Climers' Worst Enemy

[Charlie]

Climber's worst own enemy is themselves. It is unbelievable that a select few fight hard for the rights of climbers to just have climbers screw it all up.

I was out at Chek today and saw garbage and filth laying about where there some campers had been, and I am not talking about that Gary guy who lived up there last year. (BTW, he cleared his stuff out today.)

Lots of people have worked bloody hard to clean up our crags and add some great things. Regardless if climbers made the mess, we will get blamed as the majority users.

I am ranting, but as someone who tries when I can to add to the quality of the climbing at my favourite crags, it is frustrating to see the messes that get left behind.

[dakine]

I totally agree Charlie!! On my way out of Chek yesterday I picked up a duty free plastic bag two pop cans and a few various wrappers .... sad to see ppl Sh*t where they play...

[MCpl]

My firend was able to collect 2 plastic bags full of trash yesterday.

[Charlie]

Anything we can do to maintain our climbing areas the better. We walk a fine line as a user group as we do not throw around enough money to get a big say in matters.

For the Chek area, I would hate to annoy the holder of the FSR permit as they could easily deny us access up the road.

[Steve Townshend]

two points:

1 - Gary is a cool guy and he apologized for leaving that mess (which he cleaned up now), when he left for the winter there was already too much snow and he wasn't able to get back in until recently to clean it up). he did lots of work at Chek while he was staying there (including bringing in a porta-pottie that he paid for). he cleaned garbage, worked on trails, tried to fix the road on a regular basis (which gets WAY worse when people drive up it SLOWLY.... go up it FAST with momentum, if you go slow and your tires spin it makes it SOOOOOO MUCH worse!!! stay on the left side at the bad part so your left wheel goes over the bare rock.... you won't bottom out. i don't in my Toyota Yaris and neither does Scott Milton in his beat-up piece of Sh*t, haha, no offence Scott).

2 - PLEASE don't sh*t near the climbing in Chek. please please either hold it (till you go home), or use the washroom in lower parkinglot, or walk FAAAAAAAR away from the climbing and BURY YOUR sh*t! under big rocks and dirt, and burn or walk-out your toilet paper.

it sucks that i can't let my dog off leash there because he searches for sh*t and eats it! it's so nasty and it's not his fault (he's a dog).... people just need to be more responsible and not make the place nasty for everybody else!

(i agree about the garbage issue too.... thanks for picking stuff up to everybody who has/does/will in the future!)

Have fun climbing
STEVE

PS. i've seen areas DESTROYED by sh*t at the crag... ie. El Salto in Mexico!!!!!

[Clive kessler]

As Marty said last Sunday we took out two bags of garbage. It consisted mostly of beer cans. I am not sure that it was climbers who left the mess cause when we were up there we saw at least two groups of people that were not climbers camping.

As for people shitting across from the forgotten wall; it needs to stop! I agree with Steve's comments and I am to the point where I may bring up a chainsaw and "trim" every lower branch across from the forgetten wall to take away any potential shitter's privacy.

That being said is there a Chek clean up day schedule?

If not maybe we should make one.

[Charlie]

Part of any clean up should be repairs to the toilet in the lower parking lot. If it was not in a total state of disrepair, maybe people would be inclined to use it.

[enchanted]

No offense, Steve, but your sh*t eating dog shouldn't be off the leash at the crag, nor should non sh*t eating dogs. I'm sick of unleashed dogs stealing stuff out of packs and pissing people off. A friend just had a dog piss on his pack up there the other day. You make the comment that people shouldn't sh*t around the crag, how about your dog? Since he's off leash and you're climbingI'm sure you're not following him around with a bag to pick up his sh*t. I agree that people should practice proper sh*t in the woods procedures but you should leash your dog while you climb. Same goes for the boulders. Did you know parks is thinking of banning dogs in the park during the summer season because people aren't considerate enough to obey the leash rules?

[Clive kessler]

Enchanted,

Your comments directly support the point of this thread; Climbers are there own worst emenies.

You are right... There are many dirt bag climbers that don't think of others. From littering to letting their dogs run wild.

[climbus]

People and their dogs are a pain in the a$% almost everywhere nowadays. They think that dogs have the right to roam free and sh*t everywhere and hassle people. It is time they were banned on any of the provincial park land around the Chief and everywhere for that matter(I can only dream). I am going to start a petition to ban dogs on provincial park land around the Chief. The banning of dogs up to Garibaldi Lake has worked so well so let's expand.

[enchanted]

For sure, Clive! Many people don't realize that our actions at the crag, the little, mistakes we make, when compounded are no longer little mistakes. Landowners and managers take action quickly if they feel their generosity is being taken for granted. We threaten our access every time we use the crags. We have to be diligent even if it's someone else who makes the mess. The landowners and managers won't be sorting out who did it, they'll just look at who the major user group is and make a judgement.

All this said, it sure would be good to have a few more people out a trail days, clean-ups and projects. [sigh] Always the same faces and not that many of us when you consider how many people are out there using the resources. It really isn't a big commitment to pitch-in a few hours, it's actually kind of fun and usually there's some good swag if good karma doesn't do it for you.

Sorry Steve, my rant wasn't directed at you specifically, your comments just touched a spot that's been tender for a while.

[dakine]

After we ban dogs let's ban smokers they are always dropping their butts at the craig.. and then lets ban anyone that drives a honda... or better yet let's ban orange ropes man i hate those orange ropes....

Banning doesn't solve anything it only deflects the problem. In the areas I've climbed in the two legged animals are much more of an issue then the four legged ones.

Yes I agree you need to have your dogs (and Kids) under control at the craig and clean up after them. The talk of banning anything or anyone pisses me off!! it's about as closed minded as you can get.

Personally if i have an issue with someone (or their dog) I tell them up front and deal with the problem on the spot. Overall in the 8 yrs I've been climbing locally I've yet to have an issue with a dog at the craig.

[Tenn]

I'd help out with a trail day.

[Axel]

More dogs, less people!

[MCpl]

Less complaining, more smacking upside the heads.