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Like I need a hole in the head (Read 16666 times)

Wil

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They discuss stick clipping first bolts; Jerry's opinion was that it should be expected that climbing is dangerous and if you're likely to fall off going for the first bolt you should climb something easier. He seemed completely againist it even for the safety aspect. Struck me as a bit daft but I guess it's because things were just different back then.

I spoke to Jerry about Verbal Abuse recently. He said he'd be happy for it to be bolted, but only if the bolts were where the pegs were "to keep it spicy". It is a generational thing, that if you were coming into sport climbing when the bolts were bad, you were using double ropes and climbing them as trad routes with some fixed gear you're on a totally different game to what modern sport climbing is about.

WRT toproping - who cares? The grade is for a physical difficulty, and fair enough it might be slightly harder if you're making the clips, but I don't really give a monkeys what anyone does and wants to call a tick.

duncan

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I have one of those edeldrid clips, works well enough, not too difficult to open although I wouldn't want to make a crucial, desperate clip with it. I always use it as the gear end and a screwgate for the rope. Generally use it as the starting clip but also for equipping so that you're not going to knock a snap gate undone, or at belays where you have to untie and thread the lower off. Quite a useful thing to have on a rack.

Used one in anger last weekend. Easy to clip gear with but I struggled to get a rope in one handed. This chap manages, perhaps I need more practice. As you say, it's ideal on the first bolt: works well with a clipstick, locking automatically when released.



TobyD

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Would wearing a helmet not mitigate consequences of decking from first second/bolt?
Sorry this is all a bit rambling

I just looked back at this thread, thanks for all the contributions everyone. Mainly I just wanted to get people to think about what risks they actually take, and not to be sniffy about the choices of others with all the usual provisos of honesty, not being antisocial etc.
Duma, I think I covered your point in the article? If I'd had a helmet on, I am pretty certain I'd still have fractured my right wrist, which still hurts a year later, and sustained serious concussion at best. This often results in the grim fatigue which I've had anyway, and can have significant neurological consequences; the long term results of concussion are not fully understood as far as I know. I'll go for a clipstick in future for myself, I think.

 

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