Guy at the Duluth climbing comp told me to stop choking my hitch and I still hear it
Back in 2019 at a rec climb near Duluth, an older fella named Ray watched me fight a stubborn Blake's hitch for about ten minutes and finally told me to stop cranking it so tight because a hitch needs room to grab. He grabbed my rope, dressed it loose with two fingers, and it broke clean on the next try. I still dress every hitch that way and think about Ray every time. Anybody else pick up a habit from a random old timer at a climb that stuck with you?