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kylekienitz
Apr 16, 2009, 1:16 AM
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On a scale from 1 to 10...
How annoying is it when people get psyched to go rappelling?
(and think that because you climb you should be psyched about going rappelling too)
(This post was edited by kylekienitz on Apr 16, 2009, 1:24 AM)
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bill413
Apr 16, 2009, 1:21 AM
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kylekienitz wrote: How annoying is it when people get psyched to go repelling?
Well, if they want to repel you, being annoying should be a successful strategy.
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kylekienitz
Apr 16, 2009, 1:25 AM
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ooh. well played.
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bill413
Apr 16, 2009, 1:48 AM
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kylekienitz wrote: ooh. well played.
Not at all what I was expecting. Very nice.
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grover
Apr 16, 2009, 1:51 AM
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Thanks.
You are right "Sport Rappellers" can be annoying.
One morning BITD in the 6 car site in Josh, after waking up I looked towards the Eye and there is a huge posse of "them".
Dude on rappel is wearing all black... pants, shirt, shoes, harness, helmet and gloves.
He goes perhaps 15 feet down, locks off and screams as loud as he can "This is fucking awesome!!!!!"
In my non-caffeinated state all I could come up with was "Shut .........The .........Fuck...........up!!!!!!!!!!"
Rappeller dude kept quiet after that.
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rschap
Apr 16, 2009, 2:04 AM
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Every bad, oh my god I’m going to die, trip I’ve ever had involved repelling. It’s not something I look forward to doing but it is part of the experience. I would never go out just to repel.
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dingus
Apr 16, 2009, 2:19 AM
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Oh its annoying!
I was just thinking though...
there is a tremendous sense of ... relief! When you get down a committing series of raps. But at least for me, at times, there has also been a tremendous sense of .... satisfaction. Of a job well done.
Up in the high mountains with darkness or weather approaching, or on us... first ascents, trade walls, blah blah some serious frigging raps. And not always 'uncomplicated' either. Some of them involve copious amounts of down climbing, route finding and anchor building.
You can get seriously fucked if you do something wrong. But you can also shine.
I've been with teams of climbers oin summits, where every member has many years if not decades of experience and yet no one seems to want to take the lead on that virgin rappel over the backside.
And then a commender rises. She may not have been the strongest climber on the route, or the most stylish leader. But she's part climber part mechanic part engineer and this shit is her forte.
She takes the lead, checks the pro, rigs the anchors,pull checks, guides her partners in, and then the nail-biting moment -
THE PULL.
And down it comes. Oh shit - heart stopping moment - it hung in a tree and the three of you are on an overhanging wall in the middle of no where.
But some more pulling brings it down and you want to shout for joy, weep with relief.
Except you have 9 more just like it below you and now is not the time for celebration. At least you don't have to crank anymore, but you haven't had water in hours and you can't really smile because it cracks your lips into pieces and hurts like hell.
Alternately gray faced and sunburnt neck, she threads the anchors, rigs up, rigs her backup and down she goes. She cranes this way and that, boldly tying herself off to deal with a tangle.
She disappears below a ledge and a long silence ensues. You can't even look at each other for the stress of it all. Finally?
The PULL TEST!
Without a shout, without comment, she's rigged another anchor, secured and ready for you to go.
Down, down, down you go till finally your heels touch down at the bottom. And then the last pull.
As that last rope plops down into a ragged pile and you start the giant bow sting moves to butterfly coil it, you look at one another - your partners.
And again it hits home just how much trust you put in these people. Its amazing really. And then you glance at her - the engineer, the mechanic, the dreamer.... and you're proud to be there.
Proud.
Raps are dangerous. But they are a necessary part of the gig - part and parcel to climbing. You cannot master climbing if you don't master the descent as well.
Cheers mates
DMT
(This post was edited by dingus on Apr 16, 2009, 2:24 AM)
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kylekienitz
Apr 16, 2009, 2:20 AM
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damn DMT -- Right on.
It actually doesn't annoy me that much, if people want to rappel for fun -- what the hell?
It is when their Mountain Dew ethics (think Harold and Kumar) are viewed by non-climbers as being part of the climbing culture. That is what bothers me.
The most sketchy situations that most of us have been in were probably while rappelling, and I think that is something that "sport rappellers" don't know... or understand. In "sport rappelling", maybe the "danger" is seen as just a fear that must be overcome. However, rappelling really is dangerous, which doesn't do much for me on the exhilaration front.
(This post was edited by kylekienitz on Apr 16, 2009, 2:23 AM)
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dingus
Apr 16, 2009, 2:31 AM
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I started my earliest motions with roped climbing at 13, self taught. Of course rappelling was one of the first things I did. Scary shit.
This was witih a goldline with is a stetchy rope under body weight. Torward the bottom of the rope you can get 10 or 15 feet of bounce.
So we'd do these speed raps over the edge of this 90' cliff, and almost free fall in a couple of big leaps. We used a simple carabiner on a 1 inch tied web diaper harness and the rope was wrapped twice around the spin of that crab.
