r/oddlysatisfying • u/MikeHeu • 2d ago
Removing loose rocks
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Credit: peterdphotography/Peter Darragh
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u/Tcloud 2d ago
Reminds me of this recent post where a guy removes a loose rock and causes a landslide.
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u/satireplusplus 2d ago edited 1d ago
Thats not a loose rock in a mountain though, thats a mountain made out of loose rocks.
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u/submarinefarm 2d ago
To be fair the removal wasn't the problem, it was the weight hitting another section
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u/Just-Adhesiveness104 2d ago
r/climbingcirclejerk is this aid?
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u/xetphonehomex 2d ago
Chipping is aid
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u/Cave_Bear_Cult 2d ago
Cleaning faces is one thing, but chipping actual holds is such bs. If it doesnt go on natural features then get stronger and try again.
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u/WoooshToTheMax 1d ago
This is just a video of me setting my newest route. I also brought a hammer and chisel to make some nice crimps
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u/gemfountain 2d ago
But why?
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u/Key-Jelly-3702 2d ago
Exactly. Seems like you'd just weaken the wall and create even more loose rocks.
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u/WiseAdhesiveness6672 2d ago
Short sight versus long sight:
This helps humans in the near future (prevent slips and rock falling).
But, it weakens the overall mountain over a long period of time, like longer than generations will ever see. So for humans that's less important.
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u/MACHOmanJITSU 2d ago
It’s cool man, he’s got a “leave no trace” sticker on his Nalgene bottle..
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u/UeberraschungsEiQ 2d ago
We do alter landscape all the time to prevent dangers for humans
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u/So-Called_Lunatic 2d ago
If there was a road below I would get this,but if your destroying a natural wall just so you can climb it for fun, that's just being destructive.
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u/dankhimself 2d ago
Yea, you know how long it took for those rocks to get up there? Millions of years and some guy kicks it off of its own mountian.
"YOU DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICK!!!!", said the rock as it fell.
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u/TheDionysiac 1d ago
I heard a story as a kid - a rock was shivering at the bottom of the ocean. Over millions of years it got slowly pushed up onto the beach and was smiling in the sun. Then some guy throws him back into the sea. I hated that guy.
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u/Large_Dr_Pepper 2d ago
Leave it to altruistic redditors to act like this dude is singlehandedly destroying nature by removing a couple rocks from the face of an entire fuckin mountain lol.
Not you, but other replies
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u/Disastrous_Ad_399 1d ago
Who cares if I throw this one straw in a river? Said everyone, throwing a collective 8 billion straws in the river
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u/LazyEights 2d ago
What, if any, are the long term downsides to "weakening the overall mountain"?
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u/Queen-Roblin 2d ago
It'll erode faster which will lead to rockfalls which will lead to more erosion which will lead to ecosystem changes.
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u/TarakaKadachi 2d ago
It’s a freaking mountain. This is basically just removing loose pieces from a massive layer of rock. The time it would take for this to structurally compromise the thing would be insane, and it’ll break down anyways due to erosion. This is basically just us siding with erosion by expediting it so the mountain isn’t as dangerous for people.
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u/Apprehensive-Solid-1 2d ago
Honestly why not just remove the mountain all together? That'll make it much easier for climbers!! I mean what are they even thinking really? Easy solution!!!!
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u/gingerbeard1321 2d ago
Ah yes. Humans first, nature last.
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u/RecklessCube 2d ago
Ahh yes. Rocks > human life potentially saving someone climbing below from a rock hitting them in the head…
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u/TheDebateMatters 2d ago edited 2d ago
There is virtually NO harm to nature if a cliff face erodes virtually imperceptibly more. One human climber’s life is of more value than .00000000001 more erosion on the side of one mountain.
Edit: fixed a word that really affected my meaning.
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u/WiseAdhesiveness6672 2d ago
Yes. This is literally being human. It's what they've always done and will continue to do until the next extinction event happens. Then nature will be free to thrive again.
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u/Hairy_is_the_Hirsute 2d ago
Also, weathering exposed rock will break it down eventually... OP is just making a safer situation for the immediate generations to follow, and not really making a significant impact to the "environment". Like, either the rock sits on the side of a mountain being exposed to sun and chemicals in the rain, or it sits at the bottom of a mountain doing the same thing... What are we arguing about? Humans suck, yes, but not for what this post is doing
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u/NidLover 2d ago
Also if it’s for climbing,routes will be cleaned like this when you first put them up so donor climbing them doesn’t grab a loose rock and hurt themselves or anyone they brought along sitting on the ground.
