Seriously - every weekend some guys says a version of this?

That's bizarre.

It would be even more bizarre if it were the same stupid guy!

'Dude!!! Leave me alone! I already told you 6 times!'

Try this:


Big Strong Man: "So, uh...do you know how to rock climb?"

Lil Ol' Me: Yes.

BSM: So how hard can you climb?

LOM: Harder than you.

That should end the conversation.

I've mentioned before that I work in a gym...yay for spending my weekends teaching parents how to avoid dropping their precious little darlings and frat boys how to avoid killing themselves.
There's one thing I keep running into though, and I need new answers (the more realistically ludicrous the better) because the one I generally use is getting stale.
Usually the exchange goes something like this:

Big Strong Man: "So, uh...do you know how to rock climb?"

Lil Ol' Me: "What? Like up the walls? Really? OMGOSH I dunno, because like...I know...there's something about the tape you're like...I think you're supposed to follow that like...*points* up, and stuff, but...there are just so many colors on the wall, I like...I touch one of the holds and think about climbing and I get just overwhelmed!!! I mean...SO MANY CHOICES OMGOSH!!"

BSM: "Wow. Yeah, I totally understand that. So how hard can you climb? Like...which wall gives you problems?"

LOM: "Oh man, the more tape there is the just...I get overwhelmed, that's all."

BSM: *swooping in to save the day* "Well, if you ever want a partner or someone to cheer you on or teach you, I'd be glad to give you a couple of pointers..."

LOM: "I'll keep that in mind."

I need new answers. I wouldn't even resort to the above exchange if I didn't get it EVERY SINGLE WEEKEND.

I've mentioned before that I work in a gym...yay for spending my weekends teaching parents how to avoid dropping their precious little darlings and frat boys how to avoid killing themselves.
There's one thing I keep running into though, and I need new answers (the more realistically ludicrous the better) because the one I generally use is getting stale.
Usually the exchange goes something like this:

Big Strong Man: "So, uh...do you know how to rock climb?"

Lil Ol' Me: "What? Like up the walls? Really? OMGOSH I dunno, because like...I know...there's something about the tape you're like...I think you're supposed to follow that like...*points* up, and stuff, but...there are just so many colors on the wall, I like...I touch one of the holds and think about climbing and I get just overwhelmed!!! I mean...SO MANY CHOICES OMGOSH!!"

BSM: "Wow. Yeah, I totally understand that. So how hard can you climb? Like...which wall gives you problems?"

LOM: "Oh man, the more tape there is the just...I get overwhelmed, that's all."

BSM: *swooping in to save the day* "Well, if you ever want a partner or someone to cheer you on or teach you, I'd be glad to give you a couple of pointers..."

LOM: "I'll keep that in mind."

I need new answers. I wouldn't even resort to the above exchange if I didn't get it EVERY SINGLE WEEKEND.

I had trouble reading that without thinking BDSM every time I read BSM.

I use another website for that kind of discussion. :)

...
***and if you really must take the frat boy up on his offer, let him climb first and make an ass of himself and when it's his turn to belay you, ...

Um, don't ever let the meathead belay you. He will not be paying attention to the fact that he has your life in his hands. He'll just be checking out your ass.

"Do you know how to rock climb?"
(respond using American Sign Language)

...

We have a cute american girl working here at our Gym... she gets asked out all the time by BSM's... I had a laugh at her the other day tho...

During a belay lesson..

First Time Doofus (FTD) shouts "One day Im gonna climb Mt Everast"..

Cute American Instructor (CAI) "well, perhaps you should try the back wall first?" *sarcasticly* and points to the over hang...

Pretty much same ole story, he runs over to prove his manhood and is quickly shot down on the 3rd hold he gets too... then proclaims it to hard for even CAI.... unfortunitly CAI gave into peer pressure and climbed an easy 5.9 to which FTD tried to ask her out for a beer.. ."Sorry im married, but I can bring my husband if you like"

I LIKE this one! Probably completely inappropriate in the work place, but I like it a lot!

my first thoughts

"Do you know how to rock climb?"
"Yes, I especially like the part about wedging nuts into a nice tight crack- shall I show you?"

"Do you know how to rock climb?"
"Yes, for an extra $x I'll throw in my very own instructional video starring me! I'm even starting my own line of clothing!"

"Do you know how to rock climb?"
"Yes...with people who can keep up...endurance is key."

That being said, I guess a one word "yes" reply is probably more appropriate.

I too had the problem with BSM and BDSM - I thought it was only me...

some fun answers though for sure!

ls

We have a cute american girl working here at our Gym... she gets asked out all the time by BSM's... I had a laugh at her the other day tho...

During a belay lesson..

First Time Doofus (FTD) shouts "One day Im gonna climb Mt Everast"..

Cute American Instructor (CAI) "well, perhaps you should try the back wall first?" *sarcasticly* and points to the over hang...

