

I didn’t want to come off as being preachy, yet I couldn’t just walk away after I saw their anchors. I was kind of in a hurry because I had plans, so I didn’t want to spend too much time giving them unsolicited non-professional instruction. Then I started thinking about the legal ramifications of anything I might say to them (or not say to them) if an accident were to occur later in the day after I left. Looking back, I probably should have let them know somehow that I personally wouldn’t trust their anchor system if I were climbing on their rope, and then encouraged more strongly that they seek professional instruction. I haven’t yet heard about any accidents that day, so I trust that nothing happened, and I hope they heed my suggestions to get some more instruction before going out again.

 

Any thoughts? Anything different you may have done in that situation?

[fenderfour]

You should have cut their rope in half and pushed them over the edge to teach them a lesson.

 

Seriously - We all learn in our own way. I definitely advocate classes or a mentorship type situation, but that's not for everybody. Could these guys get hurt or killed doing what they are doing? Yes. Will they? Probably not. It's called dumb luck. Read the biography of any number of famous climbers and their formative years were spent doing the same stupid things.

[mec]

I agree that you did what was right. You gave them what advice you could and tried to help them out. They listened a bit, and just went ahead doing what they were doing.

 

There are many folks out there that will prove the theory of natural selection.

[kurthicks]

It sounds like you did what was reasonable at the time.

 

I find myself in situations like this almost every time I go cragging and depending on the mood I'm in, I react differently. If a group is particularly interested in learning, I will show them a few basic concepts (equalization, angles, etc) and help them build an anchor. If they aren't interested, I take off and hope to be gone before they hurt themselves and I have to respond.

 

I am definately an advocate of professional instruction, so I recommend that to every new climber. Being a new climber can be incredibly dangerous and it's best to start off on the right track. Plus, it helps me keep my job.

[Alex]

I remember being at that stage. I owned a chalk bag, a rope, some webbing, some biners, and climbed in my Vasque Sundowners. My friends and I were self-taught, and only learned slowly because none of the other more experienced climbers we ran into ever actually took any time to make any helpful suggestions. They avoided us like the plague, hmmmm, wonder why? We still had fun, and realized that we didnt know much. I gained alot of my initial knowledge from RR's Advanced Rockcraft books. In hindsight I likely would have advanced and become safer MUCH MORE rapidly had some real climber, such as yourself, ever offered to take me out just one weekend!!

 

These days when I see novices at the crags I try to restrain myself from saying too much, unless they are being obviously unsafe...usually this manifests itself in someone belaying for the first time, and being coached by the climber who is actually climbing...when that happens I will drop what I am doing and come over and help belay, and try to get the brake hand concept across, it usually doesnt take long for the belayer to understand the whole deal, especially when the full weight of the climber comes on the rope while lowering...

 

The scariest things I still see probably occur at Mt Marrymoor, most of the folks at the crags at least seem to have some time in the gym and understand the concept of belay and toproping, if not efficient and safe leading on bolts. Of course very rarely do you see real novices at Index or LWorth outside the GNS area or obvious beginner toprope crags.

[mattp]

If you can find a way to offer such newbies helpful advice without pissing them off or being perceived as condescending, you might be able to help them out quite a bit.

 

However, I wonder if the situation you described was as dangerous as you seem to suggest: three slings anchored around trees and rocks, joining together at a single locking ‘biner sounds pretty good to me and I often shake my head in wonder at the complicated John Long SRENE setups when the anchors are trees and bolts and whatever at some 30 foot top-rope crag.

 

I learned to climb when I was 13, and my buddy and I read that same pamphlet-type Royal Robbins book Alex refers to and headed to the nearest crag. After we accumulated a vast reservoior of experience, at age 14, we headed to the Tetons and had big adventure on climbs that amount to little more than a scramble. Professional instruction is good, but it is not the only way to learn.

[Ireneo_Funes]

I usually fight to keep my mouth shut unless I see someone about to do something really, really foolish. Then I might say "You know, you'll want to keep your brake hand on the rope when belaying" or "You probably already know this, but your 30m rope's not going to be long enough for that route." Or whatever. I don't want to be one of those people who's always offering unsolicited advice, but sometimes you've just got to say something.

[TheBootfitter]

However, I wonder if the situation you described was as dangerous as you seem to suggest: three slings anchored around trees and rocks, joining together at a single locking ‘biner sounds pretty good to me and I often shake my head in wonder at the complicated John Long SRENE setups when the anchors are trees and bolts and whatever at some 30 foot top-rope crag.

They probably COULD have climbed from one sling without incident. That still doesn't make it safe. (And for clarification, there were only two slings. The third piece was a single piece of tubular webbing with overhand knots on either end... one of them about 5-feet high on a 6-8 inch thick tree trunk and the other end secured to the locking 'biner.) Three questionable anchor points equalized is certainly better than one questionable anchor point. However, without properly equalizing the anchor points, each one will essentially have to act independently. If one fails because an overhand knot in tubular webbing slips out, it would shock load the webbing that was looped over a sharp edge of rock. If that fails in turn, it would shock load the next anchor point -- which may or may not fail. They may be able to climb 1,000 times on such a setup without incident, but you won't find me climbing on it.

 

Professional instruction is good, but it is not the only way to learn.

I agree, without a doubt. But for a beginner without an experienced climber willing to mentor them or who lacks the interest in reading books, professional instruction is probably the safest, easiest way to learn the basics.