This is an idea I have for mountainproject.com...

In the pilot's magazine "FLYING" there is a monthly piece titled "I learned about flying from that". Examples of this can be found at http://www.flyingmag.com/aboutflying

The article is written by a pilot/subscriber, not magazine staff. The article is a narrative of an event, accident, or incident in which the pilot gained a very valuable lesson that they learned from.

I would like to see something similar titled "I learned about climbing from that." as a forum or subforum on mountainproject.com.
I think the contents of this forum should be kept highly moderated to maintain a mature, educational, and encouraging tone.

Climbing and Flying are remarkably similar in many ways in terms of their technical nature, decision making, coping with emergencies, operating in unpredictable conditions, planning, etc. I think climbers sharing learning moments amongst the climbing community would be an invaluable tool for us all.

-Glenn

and mtn rescue; with a supplemental from Vertical Limit, I learned that the last cam won't hold



rather, the last cam will hold; but a wall full of bolt anchors will just rip out on a ten footer

or that you should wear suspenders AND a belt

I think that's a cool idea, Glenn. I'm sure we all have those experiences where we would've been in sorry shape had it not been for a mentor; or those experiences where we were in sorry shape due to some circumstance or accident.

I think a forum sharing educational and/or enlightening accounts would be welcome.

Getting into the proper spirit... We were on top of Intersection Rock out at Joshua Tree. End of the day. Feeling a little worn out. The rappel from here is a long, steep drop and feels very exposed. I am getting stuff organized while my partner sets up the rappel. We always used the EDK, but the big exposure leads him to tie it with the tails extra long-- just to be sure. He raps and calls off rappel. I thread the rope for my own rappel, happy to be calling it a day. Pilots would recognize "get-home-itis." Luckily, I am diligent with my double-check: I was threading the extra-long tails and not the rappel rope. Yikes! Fixed that up, then checked everything about eight more times. Still gives me the shivers...

The first couple times I went climbing in Yosemite, I would always get benighted! I remember running out of daylight atop Royal Arches clad in shorts and a T-Shirt. We emptied out our packs and we had nothing, out of food, out of water, no clothing. First aid kit? Why would we need that? Except an old lighter drops out from the bottom of my pack. I have no idea how it got there. Saved our asses as we had a roaring fire to keep us toasty all night. Ever since then I always bring a lighter.

The next morning, the sun is rising, and we hear voices below us. A team soon comes by and we can only conclude these poor dudes must have gotten benighted a few pitches below us with no fire. But we soon learn that they started today - from the bottom, and we can't fathom how we are so SLOW, SLOW, SLOW! The light dawned that it was possible to go a lot faster, and we are the most inefficient climbers in the world.

I learned everything I know about skiing sheer ice faces from watching Aspen Extreme.

OK. Seriously. Off the couch after too many years of not climbing and I went to J-Tree. I forget the climb, but we were on a formation, it was late and we were hungry. The rope got snarled and I did a half assed job of unsnarling it. I start to rap down and see that I'm thirty feet from one end. Luckily I could easily prussik and batman up, but still I almost rapped off the end of the frikken rope!


Stupid X3.

Lesson: Take nothing for granted, especially skills that have become rusted with disuse.

Oh and hot tub shenanigans? Got to watch Harkin Banks in Hot Dog.


Sorry, it's snowing in the high country!

I guess the main thing I have learned from climbing is people; there is nothing in climbing worth dying for, but there is much in people that I have climbed with worth living for.

The next thing is that climbing accidents can happen to anyone; I have learned to accept that truth.