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brians100
Social climber
glendale
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Topic Author's Original Post - Feb 20, 2018 - 02:55pm PT
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Hi I am not a climber, but am writing a mystery story where a detective finds a climbing-related clue at the scene of an art theft, which leads him to a specific climbing gym, and then to a specific person.
I am wondering is there is a type of rope or gear that might be traced to a specific place/person? Terrible example would be there's a specific type of knot only left handed climbers use. Or there's a specific type of rope or chalk that can be traced to specific climbing gym. Hoping to make it semi-plausible and real.
Thanks much for any help, very much appreciated!
Brian Sawyer
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looks easy from here
climber
Ben Lomond, CA
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Feb 20, 2018 - 03:05pm PT
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Maybe a carabiner or belay/rappel device (google ATC for what would be commonly found in a gym, or GriGri, if you want your villian to be able to single rope rappel and be able to take hands-free breaks) with a logo stamped/engraved into the metal?
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Oplopanax
Mountain climber
The Deep Woods
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Feb 20, 2018 - 03:09pm PT
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monolith
climber
state of being
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Feb 20, 2018 - 03:16pm PT
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I've seen temporary day belay cards that just have the date(the date they are valid for) and climbing gym logo on them. No name, but has the issuers initials.
By not naming the individual, this would allow further investigation and mystery.
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cragnshag
Social climber
san joser
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Feb 20, 2018 - 03:17pm PT
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Nothing unique between the gyms, really, except the belay card that members are required to have attached to their harness (so the gym knows they passed the lead or toprope belay tests and are qualified to belay at certain sections of the gy)m.
Sometimes these belay cards are held on to the climber's harness by a rubber band or tied string, so can easily come loose as the theif rappels in through the skylight. The belay card would have the gym name and climber's name on it... case solved!
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jogill
climber
Colorado
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Feb 20, 2018 - 03:28pm PT
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How appropriate. The TV series made from the book, The Alienist, seems to have an 1890s climber as its villain; he uses what appear to be 1950 vintage pitons and a hemp rope. Detectives have found fibers from the rope, which they may use to identify it.
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Gary
Social climber
Desolation Basin, Calif.
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Feb 20, 2018 - 03:34pm PT
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Climbers identify their hardware with different combinations of paint or tape.
Climbing makes for a good mystery because after all...
yer gonna die!
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looks easy from here
climber
Ben Lomond, CA
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Feb 20, 2018 - 03:41pm PT
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^^^Interesting. I read The Alienist probably 20 years ago, well before I started climbing. Maybe I'll have to revisit it. Though pounding pins doesn't seem the stealthiest or most expedient way to sneak up on a victim.
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Highdesertman
Trad climber
jtree ca
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Feb 20, 2018 - 03:41pm PT
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I like the idea of either a chalk bag left behind or a single climbing shoe after the art thief climbed in then changed into regular shoes and went out the front door with the goods.
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jogill
climber
Colorado
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Feb 20, 2018 - 03:44pm PT
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A chalky handprint yields a fingerprint?
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jogill
climber
Colorado
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Feb 20, 2018 - 03:58pm PT
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When I reported for duty at Glasgow AFB in Montana in 1959 I had been climbing in the Black Hills Needles and had trouble passing the FBI process which included fingerprints. Took some 'splainin to convince the Special Agent I wasn't a Soviet spy!
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Splater
climber
Grey Matter
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Feb 20, 2018 - 04:00pm PT
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Once when we were testing a fingerprint ID system,
one print was from an elderly woman with very worn hands.
One of my fingers, also with not much of a print due to climbing, matched hers!
or so the algorithm thought.
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Gary
Social climber
Desolation Basin, Calif.
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Feb 20, 2018 - 06:12pm PT
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After two days of climbing at Josh a kid from the LA Braille Institute said, "I won't be able to read for a week!"
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stevep
Boulder climber
Salt Lake, UT
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Feb 20, 2018 - 06:14pm PT
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I had to get fingerprinted as part of the process for adopting my daughter. They failed me due to how thrashed my prints were from climbing. Had to stop for several weeks and try again.
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Yury
Mountain climber
T.O.
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Feb 20, 2018 - 06:17pm PT
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A rope that was made in Russia.
It was used by Putin's agent and led to Russian underground gym that was located in a CIA basement level and was funded by KGB.
:)
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Contractor
Boulder climber
CA
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Feb 20, 2018 - 06:59pm PT
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Trace amounts of Gold Bond were found in the chalk.
A computer autopsy revealed Google searches for "treating the symptoms of tinea cruris".
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Jon Beck
Trad climber
Oceanside
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Feb 20, 2018 - 07:38pm PT
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I had to cancel the fingerprint access to my cell phone, just didnt work after a bouldering session. I think faint fingerprints would be a great clue, maybe also a distinctive sling left behind after he pulled his rope. Was it a him or a her? the plot thickens.
