I Got Hit In the Head By Rockfall

I got hit in the head with a rock yesterday.
After two days of fun in the sun with good friends at Shelf Road, our last route of the day, I was belaying a partner on a weekend-cooldown 5.8. He kicked off a baseball-sized rock from about 60 feet up and it made a direct hit, center of my skull. If I'd have been looking up, it would have been between the eyes.

My girlfriend and I were the only people wearing helmets all weekend. It's your choice not to wear one, but I am personally glad I wear one (nearly all the time), even for casual, one-pitch sport cragging. Head injuries are very serious stuff and I'd like to avoid them. With the helmet, I hardly even felt the impact.

I bought my climbing helmet a few years ago after a story on the MP forums about an Eldo accident. If you don't own one or don't wear the one you have, maybe you should consider it. Safe climbing to all and happy 2011!

Not debating the value of a helmet, but if you were looking up, watching the climber, you probably could have easily avoided the falling rock. I've dodged many myself, merely by paying attention. Glad you're OK.

..."but if you were looking up, watching the climber, you probably could have easily avoided the falling rock"

Not so. The largest rock I got hit with broke off when a leader I was belaying grabbed the wrong thing. Besides I was pasted in location by the rope he was now hanging on, the rock appeared to head away from me and then boomeranged back and hit me on the shoulder/back. Ouch, could've been real bad if it hit me in the head. Luckily I had a helmet on, but unluckily it hit me elsewhere.

I don't know why people always seem to say they don't need it since they are not leading. When I get to the base of the crag the first thing I do is put one on. That is the most dangerous place to be, even if you don't plan to climb at all.

Yes, I was not looking up at the climber at the time of rock fall. It was one of my oldest climbing partners - we've shared many ropes before and done many routes more difficult than this 5.8 slab, including long, wandering multi-pitches, where there is no sight or audible contact. I believe belaying by feel on the rope is an important skill.

The route was not in the guidebook and had a plaque at the base saying "Lamont's Period, 5.8, 12/10." We acknowledged the potential of loose rock before even tying in.

Last time I was in Red Rocks, NV (with this same partner), some hard climbers were cooling down on a 5.10 after gunning all the 12s and 13s on the cliff. The girl blew a hand hold and landed on her belayers head, injuring both. A loud argument ensued, where she thoroughly (and rightfully so) chewed him a new one for not being an attentive belayer, even though it was her "cool down."

While I may not be craning my neck upward every second of every route, I believe that even on routes far below a leaders ability, a solid belay is crucial. I consider myself as a good belayer. This is just a simple reminder of the inherent dangers in climbing and a relatively easy way to mitigate some of those dangers.

D-Storm wrote:Not debating the value of a helmet, but if you were looking up, watching the climber, you probably could have easily avoided the falling rock. I've dodged many myself, merely by paying attention. Glad you're OK.

I know where you're going from with your comment, but I have to disagree as well. I've dodged many a rock and falling chunk of ice, but it's impossible to be looking up every second of a climb. The rope needs tending, double check your system, etc., etc.

I'm a really attentive belayer and I once got clocked on top of the head toproping someone at the Apes Wall in Malibu Creek. Same scenario, except I wasn't wearing a helmet and the rock was maybe the size of a small donut. I was looking down because the rope was kinking thru the belay device and blam. If I had looked up a half second sooner and a good part of my face was have been annilated. Lots blood all the same but no trip to the hospital or to see a doctor to get my face rebuilt.

To the OP, glad you're OK.

Wow, what a story. I think the other part that you didn't mention is that if you were knocked out cold...your climber would have been off belay and free soloing. And if you were using a self locking belay device they would have had to untie to move up or down.

I had a rock get broken off and sent towards me while belaying. I was looking up and slid to the side. Just in time to have it crash down on my rope bag. The climber fell and I was able to lock off.

Ever since then I always wear a helmet to belay or if I am tied to a rope.

If I get hit on the head with no helmet and drop my climber because of it. I don't want to ask myself the question...what if I had a helmet on. Maybe I wouldn't have dropped my climber.

What kind of helmet was it? Pictures?

wankel7 wrote:Wow, what a story. I think the other part that you didn't mention is that if you were knocked out cold...your climber would have been off belay and free soloing. And if you were using a self locking belay device they would have had to untie to move up or down.

An interesting take on this thread got me wondering. I know how to escape the belay in case the leader falls and get knocked out but what about escaping the lead. Seems like in the case of rock fall like in the OP it is just as likely for the belayer to get hit and knocked out as for the leader.

Though I do think you free solo analogy is off, you still have a rope and gear so you are not soloing. With the advent of self locking belay devises I could see this being a tricky situation.

What would/could/should a climber do if their belayer gets knocked out?

I guess it depends on the climb. If it was a crack climb and you could get gear in right where you are you could just build and anchor and then rap off. You might have to down climb a little to have some slack.

Also depends on the device if its a self locker you would have to down climb if not you could pull slack.

What if its a sport route the only gear is where the bolts are. My guess is the best option would be to down climb to the last bolt and work it out from there.

Sorry about the threadjack this might be better as a post on it's own.

Last time we were at Shelf, I was also belaying someone that dislodged a number of rocks in a gully and sent us all scrambling for cover. No one got hit, but being vigilant was what saved us. I had an even larger amount of rock sent sailing down at me once over on Spiny Ridge. It was high up enough that I saw it coming and just stepped to the right. No helmet would have saved me from those rocks. I also saw a mother once pull rocks from off route down and in the direct path of her own kids. Stay near the bolts, everyone. That's the rock that has been cleaned by others pulling on it. That stuff way, way over to the side is of the Unknown.

