UKC

So, I thought I was the only one who looked at everyone I met to see if they might just possibly be a climber (and therefore someone I might like to talk to!!!! ) and then I found this:

http://thestonemind.com/2012/09/25/how-to-spot-a-climber-in-the-wild/

Just for fun, does anyone else have any give-away clues on how to spot a climber in the wild?

In reply to ClimberGirl:

I always find that the receding forehead, long arms and bleeding knuckles was a dead give away.......

In reply to ClimberGirl:

Here's a similar article put together from a thread on here.

http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=7326

See how many you can tick off!

In reply to ClimberGirl:


Clouds of chalk everywhere.

In reply to ClimberGirl:

When you go to a lecture on an outdoorsy or climbing subject you'll always see lots of people making sure everyone knows they are climbers by ostentatiously wearing a duvet jacket at normal temperatures and even indoors. But all the decent climbers or the old crag rats will be in grotty jumpers and jeans.
In a similar vein lots of people feel compelled to make sure everyone knows by walking up to the crag with massive loops of rope unnecessarily hanging out of their rucsac.

In reply to ClimberGirl:

Why are you in the market for one

Al

In reply to ClimberGirl:

Great article!
The pads of scar tissue from jamming are always a bit of a give away - plus the gnarly feet/toes.

In reply to Rog Wilko:


That's because their favourite sponsored alpinist has told them light is right and they've splashed out on a super expensive 20L alpine sac which, when full of a day's tradding gear (those hexes, double rack of cams and 20 quikdraws aren't small) doesn't have room for a rope.

In reply to ClimberGirl:

How can you tell if you are talking to a climber in the pub?

Cos they told you 0.1 seconds into the conversation.

Rings true for a few I know.

In reply to ClimberGirl:

Ooops, malicious content warning on that first link. Is my laptop just paranoid?

In reply to ClimberGirl:

How do you spot one in captivity?

...lifeless sunken eyes, a wasting away of the (usually left) arm, prolific UKC user. These poor souls should be re-homed in the wild where they belong.

In reply to ClimberGirl:


Their face.

I'll usually recognise them from the wall.

Pants / trousers are usually a good indication, much more so than jackets / coats, as non-climbers will wear warm jackets from outdoor labels but wouldn't buy their jeans / trousers from an outdoor shop. Many pants / trousers are very climbing specific, e.g. Moon, Prana, Black Diamond etc.

Technical backpacks are another give away.

In reply to ClimberGirl:

On the way to the climbing wall? Ikea bag.

Puts more value on washing hands after eating then before

In reply to ClimberGirl:

After four decades you develop climbdar.

In reply to ClimberGirl:

unusually long arms, constantly fondling walls or anything resembling a crimp (edges of tables etc.) , always finding things to do pull-ups on, and an upper back thats twice as wide as their waist! :P

In reply to ClimberGirl:

I was staying in Cornudella (the village below Siurana) last year and without speaking a word to anyone it was very obvious that around 50% of the population there were climbers. Amazing and they were such a contrast in appearance to the 'normal' villagers there.

The dirty duvet must be one of the most striking marks of identification. Then add a climbing rucksack or rope bag and its pretty much a dead cert.

In reply to Rog Wilko:


So what you are saying is, those with all the gear have no idea.

In reply to ClimberGirl:

Many years ago now, well after giving up ClimberGirl etc, I'd arranged to meet a couple of climbing friends on Lygon St in Carlton - a busy coffee strip here in Melbourne.
I wandered up one side and half way back down the other. Ahead of me - from a distant crowd of tables - an arm suddenly shot out and did a crimping motion. This was followed by a leg doing a heel hook. Nearly took a lady's eye out. 'Ah, there they are'.....
Easy-peasy, still spot 'em a mile away these days. I generally turn around or cross back over...
Cheers,
Andy P.

In reply to ClimberGirl:

in airports etc it's easy to spot those who are trying carry the most gear overseas within their baggage weight allowance. I also think people some how buy slightly different outdoors clothes and carry them differently if they actually go in the hills, as opposed to those who spent a grand on kit to visit Rydal Water and get a brew in Ambleside. It's hard to know why, you can just tell.

In reply to ClimberGirl:

They continually share each others best moves on their devices on the 100 meter walk in.

Don't be fooled if you see people doing this a mile from a road as real climbers don't own proper boots and don't like walking far.

In reply to Rog Wilko:

And similarly I saw in Hathersage at the weekend a group of about 6 people walking along the main road carrying large rucksacks (which looked empty) and pads and talking loudly and I thought they may have been climbing, then my suspicions were confirmed when I noticed that at least 4 of them also had all their rack on bandoliers carried over their shoulders, which did make me wonder why they bothered to bring the rucksacks!

In reply to ClimberGirl:

they tend to sport beanies and duvets whatever the weather and are generally tedious as f*ck.

In reply to ClimberGirl:

Some, mostly the variety that don't jangle like tubular bells in a breeze, develop a pronounced and distinctive slightly stooped, triangular physique with hams for forearms and sausage fingers. Many advertise it through what they buy, drive, wear and carry.

Plenty just blend in. Those can only be definitively categorised when observed in the wild.
jk

In reply to AP Melbourne:

Reminds me of an old friend who can often be seen in cafes etc "playing the flute". This consists of describing with his hands one of those dinky little sideways moves that involve having both hands on the same side at face level.

In reply to climber34neil:

The problem with duvets these days is that at a distance they look a bit like puffer jackets. I suppose you can get around this by choosing the duvet with the largest exterior maker's label.

In reply to ClimberGirl:

Back in the day anyone who had a new fangled fibre pile jkt was usually either a climber, caver or canoeist. Now just about everyone owns a fleece / outdoor jkt so its much harder to tell.

