In reply to Ava Adore:
> (In reply to Ben Sharp)
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> Don't you check your partner's tying in?
No, not unless it's someone I think may be inexperienced or possibly if it's someone I haven't climbed with before. Even then I don't buddy check it, I just look at it. Sorry if that's not American enough for everyone! (joke)
I don't want to sound complacent but I just can't see how I would ever leave the ground with a f*cked up fig 8, it's impossible to tie incorrectly and my harness only has one power point loop. It's something I couldn't bare to leave the ground without double checking. Even when you're setting off on a new pitch and haven't actually freshly tied in, it's automatic to pull your ropes, look at your knot, check your belayer isn't having a sandwich etc.
I wouldn't be offended if someone wanted to check my knot, but if they said "buddy check time" and then started grappling around my crotch I'd think they maybe had other intentions. Why not just inconspicuously look? The same way everyone automatically glances at their partners belay plate before they set off, we don't need to blow up the balloons and dance around singing "buddy check time" for that, so why for tying in?
There's dozens of things you should be observing when you're out climbing, you can't buddy check them all. You hope you're partner would be observant enough to notice you straying onto a suspect slope while you're engrossed following a bearing, or to notice you're ropes aren't running straight, to let you know that flake is actually detached, that you've got a bit of mud on the sole of your shoe, that you've not done your helmet buckle up (done that one!), your gaiter strap is dangling down etc. There's plenty chance to check these things without making a big song and dance about it and if you have good climbing partners they'll hopefully be on the lookout for any of your many possible f*ck ups, tying in is the least of everyones worries and doesn't warrant a special buddy check.