Random thoughts

Horror Story from the Climbing Gym

So last night, I was innocently wrapping up my climbing session by doing a couple of top-rope climbs with my friend Mike. He's a kooky guy, and there's a lot to be said about the way people at the gym see him, but he hasn't done anything wrong to me so I've always tried to be nice.

At least he hadn't done anything wrong to me.

Mike is stocky, and normally when belaying him I would clip in to make sure I don't get pulled off the ground too much. But I've been practicing belaying without an anchor and I've done pretty well with Marc, so I never even thought of anchoring myself in this time.

I suppose I put him in a playful mood because he was going to try a 5.7 climb, and I was incredulous.

Me: Get off that climb.
Mike: Why? I want to do a 5.7!
Me: You can boulder V5s and V6s, what the hell are you doing on a 5.7? Get off that climb or I'm not belaying you.
Mike: But....
Me (pointing): There's a 5.10a, try that one.
Mike: .......
Me: Let's go, come on.

So Mike scampered up the 5.10a and reached the top. I pulled down hard on the rope to almost a sitting position and started lowering him slowly. His weight started bringing me up a bit and I was struggling to let him down faster so that I would stay on the ground.

Mike saw my disadvantage though and hatched a weirdly dangerous idea that could have potentially gotten us kicked out of the climbing gym. He grabbed my end of the rope, and started pulling it up more, causing me to be lifted up. Then he put all his weight on his own end of the rope so there I went, higher and higher, too stunned to believe someone could actually think this was fun.

I was 3/4 up the wall before I stopped. Mike had both feet on the ground, casually grinning up at me.

Me: What the hell did you do?

I started rappelling down but got a little freaked out so I climbed down instead. Mike in the meantime thought it would be such a clever idea to call out to Tad, one of the route setters in the gym.

Mike (gleefully): Tad! Look!
Me: Mike!
Tad: Cathy! What the hell are you doing?
Me: Mike did it!
Tad (and of course he was shouting this): You could get kicked out of the gym for that!

I finally got down safely, turned to Mike and said, "Don't you ever, ever do that again!"

And of course he just laughed. I'll get you next time, Mike!

posted by Cathy at 4:58 PM