If Mike was only joking he should have begun his joke like this: "I gotta funny one for ya's; it's a real knee slapper! Have ya ever heard of the climber who drilled a hole but did not place permanent expansion bolts instead he/she used passive removable bolts...bla bla bla..."
So, if Mike was really only joking, and therefore his comments surely didn't warrant any feedback, he should have set up his joke properly; that is, insert a permanently placed catch line;-)
I think Mike brought up a good point and the feedback has been honest. Kudos to dialogue.