Take!

[G-spotter]

i read some unsubstantiated slander once about sport climbers-turned-boulderers who have said "Take" while highballing. say what you will about the pad people but it's undeniably harder to dog a boulder problem.

[Dechristo]

High-ballin' itself will get one "high".

[Off_White]

I'll use that phrase with an exasperated rasp, and it loosely translates as "fuck me I'm weak." It means I'm giving up. I don't seem to use "tension" much anymore, but still rely on "up rope" (usually shortened to "rope") to mean "pay attention, I've got three feet of slack and that's scary."

 

"Take up the slack" should always be avoided as a phrase, since "slack" means "pay attention, you're holding me too tight and that's scary."

 

When you can hear each other well, lots of variation on the nomenclature works well, but when you get far apart its good to have the classic call and response to fall back on. Farther apart still, the series of rope tugs (I must be more premature than Matt, it only takes 3 tugs with me) is the ticket, with the added implication that one should avoid falling just in case its a simul situation.

 

In that sport situation where the leader has topped out, I never take the leader off belay until we've confirmed that they're going to rap rather than lower, and I make sure to state "okay, you're off belay" when I disconnect just to make sure they're aware of the situation. If they're just untying to thread the rope and plan to lower, I just leave them on.

[BirdDog]

The first time I heard "take" was from a French climber I met at Dante's and climbed with at Icicle in the early/mid '80's. As it was explained to me it means "take my wieght"; as in I'm going to fall off the this unless I can out and rest (hang dogging).

[JosephH]

"Take!" gathers much more naturally in a clenched throat than "Dogging!". Try it - bug out your eyes a bit, press your tongue against the roof of your mouth, clench your throat and try saying each of them. "Dogging!" requires way to much involvement of the back of the tongue and throat. Besides "Take [me]!" is way more intimate between partners.

[Gary_Yngve]

yeah, "take" is easy to say, much like "fuck"

[obwan]

yeah, "take" is easy to say, much like "fuck"

That's usually what I use instead of 'Falling'.

[Choada_Boy]

"Take" is what Kevbone does at the bath house.

[Choada_Boy]

Reversing your signals around other groups of climbers can be fun, too. For instance, yell "On Belay" when your partner yells "Climbing" after clipping into the anchor, then take them off belay and watch the onlookers reactions. Fun!

[LostCamKenny]

Reversing your signals around other groups of climbers can be fun, too. For instance, yell "On Belay" when your partner yells "Climbing" after clipping into the anchor, then take them off belay and watch the onlookers reactions. Fun!

When the winds are high and I've just put my follower on belay I like to yell "moron you're gay" and then listen to hear him respond with "climbing."

 

[sobo]

I've heard Brits use "secure" for "off belay"

And they also have been known to use the term "safe" for the same thing.

 

I first heard "take" at Smith back in the late 80s/early 90s, and it was from Eurodogs, not us Anglomutts.

[obwan]

A-Ha, so it's a Euro term.

[Cranbo]

I was amused and horrified in equal parts once when I was, I believe, at Smith, and there was a couple climbing next to us, and one of 'em was up on the rock and shouted down "Take!" The belayer hollers "What?" Up top replies "Take! Take me off belay!"

 

Maybe it was their special code. :-/

 

- rob

 

[rob]

they should have just used rope tugs.

[DPS]

I remember once on the the upper town walls a couple were climbing Swim and the dude yelled "take" and the chick heard "slack". The resulting whipper was pretty cool to watch.

[mike1]

take up slack

take up rope

take a break

take me off belay

take a trip

take a chill pill

take me out to the ball game

 

Take it easy.

 

[cartman]

I was using "take" on Liberty Bell last week when my partner told me to say "up rope". I suppose this serves two purposes: "up rope" is a more distinctive sounding term (take can sound like many other words), and has less confusing connotations and history than "take".

 

He's a Calif-bred climber, maybe that has something to do with it.

Edited July 6, 2009 by cartman

[Bosterson]

I was using "take" on Liberty Bell last week when my partner told me to say "up rope". I suppose this serves two purposes: "up rope" is a more distinctive sounding term (take can sound like many other words), and has less confusing connotations and history than "take".

 

I always thought "up rope" meant the climber thinks there's too much slack in the system and wants it taken up for safety reasons, vs "take" which meant they were about to hang on the rope.

 

If you use "up rope" to mean "tension," how do you ask for slack to be taken up without the rope going tight and pulling you off the wall?

[KaskadskyjKozak]

I always thought "up rope" meant the climber thinks there's too much slack in the system and wants it taken up for safety reasons, vs "take" which meant they were about to hang on the rope.

 

yes, ditto.

[pink]

I always thought "up rope" meant the climber thinks there's too much slack in the system and wants it taken up for safety reasons, vs "take" which meant they were about to hang on the rope.

 

yes, ditto.

 

 

this should be in the "kids" forum...

 

take a baby wipe and clean ur bottom

[TRbetaFlash]

If you're yelling TAKE!

 

- You're on a route or section above your head

or

- you have a belayer who can't tell how much slack there is in the line. There could be drag or other things preventing the line from moving too. They could be asleep, who knows.

 

All this can be mitigated by having a person who is actually paying attention to you climbing.

 

I heard Fred Beckey yell, "Up Rope!" and if you ask me, I'll do whatever that guy says. I know what he means.

[G-spotter]

Whether you shorten "take up/in the rope" to "Take" or "Up Rope" is irrelevant cause they mean the same thing. But Take is more appropriate for lead climbing and Up Rope for following.