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Toproping: The Disease of Climbing?


EWolfe

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You can't go straight to lead, top roping has it place and time. But too many people leave or put up topropes at the worst possible time, like on a crowded weekend with four kid camps on the 5.8 near your project or route. Then yes, the TRs do suck then.

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And clipping bolts on short climbs is so much better? I've never quite figured out this one out when the rationale for sport is to not waste time fiddling with gear and just focusing on the physical movement. If that's the case, and in situations where one is as easy to rig as the other, then why not just dispense with the faux pro and do just that - focus on the physical. At what point did clipping a bolt gather such connotations of either skill or boldness? In most cases it is neither and the distinction between clipping pre-placed bolts and top-roping is simply a matter of collective posing - the true disease of climbing...

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People taking thier sweet time getting on and off climbs is more of an issue.

 

No kidding. Two true stories:

 

1) I was waiting to get on a climb that was being top roped. The climbers knew I was waiting to get on the climb but proceeded to take a lunch break between climbers. :mad:

 

2) Patiently waiting to get on a climb being top roped. Again, the climbers knew I was waiting. After they both finish, I was informed that they would be making "2nd tries". :anger:

 

But, there are thoughtless assholes in any field of endeavour, not just top roping.

The climbers you cited could just as easily have said, "we'll be here awhile, if you want to top rope you can jump on our rope, if you like".
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If your waiting to climb a route you must be in a crowded area ...suck it up and climb something else or just move on.

The fascination of areas like sushine wall on the weekends with the crowds and rockfall amazes me, when there is soooo much to climb elsewhere.

Top ropeing is the safest way to climb and is a tool of all hard climbers, laps on something at your onsight ability at the end of the day is an easy way to get hard quick.

Sketchy Bravery never impressed me, smart,safe and in control flowing over stone on a hard lead or a tope rope is what it's all about.

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I can't ever remember a time where somebody was toproping a route and after a nice conversation, didn't let me lead it after pulling their rope. I would, of course, kindly submit that I would put it back up after my lead. Maybe your just an asshole bstach? No offense, but there are a lot of them out there :crazy:

 

You are too humble. To convince someone who was there first and who is in the middle of climbing to pull their rope and let you lead through is impressive diplomacy. Clearly you're a better man than I. But at least I didn't have dreams of using them as an Olympic torch.

Edited by bstach
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Just a thought: is the toproper the climbing world's equivalent of the RV driver ahead of you who is driving the 2.5 miles below the speed limit; the masochist riding the crotch rocket tailgating you; the cyclist hogging the shoulder making you tap the brakes and swerve?

 

In other words, if we didn't have to share route or crag space with others who were doing things differently, would it really MATTER that someone was toproping???

 

Seems like it might a more of a "traffic" issue than an ethical or style issue.

 

If a tree falls in the forest, and no one hears it....it was probably knocked over by a drunk driver. :/

 

 

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At what point did clipping a bolt gather such connotations of either skill or boldness? In most cases it is neither and the distinction between clipping pre-placed bolts and top-roping is simply a matter of collective posing - the true disease of climbing...

 

Ditto: :lmao:

 

BTW, I'm not all that hot of a climber and I don't care what people do: but I want to say that I loves me some toprope.

 

We can bang out a major TR burns after work around here. Leading in the same area sucks. The bouldering, however, tends to be fairly awesome and spicy if you want it to be.

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And clipping bolts on short climbs is so much better? I've never quite figured out this one out when the rationale for sport is to not waste time fiddling with gear and just focusing on the physical movement. If that's the case, and in situations where one is as easy to rig as the other, then why not just dispense with the faux pro and do just that - focus on the physical. At what point did clipping a bolt gather such connotations of either skill or boldness? In most cases it is neither and the distinction between clipping pre-placed bolts and top-roping is simply a matter of collective posing - the true disease of climbing...

 

pose_resize.jpg

 

:wave:

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I personnaly dont like tr'n or seconding , I veiw it though as training but I always approach climbing as if I were free-solo.

 

Givan a lot of your alpine rock sojourns I suspect that's probably a smart idea. I like it all - leading, TR and seconding. When roped soloing seconding is integral to the experience and I like that aspect of it, that you have to do both the leading and the cleaning. But, I can certainly understand when climbing fast and mainly trying to get somewhere, like in an alpine setting, that seconding can become a drag.

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