You had to wear gloves but I mean you could FLY!
And then about half way down you'd lock off on the brake hand and let elastic rope do its thing.
BOING!!!!!!
We had fun but I was also serious about climbing. Some of the dudes I taught to rap in hopes they'd take to climbing just did the sport rapping thing for a while, in high school.
They wear that fad out fat dude. The thrill is gone with static ropes and shit. Cave pit bouncers have a lot of fun though.
I used to share your mild contempt for sport rappellers but looking back? Its all good eh?
Cheers and thanks for the thought provoking topic.
DMT
(This post was edited by dingus on Apr 16, 2009, 2:34 AM)
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desertwanderer81
Apr 16, 2009, 2:38 AM
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10
I get no enjoyment out of rappelling.
I suppose different areas are less bad. I used to not mind it when it was just a single pitch sport climb.... but when you're 8 pitches up and you're just praying that everything goes right and that the wind doesn't whip your rope over some chicken head or your rope gets caught in a tree or that it actually comes when you pull or or that you find the next set of rings before you get to the end of the rope or any other any other hundred things that could go wrong..... Yeah, it sucks :p
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bill413
Apr 16, 2009, 2:51 AM
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dingus wrote: Oh its annoying! I was just thinking though... there is a tremendous sense of ... relief! When you get down a committing series of raps. But at least for me, at times, there has also been a tremendous sense of .... satisfaction. Of a job well done. Up in the high mountains with darkness or weather approaching, or on us... first ascents, trade walls, blah blah some serious frigging raps. And not always 'uncomplicated' either. Some of them involve copious amounts of down climbing, route finding and anchor building. You can get seriously fucked if you do something wrong. But you can also shine. I've been with teams of climbers oin summits, where every member has many years if not decades of experience and yet no one seems to want to take the lead on that virgin rappel over the backside. And then a commender rises. She may not have been the strongest climber on the route, or the most stylish leader. But she's part climber part mechanic part engineer and this shit is her forte. She takes the lead, checks the pro, rigs the anchors,pull checks, guides her partners in, and then the nail-biting moment - THE PULL. And down it comes. Oh shit - heart stopping moment - it hung in a tree and the three of you are on an overhanging wall in the middle of no where. But some more pulling brings it down and you want to shout for joy, weep with relief. Except you have 9 more just like it below you and now is not the time for celebration. At least you don't have to crank anymore, but you haven't had water in hours and you can't really smile because it cracks your lips into pieces and hurts like hell. Alternately gray faced and sunburnt neck, she threads the anchors, rigs up, rigs her backup and down she goes. She cranes this way and that, boldly tying herself off to deal with a tangle. She disappears below a ledge and a long silence ensues. You can't even look at each other for the stress of it all. Finally? The PULL TEST! Without a shout, without comment, she's rigged another anchor, secured and ready for you to go. Down, down, down you go till finally your heels touch down at the bottom. And then the last pull. As that last rope plops down into a ragged pile and you start the giant bow sting moves to butterfly coil it, you look at one another - your partners. And again it hits home just how much trust you put in these people. Its amazing really. And then you glance at her - the engineer, the mechanic, the dreamer.... and you're proud to be there. Proud. Raps are dangerous. But they are a necessary part of the gig - part and parcel to climbing. You cannot master climbing if you don't master the descent as well. [IMG]http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x170/oldclymr/Misc/138-3802_IMG_800x600.jpg[/IMG] Cheers mates DMT
dingus - this is wonderful! Thanks!
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kylekienitz
Apr 16, 2009, 2:53 AM
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I didn't even remember this until I read DMT's recollection of his early adventures.
When I was in elementary school I had heard something about rappelling and climbing but didn't really know what either entailed. I found a book at the library that had a chick with crazy lycra pants climbing on the cover. Also on the cover was a rope with a cool pattern that was fed through a figure 8. Something about it just looked so cool! I still remember getting sweaty hands looking at the pictures in there. Ha - I still get sweaty hands looking at climbing pictures. I probably checked that book out every month for at least half a year. The whole thing held an aura of adventure and excitement.
if only my 11 year old self could see me now.
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swoopee
Apr 16, 2009, 3:01 AM
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Rappelling scares the crap outta me, so people who actually seem to enjoy doing it seem insane to me. Then again, I'm sure they feel the same about me. 
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majid_sabet
Apr 16, 2009, 3:12 AM
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name this rap Dingus
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zeke_sf
Apr 16, 2009, 3:45 AM
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Good stuff, Dingus.
I had one of those raps early this year. It involved a 30+ foot swing to get to another set of anchors WAAAAY over to the left. While the anchors we'd just been on were less of a swing to get, the route traversed too much afterwards to descend. The route we wanted to gain offered a plumb (although overhanging) descent -- well, after our "King swing", of course.
