If competency is what generally leads to complacency, then I wonder how much false competency we tend to think we have as climbers?
With regards to the physical aspect, I think it's somewhat easy to gauge one's competence, as the proof is clear while performing the required gymnastics or physical effort to get up a wall/mountain.
But when it comes to the technical aspect, the knowledge required to safely operate in the mountains/vertical world, my guess is that there's a good amount of cognitive bias (Dunning–Kruger effect), by which many climbers overestimate themselves, thus leading to complacency more often.
Thinking more specifically about climbing and minimising risks, I often wonder whether screw gates have had their day. I'm not sure the answer is twist locks either, being fiddly/slow with gloves on - but something that is equally light and has an automatic function, and maybe a colour indicator on the gate to highlight when it's not locked/shut properly. There's definitely more room for innovation here.
I don’t think screwgates kill climbers, I think climbers kill climbers (and blame thier gear afterwards). But I am a big fan of double or tripple twist locks.
The Grivel dual gate carabiners are an interesting method for having an automatically locking gate mechanism (or something very similar). I haven’t spent any real time using them yet, so I don’t have any personal experience to judge them by at this point (aside from just playing with them to familiarize myself and get the muscle memory for how they are attached and detached). One design issue seems to be the fact that the nose of the carabiner can get really bulky or thick in a hurry which could prove to be an issue. Also I’m unclear on whether a pair of solid gates, a pair of wire gates, or one of each is best…or if there is a definitive answer to that.
This resonates a lot with what I've heard/read about complacency in other professions, specifically when someone reaches circa 10,000hours of practice in that profession they become competent, confident, and finally complacent. Subsequently creating the condition for a serious mistake. Only really combated by honest and direct feedback, and/or periodic retraining, both of which seem very rare in personal climbing.
Thanks, Andy. Really great examples that show how crucial it is to keep the basic stuff at the front of your awareness. I really like having the “beginner” knot/device check as part of the ritual. Even if I’m just muttering to myself as the last person on rap, I don’t let myself skip it. It’s saved my ass on more than one occasion.
And just thanks in general for writing these articles; they’re always a pleasure to read, and give me an opportunity to think and learn.
If competency is what generally leads to complacency, then I wonder how much false competency we tend to think we have as climbers?
With regards to the physical aspect, I think it's somewhat easy to gauge one's competence, as the proof is clear while performing the required gymnastics or physical effort to get up a wall/mountain.
But when it comes to the technical aspect, the knowledge required to safely operate in the mountains/vertical world, my guess is that there's a good amount of cognitive bias (Dunning–Kruger effect), by which many climbers overestimate themselves, thus leading to complacency more often.
Thinking more specifically about climbing and minimising risks, I often wonder whether screw gates have had their day. I'm not sure the answer is twist locks either, being fiddly/slow with gloves on - but something that is equally light and has an automatic function, and maybe a colour indicator on the gate to highlight when it's not locked/shut properly. There's definitely more room for innovation here.
I don’t think screwgates kill climbers, I think climbers kill climbers (and blame thier gear afterwards). But I am a big fan of double or tripple twist locks.
The Grivel dual gate carabiners are an interesting method for having an automatically locking gate mechanism (or something very similar). I haven’t spent any real time using them yet, so I don’t have any personal experience to judge them by at this point (aside from just playing with them to familiarize myself and get the muscle memory for how they are attached and detached). One design issue seems to be the fact that the nose of the carabiner can get really bulky or thick in a hurry which could prove to be an issue. Also I’m unclear on whether a pair of solid gates, a pair of wire gates, or one of each is best…or if there is a definitive answer to that.
Yes, I’ve got all sorts of gate styles (including some original Rock Exotica double wire gates), and not sure if any one is better than the other.
This resonates a lot with what I've heard/read about complacency in other professions, specifically when someone reaches circa 10,000hours of practice in that profession they become competent, confident, and finally complacent. Subsequently creating the condition for a serious mistake. Only really combated by honest and direct feedback, and/or periodic retraining, both of which seem very rare in personal climbing.
Thanks, Andy. Really great examples that show how crucial it is to keep the basic stuff at the front of your awareness. I really like having the “beginner” knot/device check as part of the ritual. Even if I’m just muttering to myself as the last person on rap, I don’t let myself skip it. It’s saved my ass on more than one occasion.
And just thanks in general for writing these articles; they’re always a pleasure to read, and give me an opportunity to think and learn.
Fantastic and important. Thanks Andy 👌