In reply to Chris H:
You have to look at the branding of the jacket...
North face - Never seen a rock face, most certainly not a climber
Berghaus / Jack wolfskin - Probably just a dog walker
Rab / Montane - Maybe a climber, or a Go outdoors enthusiast, further investiation required...
Alpkit / Patagonia etc - it's a sure bet they're a climber

In reply to BStar:


Slackers like Conrad Anker and Alex Honnold


Chris Bonington, Leo Houlding, Mick Fowler, Karen Darke ... Dog-walkers the lot of them.


Andy Cave, Greg Boswell


Patagonia? At those prices!

In reply to tony:

If you spot all of them people on your high street then you live in a great place!

In reply to BStar:

Did you forget the winky face or are you really such a snob?

In reply to Andy Hardy:
- Just for you

I did think this was a 'just for fun' post, nothing too serious.

In reply to BStar:



Never underestimate the stupidity of your audience

In reply to BStar:



Can I have one too? I do wear a NF duvet jacket, though in my defence I bought it about 15 years ago before they became fashionable.

In reply to BStar:

Nah - you have to look at whether it is covered in duct tape, mud or chalk.
Duct Tape => Outdoors and wear the jacket when climbing
Mud => Outdoors but the jacket ends up on the ground so probably bouldering
Chalk => Indoors


Alpkit => it's a fair bet they're a climber from Sheffield.
Arcteryx => may be a climber but it's a fair bet they're neither skint or from Sheffield.

Berghaus AND at least 20 years old => Munro Bagger.

In reply to ClimberGirl:

Muscular development in the upper forearms vs the rest of the arm; scratches on the fingernails; broader hand width caused by muscular development in the hand itself; refusal to get their damn round in.

In reply to AP Melbourne:

Andy, no-one in downtown Melbourne wearing pink ballet tights these days?

In reply to ClimberGirl:

Flying from Liverpool to Alicante....doesnt take much to spot the climbers on the plane :/

In reply to tom.fleming17:


I'm on the Manchester to Alicante flight this Saturday, will keep an eye out...

In reply to tony:


But I think all these people get the stuff free or even get paid to wear it so they don't count.


Yes, Patagonia and Arcteryx are an indication of depth of pocket rather than authenticity of climber.

In reply to tom_in_edinburgh:


In which case what does 28 year old Karrimor make me?

In reply to Robert Durran:

Normally you'd think so, but I picked up an Arcteryx jacket at the KMFF PlanetFear tent a couple of years ago for less than half price. I do feel very conspicuous when I'm in an environment where people are likely to know the full price of Arcteryx gear.
Then again, I'm not remotely authentic.

In reply to Robert Durran:



Nonsense. I wear plenty of Patagionia and Arcteryx and, errr, hang on a moment, err, well maybe you're right

In reply to ClimberGirl:

The only type of person to walk around with a blue IKEA bag when in no proximity to said store.

In reply to Willi Crater:

They were fashionable 15 years ago. Hell, when I bought my TNF Nuptse in 1995 it was by far the coolest item of clothing I owned. A bit grubby now but still going strong otherwise.

In reply to Robert Durran:



The Munro bagger I was thinking of with the 20 year old Berghaus Goretex carries a Karrimor rucksack of similar vintage....... Add in old style Scarpa Manta's and it would be at 98% confidence.

In reply to ClimberGirl:

Constantly massaging a sore spot in the elbow with the thumb.
False tell: cellists who've been attempting too many Celtic reels.

In reply to DerwentDiluted:




Conversation between two characters on the piss in Sheffield in the 80s.

Aussie one (a long way into the conversation), "... and I've just got into climbing. It's brilliant! Do you do any?"

English one, "Well, a little bit..."

He was only the world champ!

Mick

In reply to BStar:






I'm a dog walker, just that I also climb and those dog walks used to take in several hills, an overnight camp and sometimes a scramble (but I wear my Outdoors Research jacket most often)

In reply to Robert Durran:

Wet, I'd imagine

In reply to ClimberGirl:

On train now. Guy with a beard, TNF proper hardshell jacket and approach shoes / trainers.

Climber??

In reply to Flinticus:



No. He'd be in an Octavia. Trains are for pussies.

In reply to BnB:

He had a backpack, Snugpak, so definitely a false lead.

In reply to Chris H:


When I started climbing I could never work out why all the climbers dressed like fork lift drivers...

In reply to Flinticus:

approach shoes


approach shoes are becoming common on anyone who occasionally jogs a few yards. You need to make sure they're filthy and knackered before making any assumptions.

In reply to ClimberGirl:

On a rainy day in Mallorca at a water park (obvious rest day activity), I worked out that everyone else in the hot tub were climbers because they were all carefully inspecting the skin on their fingertips.

In reply to CharlieMack:


No. Sea kayakers do that too.

I was amazed when taking up kayaking recently that the trad vs sport and bouldering split is replicated almost exactly parallel to sea kayaking vs whitewater and playboating (putting someone in one category or the other considering clothing styles, age, outlook, athleticism, beardiness, favoured drinks and music, etc etc). You can work out what kind of kayak someone owns by working out what sort of climber they would be if they climbed.

In reply to ClimberGirl:

Plastic climbers r easy 2 spot. Bright orange e9 trouserz.

Old school climbers jus look like dirtbags/hippy/alternative typez innit.

I wear tracky bottomz n look like a chav dere to steal ur kit.

In reply to faffergotgunz:


Ouch! That's me put in my place...

Mick

In reply to ClimberGirl:

When they start doing drop-knees to pick things up from the floor! (I'm guilty of that one lol)