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rockfax
Apr 25, 2006, 2:49 AM
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"Ideally, life in its myriad forms should leave an indelible impression on us each and every day. To those who have achieved this I salute you. I hadn’t. By allowing a repetitive series of predictable sanitised events to cycle ad infinitum I had conditioned myself into accepting a status quo far removed from the ideal. Social regimentation had compartmentalised my existence. I just had to show up Monday to Sunday and everything would pass by in an orderly fashion."
from Switch off the Auto-Pilot by Stuart Amos.
Read the full article here:
http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=199
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gt29905
Apr 25, 2006, 3:42 AM
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umm... you need a hamsandwich
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tamtam
Apr 25, 2006, 3:03 PM
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That's a good wake-up call. I nearly pulled a good one the other day, but my attentive (thankfully not automatic) belayer called out in time "What the hell are you doing?!"
I am a n00b, and I was cleaning a sport route for practice to start leading eventually. Clean clean clean. Get to the top and I started unclipping the top anchor. :oops: My brain was still going "clean it clean it clean it" instead of really paying attention to what was happening.
Mindfulness. Ohm...
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curtis_g
Apr 25, 2006, 3:25 PM
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In reply to: umm... you need a hamsandwich
maybe we should take up a collection
lets get your address and we'll get
the ham sandwiches on the incoming :D :lol:
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reg
Apr 25, 2006, 3:40 PM
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In reply to: umm... you need a hamsandwich
it's "samich" - ham samich - best eaten after 3hrs in your pack on a sunny day - hold the mayo!
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carabiner96
Apr 25, 2006, 5:30 PM
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In reply to: In reply to: umm... you need a hamsandwich it's "samich" - ham samich - best eaten after 3hrs in your pack on a sunny day - hold the mayo!
nooo...warm mayo is the best part!
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wjca
Apr 25, 2006, 5:46 PM
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This is why there are no longer autobelays at Earthtreks in Maryland. One too many people started up the wall with their heads up their asses. Its hard to believe that anyone can even climb with their head up their ass, but it can be done, as proved by the OP. As some point, if not as a direct result of your carelessness, your home gym is going to remove the autobelays. At some point the risk of litigation and increased liability insurance premiums makes having them too cost prohibative. Glad to hear you'll be okay, but thanks for contributing to fucking it up for the rest of us.
Chris
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shanz
Apr 25, 2006, 6:12 PM
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Ham sammies have no place in the gym
only us good traddies know that little secret
3 hours in the pack on a nice day = warm ham warm mayo smushed bread which in my books is a hot meal
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up_for_a_good_time
Apr 25, 2006, 6:31 PM
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Yeah, I've definitely started up a route during an autobelay session only to realize all of a sudden that I was soloing. Out over a roof with no other place to go, I grabbed two topropes and shimmied down. Luckily, I was the only one at the school wall. No one else saw the pee-pee down my leg. Whew.
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slablizard
Apr 25, 2006, 6:37 PM
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Funny.
I did exactly the same thing 2 years ago. Good thing was that the route was 59ish and I was able to downclimb it casually.
As infact downclimbing it was part of the 6 laps warm-up routine.
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glyrocks
Apr 25, 2006, 7:25 PM
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Is this really that common? I mean, I could see one or two jackasses thinking they were tied in, but weren't... I guess. Am I missing something? I haven't exactly spent much time in a gym, but isn't it kind of obvious when you're tied into an autobelay? You either have a rope bashing your fat face or you don't. I don't get it.
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mapper94
Apr 25, 2006, 10:13 PM
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In reply to: This is why there are no longer auto-belays at Earthtreks in Maryland. One too many people started up the wall with their heads up their asses. Its hard to believe that anyone can even climb with their head up their ass, but it can be done, as proved by the OP. As some point, if not as a direct result of your carelessness, your home gym is going to remove the auto-belays. At some point the risk of litigation and increased liability insurance premiums makes having them too cost prohibitive. Glad to hear you'll be okay, but thanks for contributing to f---ing it up for the rest of us. Chris
I don't think that the Auto-belays are to blame here, I think it is people who are not focusing on their safety and as the original post said, just going about their routine. I climb in a gym that has Auto-belays. You can't walk up to the wall and not see them and their is a yellow rope that stops you from getting close to the wall without unhooking the auto-belay from it. While I have seen people start to climb without hooking in, some one from the gym or some one climbing has yelled at them right away, usually even before they get more then 5 feet off the ground.
