Please help me make list of common beginner bigwall challenges

I'm making a list of 'common problems' that might pop up on bigwall climbs, each to be addressed in my new how-to bigwall book, Climb the Nose. Help me add to this list!

 Going slower than expected

 Other parties on the route

 Knot in the haul line or lead line?

 Water bottle explodes

 Can’t get the piece out 

 Can’t communicate because of wind or waterfall

 Partner wants to bail

 Dropped piece of gear

 Weather much colder/hotter than expected

 Got lost on the approach

 Lost time trying to get to parking in the Valley

 Got off route and had to leave a piece to get back on route

 Haulbag stuck

 Start your period on the wall

Thanks!

Erik Sloan, owner

RockclimbYosemite.com - Yosemitebigwall.com

Getting lost at grid-bolted belay stations.

Classic!

Don't know how to lower out

Thought you knew how to lower out but turns out you don't

Rope management! Easiest way to cluster and lose hours

Don't have mental game dialed- it's easy to get overwhelmed rather  than focusing on one pitch/hour/day at a time

Not good at knowing how and when to transition from free to aid or back, trying to free too much, trying to aid too much

Hauling totally sucks

Thanks!

For a beginner? Losing confidence in what you're doing, or worse yet, losing confidence in the person who drug you up there.

Old lady H wrote:

For a beginner? Losing confidence in what you're doing, or worse yet, losing confidence in the person who drug you up there.

Yeah, don't drug your partners on grade V or VI climbs. Save that nonsense for single pitch. 

Ray Pinpillage wrote:

Getting lost at grid-bolted belay stations.

Dumb. Doesn't even make sense.

Partner is being an ass because tired/hungry. 

Damaged hands, feet, ankles etc (cuts, tears, bruises). 

When you could name so many problems while climbing but as soon as I see this my mind goes blank

Tips for hanging belays. 

How to set up port a ledge.

How to safely sleep on ledge.

Simply How to poop

Outdated topos that are missing all the weak pathetic retrobolts that keep getting added.

Good ones Nathan! Thank You!...keep em coming!

Nathan Mielke wrote:

Tips for hanging belays. 

How to set up port a ledge.

How to safely sleep on ledge.

Simply How to poop

Yes! None of the "How to Climb Big Walls" books really ever talks about the basics of living on a wall. There's more to it than "go fast and don't make a clusterfuck".

The minimum equipment needed.

llanSan wrote:

-Climb in peace, Alexa-

I'll 2nd the rope management. So much time can be lost with tangled ropes. Also, setting up the haul bag at the belay so that there is easy access to food, water, gear. I've gotten myself into trouble when the bag was not in a convenient spot at a belay and I figured I would just get water/food at the next belay, then 4 hours later you finally get some fuel in you. No bueno. 

20 kN wrote:

I have an addition for your list:

climb too quickly