Initially, I messed up. I'd rapped too low for my swing to gain anything but a bolt just below the anchor we needed. The anchor tanatalizingly but firmly out of reach, I growled and unclipped from that bolt, just managing to swing to the previous anchor. Crap! Tie in short, re-climb the pitch.
My partner offers to go down this time. Harps sound and a halo crowns this beautific saint! It sounds so sweet to just accept. After all, fair's fair and partners should take turns, but... but... but, damnit, this is mine. With the acrid taste of adrenaline from the last attempt still in my parched mouth and the vacuum of an empty stomach threatening to swallow my scared heart whole, I figure out to put a directional just below the anchor when I rap down this time. It's just enough. Firmly pushing off a right facing flake and then frantically running with the return swing towards the anchors, I manage, while slowing at the apex of the swing, to latch a left-facing crimp with my left arm fully extened. Then, executing a couple of desperate one-armed dynos off similar and miraculously placed crimps while locking off the device with the other hand to bump yet a few feet closer at a time -- my partner anchored above watching the wide arc of the rope skeetering across the edge, I finally, desperately grab a rappel ring...
It's one of those raps where you feel like burying your face in the dirt once you hit the ground, and the rest of the day feels like an unexpected, glorious bonus. Walking back to camp, a guy shows us the video of me doing that crazy swing way the fuck up there. He'd a sense for documenting a SNAFU when he'd seen the original attempt at a hail mary. Fear energy expressed itself as hilarity as we watched his lcd screen, and all we could do was laugh at the furiously bicycling marionette. What an idiot!
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uni_jim
Apr 16, 2009, 3:55 AM
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kylekienitz wrote: I found a book at the library that had a chick with crazy lycra pants climbing on the cover. Also on the cover was a rope with a cool pattern that was fed through a figure 8. Something about it just looked so cool! I still remember getting sweaty hands looking at the pictures in there. Ha - I still get sweaty hands looking at climbing pictures. I probably checked that book out every month for at least half a year. The whole thing held an aura of adventure and excitement. if only my 11 year old self could see me now.
did you buy yourself some lycra?
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kylekienitz
Apr 16, 2009, 4:34 AM
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yeah I've actually just stopped wearing pants all together. I love the increased proximity to nature.
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bill413
Apr 16, 2009, 1:18 PM
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majid_sabet wrote: name this rap Dingus [IMG]http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/8692/tenayacanyon.jpg[/IMG]
So, that rap is now called "Dingus?" I didn't know folks named rap routes very much. Did he do the first descent?
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krusher4
Apr 16, 2009, 1:28 PM
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I get zero enjoyment from rappelling..once I get to the ground I am happy though. Probably not scared 95% of the time but that 5% is what kills me.
First saw "Sport Rappellers" in RRG and remember thinking "really...its not that fun"
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dingus
Apr 16, 2009, 1:29 PM
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What famous Yosemite rappel route is named after its 'creator' and who did the creating (and why?)?
Locals need not apply....
DMT
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kachoong
Apr 16, 2009, 2:13 PM
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Great story, Dingus... as always a pleasure to read.
Rappelling is an unavoidable element for the climber and something all climbers should embrace. I personally hate the images it conjures while I'm at the anchor, on long routes, waiting for my buddy to get to the next station. Depending on the location and prior events of the day my stomach and imagination dance with one another as I just stare at the anchor... watching it take the load... move about... flex... and finally rebound once buddy is down. I hate rapping second and will always choose to be the first if I can... just to avoid having to stare at that anchor...
...but there's something about rappelling that's magical... whether you're descending from the summit or bailing from your highpoint, it's the culminating climax of the days decisions and events... and during those (usually) tense and timeless moments of coming down your mind is focused but at the same time it subconsciously hits a high note that, once you're down and safe, allows you to fully appreciate what you have done and to be comfortably immersed in euphoria from the climb.
Rappelling is a necessity... it should be done right... it should be one of the main focuses of the learning curve for all climbers... and should never be dealt with lightly... find your own pleasure from the madness and don't hate on it!
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dingus
Apr 16, 2009, 2:17 PM
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Nice post Aussie madman. You're right about that weird state of mind - the wanning light of day, the evening smells, a successful pull, DOWN.
Head to the Deli, enjoy a cold one. AHHHH!
DMT
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Gmburns2000
Apr 16, 2009, 2:55 PM
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I hate rapping, scares the crap out of me. I also get the sense that sport rappers don't do the same kind of rapping that most climbers do. Sure, rapping is convenient, but it is often the only way down. Sport rappers don't do the raps where rapping is the only way down, because they couldn't get to that point without climbing first.
On a funny note, I had this experience in Red Rocks a few years ago after a long day on Crimson Chrysalis. If you want to skip the bulk of the post, scroll to the conversation near the bottom.
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rtwilli4
Apr 16, 2009, 3:03 PM
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I HATE it. But it's better than most of the other options. If I had any money I would probably take up base jumping but other than that rapping seems to be the best choice.
As for sport rappellers, well I'll leave that up to the rest of you who are probably much funnier than I.
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