I am tired or hearing everyone badmouth the auto-belays. They work fine when they are used right. I think the important thing to take from this thread is that we should never be so comfortable, that we forget about the risk we take every time we climb, whether in a gym or outside.
Mapper94
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tonloc
Apr 25, 2006, 10:34 PM
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mmmmmm hot mayo...
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ter_bee
Apr 25, 2006, 10:46 PM
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In reply to: This is why there are no longer autobelays at Earthtreks in Maryland. One too many people started up the wall with their heads up their asses. Its hard to believe that anyone can even climb with their head up their ass, but it can be done, as proved by the OP. As some point, if not as a direct result of your carelessness, your home gym is going to remove the autobelays. At some point the risk of litigation and increased liability insurance premiums makes having them too cost prohibative. Glad to hear you'll be okay, but thanks for contributing to f---ing it up for the rest of us. Chris
who are you addressing? unless i'm missing something, the op is not the guy who fell. one lives in new york or something, the other in england. so you can try to make the brit feel worse than he already does, but i don't think it'll work.
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wjca
Apr 25, 2006, 10:48 PM
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In reply to: In reply to: This is why there are no longer auto-belays at Earthtreks in Maryland. One too many people started up the wall with their heads up their asses. Its hard to believe that anyone can even climb with their head up their ass, but it can be done, as proved by the OP. As some point, if not as a direct result of your carelessness, your home gym is going to remove the auto-belays. At some point the risk of litigation and increased liability insurance premiums makes having them too cost prohibitive. Glad to hear you'll be okay, but thanks for contributing to f---ing it up for the rest of us. Chris I don't think that the Auto-belays are to blame here, I think it is people who are not focusing on their safety and as the original post said, just going about their routine. I climb in a gym that has Auto-belays. You can't walk up to the wall and not see them and their is a yellow rope that stops you from getting close to the wall without unhooking the auto-belay from it. While I have seen people start to climb without hooking in, some one from the gym or some one climbing has yelled at them right away, usually even before they get more then 5 feet off the ground. I am tired or hearing everyone badmouth the auto-belays. They work fine when they are used right. I think the important thing to take from this thread is that we should never be so comfortable, that we forget about the risk we take every time we climb, whether in a gym or outside. Mapper94
I think maybe you need to re-read my post. I agree that there is nothing wrong with the autobelays. They are great for people who want to get a few routes in and don't have a partner. Its the stupid ass people, like the OP, that go about their workout without a second thought to their safety or the safety of the people around them that fuck things up for everyone else. As more gyms start to realize this problem, they will slowly start to remove the autobelays because it is the most affordable option for several reasons. Sad, I know.
I referred to Earthtreks in Maryland. The straw that broke the camel's back happened a year or so ago causing the gym to remove all of their autobelays for good. Some douche bag, who had no idea how to use the autobelay (I know they're pretty self explanatory, go figure) walked up to the wall where the autobelay was and just started climbing. He didn't think he had to do anything (as in actually clipping himself in), that the autobelay was just that, and automatic belay devise. It is hard to understand how someone can actually be that stupid, but it happened. The guy climbed a 35 foot wall, got to the top and let go, thinking the autobelay would somehow catch him and lower him back down. The stupid ass let go and fell 35 feet landing on his back. He lived, with surprisingly and relatively minor injuries. It was a miracle that the guy was climbing early in the day. Had he done that 2 hours later he would have certainly landed on one or more people. Granted with more people around there would have been a better chance that someone would have caught him before he got to the top, but still it was his responsibility to actually have a clue as to what he was doing.
That guy and people like the OP need to stick to power walking or needle point, because if they don't kill themselves first, it is only a matter of time before they foolishly put someone else's life in danger.
