Don't Steal Draws

[marc_leclerc]

So I left 3 draws on the steep sport climb to the right of Neat and Cool with the intent to return the next day, unfortunately I got called in to work and had to come back a few days later. When I went back to try and send my draws were gone. I know Neat and Cool is an area that is often full of beginner climbers, but still everybody should know that stealing someone else's draws off of an obviously difficult project (5.13 sport route) is not cool. I removed the first draw, and one of the draws was a double length one that was obviously left there by someone working the line, not just forgotten. So this is a reminder that when someone leaves draws on a project, they belong to that person and are not yours to take home. Feel free to clip them and climb the route, but leave them just how you found them. If whoever took my draws is reading this, you can PM me to return them and I will forget about the whole thing.... or if you decide to keep them, climbing on stolen gear is bad karma!

Marc

[squamish climber]

Marc,

Too bad about your draws. I hope you get them back. How some people think it's okay to take draws from a climb beats me, if they think it's booty, they have a misconstrued idea of what booty is.

What happened to you reminded me of an extreme example of someone stealing draws at Smith. Take a look at this. This guy was caught red-handed.
[vimeo]http://www.vimeo.com/18267416[/vimeo]
http://www.vimeo.com/18267416

[thebigchin]

First let me say that I'm definitely NOT OK with jacking someone's gear.

Having said that... here's the thing. Neat and Cool wall is an extremely public wall in an area who's access is a bit sensitive. Given that, and the fact that its dead easy to rap and clean the route, my opinion is that it's not an ideal spot to leave fixed draws.

Tourists and residents see clusters of brightly coloured webbing hanging from the wall that looks a lot like trash. I feel that in order to promote good relations between climbers and residents, we should avoid leaving stuff on the side of that, and several other high visibility crags. Fixed draws are better hung on crags in the woods, or in spots where tourists don't hang out.

I hope you get your draws back.

[Optimally-Primed]

Tourists and residents see clusters of brightly coloured webbing hanging from the wall that looks a lot like trash.

I'm calling BS on that. What percentage of residents in Hospital Hill perceive draws as trash? My guess is less than 1%. Let's not make an access issue where none exists. Tension between residents of Hospital Hill and users of the Smoke Bluffs Park are close to nil (partly because they are largely one and the same persons).

I think Marc has every right to leave draws while working a project, and agree that whoever took them intentionally or unintentionally theft off with them.

[raingod]

I would think that one of the many novices who frequent the area assumed they were booty. What are obviously project draws to the more experienced may not be to the new. Especially when they are so easily removed.
So leave draws on hard routes if you must, but not out of laziness.
That being said I hope the person who took them realises the error of thair ways and returns them.
Ron

[slopr]

but still everybody should know that stealing someone else's draws off of an obviously difficult project (5.13 sport route) is not cool.

Is it cool to steal draws off a 5.11 route? I think this statement could be re-phrased to say that stealing draws off of anyone's project at any grade is not cool.

Hope you get your draws back. Maybe start a thread called "anyone top-rope neat and cool lately?" might get some leads there.

Either way i'm sure it wasn't the neighbors just out for their weekly rappel and clean of the colorful garbage on the cliffs

[marc_leclerc]

Is it cool to steal draws off a 5.11 route? I think this statement could be re-phrased to say that stealing draws off of anyone's project at any grade is not cool.

Sorry I meant that it was easy to tell that the route is difficult and a likely candidate for someone to leave draws on for working, more so than other routes at the same crag.... if there was fixed/pre placed gear all over 'Cornflakes' one might be more likely so assume that it was forgotten or an accident (but still shouldn't run off with it)

[hafilax]

It was either a gumby who had no idea of the concept of leaving project draws or an A$%^#@ who stole them knowingly. Either way I doubt posting this here will have any effect unless the gumby starts bragging at the gym about the booty he "found".

I wouldn't leave project draws at Neat and Cool. There is too much traffic which increases the odds of a gumby or an A$%^#@ spotting them and access is easy enough for a gumby to get them. I would like to think it was someone who didn't know any better.

[Dooley]

Person who sees the draws and knows the difference thinks "man that's a hard line that someone is projecting, good on 'em";
Someone who does'nt know or is an a$% thinks "sh*t dude, how did someone climb a sport line and leave draws. Mine now"

Sucks man. Not your fault that you left them, it is a climbing area. Hope you get them back and the person admits their mistake.

[slopr]

hey man! that was my fixed gear on cornflakes!