getting hurt falling

Well it finally happened to me and I would like to shed some light on the sittuation and try to learn some things to prevent problems in the future.

Here is what happened:
We're climbing the lost in space route on the sheeps nose. I am leading the third pitch and we get a little break in the cloudy windy cold weather. I got up out of the corner system were the belay was placed. I got a good view of this 5.10 variation to the pitch and was feeling a little amped about it. I talked to my partner and asked if he was feeling strong which we was a little hesitant about but eventually responded well it's your rope length.
I got a wild hair and decided to go for it. Well I'm just breaking into 10's on trad so this was a bit exciting and I'm sure the ego came into play not only because of how bad I wanted to knock off another 10, but also I wanted to impress some of the other ppl I was climbing with. I clipped the first bolt and proceded up the small crack/seam it was a bit desperate but I got about 5 feet from where things started to get better. I had a small nut near my feet and things were looking desperate so I looked for other options, bad Idea.

I traversed out to the left on a sloping ledge hoping I would find a way to mantle onto it and reach the roof above me where good jambs might be reached. Well when I got out there it was just as desperate if not more so and I popped. This lead to a pendulum a 5-10 foot swing as I fell about 10-15 feet. I bruised my heals really badly in the process but that wasn't the real problem. The pendulum effect caused me to roll my ankle as the gear toppled me and inverted me. Luckily my partner caught me before I hit the ledge below me upside down litteraly feet before I struck. I lead the rest of the pitch the non 5.10 way and didn't really notice all the carnage that took place. Once I set up the belay I noticed I rolled my ankle and bruised and cut it up pretty good. On the descent I rolled it again and it felt broken. so I carefully made my way out as it wasn't bad if I didn't roll it anymore or tweak it to the side at all. I was a bit scared as I was over 2 hours from home in what seemed like a desolate location. No insurance made me even more nervous.

Hindsight is a B**** as they say. I should have done a number of things differently. For 1 that was the first time I had climbed with this person. He was out of sight when I was commited and insteasd of talking to him I pushed on (if I had communicated with him the fall might have been shorter). I should never have traversed out hoping for a better sittuation, I should have just commited to the route. Atleast the fall would have been strait then.
I should not have let the ego grip me so hard, with all the debate on style going on here lately I was hesitant to "take" a rest on the nut below me. I was hasty racking for the pitch so I was a bit dis organized. I should have just taken the time to try for another piece with my last bit of energy even if it was akward. It would have been better to move the belay up to where my partner could see me also. I should have thought about how to fall more reguardless, I might have even been able to safely take the pendulum if I didn't try to use my legs to absorb the shock but instead went sideways and just slid down the steep slab/face.

Anyone else have any stories that can help me learn how to fall more safely?
On a posative note this was my first fall on gear and it was on the third pitch which made things fun, and all my gear held!

This scenerio brought to mind the importance of knowing self rescue, which I had always shrugged off in the past.

Glad you somewhat ok. I check the ego at the trail head. glad your gear held and you realized what you did! How long till you get to come back?

Well I'm not going to the doctor so I can't exactly say when, luckily I have rolled many ankles during my skateboarding years.
This gives me the ability to feel it out so to speak. probly atleast 2 weeks, and I probly won't be able to snowboard either but we'll see once I can walk normally again and put my shoes on with out the pain of bruises. I am noticing a minor sprained wrist also, not sure if it was from the fall or over torquing a jamb.

I'd look at it as a learning experience. I'd have also pushed it & went for the section or backed off -- depending on mental; if you felt you could do it, I'd have made the same decision. I guess I would have looked to see if there was anything to hit on the way down; but a route like this, it's not easy to do. Lost in Space, fer sure.

I think also as you have learned, self & buddy rescue should be thought of more.

As far as the Sheep's Nose - it's somewhat out there, but there are personnel that will get you, that's the point of the MRA, CSRB, and the mutual aid system. If need be, aid will come from teams in various front range counties as well as Douglas County (if needed even more, teams will come from the central mountains & the western slope), all with no questions asked, no insurance required, & with no charge from the MRA teams.

One thing that does help is getting your CORSAR Card (if you haven't) so these guys/gals can get any damaged equipment replaced by the CO SAR Fund in a timely manner.

Rest easy & climb on, Jason

Well it deffinately was a learning experience. The mental was all there however given the sittuation it was rushed a bit due to the weather and being on the last pitch. I will probly go back and get it in a safer manner sometime. I am glad to know that I'm not totally screwed if something bad happens. Do you have to call someone in specific for a free rescue or just dial 911? Hey mark where do you get one of those CORSAR cards and what do they cost?
Also what books do you recommend for learning self rescue?

