[lagerstarfish]

slightly similsr - I remember someone trying to sue the Grands Montets lift company because they slipped on snow whilst leaving the building and there was no sign to warn of the danger. I think the result was along the lines of - it is reasonable to expect skiers to know that snow is slippy and that there will be snow outside.

[blacky]

This thread has opened my eyes  I'm never spotting anyone ever again

[andyd]

 

This thread has opened my eyes  I'm never spotting anyone ever again

I got a handful of lady boob once (under Brad Pitt-I think you were there Blacky). Very embarrassing.
It's a funny one. I often feel obliged to spot people I don't know, but I'm really looking to stop them banging their head and checking that no one runs underneath.
A good relationship with your spotter is important. My regular bouldering partner knows that I want to be caught and guided onto the pads, whereas he requests that I spot him if he falls awkwardly, but otherwise stay clear and let physics do its thing.

[psychomansam]

I once asked a belayer, who lacked significant trad experience, to stand directly below me as I lowered a few meters off an extremely shit nut.
I was aware that the nut would likely fail if they stood at all away from the wall (as this, for you non-trad-climbers, would increase the angle of the pull on the nut - i.e. pull it outwards more rather than just downwards - in this case quite likely causing it to pull out).
I was also aware that it might fail anyway, thus causing me to shag my belayer. She was aware and quite pissed off by the request, though she complied.
She didn't normally mind me shagging her, but this wouldn't have been a good shagging.
As it was, the nut held in place until I reached the bottom and easily flicked it out with the rope, and so her good looks survived another day. But if the nut had failed, I feel I would have been at least partly culpable.
What do you think Fiend?

[tomtom]

So you managed to avoid a bad shag by getting your nut stuck... but it was alright because you got off by flicking your rope? eh?