Has anyone fallen on the biggest big bros? I'm talking about the squeeze chimney sizes.

I'm thinking about getting one or two. I sure don't mind falling on the biggest Camalot but falling on the large big bros scares me. Then again, I've never fallen out of a squeeze chimney as they seem to be the most secure size ever.

You answered your own question.

No, no-one competent or committed enough to climbing to place a big bro would ever fall out of a 14" chimney. They might cuss, grunt, or even get stuck, but would not fall.

I see you are in Laramie. Lets use Candlestick as an example. Its the crux getting into it and once there, you don't get another piece of gear until the end. I'm relatively certain that a fall would wedge you to death. I've not heard of an accident there.

The largest big bro most certainly would hold a fall if placed correctly. It almost certainly would never get fallen on though.

Yeah thanks, that helps me a little.

I guess the tactic is to line those things up, practically sewing the chimney up. I've seen C. Leubben pictures where he just has like eight or ten of them below him, and placed pretty close together. But, those pictures are of like 5.12 squeezes and offwidths, and I'm not there yet.

I'm guessing the tactic I should use is get a couple and place them more frequently than cams, and don't fall on them. Don't even worry about falling on them because it probably won't happen.

Big-bros are kinda like ice screws... expensive, somewhat difficult to place yet people seem to keep buying them and not trusting them. That seems stupid, if you don't trust the things then quit using them- like Aliens! But for those of us with a brain we can simply go out to the crag, place the piece in question, then place a back-up or even a couple back-ups and frickin' jump damnit. It's helped me learn to trust both ice screws and big-bros and it can help you too. Have fun.

Sorry about that, I did not intend "those of us with a brain" to be directed at the original poster. It was more of a generalized statement meaning that since we all have brains we should use them. I can't believe I'm defending myself on an internet forum. But again, no balls necessary- I'm a chickenshit, so put it in (plus appropriate back-ups) and jump!

That's a great point. Just because we have chiseld abs, and stunning features, doesn't mean that we too can't not die in a freak Big Bro failing accident....

...or did you think I'd be too stupid to know what a eugoogoly was?

Uh, yeah right. The reason I started this thread was to get information prior to buying some bros. If I had the piece in question, I'd tie in and whip on it ( with a good back-up).

It seems that no one here has fallen on the large big bros!?

about 8 years ago, my partner took a big whip on a green (second largest) big bro.

I can't think of a time I have ever taken a leader fall on a big bro. I can think of times that I have used them to build hanging belays and my second has fallen or we have both been hanging on the anchor. They hold when placed well, I wouldn't really worry about that.

I've gottten my money out of my #4 (blue). I would rather place a cam than a Bro most of the time, but the blue covers a particularly insecure size range that is just large than a #6 cam but still too narrow to get hips and shoulder inside.

It is much easier to find reliable placements in parallel, smooth sided cracks like you find in the desert. I wouldn't bother getting any for climbing in Vedauwoo if that is where you plan on using them.

I fell on a #4 (blue) placed in a splitter horizontal granite crack (maybe 10"). Short, hard fall (hold broke, ground-up new route, 10' fall about 25' up), it didn't budge and I wasn't worried. I trust them more than a nearly tipped-out big cam, but they can be tough to place in flared/wavy offwidths. Best thing about big bros is that they don't get pulled into the crack when the angle breaks off.

Reminds me of my sexlife recently...sob...