On another note something else is bothering me, on pitch 2 my partner made a very airy traverse with a bad penjilum potential and the possibility of decking on a lower ledge. I was very glad to not have to lead this. However while belaying I was getting increasingly worried. I noticed there was no gear during the traverse (10-20 feet or so). The further he got out the more chance there was for a ground fall. Now if I were on the ground this would not be as big of a deal as I could possibly run back and do a dynamic catch. However I noticed on multi-pitch routes dynamic catches are next to impossible as your anchored down. A dynamic catch could have saved me too I think. Thoughts?

Jason,

You can purchase Cosar cards at REI.

Take care and have someone look at your ankle just to make sure its only a sprain, etc.

Thanks for sharing.

John

By flipped upside down by the gear do you mean the weight of the gear on your rack or that your foot was inbetween the rope and rock when you fell? I've known a friend to end upside down because a foot snagged the rope on the way down and flipped.

I think its one of those common knowledge things that doesn't get as much emphasis as it should, but the rope should not be running such that it will flip you if you fall.

I've never thought about the rack flipping you upside down in a fall, but I can see that happening as well. Does anybody have experience with this?

Glad to hear things didn't get super ugly.

Hey Jason, glad to hear you are doing okay. I think the most important point you made was in regard to communicating with your partner. That is the one thing that is completely in your control. It seems that falling, particularly when climbing at or near your limit, is inevitable and the more you talk the better chance you have of safely catching a fall. Do you think your lack of experience/comfort with your partner led you to communicate less than you normally would? Were you aware you were going to fall or did you just pop off without warning? The few times I have taken a lead fall I was very aware that I was going to lob onto my gear and that seemed allow a couple of seconds to process the situation and let my partner know. I am impressed you were able to recoup and finish the pitch after such a nasty fall. Let me know how the recovery goes. Be safe and keep climbing.
Kirk

Jason
Heal fast
I could hear you guys better than my partner with your party down wind .
We left to climb on more sheltered rock after doing South Face or what ever we did. Be well Rich

It was the weight of the rack and draws and the friction of the rock locking my feet in place firm with gravity and energy still pulling on all the weight I started to flip. I may have taken a couple steps before this happened but sprinting backwards is hard! Not to mention with the sideways pull. I have experienced this A couple other times, once while sport climbing even(steep slabs/faces generally). Seems with grippy rock it might be better to bring some knee pads and use them to slide keeping your weight in and just slap with your hands on the way down for balance.

I know all about keeping my feet out of the rope I always try to stress that to my partners when they are leading and I see it.

I usually try to communicate when it's possible with out having to yell, if that's not possible I try to over protect and grab a draw and yell take if I feel like im going to pop if possible (multi pitch out of view generally). I'm not sure if the new partner caused me to communicate less, I think it was more the nature of the belay location and me getting too caught up with out thinking enough.

I was too far from my gear to grab anything, I knew I was out in space desperate as it gets. I knew it would be a matter of time I could put a sequence together or I was just going to fall. I slipped a couple times due to my technique or the lack of holds, the core and the fingers were all that kept me fighting and so I was working for a mantle desperately, only I had not sought out prime feet and did not know if there was for sure holds to get me standing. I had a pretty good idea how it would unfold, it just turned out a little worse then I expected.(although it could have been worse in many ways, like if I flipped and dropped my whole rack or broken a leg etc.)

If I had thought about all fall possibilitys more and communicated more I might have been better off. On another note it's probly not a good idea to push it if your a bit rusty, I have been mostly snowboarding lately with 1 day bouldering and 1 day aiding over 2 weeks prior to this.

Thank's for the post Jason! I noticed there are a lot of Climber's posting their unfortunate incident's lately and I think it is a good thing. Getting injured suck's and I think we can all learn from other Climber's stories. I'm out of the scene for a while as I just had ACL Reconstruction from a ski injury.

"Heal quick and smart"
Andy

I was with Jason with a different partner, there was four of us with two seperate partners doing the same route. My party was already on top when all of this happened and began to stress out for two reasons. first, I was feeling borderline hypothermic beacuse I had felt like I had the flu since i woke up that morning. This resulted I me becoming verry sick on the two hour drive home and waking up today feeling like death. My partner and I also began to get worried because we had done the easy 5.7 exit and thought Jason would be immediately behind us. They were not however. We yelled off the top for awhile and never had any replies. We down climbed the back and ran to the front where we could see the other two. Luckliy, Jason's partner was nearing the top of the pitch and we communicated with them.

Now, this mini-epic might sound like the follies of some gumby nubes. I feel like my partners and I always try to put safety first. The situation just shows how much bad things compound on top of each other. I haven't been climbing long but I feel experienced. This climb was however a series of poor choices and in the long run was most likely a good thing. Usually you learn much more from failure than success and learning the hard way makes a strong impression.

