In reply to alooker:
> crazy how quick things get off topic isn't it!
Not off topic at all IMO- just some wise and still alive climbers giving advice to serve an apprenticeship of gearplacing properly rather than the GFI gung ho attitude.
Hard to tell how bad the OP is at placing gear but GFI could be, at worst, encouraging a good suicide attempt. Having witnessed the GFI a few times (Cock Block by a jibbering 14yo with 1 runner was my fave; not) & not liking the sight of blood I, too, am in the practice placements camp.
Folk are splitting hairs about the wording of the advice to place then load gear it but that's the best thing I've found to improve someone's attitude. Don't fall, just load a placement 1.5m off the deck;thats enough for most folk to see pretty rapidly where it is on a scale of 1-10. Get proud of your placements, show them off & compare notes, use opposing pulls to equalise, stack nuts or hexes together etc.
Like bouldering, especially useful when on a new rock type.
I prescribe learning one size of nut per week so you learn to spot & love a good no.7 nut slot etc. Leave cam placements alone until your wire & hex placements are spot on.
Treat it like the victorian pioneers did- as training for the real mountains rather than a brief hit.
Availability for rock right through to Sunday if anyone wants to come & make the most of the sunny north west