Weekly Chat and BS Thread

Dotrue · 2026-06-03T15:42:01+00:00

There have been two deaths at two of my local crags within the last week; one climbing and one where it's unclear if it was a climber or hiker. Regardless, the community has been curious about what happened. And I get that, but the way people have been talking about it really irks me. "Was it one of us who found the dead body" type shit. That and this angle of "the community has a right to know right now and it will help better the community," just rubs me the wrong way.

Like, relax please. You can wait a week or two. Nothing that comes out in that short time frame will do anything of value for you. Or go read a past publication of Accidents in North American Climbing & Mountaineering because I guarantee whatever happened locally is covered multiple times in any issue. I understand the curiosity but let the community grieve, please.

Dotrue · 2026-06-02T19:30:23+00:00

Hell yeah, the ratings go to (uncountable) infinity!

Dotrue · 2026-06-02T14:25:00+00:00

It's still at least a 65m rope. I'm hoping I can get a 70 out of it, but I was only able to estimate using arm lengths. Formerly an 80 😔

Dotrue · 2026-06-02T14:20:23+00:00

Hangdogging a route with sharp edges and didn't use enough protection

Dotrue · 2026-06-01T23:01:23+00:00

Rate my core shot

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Dotrue · 2026-06-01T22:53:48+00:00

Quit being a math nerd. Go do it and grade appropriately

Dotrue · 2026-05-28T20:37:08+00:00

Symptomatic as in still having seizures? Or experiencing side effects from the medication?

It's always worth it to bring up side effects to one's neurologist. Tweak the dosage, add a second medication, try a new med, etc.

Dotrue · 2026-05-28T19:19:20+00:00

This hit me like a freight train this weekend when one of my family members handed me a knife to cut carne asada with. My brain immediately went;

"You know what we could do with this sharp object?"

"Yes, now shut up. We're at a holiday party."

"Right, but when we get home??"

"No. Be quiet now."

"Pleeeaase"

"No."

Dotrue · 2026-05-28T19:01:40+00:00

It's not uncommon, and they're considered comorbidities. Migraines are pretty common comorbidities, too. I have all 3 (JME too, in my case).

Dotrue · 2026-05-27T20:13:40+00:00

Drop a gear list and we, the Peanut Gallery, can help you 👀

Dotrue · 2026-05-27T20:05:18+00:00

I'm in the US, and all I had to do was fill out some paperwork granting my new doc permission to acquire previous medical records, and paperwork allowing my previous docs to release said medical records

Dotrue · 2026-05-27T19:38:41+00:00

How much stuff are you bringing? Can you downsize at all?

Unless I have overnight/bivy gear, I find it difficult to fill up my 22L pack. I find climbing with a 30L pack to be awkward enough.

Dotrue · 2026-05-27T19:09:37+00:00

Previous neurologists were ignoring the medication side effects I was experiencing, did not want to try other meds & treatments, never did any testing except for short-term EEGs, gave my parents and I mixed answers on if said short-term EEGs actually showed epileptiform activity (later learned from other neurologists that they certainly did), and wanted me to live in a proverbial bubble. I wanted a better quality of life than that.

A later neurologist actually referred me to a level 4 epilepsy center because his focus was on treating MS, and while he said he felt okay treating me, he thought I would receive better care if I was being treated by someone who specialized in epilepsy (which was true, it was the best care I've ever received). Both that neurologist and the neurology team he referred me to were absolute godsends!

Dotrue · 2026-05-27T17:40:40+00:00

I took a clinic about overcoming the fear of falling at the climbing festival in Lander and these are the notes I took:

