rhyang Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 So let's say you go climbing with an individual, put your gear into the rack, climb, then return to the car to divvy up your stuff. You've put rack tags on all your biners & cams, marked all your ice screws, etc. You're tired, you think everything is as it should be, but when you get home and put everything back in its place you are missing a couple of biners. Your climbing partner from the last weekend lives in a different city, and you send an email & leave a phone message. There is no response, not even a "sorry, I've looked and I don't have them." Finally after a couple of weeks, you see his user ID on cc.com and send him a PM - that gets a response : i dont have them. stuff gets lost all the time if you do this long enuf... nothing new. I guess I'm a little annoyed. I printed out maps, paid for permits, led pitches, and brought most of the gear we used. Am I being unreasonable in asking him to please check again ? What would you think if this was the response you got ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drederek Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 stuff gets lost all the time I'd guess they got lost. Why get bent over a couple biners? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shapp Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 Ditto, how do you even know you had them at the beginning of that trip? Do you count every single crab every time you go climbing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhyang Posted October 25, 2005 Author Share Posted October 25, 2005 This was a multiday alpine climb where we specifically only took a certain number of biners and draws. And I'm an engineer - I do know exactly what gear I did and did not bring. The biners were new lightweight wiregates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shapp Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 You probably spent more on a latte and a breakfast burrito than the cost of a couple wire gates, just don't climb with the dude any more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archenemy Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 What would happen if you posted your story under the lost and found forum? Is that way too tacky or what? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ireneo_Funes Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 A couple of biners probably isn't worth too much mental anguish. Maybe they fell off your gear sling or whatever. It sounds like what's really bothering you is your partner's lack of concern about your gear? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhyang Posted October 25, 2005 Author Share Posted October 25, 2005 The biners were originally clipped to an 8mm dyneema runner. He was carrying the gear sling most of the way, and when we got back to the cars I discovered that a number of the biners and runners had been mixed up. I know that I didn't do the mixing up - I keep things in pretty strict order when I carry stuff on my harness. Like I said, we were not carrying a huge amount of gear in the first place; there is only a finite number of ways that the stuff we carried could be arranged. I know that stuff gets lost, but I am now suspicious of the way that this guy handles other people's gear. I try not to lose or damage what belongs to other people. If I were to do something that results in loss or damage to someone else's rack, then I would make sure to pay for it afterwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archenemy Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 The biners were originally clipped to an 8mm dyneema runner. He was carrying the gear sling most of the way, and when we got back to the cars I discovered that a number of the biners and runners had been mixed up. I know that I didn't do the mixing up - I keep things in pretty strict order when I carry stuff on my harness. Like I said, we were not carrying a huge amount of gear in the first place; there is only a finite number of ways that the stuff we carried could be arranged. I know that stuff gets lost, but I am now suspicious of the way that this guy handles other people's gear. I try not to lose or damage what belongs to other people. If I were to do something that results in loss or damage to someone else's rack, then I would make sure to pay for it afterwards. Honorable. Sounds like the only thing you might want to work on is chosing partners that feel the same way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhyang Posted October 25, 2005 Author Share Posted October 25, 2005 I am additionally considering warning other people about this guy. Too drastic ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ireneo_Funes Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 you don't want to be getting into that over 2 biners Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archenemy Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 That's up to you. If I were in your shoes, I would assume that other folks will make up their own minds and don't need my input to color their perceptions. I mean, the guy isn't a serial killer or anything, so safety is not an issue. And in truth, you do not really know what happened to your gear--you have no proof. I would be very, very careful about accusing someone of something that I was not 100% sure about...might come back to haunt you later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 WTF, you got played and lost. Sack it up and get back in the game. Who wanted to bring YOUR rack? Next time you climb with this guy - you should make sure there IS a next time, but you might have fucked it up with this post - make sure he brings the rack. And then pretend it's bargain day at WalMart. What goes around comes around. Or maybe you can leave him with the gas bill (take his car) or the restaurant bill ("Oh man, I can't believe it, I totally forgot my fucking wallet! You've got the tab, right partner?") Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhyang Posted October 25, 2005 Author Share Posted October 25, 2005 I'm not interested in playing those games - I like to be forthright and direct. For a variety of reasons I won't be climbing with this guy again. If anyone wants to know who he is and what my experience was, feel free to PM me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 You ALREADY played the game, whether you wanted to or not. By quitting now all you do is confirm that you lost. It's like dropping out after losing the first hand of poker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sk Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 we are talking 2 beiners here right? likely the person looked threw their stuff and it wasn't there... what do you want him to do? commit harry carry over it? heard someone say over the weekend that he owned no gear he wasn't willing to leave in the mountains to save his life.... it is JUST GEAR.... move on with your life. sure they guy could have been more empathetic. but somepeople just are not touchy feely that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek_the_Greek Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 Dru, what are you saying - that every time you go climbing, you're playing some sort of game of trying to scam your partner's gear? That's kind of lame. I think the dude is overreacting over a couple of biners (as someone said, with no proof that they were taken), but I wouldn't choose to climb with someone who's playing some cynical game of trying to steal their partner's stuff. It seems so Winona-Rider-shoplifting-jewelry-just-for-the-hell-of-it immature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olyclimber Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 Damn, it guess its time to come clean. AlpineDave, I have one of your biners. I'm sorry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 No, what I'm saying is that there is a well known and accepted method of recouping losses to sticky fingered partners, and it sure as hell doesn't involve whining on a bulletin board. The honourable way is to STFU and "Do unto the other what was done unto you". No one likes a crybaby. I mean, what next? Posts like "My partner PROMISED that we would go climbing at Index on Saturday, but come Saturday morning, he BAILED ON ME! I booked time off work specifically for this day of cragging and this meant it was too late to do schedule any other activity. Should I name this horrible person?" It reminds me of the story about C.F. and J.S. going climbing in the Smoke Bluffs together using J.S.'s rack and afterwards J.S. presenting C.F. with a bill for a new Camalot because CF had fallen on JS's #2 Camalot and one of the lobes had a scratch in the anodizing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek_the_Greek Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 That's a funny story. I wonder if I'm thinking of the right people with those initials. The converse story is when a couple of other well-known cheap-ass friends went climbing together, and A dropped E's cam while leading. A dutifully replaced the unit with a booty cam bought off someone who found one, rather than getting him a new one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhyang Posted October 25, 2005 Author Share Posted October 25, 2005 (edited) You guys are absolutely right - a pair of biners is not worth crying about. If this guy had promised to return them, or said "hey I'm sorry, I'll send you a check" or "oops, let me look again" then that would be one thing. Instead, he disappeared, and then upon reappearing got all evasive when asked. See above about the effort and expense that *I* put into this climb. Combined with some odd behavior on the climb itself, and what looks like a poor attitude, I'm steering clear of this guy. There are plenty of good people to climb with, and I just chose to go with the wrong one. Life goes on. Be well, folks. Edited October 25, 2005 by rhyang Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stefan Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 You weren't climbing with a former CIA agent who specialized in WMD were you? They have lost stuff before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blake Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 I am additionally considering warning other people about this guy. Too drastic ? Sorry Rhyang, usually my partners don't get so pissed when I scam them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattp Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 Its definitely true that some partners are better than ohers when it comes to taking care of/returning your gear. But that is only one quality in a larger matrix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knotzen Posted October 25, 2005 Share Posted October 25, 2005 You guys are absolutely right - a pair of biners is not worth crying about. If this guy had promised to return them, or said "hey I'm sorry, I'll send you a check" or "oops, let me look again" then that would be one thing. Instead, he disappeared, and then upon reappearing got all evasive when asked. See above about the effort and expense that *I* put into this climb. I'm with you, rhyang--the issue is having respect for your climbing partner and their gear, no matter what piece is missing, or how many. I would certainly want and expect a reply that showed some level of respect for y'all. "Shit happens" wouldn't work for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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