SummitPost.org

when I started to climb (last century/millennium) one of the first lessons I had to learn was :
never fear to be blunt, if your partner is not skilled enough for a route, tell him and, if he doesn't understand, leave him in the refuge to think ...
I remember one famous guide (a friend of mine) that once told me :
"I'm really bored to hoist some customers like they were potato sacks, I can do it only if the route hasn't horizontal crosses, otherwise I prefer to give up, losing money but avoiding useless/stupid risks"

Modern technologies and gear make many people think they can do almost anything on the mountains, and the number of deaths (and of rescue operations) grows from year to year.

Some questions that are posted here come, clearly, from unskilled people or from people that would like to be/appear like a climber ...
I think that sweet answers should be avoided and that the only answer should be : go and attend a rock/mountaneering school

Are you a screamer or a flapper?

billisfree wrote:Are you a screamer or a flapper?

thanks, this is the typical intelligent and pertinent question

gabriele wrote:I think that sweet answers should be avoided and that the only answer should be : go and attend a rock/mountaneering school

Another option that should be considered, is that they find a competent individual that has time and experience under their belt with various amounts of disciplines, trad, sport, water ice and alpine stuff. Tagging along with someone of that sorts would certainly be valuable experience.

I have been seeing many supposed "rock/mountaineering school" instructors out there lately, that do not have that much experience and are teaching some very bogus technical aspects of this game.

Something to think about.....

billisfree wrote:Are you a screamer or a flapper?

Are you a LOVER or a FIGHTER ???

The Chief wrote:Another option that should be considered, is that they find a competent individual that has time and experience under their belt with various amounts of disciplines, trad, sport, water ice and alpine stuff....

I think this happened to You, I know this happened to me - but we were lucky and, I think, that those times are gone