Keeping alert of loose rock while climbing and while belaying is key. Have the kids, friends, and dogs play/sit in areas out of the rockfall zone. And wearing the helmet isn't a bad idea, either.

Glad to hear you're okay Ryan! I was in red rocks a few years ago and we went to cool down at a sport crag that gets gang banged by the hordes noobs that flock there every winter. I stopped at the entrance to the crag and put my helmet on. I got a lot of comments and snickers for wearing my helmet a sport crag where "everything that is gonna come off has already come off". Sure enough, a dinner plate size hold blew and hit the girl next to me in the shoulder. That was the end of the snickers.... I almost always wear the helmet, even at sport crags.

Basic Petzl helmet. This was from earlier in the weekend, when I was being an attentive belayer and actually watching my climber!

It wasn't a big deal at the time, small rock bounced off my helmet, nobody hurt, thought I'd share a lesson reinforced.

i think the real moral of the story is to avoid all of the new ultra easy excessively chossy routes. there is a reason that these patches of road cut quality rock were passed over for 25 years...

Nothing wrong with wearing a helmet, and even more important to do so this time of year when freeze/thaw is happening constantly.
A few thoughts on the matter-
#1) If the block is big enough, it will still break your neck. Helmets stop small rocks.
#2) You can lock off a climber and still move around in the belay. I've done it. Read comments here:
If you don't believe me, ask Richard.
(Yes, I was wearing a helmet, but that thing would still kill with 20lbs at 100MPH)
#3) Good luck convincing other people to wear helmets- you are safer for doing it, but some people won't, self included much of the time. IT just depends on where I am, my partner, the crowd levels, and the time of year.

glad you're ok. Only takes getting dinged once....

like motorcycles riders....there are two types of climbers:

ones that have been hit, and ones that are gonna get hit.

the choice is easy for me...but I enjoy motor functions and forming proper sentences...oh and eating solid food is nice too!

stay safe out there!

But if I wear my helmet, I won't be able to get my picture in the mags so the world can see my awesomeness......

slim wrote:i think the real moral of the story is to avoid all of the new ultra easy excessively chossy routes. there is a reason that these patches of road cut quality rock were passed over for 25 years...

+1

I always wear a helmet, but still used to think the "get out of the way" tactic was valid, until...
While climbing on North Table, my leader grabbed the wrong hold. It broke, he took a lead-fall. The rock came smashing down on the slabby base of the route, exploding into pieces while the leaders' fall yanked me up off my feet and directly into the falling rock - which tagged me right on top of the head. I can write this now thanks to my BD helmet protecting my cranium, or that thing would've taken away brain function I can't afford to lose.
The people nearby with their toddler on a blanket at the base of the crag took their kid further away. Other climbers put the helmets in their packs on their heads. I think the rest secretly wished they had helmets, too.
Rockfall happens everywhere, to everyone. Don't be naive or arrogant about it.

Must say I'm more concerned about requiring my belayer to wear a helmet than I am about wearing it on lead. I still wear my bucket religiously but if their's only one helmet between 2 people, I prefer my belayer to be wearing it (rarely use a break-assist device like the GriGri).

adam winslow wrote:Must say I'm more concerned about requiring my belayer to wear a helmet than I am about wearing it on lead. I still wear my bucket religiously but if their's only one helmet between 2 people, I prefer my belayer to be wearing it (rarely use a break-assist device like the GriGri).

+1

A few years ago my partner and I were rapping off of a ridge to gain a snow field. I rapped first and got a nice little belay underneath a small overhang. "I'm pretty safe here", I thought. my partner rapped down and knocked one small rock off. I watched it bounce down, sure I was safe. As it got level with my cave, it hit another rock and shot straight out at me. I didn't have time to think - I just stuck my hand out and it split my palm open. The cut was so deep I could see bone and tendons. I'd also lost feeling in my thumb and forefinger - yup, some nerves had been cut. Many hours of downclimbing, walking and radioing later we were on a helicopter and to the hospital.

I'm not sure what the moral of the story is here - shit happens even if you take all reasonable precautions.

the followup - my hand is fine, I've got about 90% feeling back and I'm climbing way harder than I ever was before. I've got no problems doing anything, it's just a bit tingly sometimes.

adam winslow wrote:Must say I'm more concerned about requiring my belayer to wear a helmet than I am about wearing it on lead. I still wear my bucket religiously but if their's only one helmet between 2 people, I prefer my belayer to be wearing it (rarely use a break-assist device like the GriGri).

x2
Gotta add my .02 cents.
One sunny day toproping at a deserted crag my buddy was pulling slack as I prepared to climb. Suddenly out of no where the rope nocked off a loose baseball sized piece of sandstone and landed 3 feet in front of my belayer. I was wearing the helmet he was not. For some reason he still doesn't wear one, maybe cause he doesn't look as cool as I do in mine. At least he uses a gri I guess.

Ryan Kane wrote:I got hit in the head with a rock yesterday. After two days of fun in the sun with good friends at Shelf Road, our last route of the day, I was belaying a partner on a weekend-cooldown 5.8. He kicked off a baseball-sized rock from about 60 feet up and it made a direct hit, center of my skull. If I'd have been looking up, it would have been between the eyes. My girlfriend and I were the only people wearing helmets all weekend. It's your choice not to wear one, but I am personally glad I wear one (nearly all the time), even for casual, one-pitch sport cragging. Head injuries are very serious stuff and I'd like to avoid them.

Try not standing directly below your climber. Sometimes using your head is the best way to avoid injuring it.

Jay