Pretty much same ole story, he runs over to prove his manhood and is quickly shot down on the 3rd hold he gets too... then proclaims it to hard for even CAI.... unfortunitly CAI gave into peer pressure and climbed an easy 5.9 to which FTD tried to ask her out for a beer.. ."Sorry im married, but I can bring my husband if you like"

Yeah, no. There are maybe 4 people I trust to have my catch. Everyone else can go fuck themselves, particularly noob frat boys who are in the gym on a dare.



For the fucking win. Awesome.

Are you gals really this mean to guys that ask you out?

Generally it seems that the more that you are actually out of a guy's league, the less big of a ball-stomping production you should need to make in order to communicate this info to him.

Are you gals really this mean to guys that ask you out?

Generally it seems that the more that you are actually out of a guy's league, the less big of a ball-stomping production you should need to make in order to communicate this info to him.

Are you gals really this mean to guys that ask you out?

Generally it seems that the more that you are actually out of a guy's league, the less big of a ball-stomping production you should need to make in order to communicate this info to him.

Oh, honestly.

If you had been paying any attention you would have noticed that, in the very first post, Shimmer mentions that she WORKS IN A GYM and gets asked this question all the time. Presume with me, for a moment, that her "staff" status is clear. Can you not, then, see that the question itself is insulting? And really stupid?

This isn't a bar situation where a guy tries to say hello and she shoots him down just for fun. This isn't even a rock climbing gym situation where a guy asks a girl out at all. This is a rock climbing gym situation where a guy asks a woman who WORKS AT THE ROCK CLIMBING GYM whether she KNOWS HOW TO ROCK CLIMB.

And I'm sure Shimmer is flattered by your suggestion that she is way out of the league of the men who are asking this question, but she nowhere suggested that she thinks as much. She is simply trying to keep her day interesting since, it would appear, she gets asked this question all the freaking time.

In any case, you'd be amazed - AMAZED, I tell you - at how blind a guy can be to what you might call a smaller-scale "production." I might call it a sequence that starts with subtlety, moves on to politeness, then directness, then outright meanness when it comes to indicating lack of interest. Then, suddenly, the guy's like, "Why did she turn into such a bitch?" and the answer is typically something like, "Because you didn't hear anything before then. I tried to be nice, but you didn't get it."

So, in sum, I'm sorry for whatever "ball-stomping production" you had to endure to make you this quick to assume negative things about women and our intentions. But if nothing else, learn to pick a better opening line than the guys at her gym.

Wow. I hope getting all of that off your chest felt good for you.

So, in sum, I'm sorry for whatever "ball-stomping production" you had to endure to make you this quick to assume negative things about women and our intentions. But if nothing else, learn to pick a better opening line than the guys at her gym.

Two different people have tried to explain to this guy that he missed the point, and still, he doesn't get it. Maybe he's once asked Shimmer if she knew how to rock climb.

Or, you could simply say "yes."

Try that next weekend and then get back to us with stories of "what happened next." That'll give this thread a second wind if nothing else!

Oh, honestly.

If you had been paying any attention you would have noticed that, in the very first post, Shimmer mentions that she WORKS IN A GYM and gets asked this question all the time. Presume with me, for a moment, that her "staff" status is clear. Can you not, then, see that the question itself is insulting? And really stupid?

This isn't a bar situation where a guy tries to say hello and she shoots him down just for fun. This isn't even a rock climbing gym situation where a guy asks a girl out at all. This is a rock climbing gym situation where a guy asks a woman who WORKS AT THE ROCK CLIMBING GYM whether she KNOWS HOW TO ROCK CLIMB.

And I'm sure Shimmer is flattered by your suggestion that she is way out of the league of the men who are asking this question, but she nowhere suggested that she thinks as much. She is simply trying to keep her day interesting since, it would appear, she gets asked this question all the freaking time.

In any case, you'd be amazed - AMAZED, I tell you - at how blind a guy can be to what you might call a smaller-scale "production." I might call it a sequence that starts with subtlety, moves on to politeness, then directness, then outright meanness when it comes to indicating lack of interest. Then, suddenly, the guy's like, "Why did she turn into such a bitch?" and the answer is typically something like, "Because you didn't hear anything before then. I tried to be nice, but you didn't get it."

So, in sum, I'm sorry for whatever "ball-stomping production" you had to endure to make you this quick to assume negative things about women and our intentions. But if nothing else, learn to pick a better opening line than the guys at her gym.

Ummm... I'm pretty sure that iamthewallrus is a woman...

Are you gals really this mean to guys that ask you out?

Generally it seems that the more that you are actually out of a guy's league, the less big of a ball-stomping production you should need to make in order to communicate this info to him.

Ah Thanks. The "ball busting production" comment smacked of bitterness. Had to assume that's what led to missing the point of the original post which, as Stonefox pointed out, was never about guys asking girls out.