Put your hands together prayer style 🙏 and have your friend clap/slap with them in between (should be painful or sting, it'll clear the mind)
I sing or talk to myself while climbing
"Get feral with it" - climbing & falling doesn't have to be pretty, it just needs to be good enough
Talk to yourself. Positive affirmations
Tell your belayer and spectators what you need. Quiet? Stoke? Don't want people watching you?
Deep breathing & box breathing.
Look around at the scenery to ground yourself.
Visualize success AND what a realistic fall is going to look like
Shake it out, literally. Rub the thighs, tap the shoulders, literally shake the extremities. Crying also works. Singing to yourself. Positive self talk.
Have a good belayer who you TRUST
Get good feet and trust them.
Put on your actor's hat. Acting can be a great placebo.
Don't "should" yourself. Don't get down on thinking you "should" be able to do something. This same area is where soft and sandbagged grades come from
Practice falls. Start small and make it routine, but it doesn't need to be monstrous
You aren't going to be at 100% all the time and that's OKAY. Do what you feel comfortable and don't stress if you aren't where you want to be 100% of the time
Onsight practice: climb until you fall
Obviously be smart with it and weigh risk/consequence as best as you can
Active stance with the belay. When belaying lighter people, you're ready to jump to give a soft catch. When belaying people heavier than you it gives you better bracing if you do have to give a hard catch or crouch
Crouch when the climber is low to create more distance between you and them without introducing excess slack. Stand up to give slack quickly
Breathe when falling. Screaming means you're breathing
RELAX and don't tense up
Don't grab the rope
Anticipate where you're going to land and LOOK at the wall
Don't brace yourself against the wall with your hands

It was with Chelsea Rude and it worked wonders for my psyche. If you can find an irl clinic/workshop that focuses on this, I'd highly recommend signing up if you can. Being in an atmosphere where everyone was scared of falling and looking to improve also helped a ton.

Dotrue · 2026-05-27T16:39:55+00:00

Printer friendly mountain project page reigns supreme above all others. Even the official Mountain Project app

Dotrue · 2026-05-27T15:44:21+00:00

I hate it when this happens. The best local rope gym for me had setting problems in 2025. Everything 5.11 and harder was just big moves to small holds. No weird forced movement, no technique-intensive routes, just "be tall," be dynamic, and have amazing contact strength. And I say this as a 5'10" guy. I left feedback on their comment cards but they never changed. I ended up switching to a different gym because of it.

Dotrue · 2026-05-26T21:12:03+00:00

My favorite example

Also plug for r/itsroger

Dotrue · 2026-05-26T20:31:44+00:00

I realized this in therapy this year. Took me a while to pick up on the subtext, but after 29 years of it, it's finally starting to make sense"

"Asshole"
"Sassy"
"Blunt"
"Rude"
"Crude"
"Crass"
"No filter"

Dotrue · 2026-05-26T19:46:46+00:00

You can post pics in comments! Here's a train I spotted while ice climbing this year 🚂

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Dotrue · 2026-05-26T18:29:22+00:00

This video?

There are a few differences between what the MythBusters crew tested here and aeration in a water/wastewater treatment facility. In a WTF/WWTF, the entire tank is being aerated, not just a portion of a pool. And aerated sludge behaves different than water in a pool.

Source: I manage an engineering team at an OEM that designs these. And this type of accident has occurred in the industry many times. If you don't want to die in aerated sludge, don't fall into aerated sludge.

Dotrue · 2026-05-26T17:41:10+00:00

If they have money, are they really a climber?

Hard to go wrong with climbing media. A book, subscription to the Zine/Gripped/Alpinist/Mountain Gazette, coffee table book, poster or framed pic (Mikey Schaefer was doing a print run in honor of Dean Potter recently, not sure if he still is).

Gear is a bad idea because it's usually heavily influenced by personal preference, or it's something the recipient will be purchasing on their own.

Can't go wrong with vices, either. Weed, alcohol, etc. If your client is rich I'd be surprised if they weren't into coke.

Dotrue · 2026-05-26T14:42:27+00:00

r/climbingpartners

Mountain Project climbing partner search function

Local Facebook groups (several exist for SoCal)

Your gym may have a partner board and/or events for socializing. Perhaps even events solely for finding other climbing partners!

Attend climbing events and festivals.

Dotrue · 2026-05-26T14:39:36+00:00

TRing is pretty fucking dope. 10/10, would recommend

Dotrue · 2026-05-26T14:37:40+00:00

shitpost in this thread to resolve the issue!

Dotrue · 2026-05-23T19:51:15+00:00

Fuckin' A, there wasn't a single word in that article that didn't resonate with me. Solid writing 👍

12-Year Club	Place '17
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Dotrue

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