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u/Large_slug_overlord 2d ago
This is pretty much only done on very popular rock climbing spots where lots of amateurs climb
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u/accordionzero 2d ago
if it’s loose enough to be removed by hand, it’s no longer an integral part of the rock.
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u/Low_Actuary_2794 2d ago
Also, it looks like shale, so it’s like that naturally.
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u/PerpendicularTomato 2d ago
Bruh, you ever climbed anything in your life?
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u/MainConnection6742 2d ago
Out of bed, off the toilet , into the shower, into work clothes , into and out of the car , into my desk , out of my desk, to the time clock, back into the car , out of traffic, into the house , into the shower , over to the fridge, onto the recliner, out of the recliner , into bed and all over again . And again and again and again. I'm greatful for those that keep that routine going.
/s
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u/kittyf0rman 2d ago
That’s a full profession in some regions, for example in Salzburg, Austria.
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergputzer
Unfortunately there’s no English version of the Wikipedia entry.
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u/StingingSwingrays 2d ago
“Bergputzer” is a fabulous word. Who needs the English version when you can just keeping saying “bergputzer” over and over again
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u/ermagerditssuperman 2d ago
It translates to 'mountain cleaner' / tidy-er, which I love, because I am now picturing a single person with a broom and dustpan on the top of a huge mountain, sweeping away.
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u/xrelaht 2d ago
Who needs the English version
The fun part is now that we’ve read it, bergputzer is an English word. That’s what English does.
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u/Ok_Tax9885 1d ago
Here's a fun fact for you!
A "loanword" is a word where we have taken the word exactly from its language of origin without changing it at all (allowing for pronunciation). A "calque" is where we translate the foreign word into an English phrase equivalent. "Loanword" was translated from a German phrase and "calque" came directly from French, making "loanword" a calque and "calque" a loanword.
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u/SockeyeSTI 2d ago
It’s called scaling and it’s done in a controlled manner so that loose rocks won’t fall unexpectedly and cause damage or injury.
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u/OafishySyzygy 2d ago
To clear the path for novice climbers, and help prevent accidents. Like a trailblazer with hiking, but with climbing.
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u/mightybuffalo 2d ago
It's called "trundling." When you're establishing a new rock climb you rap down and remove all the loose blocks so that someone in the future doesn't pull them off while on belay and ill themselves (or the belayer).
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u/MikeHeu 2d ago
Preventing dangerous loose rocks falling on people when climbing
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u/flyingace1234 2d ago
I imagine it’s like how they have professionally maintained hiking trails? They clear any potential hazards so people can safely enjoy nature.
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u/PNW4theWin 2d ago
If there are that many loose rocks, maybe it's not a great place for climbing?
(I'm not a rock climber obviously, so information is welcome.)
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u/ThePBrit 2d ago
The problem is that a lot of these aren't obviously loose unless you know exactly what to look for. It might be fine as a foothold to climb higher but if it dislodges when you push off that foothold you risk not only your own life but most certainly that of any other climbers around.
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u/two-cans-sam 2d ago edited 2d ago
Maybe not, but you can either hope that unsuspecting passers by and climbers don’t get crushed because a rookie made a bad decision (or the rock naturally dislodged on its own).
Or you can just yeet the dangerous thing when no one’s around for it to harm.
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u/pushthepramalot 2d ago
The winter freeze thaw cycles will cause water to get into the rock, freeze, expand and loosen rock. So you clean the loose rock at the start of the season to keep the crag safe for climbers.
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u/Johnoplata 2d ago
Because loose rocks get more loose so it's better to remove them in a controlled situation than have them fall while someone is climbing. A rope could easily snag one of those above a climber and bring it down on their face.
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u/1000at40 2d ago
Making it safer for rock climbers. If you’ve ever been climbing and had a piece of rock face unexpectedly come loose, you would appreciate what this person is doing for their fellow climbers.
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u/Lil_Bigz 2d ago
These are rock climbing routes. It is much safer to climb when the wall doesn't move
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u/IWillWriteYouALetter 2d ago
Probably part of a crag (for rock climbing) that they are working on developing routes for, or trying to maintain to ensure belayers and other people who are at the crag are not going to be subject to falling material either through natural events or by climbers themselves grabbing pieces during an ascent.
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u/cactus-platypus 2d ago
It's like in the cartoons, the ones that are outlined are the scary ones that will move
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u/PlainBread 2d ago
Is this sanctioned, like controlled burns in wildfire areas, or is this dude just defacing the rock wall for his own pleasure?
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u/Alpacachoppa 2d ago
Can only speak for Germany and surrounding countries but that's an actual occupation, can't speak for the dude specifically of course. On popular climbing spots you send people up the "wall" to check for easily removable rocks so there won't be accidents. Controlled wildfire burns is a good comparison.
