Hey everybody,

I hope your new year is off to a great start. I'm the organizer of the Bay Area Rock Climbing Meetup, and thought I'd start the year by checking in with everyone.

You may have noticed that I have a pretty low-key, laid back approach to being the main organizer for the Meetup. One of my new year resolutions is to stay a little more connected to the Meetup, so I thought I'd put down a few thoughts in an email to everyone.  My hope though,  is that the people in the Meetup will do more to define what this Meetup is all about than I do. 

To that end, I'd love to hear from you, to hear what you'd like to see in our Meetup. Drop me a line any time with any ideas you have. I'm happy to hear them. Let me know if you want to be more involved in the Meetup, too!

I'm also very happy to answer anyone's questions about the technical and safety aspects of climbing.  I want to see 2014 be a very safe year for rock climbers in the bay area. I've been guiding rock climbing trips in the bay area for the last 17 years or so. I've seen the sport develop, new techniques emerge, and I love to see climbers, especially new climbers engage in discussions about building anchors, self-rescue techniques, and rope management. If you have a question, chances are there are a bunch of other people who are asking the same question. Speak up! Start a discussion, or send me an email. I'm happy to give you my 2¢. If we are having a discussion on safety, the whole community will benefit. 

I am encouraged to see how recreational climbers have steadily improved their safety over the years. I used to see really dangerous anchors every time I went to Cragmont or Castle Rock. Now it's only once a month or so that I see really scary stuff. The scariest part of seeing bad anchors, or bad techniques is that there is always an "expert friend" who thinks they know how to be safe, and there are several "trusting friends" who are blindly trusting their expert friend. The "expert" always has a clue about what to do, and believes he/she is doing the right thing. The expert also can explain to his/her friends how or why what they are doing is correct. Just last week I saw someone building an anchor using an American Death Triangle. Yep, it's bad. He was able to explain to his younger friend how it was a good anchor, in spite of the fact that it is very bad. They would have climbed on it, and continued to use it, neither knowing how unsafe it is. The younger friend would have gone home thinking he now knew how to set up an anchor. That's the part that scares me. I hate to see people teaching unsafe techniques, or even OK techniques that were used 15 years ago, but have been shelved since then. 

It's probably a good time/place to remind everyone that Meetup event organizers aren't climbing guides. Meetup organizers are climbers, bringing random climbers together to go on a climbing trip. They may know what they are doing, they may not. They may have first aid training, they may not. They may offer instruction, or provide gear, but they very specifically are not assuming any liability or responsibility for your safety on a climbing day. Organizers are participants, just like anyone else on a trip. They are there to climb, to have fun.  

If you want someone to manage your safety on a climbing day, you should hire a guide (I know a few good ones!) The difference between a Meetup trip and a guided trip is noticeable. When I'm guiding a climbing day, I'm there for the client experience, not for my climbing. I'm managing the risks. I'm making sure everyone is wearing helmets. I make sure everyone is tied in correctly. I build each anchor. I know how to manage difficult situations, like hair caught in a belay device, or a climber who is freaked out halfway up a climb.  I typically have hands on each belay rope, or have the belays backed up. I have liability insurance. I have everyone sign a release. I have a first aid kit, I am a Wilderness First Responder. I maintain a maximum climber to guide ratio of 6 to 1. I am an AMGA SPI. I'm not working on my project climb around the corner from where my clients are climbing. My clients expect that I am there for them, and I am. 

My point is not to sell my guided trips, but to point out the difference between a guided trip and a Meetup trip. Meetup trips are climbers going climbing. They are fun and social. It's a great way to meet new climbing partners, and have some great adventures. I'd expect that everyone on a Meetup trip cares about safety, but you have to be responsible for your own safety. Remember that every time you tie into a rope it's a very personal decision. A decision that could have serious consequences. Don't make that decision lightly.

There are many ways to gain the knowledge that will help you make your own decisions while climbing. Experienced mentors, Climbing books, Hiring a guide, taking a commercial class, tips from magazines, some of the videos on Youtube, (but some are bad). I'd recommend learning, then challenging what you learn. Ask a lot of questions. Ask your partners what they are doing, or why they are doing it a particular way, or why it's different than what you learned elsewhere.  If your partners are put off by your questions, I'd suggest finding new partners. Be open to questions from others at the crags. Be open to new ideas, but also be skeptical.  I am. I love it when someone tells me, "I think there's a better way for you to do that", then shows me something new. I'll look at it, study it, question it, and if it passes, I'll use it. 

The main point is that we all have things to learn, and we can all make climbing, and the bay area climbing community safer. 

I am teaching an anchor class tomorrow at Cragmont, with a few spots available, if you want to pick up the knowledge to create anchors, or just to be able to critique other's anchors.  It wasn't my intention for this email to be a commercial for my anchor class. (if it were, I would have written this on Monday, not Friday night), but if you are free tomorrow and interested, here's a link to the class: Outdoor Adventure Club Gear and Anchor Class

Regardless of how or where we learn our safety skills, let's make 2014 a great year for bay area climbing.  If you have any questions, thoughts or ideas for the Meetup, send me an email. 

See you on the rock...unless it's snowing!

Richard Bothwell

Program Director, Guide, 

AMGA SPI

AIARE Level 1 and 2 Avalanche Educator & 

CFO (Chief Fun Officer)
Outdoor Adventure Club

"Go ahead, check us out...you're on the clock!"

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