I am not sure why this bothers you so much.

No need to declare everyone Gumby's.

I think running my sling from my belay loop between my legs to my back gear loops looks just as silly as my harness. But then again I don't really care about fasion, especially while climbing. A PAS might look kinda silly racked like this (and possibly more likely to catch on something compared to racked on a biner on a gear loop), but the spectra shoulder slings for me hugs my leg on each side AND stays to the sides of my junk, just like my leg loops d. I love having my 2 indirects racked between the legs, esp if I am going to clean my lead and have to rethread the bolts. I just find it quicker than carying it on my shoulder for sport climbs, and running it between my legs keeps it out of the way untill I need it. And for the danger of it, I see it getting snagged just as likely as snagging the leg loops of my harness, and when I fall, I try not to cheese grate my grundle, which I would need to do to get it caught on a hold. I personally think there is more danger carying slings arround the shoulder (like most climbers do) than between the legs. http://www.summitpost.org/...lisk-accident/575614. If I ran it across my outter leg to my gear loop, it is much more likely to snag that way and gets in the way of draws. In fact, I think running it between your legs is the least likely to get snagged on features, aside from wadding one up and shoving it in my pocket :P (I like to give the slings a couple twists so they are snug against my leg and even less likely to droop/snag) For ease of use, I like to reach back and unclip my locker from my gear loop, let go as it swings through my legs, then re grab it and clip to the bolt, indirect in 2 seconds. What method is so much better than running it between my legs?

I know the advatages of it are small, but with no reason not to (other than the fasion argument), I don't see why I should not have it already hitched to my belay loop, ready to go, and out of the way? Please let me know what the "better" way is and why and I'll give it some consideration, but for rethreading sport anchors, I have not come across a better set up. I'd be happy to hear other's suggestions since in my 7 years of sport climbing, this is the meathod I consider best and have never had any snagging issues. (dyneema slings, not a PAS or Daisy).

I've been seeing it a lot lately, too, on newbies and experienced climbers alike, who are apparently completely unaware of how ridiculous they look.

Clip the first draw, then pull the rope up and over your shoulder? I must not understand something, because if I was above and directly over the last draw it seems to me if I fall I could still end up with the rope between my legs. And if that happens, I'm going castrate myself and probably do the mother-of all backflips.

And this is how we ended up at one point with men wearing Lycra and Spandex as climbing gear.

and some all of those men climbed harder than you ever will

What's up with the current rash of gumbies climbing with a PAS attached to the the front of their harness, running between their legs, and clipped to a rear gear loop? Where did this bizarre practice originate? Is there supposed to be some benefit to this? In addition to their helment are they wearing a jock strap?

Jay

Huh, what? You talkin' to me?

Next you're going to tell me climbing with a flamingo beer bong is lame too.



Trad draws??? What a no0b.

What's up with the current rash of gumbies climbing with a PAS attached to the the front of their harness, running between their legs, and clipped to a rear gear loop?

No. You only have it over your shoulder until the first clip. Once you've clipped, then you're leading like normal again.

Heh... are you the inflatable turtle guy?

you wrote it... then argued against what you wrote fail...

still don't see how it is in the way before the first bolt. If you can't deal with a rope below you then you got bigger issues.

??

The issue is that sometimes you can end up straddling the rope immediately after clipping the first bolt. It's just one less thing to watch for when you're leading immediately off the ground on very thin/slopey stuff where adjusting your center of gravity to move the rope is annoying or difficult.

At the end of the day, it's just a preference thing. It's not causing anyone harm. I don't always do it, but I do do it from time to time.

you wrote it... then argued against what you wrote fail...

still don't see how it is in the way before the first bolt. If you can't deal with a rope below you then you got bigger issues.

I think what he means is that when you climb up and clip the first bolt like a normal person, the rope from the bolt to your belayer is between your legs. If you throw it over your shoulder on the ground like a doofus, climb up and clip the first bolt, the rope from the bolt to the belayer is not between your legs, but outside. Still, it's a silly rationale, and it seems people actually do it because they think it's somehow going to make clipping easier. Or at least that's what someone tried to convince me of one time.

??


The issue is that sometimes you can end up straddling the rope immediately after clipping the first bolt.

Having the rope run between your legs shouldn't be a problem anyhow if your belayer is holding the rope close to the wall, as he should be until you get a couple of bolts clipped.

Jay

One of my friends does the rope over the shoulder when sport climbing. I asked him about it once and he said it's so he can clip the 1st bolt faster. No need to put it in your teeth to get a 2nd arm length.
It has nothing to do with leg straddle.

edit typo

Is that route called "Choking the bird"? LOL! Schweet stuff Larry!

Don't see it in your bouldering stuff, is it under the pad to keep it warm?

I haven't seen this one. They throw it over their shoulder while climbing?