There are THREE (count em) 3 - good reasons all boulders should wear socks (specifically white tube socks).

#!. Performance. You have better friction and feel. Moist skin against shoe leather is not as good a bond as you get when you stick a sock between the two. I know this sounds wrong but I've spent many many years climbing at a micro-edging area - and a light cotton sock simply works better than without. But don't trust me, try it yourself.

#2. Safety. I solo a lot and climb lots of highball boulders. I really can't help myself sometimes I just start climbing up crap. And often I will get to a marginal foot hold and wonder - "dude is your shoe clean?"
Well with a quick whip of the toe on the sock of the other foot I know if I'm good to go (this is why the socks should be white).

#3. Social reasons. The shoes of most boulderers I know smell really really bad. If every climber were to wear a fresh socks the climbing shoe funk would be a thing of the past.

#4. A sock can be used as a beanie in a pinch.

Jay

thats what pants are for... or skin works pretty well too. if you don't walk around in your shoes then you shouldn't have mud on them.

i don't buy your performance idea one bit. snug fitting shoes work better than shoes that can accommodate socks. and it adds another layer between you and the rock decreasing sensitivity.

shoes smell with and without socks.. you're outside and unless you stick your nose in someones shoes i've never had an issue.

Cotton kills!!! bahaha

6 months of the year I'm wearing shorts when I climb. And unless you are a hairy beast you aint' gonna clean mud off a shoe with your leg.

Idk, I wipe my shoes off on my calves, and (most of the time) I'm clean shaven. And I'm from a pretty rainy, wet spot.

I wipe...my...clean shaven...pretty...wet spot

what you said:
What I heard:

Naturally.

Sometimes the holier then thou, attitude of some of the posters on this board gets on my nerves. Yes the guy in the video did something stupid, no his climbing was not perfect, but who the hell are we to judge him. He made a decision, and he paid the price. I don’t know about you but I have certainly done stupid things as a younger man, and probably will do other stupid things in future. Luckily for me non of my stupidity has never been caught on video Looking at some of the posts, in this thread, I wonder whether some of you have ever been out of your nice cosy gym before.

I await your apology. Feel free to use a PM if you would rather not make it publicly.

I think he should apologize to all of us for that horrid gym line. It's trite and makes no sense whatsoever. Also, sometimes I get so sick of people on this board and their holier than gym rat attitude.

That is pretty damn spooky.

I've never heard of an actual case of a crag closing due to a specific injury or fatality. I'm not saying in any certain terms that it's never happened, but it seems to be exceptional at best, at least where any notable crags are concerned.

To the point, I sort of wonder if there's really anything behind the righteous indignation of those that get all bent out of shape about soloists threatening access. When I was still a teenager, I pulled that line before, but eventually I realized that I, personally, couldn't back it up with anything.

to clarify: I'm not really that concerned with soloists ruining access. I'm concerned with people doing stupid shit (soloing something they had no business soloing) at a crag that is on private land and then posting it on youtube for the world to see. I guarantee if the landowner (who is not a climber at all) sees that, he will close access. In today's litiginous society, I sure as hell would.

If the OP really cares about continued climbing Breakneck, he would be well advised to take down that video, or at the very least remove any references to the location to minimize the chances of the landowner accidentally stumbling upon it.

As much as i think you're an asshole, I still changed the beginning of the video to exclude the name of the crag. I would hate to be responsible for it getting closed, even though that probably wouldn't have happened anyways.

And,.. ya know,.. dont tell me what to do and all that, blah blah...

heh. Way to do the right thing in the midst of beating your chest and maintaining your self-perceived radness.

Seriously.

As numerous people have already said, the footwork he demonstrates in the video rules out the possibility that he is a good climber. You should really shut up already.

Jay

I don't think it rules it out entirely. Not to defend anything or anybody, but I think that sort of tap dancing on holds is as much a confidence problem as one of pure technique. It's possible he is a good sport/trad/TR climber, but a horrible freesoloist.

On and CrazyPetie?

I took the opportunity to watch one of your bouldering vids too... your buddy slaps his feet around on v6s too... he uses them like CLUBS.

You boys should pay attention closer, to the footwork of the climbers in all those vids you watch. Very closely.

DMT

Actually kind of creepy, this sillymouthed noob. A delusional quality about him; he is not quite all there, spouting and yakking. His climbing doesn’t have a center to it; he just sort of schleps upward without focus and any kind of deep control. Good starter body for climbing--- tall and thin---but his brain is off doing something else. If the seductive but unused ropes weren’t there he would have been killed--- they prevented him from going upside down. Doubtful too whether he learned anything from this, given the way he is wired. But one has to hope he did.

Some have argued that championing the many ropeless solo feats over the years in climbing would spawn a horde of ignorant wannabees, lemminglike swarming up hard routes and slipping and dying. Laughable fear of course but, hey, here is one right before our eyes! Pretty much our only example and he lives. Usually soloing makes one climb like nobody's business, super-sharp and at one's best. This guy was on autopilot flopping upwards like a ragdoll and didn't even know what happened.