Here you go-- Mentor Available. This is the story. I'm a Red Rock old-timer coming back from a shoulder injury. I've got to work my way back through the easy stuff. Anybody in Las Vegas looking to jump in, shoot me a PM.

Larry

In case you folks don't realize it - this represents an "opportunity of a lifetime". I'd go so far as to say if you wanted to learn to climb trad better and have the time to kill I'd get to LV and just make myself available anytime Larry's got the time...

I've got to second this comment. Also, unless the mentor is trying to take you up a big wall or something else not for your level of climbing, don't puss out because you have not been higher than the indoor gym wall's height.
As the trip is planned, research the climb and area, ask yourself if this is really something you really want to do, before you commit to the leader. It is OK to be scared on multipitch but do everything possible to mentally prepare yourself to not freeze up at the exposure.
This has happened to me too many times. I have found myself staring at the rock the rest of the weekend cursing that I cannot find another partner. It has usually happened when I went with some aspiring trad climber who has a mostly gym background. Now I am VERY aprehensive before setting off for a weekend climbing trip with someone I met solely in the gym. To set things straight, I don't take them up the hardest thing I can climb. I start them off on 5.3s or something.

That's a damn good one! First time on Seneca was my first time on a multipitch climb. I definitely had the pucker factor going. By the 2nd pitch I was ready to bag it because my ass was cramping from all the puckering going on. There was no way I was letting the leader down though and I hiked up my skirt and pushed on. After we rapped back down I was so glad I didn't punk out.

i saw this subject line and thought, 'what a great idea for a post!'

That should've been your first clue that the majority of content within the thread was going to cause you to get your panties in a twist :wink:

what panties?

and whose side are you on, the constipateds or the good guys?

i after i read the 10,000 rules and had to reconsider whether i'm hot enough for you f*ers or would talk too much i thought, "thank GOD i'm learning trad WITH somebody and not FROM somebody." i'm happy to pay for an occasional lesson so long as i can be myself at the crag instead of obeying all your stupid rules.

Actually, that's a reasonable way to learn as well even if a bit longer, though I'd skip the paying part. I personally wouldn't care how good you looked if you were talking constantly - the human A.M. radio thing is one of the few I just can't handle and make no apologies about it. As for the rest, those were "ideal" prereqs and in no way rules. And I personally find the whole "must know how to belay" thing a bit unhinged to be frank- it wasn't and wouldn't be on my list because if you can't belay you shouldn't be trad climbing period - you should be learning to belay and that's a different deal all together. His take on belaying isn't wrong - it's just a odd thing to focus on in this context in my opinion...

I personally wouldn't care how good you looked if you were talking constantly - the human A.M. radio thing is one of the few I just can't handle and make no apologies for it.

i read the 10,000 rules and had to reconsider whether i'm hot enough for you f*ers

...and the thread goes to s---. oh well. lets see if it can be saved. Perhaps ter-bee should start again from the beginning, as it's better to learn FROM someone than WITH someone.

suggestions, all of it, on how to attract a trad mentor.
...what I think healyje meant..
Now here's why:

First of all, to post you should BE or HAVE BEEN a TRAD MENTOR to someone, 'cause if not your opinion just sounds like some whiny little b---- complaining about how mis-understood they are and why won't someone take you under their wing and show you what they know and you wish you knew, doesn't it?

It is an apprenticeship, and in most apprenticeships the new-guy gets a ration of s---. In fact, if you're not getting a ration of s---, perhaps you should ask "Why", cause as mentioned above, the s--- only comes if they like your potential (and can deal with who you are today).

Mentors dish s--- because they wish to understand how you will handle yourself under pressure, and when they do give it they WANT you to come out the other side successfully(Do you think it's easy to find competent potential-partners?). If you come up short in the many small non-life-threatening tests dealt to you, do you think someone will want you around when their life is on the line?

This process serves to wash out those who aren't really serious about learning this new skill, and can't hang with all the s--- aspects of whatever is is they're trying to learn. It also proves a sense of humor in the pupil, which can mean the difference between dealing with a bad situation elegantly, and many other possible horrible outcomes.

It doesn't matter if you're talking about climbing or under-water-basket-weaving, the principle is the same. I MUST know that I can RELY on you in any situation, but it's up to me to make sure that I can before I may let us dance to that music (and what a wonderful tune it is).

So suck it up, you whiny little b----, :P else you're stuck wondering why you have to pay someone to hang out with you. If you insist on remaining who you are and refuse to grow into something more, why should I waste my time with you?

had to reconsider whether i'm hot enough

what panties?

To those who said you can attract a mentor by being a girl and / or hot, that's so wrong...... I am a girl and sometimes hot, but my experience is that no leader worth his salt gives a s--- about that.

...

Mentors dish s--- because they wish to understand how you will handle yourself under pressure,...

To those who said you can attract a mentor by being a girl and / or hot, that's so wrong. Sure, you're kidding, okay, but I wouldn't want any of the guys out there to think it's true.