UKC

I was climbing at Witches Quarry last night and as my partner had let me down, and there was only one other team climbing, I set up a top rope further down the crag to climb a few laps up and down one of my favourite routes using my shunt. Half way up the 8th lap my arms were feeling it, so I took a rest just before the crux and I could hear the other team trying to sort out a problem with their rope - then one of them ran round to the top of the crag saying she'd sort it out. I climbed the crux and was making my way to the top when I could hear my carabiners rattling above me - she'd started disconnecting my anchor by mistake. I pointed this out politely and she moved on to the correct one anchor about ten metres away. When I mentioned it to one of her team at the bottom his response was "oh yeah you need to watch her". No apology from any of them for a stupid mistake that could have killed someone. Anyone else experienced anything like this?

In reply to munki1971:

It's worrying the number of incompetent climbers there are out there. I don't mean 'bad' climbers (in the sense of not strong) but I mean climbers who have very little ropework knowledge, cannot use different types of belay devices safely (ATC, Reverso, gri-gri), do not know basic knots such as the clove hitch and have no/or over-estimate their mountain knowledge (I've climbed with some like that!).

Maybe I'm just getting old and grumpy (I hope not at 30).. but it seems I notice this more and more...

In reply to munki1971: what an absolute b*llocks description, it was me, I clipped on to your belay stake at the top, and certainly did NOT start disconnecting your anchor or crab, what you head was my carabiner connecting in. As I explained at the time. I would not have disconnected anything since I thought my partner was still hanging from the anchor. I apologised profusely as soon as I realised, and had a conversation with you about it, so I really dont understand why you are posting this. Oh, and I apologised once more at the bottom too, so if you were actually bloody angry (which you didnt seem to be) and wanted to make a point you had every opportunity to do so at the time.

In reply to pebbles: OK pebbles first of all calm down. You didnt explain to me that you'd clipped in to my anchor so as far as I could tell you were about to undo my carabiners. If you had explained that to me I would have understood. Secondly, you never apologised at any time. When I heard you talking about the incident as you were packing up, I came over to you to have a quick chat. Were you going to come and explain what actually happened before I got into my car? I didnt seem angry because I wasn't - and I dont see the point in ranting and raving - as I said to you at the time "there was no harm done". If you could put yourself in my position for a minute, how would you feel if you were half way up a solo top rope and you could hear someone fiddling with your anchor? You've explained it now, so clearly in this case I was wrong and you didnt make a stupid mistake, but you could have explained that to me at the time. I posted this because I'm interested in other peoples opinions. It just goes to show that there can be two totally different views of the same event.

In reply to munki1971:

LOL... Seems like that's all sorted

I once had some scrotes at Ilkley unhooking bits of my belay... to be honest it was a nice change from them throwing bottles and stones at us and somewhat easier to deal with.

jk

In reply to munki1971:

pure conjecture. she could have also been 'about to cut the rope / jump off / dig up the anchor / some other unlikely scenario'

sounds to me like you should have sorted it out at the time if you were aggrieved

In reply to jkarran: Yep. Glad its all cleared up! lol
Its always a nice way to start your Monday morning Now if I could just stop the sheep from nibbling at my slings....

In reply to rginns: Yeah you may be right - I suppose I could have asked here what it was she was doing exactly. As I said, I ony realised whe was there at first as I heard the the sound of a carabiner jangling around the anchor so I assumed it was mine. Assumptions are obviously a dangerous thing. ah well...

In reply to munki1971:
PMSL Witches quarry the home of UKC flame wars, anyone remember the massive row over someone belaying right out from the crag, ala the wall and someone said.......
anyroads that was witches as well.

In reply to J1234: Contenders ready....

In reply to J1234:

Witches and the Picnic wars, I remember that thread from last year too. The place is cursed...

In reply to munki1971: admittedly it's a worrying sound to hear on a shunt though...

ah well, great crag though Witches, even if the belaying is a little unnerving iirc (i.e. sat at the top tied into a ring...)

In reply to J1234:

If you ask me the whole thing just shows that we need to go back to traditional values and start burning witches again.

For too long we have tolerated their incessant cackling, unlicensed aerial vehicles, curses and internet flamewars. Something has to be done.

