day 10189: would you like a side of trust with those fries?
A lot of people don't understand why I'm having such a difficult time finding a climbing partner. You could climb with so-and-so or so-and-so's friend climbs, why not climb with her, etc etc. You could climb with just about anyone in the gym, just hook up with them and offer to be a belay slave, buy them beer, etc etc.
Not that easy.
You see, I have a little trust issue. When it comes to my life and my health, I don't care how well I know you. I don't even care if you're one of my closest friends. If I can't trust you with my life, there's no way I will climb with you.
Climbing is all about trusting your partner. No ifs, ands, or buts.
One of my friends was in a climbing accident this weekend. Hairline fracture on his vertebrae. Total time out from active lifestyles - 6 weeks. 6 weeks of no climbing, no kayaking, no snowboarding... ugh.
All because his belayer was inattentive, had too much slack in the rope, or had the gri-gri open so that the rope ran out. It doesn't matter. Fact is fact. She failed to catch him when he needed her most.
They're both lucky it wasn't worse.
3 comments:
Can you change your feeling from "tiny and insignificant" to "big and important" now? You're big and important to ME!!
k
I had a really mean professor in college who I later found out was a climber. Now there's someone I never would have trusted to be my climbing partner.
in hindsight, there's a lot of people i never should have climbed with either... friend or not. but then again, people you know on a professional level/school level may not show their inner self. just because he was mean in class would not necessarily mean that he was untrustworthy or safe. he could be that crusty old man on the mountain type with a heart of gold... like heidi's grandfather.
oy, i'm such a geek sometimes.
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