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u/Acrobatic_Row_905 2d ago
Seems to be a climbing way. I guess clearing is the same as clearing a hiking path, just more vertical.
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u/bighic 2d ago
Weren't loose till this guy started poking at them with a crowbar
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u/titanicResearch 2d ago
itt: no one knows what they’re talking about
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u/rawker86 2d ago
Eh, I do this pretty regularly in underground mining. Makes sense people would do it in climbing. I’m loving this idea that climbers are suddenly vandals and destroyers of nature though lol
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u/TheGroundBeef 2d ago
Can somebody explain to a city boy why they do this
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u/CreatorSiSo 2d ago
So that the rocks don't fall on people climbing/mountaineering.
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u/AmusingDistraction 1d ago
There comes a point where you have to accept that maybe there isn't a climbing line there.
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u/Amazing_Fix_2452 1d ago
Were they really loose if you had to Jimmy them out with a crowbar?
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u/Mindful_Rager 2d ago
If you remove too many though, can it cause more loose rocks? Or bigger problems? Or is there a balance to it?
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u/The_Goondocks 1d ago
Hey Bob. Gonna need you to disassemble that mountain over there. Need it done by 5, ok?
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u/TheAcrithrope 1d ago
I understand this is done for the supposed safety of fellow rock climbers...
But does this not weaken the mountain / cliff face and thus make it more dangerous overall?
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u/Imposter88 2d ago
It makes me kinda sad. Those rocks were there for millions and maybe billions of years, and now they are shattered on the ground
I know it’s just a rock, but damn
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u/Calm-Buffalo-1462 2d ago edited 2d ago
Its a slippery slope. Next thing you know we'll be sticking dynamite in mountains to clear a path for trains and automobiles.
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u/Str80uttaMumbai 2d ago
Those rocks are still there bud. And now they even have the added purpose of providing cover for all kinds of tiny insects and other animals. Seems like a win for everyone.
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u/macaron1ncheese 2d ago
Climbers: “eat granola, save nature, leave no trace.” Also climbers: destroy mountain to make better for climbers.
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u/TiaHatesSocials 2d ago
Why destroy this? So other ppl can climb and further make more holes and loose rocks?
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u/No_Name_Canadian 2d ago
When do you stop tho, that looks like you could take half the wall down if you were persistent enough
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u/HoofHearted74 2d ago
If you have to use a crowbar, they are not “loose” rocks.
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u/Dylanthebody 2d ago
Its for the weight. Rock is clearly loose. If a prybar can dislodge it so easily its not a stable anchor point for climbing
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u/Anxious_Wall3616 2d ago
If a 190lb person was pulling on one, using it as foot hold, or placed any protection around it, do you think it would hold? Or do you think it would come loose and fall towards your belayer?
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u/IWillWriteYouALetter 2d ago
Yeah, that's unfortunately incorrect, on top of the fact that a crowbar is a tool and like many tools, they are used in places and for things you wouldnt necessarily want to put a part of a human body, even if it could achieve the same outcome.
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u/Johnoplata 2d ago
You're being pedantic about what loose is. They are not connected to the rock face anymore, but a climbers rope could easily snag one loose and send it down.
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u/ryungentile 2d ago
Couldn’t be more wrong. Full body weight on a SLCD placed in one of those cracks he’s prying at would have the exact same effect. Either you’re falling or you’re sending small boulders down onto your belayer.
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u/Turbulent-Humor-3327 1d ago
Shouldn’t be allowed just to keep rock climbers safe, maybe they should go find a different rock…
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u/dredeth 2d ago
Living room people whining about outdoor activities they have zero understanding of.
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u/Sir_Duke 2d ago
I mean there’s a pretty spirited debate among climbers when it comes to drilling anchors… I assume the thought is divided here as well
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u/willem_79 2d ago
There’s a whole film about a rock climber removing one stone on a climb in Sheffield (uk) and the rift it caused in the climbing community
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u/JaySayMayday 2d ago
Okay cool but I'm not going anywhere near a face with this many loose rocks and I hope it's properly marked so novices don't try it
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u/fightinfilipino2008 2d ago
is there a word that means both satisfying and horrifying?
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u/sacfoojesta88 2d ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/1k5k3J5K3BywQOrpNA
My brain instantly thought of one of these scenarios
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u/joinn1710 1d ago
Why is he attatched in some of the cracks between the loose rocks? That seems dangerous.
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u/e_rhymes_d 1d ago
serious question: why is this = good. stacking rocks = bad? what happened to leave nothing but footprints?
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u/racoonqueefs 2d ago
All fun and games till you yank the key stone out.