So, I thought I'd make some effort to explain why some girls do have to end up being or sounding mean to reject the advances of some of the more oblivious men. Even if IATW isn't a guy, hopefully some guy who did read it learned that it isn't always malicious if a lady has to be a bit harsh in turning him down. Sometimes it is (yes, those girls are out there), but many times it isn't.

Anyhoo, Shimmer, with all the women who work in gyms, some of them have to have some insight into this. Maybe they have to deal with the same thing. If so, hopefully they can give you some tips on what works for them.

(lots of good stuff)

But you raise a good point, guys do find it very difficult sometimes to tell the difference between kindness and interest. I can understand why that would be frustrating. Still, which problem would you rather have: kindness mistaken for interest, or smart ass mistaken for mean? My choice, which I unfairly didn't give to you (but you can still choose it now if you wish), is honesty.

That sounds very "One to grow on" at the end there :) But in this scenario, as in many in life, honesty (e.g. please leave me alone, I am not interested you, please stop talking to me, your breath is kicking - please back away) will be interpreted as mean. It just isn't that simple.

I'm also not sure you fully understand that the frustration involved when kindness is mistaken for interest isn't just about being misunderstood. It's that, when a guy doesn't get that you're not interested but are just being nice, the conversation can just freakin continue and continue, regardless of whatever social cues you try to throw his way to make it clear that you are busy, or trying to focus on something else, or just not interested in talking.

So, sure, the lady can say, "Please go away and leave me alone now," and everyone's happy because she was honest, right? Or is he now thinking she's mean? The lady can't win. Might as well make it interesting, and leaving him befuddled can be better than leaving him with hurt feelings.

Hmm...in my opinion men are fairly uncomplicated creatures. Confronted with the same situation, my replies would be as follows.

Big Strong Man: "You climb?"/"You climb too?"/"Do you climb?"

Me: "Sure!"

Big Strong Man: "How hard?"

Me: "Enough to have fun."

And leave it at that. Nothing complicated, conveys required information, and is polite if said with a pleasant demeanor. Time wasted: less than 30 seconds. It is then up to you if the delivery is flirtatious or businesslike. You control the direction of the conversation simply by changing the tone. Cool, huh? ;)

That said, I'm still with Shimmer - if a guy can't at least make an effort to ask a coherent question then he's not the "innocent" guy you describe. A guy who is polite and respectful, for example, and does not ask what you call a "dumbass" question, would not get a response in ASL from her...But nonetheless, a dumbass question is a dumbass question, and is its own reason for a smartass answer, regardless of whether you've heard that question before.

But sure, it would be wonderful if each time we experienced something like this we could call upon the patience and grace to be kind. Unfortunately, when women do this it is too often mistaken for interest, and then you have to deal with a guy who doesn't get that you're not interested but just being nice, and then the whole thing starts again.

In other words just be as mean as you can be. It's not like it's YOUR job to try and make them have a good time and want to come back. It is far more important that YOU have a good time. After all your the one that works there, they just pay you to have fun and climb right? You sure this job is for you in the first place?


Or just talk it up on here and then go back to work and say "Yes sir" like they pay you to do.


Sorry, had a man moment. Good luck working this out.

In other words just be as mean as you can be. It's not like it's YOUR job to try and make them have a good time and want to come back. It is far more important that YOU have a good time. After all your the one that works there, they just pay you to have fun and climb right? You sure this job is for you in the first place?

Or just talk it up on here and then go back to work and say "Yes sir" like they pay you to do.

Sorry, had a man moment. Good luck working this out.

Has this one come up?

"What? You mean rock climbing? Hell no. I don't want anything to do with that shit."

It IS my job to make sure customers have a great time at our gym, and make sure that the families have a safe day, and make sure that everyone has good memories of the place...it's also my job to make sure our regs can come in and train in an environment that's challenging, as close to realistic as possible, and fun.
I know my job, and I love my job.
It's definitely NOT my job to be the little lady piece of ass who makes the big strong men feel good about their masculinity and their manhood, anymore than it's the customer's job to be egotistical overly friendly jerks who more often than not insult both my intelligence and my capabilities.
Saying 'Yes sir' and batting my eyes and being little miss darling isn't in my job description. I don't work at Hooters and I'm not flirting and bringing drinks for my money (not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just not what I do).
Thank you ever so much for your help. :)

I was out climbing at Mt. Woodson a while ago with a male partner. It's a really common place for non-climbers to go hiking. We were doing a route right off the hikers trail and this middle aged woman was hiking by and stopped to watch us. I was just topping out and then lowering. And she looked at me and said in this flabbergasted voice, "I can't believe you did that! You're way too cute to climb."

Too cute to climb? I don't even know what that means. I wasn't sure whether I should be offended or just take it as the complement I'm sure she meant it as. I thanked her, but I'm sure the confusion registered on my face. People say the strangest things sometimes!

I get asked variations of this a lot when Im guiding, its not just a guy hitting on girl thing, its commonly used by new climbers who are trying to find something in common to talk about.