Chris
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wjca
Apr 25, 2006, 10:52 PM
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In reply to: In reply to: This is why there are no longer autobelays at Earthtreks in Maryland. One too many people started up the wall with their heads up their asses. Its hard to believe that anyone can even climb with their head up their ass, but it can be done, as proved by the OP. As some point, if not as a direct result of your carelessness, your home gym is going to remove the autobelays. At some point the risk of litigation and increased liability insurance premiums makes having them too cost prohibative. Glad to hear you'll be okay, but thanks for contributing to f---ing it up for the rest of us. Chris who are you addressing? unless i'm missing something, the op is not the guy who fell. one lives in new york or something, the other in england. so you can try to make the brit feel worse than he already does, but i don't think it'll work.
My misunderstanding. If the OP is not the dude in the story, then my sincere apology to the OP. But if he is, then see my previous posts.
Chris
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stamplis
Apr 25, 2006, 11:05 PM
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The article's author is Stuart Amos.
The OP (from profile) is Arthur Dent.
Different people.
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rockfax
Apr 26, 2006, 12:56 AM
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In reply to: The article's author is Stuart Amos. The OP (from profile) is Arthur Dent. Different people.
That's me OK. Hitchiking my way around the universe.
I hope Chris never has an accident.
Arthur.
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billcoe_
Apr 26, 2006, 5:09 AM
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In reply to: In reply to: The article's author is Stuart Amos. The OP (from profile) is Arthur Dent. Different people. That's me OK. Hitchiking my way around the universe. I hope Chris never has an accident. Arthur.
Me too Arthur.
_______________________________________________________
Some slower reading may be in order here.
The OP is not the writer of the story, he merely linked it.
His name is Mick, a cheeky and humorous Englishman.
Thank you Mick!
Douglas Adams could help you understand who Arthur really is. I wish you luck and literacy moving forward Chris.
:lol:
The correct and proper moral of the story for us all, like when Lynn Hill (at that time one of the best and most experienced climbers anywhere in the world) had the 90' fall/accident for simply not tieing in correctly, is don't get too cheeky and keep an eye on your mates.
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billcoe_
Apr 26, 2006, 5:25 AM
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Cheeky can be found in the English to American dictionary as well if one was interested.
http://english2american.com/dictionary/c.html
Some samples lifted verbatum:
"bang v. Banging can be used in the UK to refer to the beautiful act of procreation. A gentleman who is particularly impressed with his lady-friend's abilities in the beautiful act of procreation may use a phrase like "she bangs like a barn door".
cock-up n. v. To cock-up is to make a complete mess of something. You'd use it along the lines of "I went to a job interview today and cocked it up completely". It may look like another innocent little Brit phrase that's terribly rude for Americans but I suspect there's a little more to it than that because we also use the phrase "balls-up" meaning the same thing. Although, ironically enough, "balls-up" is seen as a lot less rude.
verge n. The edge of the road, populated by hitch-hikers, frogs and children urinating. That's "frogs" and "children urinating", not "(frogs and children) urinating". Glad I could clear that up. Americans call it the "shoulder". The edge of the road, I mean, nothing to do with frogs, children or urination."
_________________________end of quotes________________________
Interestingly enough, neither Douglas Adams nor Arthur Dent are referenced here, but I'm sure an enterprising and cheeky lad such as yourself will have no trouble finding that info.
Enjoy, the journey is more than half the fun!
Regards all.
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ter_bee
Apr 26, 2006, 5:11 PM
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hmph. arthur dent is really called mick?
i think usernames should be either the user's name or transparently NOT a name, as in 'ter_bee' or 'hillbillywannabe.' it's confusing otherwise. and to require that we've actually read something in order to understand that a username isn't the owner's name is downright evil, especially when the author is british! british authors don't even include a lot of pictures!
;-)
ps 1.loved the definitions, though verge is pretty easy (try LIFT) and we americans also use BERM for the edge of the road.
ps 2. mick, do you travel with a towel? do you really live in new york state?
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