:D
Seriously, if you don’t want to be prepared and carry a knife, so be it. That’s your prerogative.
Hi Eee,
sal wrote: ↑Tue Feb 11, 2020 9:06 amI still think it s an interesting discussion and I respect everyone's "point of view". but please keep in mind that each of the concepts are points of view. One person does not . in my opinion contain absolute knowledge that everyone must adhere to. Politics demonstrates this clearly. I really appreciate knowing Rob's, Tom's, Warsteins and others points of view and I thank you for sharing them.
Technically, a "Rock-Jumper" is a species of African bird.
sal
Wow great story Kristi. Glad they got out of it okay!TazKristi wrote: ↑Tue Feb 11, 2020 5:12 pmAs many of you know, members of the Spyderco Crew have a vast number of passions outside of our world of knives. One of our crew members, Hilary, is a passionate rock climber. I spoke with her about this thread and she was kind enough to transcribe a story that she told me. I think it's relevant to this discussion and I hope it brings another viewpoint into consideration.
Thank you, Kristi.TazKristi wrote: ↑Tue Feb 11, 2020 5:12 pmAs many of you know, members of the Spyderco Crew have a vast number of passions outside of our world of knives. One of our crew members, Hilary, is a passionate rock climber. I spoke with her about this thread and she was kind enough to transcribe a story that she told me. I think it's relevant to this discussion and I hope it brings another viewpoint into consideration.
Hilary’s Climbing Story
"I’ve been climbing for almost 10 years now. I used to be the type of person who, when asked if I carry a knife, would make some comment about how if you need a knife while climbing, you’re already in deep trouble. I didn’t carry one for the longest time, but finally gave in and hung a little serrated Ladybug Salt from my nut tool so it would be there with me for multipitch and trad climbing adventures ‘just in case’. I made this decision after talking to the legend Hans Florine one year at an Outdoor Retailer show where he showed me the Spyderco Ladybug he always carries when climbing.
I’m a big fan of climbing in Red Rock Canyon outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. I have made at least one climbing trip a year there since I moved to Colorado 6 years ago. As much as I really love it, I’ve managed to have more days go horribly wrong in that park than any other climbing destination. The approaches are often unclear and the descents are even more so. Getting lost in some way is almost a given. So when my climbing partner and I made it to the base of our objective for the day in record time we were excited. We rocketed up the first couple pitches of Y2K, a 4-pitch 5.10a. We were cruising and had plenty of daylight left when we made it to the top of the climb. We began the first of three double rope rappels. The first one went great and left my partner and I at a little ledge setting up the next one. When we both descended the second rappel and went to pull the rope, it got stuck. The rock in Red Rock is notorious for grabbing onto ropes, but I’d never had it happen quite like this before. Due to the length of the rappels, we couldn’t see where it was hung up and all our efforts to flick it free weren’t working. After much discussion and planning, my partner and I found a safe way for her to make the grueling ascent of the 200+ feet of rope and figure out how to get it unstuck. It worked, and she was able to rebuild the rappel and come back down to join me on the ledge. We knew how to avoid the original hang up and had taken the precaution to pull the rope from a different angle. We felt it slide effortlessly out of the chains, but quickly it snagged on something else on its descent down the wall. Spirits were at an all-time low. The sun had set while my partner was climbing the rope previously and now we were working in the dark. This time, since the rope had come through the rappel rings, we didn’t know of a safe way to ascend, and re-climbing the pitch wasn’t really a good option due to time and the fact that the pitch traversed far to the right from that ledge. We had one of our two ropes down with us, but we were about 180 feet off the ground still, so a 70 meter (230 foot) rope doubled over wasn’t going to even get us close. We calculated that we would need about 130 extra feet (more than half of the stuck rope) and after much deliberation and additional calculation, we realized we could piece together what was hanging down of the stuck rope to make up that amount. This is the part that still makes me laugh today. The majority of this climb was bolted (not common for what I usually climb there), and I don’t believe we even brought nuts to place, so I did not have my nut tool with me, nor my handy dandy knife. I haven’t made this mistake again. I’m so incredibly lucky that my partner was prepared with one. We rigged a little step off the anchor so she could step up as high as possible and she cut the stuck rope with her little knife from both ends that we had access to. We tied all three of the pieces together and set up a single rope rappel with a carabiner block so we could utilize the full length of one rope without encountering the knots on the way down in the other. Then we used the knotted end as a tag line to retrieve our rope after we made it (barely) to the ground. Without the use of her knife, we would have been left with no choice but to make a dangerous attempt at rescuing our rope for the second time in the dark, losing both ropes, or being left at a hanging belay 180 ft off the ground through the night until someone hopefully found us the following day. So, I still stand by what I used to say about how if you need a knife while climbing, you’re already in trouble. Now I just realize that if I’m already in trouble, I sure as **** want the tools necessary to get me out of it.
This also doesn’t touch on the climbing community etiquette of replacing worn-out or unsafe slings from anchors and rappel stations, which not only requires a knife to remove but also one to cut your new webbing to size for an appropriate anchor. I’ve used this more often in canyoneering situations than climbing, but I’ve utilized my fair share of sketchy bail anchors coming off alpine climbs and multipitch routes when the weather turns nasty. I’m always thankful for those fellow climbers who are watching out for us all and providing a little upkeep on those.
I now bring a knife with me any time I’m more than one pitch off the ground. Better safe than sorry."
This. So much this. If I were to climb, I’d have more than one knife. Like I do most days, riding a desk, running a drill rig, or whatever.The Meat man wrote: ↑Tue Feb 11, 2020 5:49 pmWow great story Kristi. Glad they got out of it okay!TazKristi wrote: ↑Tue Feb 11, 2020 5:12 pmAs many of you know, members of the Spyderco Crew have a vast number of passions outside of our world of knives. One of our crew members, Hilary, is a passionate rock climber. I spoke with her about this thread and she was kind enough to transcribe a story that she told me. I think it's relevant to this discussion and I hope it brings another viewpoint into consideration.
Just goes to show the truth of the adage, "Better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it."
Wow is likely a gross understatement, but about all I can muster too.The Meat man wrote: ↑Tue Feb 11, 2020 5:49 pmWow great story Kristi. Glad they got out of it okay!TazKristi wrote: ↑Tue Feb 11, 2020 5:12 pmAs many of you know, members of the Spyderco Crew have a vast number of passions outside of our world of knives. One of our crew members, Hilary, is a passionate rock climber. I spoke with her about this thread and she was kind enough to transcribe a story that she told me. I think it's relevant to this discussion and I hope it brings another viewpoint into consideration.
Just goes to show the truth of the adage, "Better to have it and not need it then to need it and not have it."