Back to Basics through NOT so Gentle Reminders

Okay so I thought I'd share this only to bring home the crazy week I've had and the crags and what I've learned from it. I typically climb outside 3-4 days a week (weather dependent of course). This past week I have been outside twice and have been a witness to two separate accidents at two different crags in two different states but both are fundamentally related. This is the first time I've seen major injuries occur at the crag x2. Both of these crags are easily accessed from major cities, have easy short approaches, and bolted routes from 5.easy to 5.11c. Both areas see frequent use of beginner and moderate climbers. Here's the breakdown:

First Accident: Red Flags( New leader, general group inexperience, high clips, no helmet....)
-Leader heads up a 5.9 (crux being at bolt 5) gets to the first bolt about twelve feet off the ground instead of making one more move to the clipping stance gets spooked and reaches down to grab the rope from an awkward stance thrown off even more by the excessive reach up to the bolt and blows the clip sending him to the deck. His partner wasn't in position to spot and the guy nailed his head on a bolder under the climb. We'll leave it at lots of blood and such and such.

Second: Red Flags( New Leader, general group inexperience, lack of route finding skill, HIGH CLIPS)
-Leader heads up 5.9 gets to below the crux and takes several falls. He then traverses way left and is now run out with a pendulum fall awaiting. Goes for the clip way out right and arm's length above his head. Misses first attempt and drops the rope, belay takes in slack anticipating fall, reaches for rope again and it's hung up. Belayer gives slack back and leaders goes for it again this time blowing the clip and move and takes the off route whip sending his man parts into a horn. Screams follow and then the leader says "I broke my ankle" sure enough his right root was perpendicular to his left shin. OUCH!! We helped get him to his car.....

Take away: Remember the basics and keep it safe. It's early in the season and these types of issues could have been avoided by knowing ones limit, not pressuring people to lead above their limit, helmets, and especially not going for high off balance clips. General inexperience led to both of these accidents IMO. Going into the season maybe take a minute to refresh our minds on concepts and remember the basics. I don't want to see anymore this season so let's let these accidents remind us all to wear our helmets and practice safe climbing techniques and help others out who may not have the same level experience so that we can all have a good summer enjoying the crags. Hope you enjoyed the novel. Feel free to share any other early season reminders you may have seen.

People are testy about this whole helmet thing. What gives?

Seth Jones wrote:If you are going to encourage the use of helmets, you might want to start with wearing one in your profile pic.

Ha!

I know that's why I posted "back to basics through not so gentle reminders" because we all need reminders once in awhile.

Mason Roberts wrote:People are testy about this whole helmet thing. What gives?

In some cases, the skull.

I've had four friends who've had serious skull fractures and brain injuries all preventable by simply wearing a helmet. All very experienced climbers.

Brian in SLC wrote: In some cases, the skull. I've had four friends who've had serious skull fractures and brain injuries all preventable by simply wearing a helmet. All very experienced climbers.

I wasn't clear. Someone mentions wearing a helmet and then they are attacked (in this case for not have one in their profile pic). I've seen it multiple times on these feeds. Heck, I was heckled the other day for having a helmet on in my profile pic while asking if someone who fell was wearing one. I didn't even recommend one way or the other, just asked for details.

It seems like people are really sensitive about this topic.

Having been on the route next to the guy who fell and broke his ankle last night, I can say it was a great reminder for me to always wear a helmet regardless. I am guilty of thinking if I'm on toprope then it's less of a big deal but the truth is you never know. There's no need to be an ass-hat (ahem, Seth) about it. BrokenChairs is simply trying to remind folks to be conscious of it. And for the record, he wore one on every climb last night. Every one.

Speaking of reminders, this thread reminds me what a bunch of nancies most rock climbers are.

It's a wonder any of you ever get laid.

Seth Jones wrote: Yep and if it's worth starting a thread to remind people to wear helmets, it's worth changing your profile pic to one where you wear a helmet so people will take you seriously. Way to take it to a new low with name calling though!

Because people take trolls who have cartoon characters as their profile pics way more seriously. Duly noted.

So I'll just state the obvious then. A $30 stick clip and none of this would have happened.

• Helmets are good, you should wear one.

My $0.02: This post was aimed and providing a learning experience from other's mistakes. I posted because these accidents happened as a result of things that are easy to avoid. Personally I hate wearing helmets but was reminded this week why they are important despite it all. People have to make their own choices but they have to own them when shit hits the fan. As Brian pointed out this can happen to even experience climbers I was simply providing some real life examples that opened my eyes a bit whether others make that same choice is up to them. Though I find it funny that this has become a debate on helmets when the real issue in both cases was going for unsafe clips way over one's head leading to longer (or in the head injury case off balanced) falls leading to injury. More of a reminder for everyone to keep it safe and have a fun season how you choose to do that is up to you. These accidents happened and personally I feel that not looking at the why and trying to learn from it to be a better safer climber is where the real issue is. Sad to say it took seeing a dude bust his head for me to see that helmets while, ugly, awkward, and being everything that is uncool can still serve a purpose. As well as not going for clips that are three feet above you with your last bolt at your feet.

Matt unfortunately the stick clip would have only avoided the first accident. The second occurred going for the 5th clip. However, both falls happened as a result of going for really high clips causing the climber to be off balance and bring tons of unnecessary slack into the system. (Not that slack mattered to the guy that blew the first clip) but the high reach for the bolt is IMO what caused him to fall in the first place.

One head injury preventable w/ a stick clip + 2 ankle injuries so far in the thread. The conclusion is wear a helmet?

