Chockstone Forum

      Sponsored By
      ROCK
   HARDWARE

Chockstone Photography

Australian Landscape Prints

Chockstone Forum - General Discussion

General Climbing Discussion

Topic Date User

Being Belayed by a Stranger 7-Oct-2005 At 3:37:39 PM kerroxapithecus

Message

On 7/10/2005 steph wrote:
>Experience says it all, and after climbing
>with loads of people, there are some I trust and some I wouldn't let on
>the belay end if I was bribed.

So Steph, what do you say when they say "Hey let's go out climbing tomorrow"?? and what if you see them out at the crag and they ask you to climb?? Do you say "Sorry I don't trust you"???
What if one of your best buddies wants to climb with you and you don't trust them to belay? But you don't know anyone else who wants to climb??? I guess that's why people do seek out strangers.

I've noticed so many people advertising on forums for people to climb with but it's something I wouldn't do. They might not only be inattentive belayers but they may be odd characters too. Don't want to sound too cautious but weirdos do hang out on the internet and like to arrange meetings. I find it surprising that so many people are so willing to not only provide phone numbers to absolute strangers over the internet on public forums but to arrange to meet them (probably alone). Put it this way, I'd be horrified if I knew my child was doing that.

I guess I did some silly things when I was young and travelling like spending the night at the home of a guy I met on a boat going from England to France. He said he was going home to his parent's place for Xmas. Got in his car with him on the boat and drove out. That was my most panicy moment. Then met the Dad at the dock (*slight sigh of relief*) who drove back home in another car. (luckily I got there and the mum was ready with a meal on the table and a nice comfy bed for me to sleep in). I can't say I didn't have concerns at the time but I used all my best judgement skills and a little intuition at the time and I was going to be left at night at the port as the alternative. It turned out to be a wonderful experience of French family life. Try a big bowl of coffee in the morning with a lump of bread dipped in it!! But looking back I think it was very silly and I wouldn't do it now.

You can use intuition which is going to tell you a lot and looking at gear is good (that's all part of intuition - looking at physical signs - using all of your senses to pick up everything you can in order to make a judgement) But these are issues that bother me as person new to climbing and interested in doing more so thanks for bringing it up. I don't think there's any simple solution though.