Don't know about your friend's gym, but we use the Blue Water DynaGym ropes which are fully UIAA and CE approved, with an impact force rating of 8.5kN.

I usually use my own rope when leading, but have used the gym rope in the past with no problems. It's just a little harder fall/catch.

Why? Because I don't go through:

"On belay"
"Belay on"
"Climbing"
"Climb on"
"Take"
"Gottcha"
"Ready to lower"
"Lowering"
every single time I do a TR in the gym?

You're right, it's no skin off my back. I have plenty of partners and you're a little too far away anyway. But I am surprised you wouldn't climb with me for that reason. I think I'm pretty safe. To each his/her own.

Every time I go to a gym and they make me take the belay test, I get nervous. Been climbing for almost ten years now and I am still always worried I won't know what their "three things" they're looking for are.

Got a new one this weekend. ATC all set up, ready for the belay test. Gal asks me, "What do you do with that end?" as she points to the belay end with the coil on the ground.

"Uh, hold it?"

She looks at me like I'm joking.

I look back at her, "Don't take my hand off it?"

Still looks at me.

"Uncle?"

"You tie a backup knot in the end of it."

Ahhhh, gyms.

One thing that pisses me off beyond all belief is when some gym rat tries to critique my belaying. .... They act like climbing is some cookie cutter super certified sport.

Assuming that when you say "they" you are speaking about the gym employees, "they" are simply following the rules established by the gym's management (and insurance company).

If you are a guest in someone's house, you follow their rules. You may not be used to them, or even like them, but you should respect and follow them.

Edit to add: When you first went to the gym you most-likely signed a waiver, which almost always says something along the lines of, "I agree to follow the rules of the gym".

The guy responding to you was most likely some gym rat/newbie.

I always communicate with my partner before starting a pitch but it's usually along the lines of "all good to go?" and the response of "yup, see you on the top"

When following often you can't see/hear the person above you. In that case you workout a series of tugs to indicate that the person is ready to belay you.

If you wait for the "belay on" you're going to be there for a long long time :p

Point 1: the thread is about gym climbing
Point 2: Climbing in the gym is the major place to actually go through all the rigmarole because half the time your belayer is trying to chat up blonde with more cleavage than brains
Point 3: the verbals are, to me, just a signal that everyone has made their checks and are now in the game.
Point 4: Caliclimbergirl makes the point that "the other stuff is ... pointless unless you 're doing multipitch", while you, seeming to agree with her overall, are on the opposite side of that argument...

And finally...

Point 5: I guess us "gym rats" should just stfu until we can lead 5.9 ...

You flamed someone who has a lot more experience than you for absolutely no reason. I mean it was done in typical RC.com style, but at least most of those people at least understand what they're talking about.

1) You made the statement that you wouldn't climb with her ever despite the fact that she advocates communication....just not cookie cutter communication.

2) You still communicate with your belayer no matter what wherever you are, again just because someone doesn't use some prescribed cookie cutter words, doesn't mean they're not safe.

3) She, nor anyone else, is advocating not using verbal communication, well.....except when you can't hear your partner because that's the way the accustics of the rocks work.

4) I did not see her write anything about it being useless unless you're doing multipitch....in fact, I saw her write exactly what I wrote in that sometimes you can't hear your partner because of the way the rock is......

Who ever said anything about your physical climbing ability? I haven't nor will I ever make a statement like that. There is however experience. There is understanding what you're doing. There is being safe and judgment.

Anyhow, the point being is that you made a stupid statement. It was immature and pedantic.

...All the other stuff is so pointless unless you're doing multi-pitch or belaying from the top.

pedantic adj. Characterized by a narrow, often ostentatious concern for book learning and formal rules: a pedantic attention to details.

Point 1: the thread is about gym climbing

Point 2: Climbing in the gym is the major place to actually go through all the rigmarole because half the time your belayer is trying to chat up blonde with more cleavage than brains

Point 3: the verbals are, to me, just a signal that everyone has made their checks and are now in the game.

Point 4: Caliclimbergirl makes the point that "the other stuff is ... pointless unless you 're doing multipitch", while you, seeming to agree with her overall, are on the opposite side of that argument...

And finally...

Point 5: I guess us "gym rats" should just stfu until we can lead 5.9 ...

It has nothing to do with what grade you're leading and everything to do with experience and safety. I have partners that don't lead anything at all, never mind 5.9. And I've climbed with people who can lead 5.11 that I would never climb with again because I didn't feel safe with them. Thinking that the rote standard belay signals makes you any more safe is a dangerous assumption. I'm sure (at least I hope) you have other standards for what makes someone safe. But if you're only standard for a climbing partner is that they always use the standard belay signals and nothing else, I think you'd actually increase the likelihood of climbing with inexperienced people that are actually *more* likely to do something unsafe.

Anyway, after seeing all your thoughts on all this, I wouldn't climb with you either. So at least we agree on something.

Let's be honest with ourselves. You are a gym rat and a new outdoors climber. There is nothing wrong with that. Lots of people climb much harder than me and that's fine with me. However with that, sometimes if you quiet down, you can learn something from someone who knows a thing or two about what you really want to be doing. Heck, I learn things all the time and I've been climbing for many many years now.

Honestly, nothing caliclimbergrl said was flip. It was an honest gripe and one that I can agree with.

Did I get the last word?

I've been climbing ten years, I've climbed all over, in almost every style, and even when I climb in the gym with my primary partner, who I know and trust implicitly, I ask "Am I on?" every single time before I set out up the wall.

So there you go. Now you know one person who does.

GO

Make you a deal. I'll let you be right, and I'll take the last word. Here it comes...

Penultimate.

I read that as not knowing anybody who always says:

"On belay?"
"Belay on."
"Climbing."
"Climb on."

I don't believe I know anybody who does that every time either.

I read that as not knowing anybody who always says:

"On belay?"
"Belay on."
"Climbing."
"Climb on."

I don't believe I know anybody who does that every time either.