BrokenChairs wrote:Matt unfortunately the stick clip would have only avoided the first accident. The second occurred going for the 5th clip. However, both falls happened as a result of going for really high clips causing the climber to be off balance and bring tons of unnecessary slack into the system. (Not that slack mattered to the guy that blew the first clip) but the high reach for the bolt is IMO what caused him to fall in the first place.

Your analysis seems to suggest that this person was injured because they didn't know or chose to ignore the fall consequences that they were climbing into. A helmet wouldn't have prevented this. I'd be interested to know the character of the belay, did the belayer give a hard catch or soft? Did they not pay attention to a ledge and gave too much or too little slack, allowing the climber to hit the ledge? Or was it purely a large pendulum that caused this accident.

I'm all for helmets, I wear mine on a lot of routes. But I'm also for understanding what the objective dangers really are. Some routes a helmet is essential. Other routes it's far less important than an attentive belayer who is actively determining how best to catch you if you fell at any given point. I think threads like this are good, but people need to understand the full gravity of the situation, not just take away that wearing a helmet makes them safer.

BrokenChairs wrote:Matt unfortunately the stick clip would have only avoided the first accident. The second occurred going for the 5th clip. However, both falls happened as a result of going for really high clips causing the climber to be off balance and bring tons of unnecessary slack into the system. (Not that slack mattered to the guy that blew the first clip) but the high reach for the bolt is IMO what caused him to fall in the first place.

Its a mistake often made by climbers with an intermediate level of experience that it is a one size fits all technique to climb higher before you clip. I've seen plenty of falls caused because the climber bypassed good clipping holds because of the mistaken belief that it is always best to clip from a higher position. The best place to clip from is where it is easiest to do. Sometimes higher, sometimes lower. Every clip is unique. Its also not true that you will fall further if you fall after you pulled more rope out to clip. You will fall to a lower point (which probably is the most important fact) but the length of the fall won't be longer. I know its convenient to have simple "rules" but where to clip from is a case where you rally have to think.

I think the real takeaway here is to stay away from the gumby crag unless you want somebody decking on your head (helmeted or not).

reboot wrote:One head injury preventable w/ a stick clip + 2 ankle injuries so far in the thread. The conclusion is wear a helmet?

Two injuries on a 5.9. Conclusion: stay off the easy stuff, the falls are awful.

5.8/5.9 seem to be the "weed out class" of climbing, where someone might actually fall, but routes have lots of ledges to fall on

Eric Engberg wrote: Its also not true that you will fall further if you fall after you pulled more rope out to clip. You will fall to a lower point (which probably is the most important fact) but the length of the fall won't be longer. I know its convenient to have simple "rules" but where to clip from is a case where you rally have to think.

You will fall further, no? Assume there's 10 ft between bolts. If you clip exactly at your waist (probably not possible but you get the point), and you fall at the moment of clipping you would fall 10*2 ft. But if you clipped below the bolt with your waist 4 ft below the bolt, you would fall (10+4)*2 ft.

Eric Engberg wrote: Its a mistake often made by climbers with an intermediate level of experience that it is a one size fits all technique to climb higher before you clip. I've seen plenty of falls caused because the climber bypassed good clipping holds because of the mistaken belief that it is always best to clip from a higher position. The best place to clip from is where it is easiest to do. Sometimes higher, sometimes lower. Every clip is unique. Its also not true that you will fall further if you fall after you pulled more rope out to clip. You will fall to a lower point (which probably is the most important fact) but the length of the fall won't be longer. I know its convenient to have simple "rules" but where to clip from is a case where you rally have to think.

Eric in both these cases the climber was clipping from unsafe non clipping stances. I agree there are times when you can and should go for higher clips when you're at a positive stance to do so. In both these cases the climbers were making long reach clips from bad stances. More often than not the stance will be within a certain range of your body these climbers did not attempt to clip from an ideal stance. Maybe I'm missing something but if you fall to a lower distance because you have more slack than you would if you didn't have the slack falling from the same point how is that not a further fall? You are falling a greater distance. You fall double the length of rope out from your last piece. Are you suggesting that if they had climbed up to the piece and then fell the fall would be the same as if they took the slack to reach to that same point? If so I agree but in this case the slack was brought into the system when not necessary leading to a longer fall from that point. When we're talking about two falls occurring from the same spot the fall will be longer if there is more slack in the system. I think you're referring to falling from a spot with slack verse falling at the protection point in which case the distance would be basically the same.

Brandon S wrote: You will fall further, no? Assume there's 10 ft between bolts. If you clip exactly at your waist (probably not possible but you get the point), and you fall at the moment of clipping you would fall 10*2 ft. But if you clipped below the bolt with your waist 4 ft below the bolt, you would fall (10+4)*2 ft.

You'll fall 20 feet in either case. In case #2 where you have 14 feet of slack out you will fall 6 feet to the first bolt and then an extra 14 = 20. You don't magically fly up 8 feet to the end of the rope before you fall. All assuming no stretch. But in case #2 you will be 14 feet below the first bolt whereas in #1 you will be 10 feet below. If the ground was 12 feet below.....

My only point is that it is a mistake to think that you should always climb higher before clipping. It may be hard/low probability clipping from a low position. It might be harder if you climb higher. The joys of on-sighting vs. redpointing.

Seth Jones wrote:If you are going to encourage the use of helmets, you might want to start with wearing one in your profile pic.

Use of a helmet by leaders to prevent the skull busting is quite different than use while top-roping...