Jason Kaplan wrote:... I am glad to know that I'm not totally screwed if something bad happens. Do you have to call someone in specific for a free rescue or just dial 911? Hey mark where do you get one of those CORSAR cards and what do they cost? Also what books do you recommend for learning self rescue?

It is a good feeling.

911 is the number, or the local sheriff's number. If you indeed have a rescue charge thrown at you from a municipal "fire/rescue protection district" -- notify the CSRB. There are people who will help with this & the courts have tossed the invoices. Keep in mind though, medical & medical transport are chargeable, so having health insurance is advisable.

As well as REI, your local MRA team offers CORSAR cards. Also, any fishing/hunting license, snowmobile registration, habitat stamp (I may have missed one or two other instruments) will participate in the CO SAR Fund. This isn't insurance -- meaning any statement that since you don't have your CORSAR card, you will then be charged; is total bs.

Self-rescue book -- Luebben's basic skills book from the Mountaineers is my pick.

Thanks again for the information mark, I should buy you a drink sometime in appriciation for all you have done (not just for enlightening me but also for cleaning up my stuck gear and being a rescuer). Would not mind climbing with you sometime in the platte either.

Todd this wasn't just a bunch of gumby follies, it's the school of hard knocks and you are right about it leaving an impression not soon to be forgotten. Tell you what I have probly taken somewhere between 15-20 falls prior to this(all on bolts, single pitches, mostly all clean and inline falls) they were all uneventful and safe. If anything it might have given me a false sense of saftey.
I still feel falling can be safe, you just have to make sure to never forget how important fallilng the correct way might be. Don't be discouraged as even veterans have had their epics and gumby moments. As long as you survive and learn something that's really what matters. I hope this has not discouraged you to get out with me again.

How's the ankle?

Shit happens, we all get banged up from time to time. Don't worry about it, have a good summer of climbing once your ankle is right and go back and sent the route come fall.

It's a bit like falling off a horse, got to get back on it quickly as the saying goes...

Thanks for the report, hope you heal fast.

See if you can get an air cast. Also, go to the health food store and get a tube of Arniflora Gel. Tape a gauze pad poultice of the gel on your ankle.

I have used an air cast over my climbing shoe and climbed a week after a serious sprain with this treatment.

Jason, I didn't mean for it to sound like i thought it was a bunch of mistakes we made. I was just trying to highlight the importance of awareness in every action taken and the importance of having a strong team, which I felt that we did, or do. I have fallen on gear quite a bit and every time i still find a small amount of metaphorical shit in my britches.

I most definately want to climb more with you. I hope you heal quickly. I was not discouraged either. I have had quite a few epics in my short climbing career and have come to embrace and cherish every one them.

Glad to hear it todd, I didn't mean to come off in a scolding manner as I may have. I too have my fair share of epics and have also learned to cherrish them and try to learn from them as best I can.

As for the foot, I'm cheap. I'm not going to get an air case or go to the doc, that's just my nature. If it still feels bad after 2 weeks of nurturing then I MIGHT(if it seems there has been no healing) go get an X-ray but that's about the only option as far as I can tell.

What does that Gel do and where can I find it(whole foods or something)?

I went to work yesterday and it wasn't too bad, but I was deffinatly alot slower then I am normally. This week is slow so I got today and maybe tomorrow off, hopefully that will help a little. I haven't even put ice on it or wrapped it up in an ace yet. Would ice still do anything at this point? The ace would just restrict movement right?

Thanks to all for the responses! It feels good to have the community behind you when your down and out.

Jason, you're young and heal fast so you can probably get away with not doing much, like you're doing. But....the imobilizing, ice etc. are to keep you from making it worse and taking longer to heal. Also, as a creaky sore old timer, I can tell you that the stuff that you take less care of now, you will feel more later!

Jason, the air cast really helped me after I sprained by ankle a couple weeks ago. The pain was the worst the day after the injury, probably due to swelling. The air cast not only supported the ankle and immobilized it from turning the wrong way, but it also helped keep the swelling down (cost is about $70 from Boulder Medical Center - I had to sign a waiver I'd pay for it if my insurance wouldn't). The doctor recommended the Ace bandage at night - which really kept the swelling down (it pushed the fluid to the tips of the toes, and above the ankle, but that's better than having it right on the sore ankle). I spent a lot of time icing and elevating the ankle for the first week, and I think that helped a lot. Enough to allow me to climb a couple days after it happened... yeah, I know, we climbers are a crazy bunch (it was one of those "don't fall" days). It sucks you're injured, but glad it wasn't any worse.