Burn a witch and stop the flames!

In reply to munki1971: I did apologise several times - I was mortified - and I did explain (that I wasnt unclipping) from the top, which is why I was baffled when I read your post, but I do understand how alarming it must have been and things can easily get lost in translation and the wind, specially when your heart is thumping! Still, I wish you had had a word at the bottom, because I didnt know you hadnt heard what I said in full, and wouldnt have wanted you to go away thinking I didnt give a %^&^%! Anyway, all sorted out now I hope. apologies again for alarming you.

In reply to munki1971 & pebbles:

Why don't you two go and have a beer to gether and sort it out ? a public slanging match helps noone.

In reply to munki1971: actually if I heard somebody jangling my anchor my first reaction would be to brick it as well. My panic button has a finer setting than my "i say old bean what exactly are you doing" button

In reply to GrahamD: we're not!! its sorted. sorry to dissappoint anyone pulling up armcahirs and cracking a tinny....

In reply to davidbeynon: Burning witches is a myth - they were mostly hanged. Besides, I saw a documentary once called "Buffy" or something similar which demonstrated that witches are actually hot cute chicks so I for one don't think we should burn them.

In reply to Steve Hill:

Two points:

1. Hanging is less fun.
2. Dead girls don't say no, although they would probably be a bit on the crispy side after the flambe treatment.

In reply to Steve Hill:

Buffy wasn't a witch. You should have paid more attention to the subtext of the plot (which is obviously all I would ever have watched it for).

In reply to pebbles: I genuinely didnt hear you Pebbles, so I must admit I was thinking that you weren't particularly bothered about what had happened - thanks for clarifying though and sorry for the misunderstanding. On a different note, I see you climbed Witchbane last night - how bad is the loose flake?

In reply to quadmyre: To true, but the show did feature witches.

In reply to munki1971: My two buddies, both with far more limestone experience than me thought it was fine as the previously very dodgy top part has now fallen off, I still didnt fancy pulling on it as you can still see a fracture line most of the way down but it would probably have been fine. SoI followed their advice and as far as possible stood on it but looked for other holds.

In reply to pebbles: I've heard a few people say it's looking dodgy - Its a route I've been meaning to climb for a while but leading up to HVS is pretty much at my limit and the thought of relying on that loose flake has been putting me off having a go at Witch Bane...

In reply to munki1971: I think what they have been referring to is probably the top of the block though, which definately had come off fairly recently, some time this winter I would imagine. My buddies, who have both been to the quarry before, were commenting that the route looked much better now that the dodgy bit had gone and they seemed fairly happy with what remained.

In reply to pebbles: Cheers Pebbles, I might try it next time then. I'm probably just over cautious as I saw someone fall off at Witches (I think they were climbing Crucible or threabouts) and their protection pulled off a big flake that just missed the belayer - the leader fell quite a way, and ended up upside down but otherwise OK - fair play to him as he didnt seem very shaken up by it. Gave me a fright and I was only watching!

In reply to pebbles:

If your'e NOT having a slanging match, go and start a lovy dovey thread somewhere else. This is a forum for pointless disagreements and miscommunication

In reply to GrahamD: LOL. You having a slow day Graham?

In reply to GrahamD: do you want the five minute argument or the ten minute argument?

In reply to munki1971: I was particularly taken by the little brass plaque I saw when I first arrived. Ooh, whats this? (peers closer) "in memory of X, who died climbing at this quarry." Ah. Lovely solid rock on the whole though, I was most impressed.

In reply to pebbles: I climb there a lot - it's only ten minutes from my house so when my usual partners let me down (fairly regularly!) or if the weather looks a bit too uncertain, its great for still getting something done. Nice routes and plenty to go at even when its quite busy. Midges can be a bit of a bugger at times though (but not as bad as Widdop - the midges there are relentless!)

In reply to munki1971: thats why we were there - drove all the way to malham, then the heavens opened. Witches Quarry was a last resort as being out of the hills we thought it might stay dry (and mostly it did). very different to our local limestone crags, peak scar and whitestonecliff, which (fond as we are of them) are notoriously loose

In reply to pebbles and munki1971:

Glad you both sorted this out - in public.

Thread closed.