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Ten climbing scenarios: When do you intervene?:
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jt512
Dec 11, 2007, 1:40 AM
Views: 5545
Registered: Apr 12, 2001
Posts: 21904
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There is an interesting discussion in the Injuries and Accidents forum, under the title "'Regulating' Safety Outside, about when to intervene when you observe other climbers doing something that might be dangerous. The consensus is, well, that there's no consensus. It depends on the situation and your philosophy in such matters.
I thought it might be interesting to present some scenarios and see which ones people think they should react to, and how they would react. So, here are 10 scenarios involving at least questionable safety practices. Each one of these scenarios really occurred, and I'll post how I reacted to them after enough people have responded that my response won't bias the results. In responding, use the quote function wisely. ;-)
Scenario 1.
A middle-aged climber is belaying a younger climber on a 5.9 sport route, which the leader is finding challenging, though she doesn't appear to be over her head. From the belayer's manner, you're essentially certain that he's a trad climber with many years of climbing experience, but he's belaying sitting down, has a large amount of slack in the rope, constantly holds the ropes together in front of his face with both hands wrapped around both ropes, and feeds slack by completely letting go with his brake hand and repositioning it on the rope.
What if anything, do you do?
Scenario 2.
Exactly the same scenario as above, except that the belayer is a famous climber from the '70s, with numerous first ascents of classic routes in Yosemite and elsewhere.
What if anything, do you do?
Scenario 3.
Again the same scenario, but the belayer and climber are both obviously beginners.
What if anything, do you do?
Scenario 4.
A male and a female in their mid-teens, either a brother and sister, boyfriend and girlfriend, or possibly both, are "climbing" at an obscure local sport crag. They have real harnesses, but are wearing tennis shoes, and are using a hardware store rope. As you approach the crag, the male climber has just completed a rappel.
What if anything, do you do?
Scenario 5.
You've just arrived at your local sport crag and, while hiking past a formation, you overhear someone in his teens, apparently teaching several others to belay, say with a tone of dismay in his voice, "At the gym, they teach this convoluted method of belaying where you always keep your brake hand on the rope."
What if anything, do you do?
Scenario 6.
Same scenario as above, but instead the "teacher" says, "Back clipping isn't really that bad."
What if anything, do you do?
Scenario 7.
A group of three arrives at the sport wall you're climbing. One of the group -- apparently the most experienced -- leads up to the 4th bolt of a sport climb, clips in direct, and calls "Off belay." He then girth hitches a nylon runner to the bolt, unties, feeds his rope directly through the runner, and raps down. He then instructs one his partners to tie-in to the rope to toprope the route.
What if anything, do you do?
Scenario 8.
Part 1.
At your local sport crag two male climbers, one with his hair in a pony tail, who are wearing full military camoflage uniforms, including berets and infantry boots, but with no military insignia, are working a 5.11 route. The leader is struggling and hanging, and can't get past the first bolt. In spite of the fact that he's on a 5.11, and there are numerous easier routes in the area, your impression is that it is his first time climbing. Though the belayer's back is to you, he appears to be haveing an inordinate amount of trouble maintaining control of the belay.
What if anything, do you do?
Part 2.
Assume you decide to investigate. As you approach the climber, you find that although he has an ATC on his harness, he is belaying with the rope only passed through a carabiner on his belay loop for friction.
What if anything, do you do?
Part 3.
Assume you suggest that the climber return to the ground, and he does. You ask why the belayer wasn't using his ATC. He responds that they couldn't figure out how to use it.
What if anything, do you do?
Scenario 9.
A group of four teenage males arrives at the sport crag, and one procedes to attempt to lead a tricky, sandbagged 5.11a. The leader is having trouble getting to the second bolt. He takes several whippers, including a couple of ground falls with rope stretch. Your impression is that they are 5.11 gym climbers, and that this is their very first outdoor route.
What if anything, do you do?
Scenario 10.
A strong European guy in his mid-20s has just lowered off a 5.10c sport route that he led with ease, and has cleaned all the draws, except for those on the anchors. The route goes up one wall of a dihdreal, traverses, and then goes up the other wall of the dihedral. His girlfriend has tied in and has started up the route on TR. As she gets to the start of the traverse, she is clearly struggling, and becomes frightened. She probably has a 50/50 chance of falling here, and if she does, she'll take a dangerous pendulum swing into the other wall of the dihedral.
What if anything, do you do?
(This post was edited by jt512 on Dec 11, 2007, 1:41 AM)
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Post edited by jt512
() on Dec 11, 2007, 1:41 AM
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