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Chockstone Forum - Gear Lust / Lost & Found

Rave About Your Rack Please do not post retail SPAM.

Author
Looking after your gear
flyingtraverse
20-May-2009
4:10:45 PM
We were doing the usual back of the car negotiations about who was going to take what parts of their beloved gear to go climbing for the day. I knew my rope hadn't been out for awhile and so I offered to take mine. We strolled up to the base of our climb, beginning the usual rituals. My partner went to flake the rope to find, about 8 m from the end, a massive core shot. My first reaction was embarrassment that I had absolutely no idea about it, nor how it got there. I knew I had lent the rope to other people, however months had passed since the rope had been used, so I had not the faintest about how the rope had come to be as it was: tattered and pathetic after what must have been a pretty severe fall or some serious rubbing against some sharp rock. I got angry. I was pretty certain that there were no circumstances under which I had personally been involved in creating the damage. I became angered further by the thought that if someone had done it, they had not told me. But the truth was, I actually didn't know, so pointing the finger was going to be useless exercise.

I am sharing this story to highlight a few important lessons - 1) it is important to know closely who and for what purpose any gear you rely on is being used 2) if you do damage someone's gear, or may have damaged it, don't be a tosser and not say anything. Of course, in this instance, I have no idea what happened, and will never know (which is to a great extent my fault and responsibility). It is highly likely that the damage occurred outside anybody's awareness (in which case, not much can protect against that other than checking and retiring your gear periodically).

Thankfully, we had a wicked time on Eurydice, so any angst was quickly alleviated.

..::- Chris -::..
20-May-2009
4:38:49 PM
I had a similar thing many many years ago... I friend used my rope to top rope lead "it'll never fly" (basically so she didn't fly) we had a lead rope and top rope (still in the CAM on the arete) so we could pull her tight on the traverse if she got stuck (which she did) trying the move to the arete over and over and over and over.....Good climber.... short arms : )

Anwyays later that day (quick end of day climb) my friend and I went up to do skink, laid the rope out, we each lead a pitch or 2 got to the top, I abseiled first... Then my partner abseiled and when he got to the ledge he screamed at me "What the f'ck dude your rope is f'n trashed we could have been killed!! it's down past the core" We pulled the rope through to do the second abseil and asses the damage...and about 5-6 metres from the tail was a huge chuck missing from the core, about half the strands were still intact the rest was cut (by my friend top roping around a corner over and over again...

Moral of the story flake your rope out and when your flaking it check for damage!! I do it religously....
This is problem for people who use rope bags for storage and rarely flake their ropes out...

C. : )

mattjr
20-May-2009
8:21:07 PM
Don't ask to borrow your friends gear, then perhaps they will understand when you don't lend them yours!

(Is that why I have no friends to climb with but a nice shiny rack??)

But seriously.. lending any climbing gear is pretty risky when you think about it.

nmonteith
20-May-2009
9:45:55 PM
I reckon ropes are the one item that you shouldn't buy second hand or loan out to others.
climberman
21-May-2009
10:42:48 AM
Items should only be borrowed on a FFF (Fk it and Fix it Fee) basis - which both parties should understand. If you can't afford to replace it, don't borrow it.
Rob668
21-May-2009
12:15:58 PM
On 21/05/2009 climberman wrote:
>Items should only be borrowed on a FFF (Fk it and Fix it Fee) basis - which
>both parties should understand. If you can't afford to replace it, don't
>borrow it.

Problem is that your mate may borrow your gear but you can't always be sure of who they are climbing with or what their ethics are.
surfinclimb
21-May-2009
12:18:29 PM
On 21/05/2009 climberman wrote:
>Items should only be borrowed on a FFF (Fk it and Fix it Fee) basis - which
>both parties should understand. If you can't afford to replace it, don't
>borrow it.

You should be flakng your rope and checking it each time you start a new climb. Thats an absolute beginners skill.
I never ever ever lend out my lead ropes or personal climbing harness. You just never know how others are going to treat it and it's not much fun having to hit your mates up for a new rope.
I guess the other question is what sort of mates do you have if they borrow your gear and wont tell you if they've taken a whipper on it or anything else slighty damaging, especially if you ask them?
Paul
21-May-2009
12:38:59 PM
There are people who I would trust and others who I wouldn't trust. To make it simple and not ofend others my rule is simple, I do not lend my gear, to anyone.
climberman
21-May-2009
4:48:44 PM
On 21/05/2009 Rob668 wrote:

>Problem is that your mate may borrow your gear but you can't always be
>sure of who they are climbing with or what their ethics are.

Check. Any mate who wouldn't replace a rope they ruined is a poor mate indeed. The borrower takes on the responsibility.

The alternative philosophy is 'never a borrower nor a lender be'.

There are 9 messages in this topic.

 

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