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looks easy from here
climber
Ben Lomond, CA
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Feb 20, 2018 - 08:20pm PT
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Artful reply, Dingus. But you were beaten the the punch by the second response to OP's initial query:
if your gym is old enough it used detritus rubber products for padding
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Tom
Big Wall climber
San Luis Obispo CA
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Feb 20, 2018 - 08:56pm PT
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Inspector Magic finds a strangely polished section on a vent pipe on the roof. It was caused by the thief pulling his rope after rappelling to get away. The CSI guys find rope fibers caught on the lightly rusted pipe.
The rope fibers are traced to Yates Gear, which provides a list of everyone who bought a certain type of specialized tactical rope, normally only used by SWAT and SEALS. The only civilian sale in the area is to the guy at the gym.
Please send royalties to the Yosemite Valley Climbing Museum.
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skywalker1
Trad climber
co
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Feb 20, 2018 - 09:42pm PT
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I will give this a shot...
So what I have found is that very few "corporate" gyms have auto-belay devices (to the OP you don't need a belayer its mechanical and you can look this up). Typically you just clip in using a huge locking biner to the belay/ rappel loop which is not standard for tying in. So now if the person just had the "locker" attached to the belay loop and passed, then they maybe were on an auto belay at a gym? or just plain ignorant which sometimes goes hand in hand. I would think more of a locker room scuffle. Then what would that look like???? I hope never to encounter this.
Sheesh...beside what has been posted, I just don't know..I like the post that "climbers don't have fingerprints" this is very true. We can't open our iPhones with the finger touch. Sometimes licking your finger works but that part is very plausible.
Fun post...
S....
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docsavage
Trad climber
Albuquerque, NM
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Feb 21, 2018 - 06:32am PT
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You could have your detective post on a climbing forum about the piece of gear he found at the scene of a crime & ask the owner to PM for a return ...
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phylp
Trad climber
Upland, CA
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Feb 21, 2018 - 07:47am PT
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Or maybe your perp could be a caver? They also use ropes and harnesses to descend and ascend things. And they might also have things like night vision goggles that climbers don’t have. But then the clue could be a small clump of dirt, fresh moss or a rock. That could lead your detective to have it analysed which might lead you to a specific cave.
Since I don’t know anything about caving, I don’t know what would come next - restricted access for that cave? Security camera at parking area?
PTPP who posts here is a caver if I remember correctly and he has posted about going on first explorations of caves with scientific groups.
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phylp
Trad climber
Upland, CA
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Feb 21, 2018 - 08:11am PT
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In fact, you might want to consider making Pete the villain in your plot. Since he's both an aid climber (ascending rock using specialized tiny hooks on tiny holds) and a caver, he'd have the skills to ascend the exterior of a building most people would think impossible to climb.
I think he's breaking in to steal a valuable gem to make into a gift for Anita.
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phylp
Trad climber
Upland, CA
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Feb 21, 2018 - 11:04am PT
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OK, I have even more ideas. Pete is the thief but also the hero.
I’m in my dentist’s office and I don’t want to type the whole thing on my phone, but the target of the theft is an internet billionaire who’s trying to win over Anita. The theft is meant as a f$&k you to the guy but Pete breaks into an impenetrable room called the Aerie using his aid and caver skills, and finds evidence to suggest this guy is a nefarious dark web criminal. So people are hunting for Pete, but he’s also on the hunt - for evidence that will put the sick bastard away or better yet culminate in a battle to the death on El Cap.
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Jon Beck
Trad climber
Oceanside
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Feb 21, 2018 - 12:22pm PT
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Pete is busted when they see his junk show half the way up the wall.
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Ward Trotter
Trad climber
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Feb 21, 2018 - 12:41pm PT
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Hi I am not a climber, but am writing a mystery story where a detective finds a climbing-related clue at the scene of an art theft, which leads him to a specific climbing gym, and then to a specific person.
If I were faced with such a writing task I'd have the clue as a t-shirt with the gym logo on it--as many gyms sell to their patrons.
Let's say the art theif, not proficient at rappelling , goes to the gym to learn said skill. While there he buys their gym shirt. While rapping during the theft he gets the shirt caught in the rappel device and is forced to tear a slight logo-containing portion of the shirt out of the device which he then clumsily drops into the darkness below.
The detective discovers this fragment, has it tested in the lab and finds it is covered in the pollen from a jacaranda tree.
The detective pays a visit to several gyms and while driving up to the last gym on his list he sees that gym surrounded by big beautiful jacaranda trees-- in full bloom.
He goes inside and sees the shirts on sale with same color and logo segment.
Now, go on get outta here.
Do I have to write the whole piece for you?
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skitch
Gym climber
Bend Or
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Feb 21, 2018 - 01:15pm PT
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What if the climber was caught by surprise and ended up leaving a piece of gear or clothing behind to escape quickly, like a NW Alpine (or some other internet based company) balaclava that the theif took off after jugging out of the building. . . the balaclava was missing the tag with the brand name on it, but through incredibly hard work the detective was able to track the balaclava down to NW Alpine. . .who only sold 3 of this type of balaclavas to people living near the break in. . . dun dun dun. . .
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