This Guy Tried to Mansplain Climbing to a Woman Who Crushed His Project, and His Girlfriend’s Reaction is the Chef’s Kiss

There is a very specific type of energy that exists in every climbing gym across the world. It usually emanates from a guy who has been climbing for exactly six months, owns extremely aggressive shoes, and feels the need to spray beta at everyone within a five-mile radius. We all know this guy. He is loud, he is competitive, and he usually has his shirt off even when the AC is blasting. Unfortunately for one woman on Reddit, she isn’t just climbing next to this guy. She is dating him.

The original poster (OP) describes her boyfriend as someone who is “stupidly competitive” about his hobby. Being competitive is fine if you are training for the Olympics, but this guy takes it to a toxic level. He quietly insults beginners who aren’t as good as him, which creates a hostile environment for everyone else including his own girlfriend. The OP is a beginner herself, and hearing her partner mock people who are learning makes her feel self-conscious. That right there is a red flag you can see from the top of the bouldering wall.

The drama unfolded during a climbing session when the boyfriend was projecting a V6. For the uninitiated, a V6 is a difficult route that requires strength and technique. He wasn’t the only one struggling, as about six other people were taking turns and failing. It was a tough problem. But then, a new challenger approached. A girl walked up to the wall and “flashed” it, meaning she completed the route on her very first try without falling.

She made it look easy. She floated up the wall while the boyfriend had been flailing. But instead of being impressed or taking notes on her technique, the boyfriend decided to bruise his own ego even further. He called her out on a technicality. He claimed she didn’t hold the final hold for the required five seconds. He tried to invalidate her clear victory because he was feeling salty that a girl did what he couldn’t.

This is where the story turns into pure gold. The girl didn’t apologize or look for his approval. She laughed. She looked him dead in the eye and told him he didn’t even start the problem correctly before walking away. It was a fatality. She didn’t just beat him on the wall because she beat him in the verbal sparring match too.

The OP did what any person witnessing a murder would do. She high-fived the winner. The girl had just knocked the boyfriend off his high horse, and the OP was here for it. It was a spontaneous moment of “game recognizes game” and female solidarity. The stranger was surprised but returned the high five.

The boyfriend, however, did not see the humor in the situation. He gave the OP a dirty look and refused to speak to her for the rest of the night. The car ride home was likely suffocatingly quiet until he finally exploded. He ranted that the OP couldn’t be “trusted to watch his back” because she chose to take a stranger’s side over his.

Sir, you were at a climbing gym in the suburbs, not a trench in World War I. “Watch your back” implies there was some sort of danger or battle. The only thing in danger was your inflated sense of superiority. He wasn’t attacked. He was humbled. There is a massive difference.

He is mad because his girlfriend didn’t participate in his delusion. He wanted her to agree that the girl “cheated” by not holding the finish long enough. Instead, the OP pointed out the truth. The girl climbed it correctly, and he shouldn’t have nitpicked her. He wants a cheerleader who blindly supports his bad behavior, not a partner who lives in reality.

So is she the ahole? Absolutely not. N-T-A. The boyfriend embarrassed himself twice. First by mocking beginners, and second by trying to correct a climber who is clearly better than him. The high five was the cherry on top of a delicious humble pie that he desperately needed to eat. Maybe next time he should focus on his footwork instead of his ego.