UKC

Been meaning to check people's opinions on this for a while and since someone brought up the subject in the Bros hydrathread...

If I'm at the Depot, or indeed any other bouldering wall, I always work on the basis: Anyone that is at a problem when I arrive has priority over me whether they have had an attempt or not.

Once each of those people has had a go, then it's whoever else has arrived first, then the other new arrivals, then back to the faller whose attempt was the earliest.

If someone else arrives just before my attempt then they get their first go before I get my second.

Anyway  crap explanation, but you get the gist.  Is that what y'all think or do you reckon new arrivals should butt out till the original people have completed/ lost interest?

I think that's fair and, provided you're not just standing shyly away from the wall, is always what I've had happen.

Just look at them and see if they give a vague nod or not?

For them to lose all interest and wander off might take a while. I know I sadly look at things for a while before deciding plan b.

I reckon it depends how confident you're feeling with nosing your way in or asking you can grab a go.

I know there's times where (for instance) I'm smashing around on the reds and if a group is sieging the next one along I don't mind jumping and asking if they mind me having a go. If it's Purples or above, which know I rarely flash and find hard, I do tend to either wander off and never return or wander back when they've moved on!!

I would say 99.9% of the time everyone I have ever met at a wall is perfectly pleasant and will welcome you in and offer encouragement etc. The one and only time was somebody helping themselves to my chalk bucket (if asked I don't care, it's only chalk) and when I pointed out it was mine he got very aggressive. very amusing!!

I can be terrible at judging books by their covers and am always proved wrong, get involved

If I understand you correctly, then yep, sounds about right.  If I'm climbing with a group and we're on our second go around on a problem, a 'new arrival' will generally be invited to jump on and try it when we've all had our second go but before any of us has a third go.  (If that makes sense.)

There's no real need for a hard & fast rule if people are communicating and nobody is being a dick though.  And if someone is in a rush I don't think any of us would mind them breezing through straight away.  (Maybe they're nipping round flashing a whole circuit or something.) 

Bouldering is supposed to be sociable after all, if you want to get hung up on whose turn it is it's probably better to stick to climbing on a rope.

Incidentally, if someone is standing shyly back (not too far back), I like to think we'd spot that most of the time and invite them to come and take their turn.

Lots of new arrivals is too many though - possibly a sign that the wall's too crowded and it's time to knock it off.  FWIW, I think if you're climbing in a group and another group is on a problem, it's best to do something else until the other group moves on.  (And if there's nothing else available, same again - the place is too crowded.)

I wouldn't worry too much about the order tbh. Some people will take longer rests than others anyway, people will come and go, keeping track of it all is surely the road to madness. I think just adopting attitude of always giving way to others usually works.  That way you can have one of those amusingly awkward and terribly British exchanges along the lines of "After you", "No After You", "I insist", etc etc, repeat n times  From this jousting match, along with some non-verbals and a little dance, a victor usually eventually emerges without insult or injury.

I think we need more rules, strict ones, heavily enforced and uniforms including not too loose or too tight shirts and disinfection stations on entry to keep it all smelling clean.

No swears,no screams, no sweat. No laughing , no smiling, no fun.

It’s easy to overthink this. In practice, common sense applies and each situation will be different. The first climber might be having rests anyway. Or they might have a few attempts in a row at the first few moves before resting. Unlikely they will jump straight back on to do a problem where they’re falling off towards the top, unless it’s easy and quick to get there. So in most cases there will be a natural gap after a not too long period of time. You could also ask for a go. Or just go climb something else… Not something to be stressed about. 

In the end it just comes down to "don't be an arse".

If someone looks like they might want a go at a problem your group is standing round, invite them to have a go.

If you think going shirtless might intimidate, put a shirt on.

Etc.

Oh no. Are there really people struggling with 'taking turns'?

Communication!  "Do you mind if i have a go when there's a gap?"

Most won't care either way, some will be happy as it's more rest, the local wall @r$e isn't likely climbing in a social group anyway.