First fall on gear?

Took my first real fall about 1 year in and maybe 100 pitches of trad leading?  Didn't expect to fall but knew the nut was solid -- felt fine flying through the air!

Taken another fall but so far no takes!

Blue alien at foot level. Crux did not look as hard as it was. Maybe trad 2nd lead? I was amazed it held.

If you gonna be dumb you gotta be tough. 

Tomily ma wrote:

If you gonna be dumb you gotta be tough. 

In Philly terms: 'Fuck around, fuck around, lay around and bleed'

In Devils Lake terms: 'Place well thy protection lest the Earth rise up and smite thee'

Ok, that's about the sort of spread I was expecting. The used cams comment was more of an observation than a hard and fast rule.

I'm just starting out in trad and hope to make my first lead soon. I'm not that nervous about falling, but some of the people I climb with have made it seem like the worst case scenario. I figure if I understand basic placements and practice a ton building anchors and placements before ever leaving the ground then I should be able to trust the gear. My original question actually came from watching a ton of first person videos of people leading trad - their falls (and takes) seem like a pretty regular occurrence when pushing the grade level.

I think no matter how "good" you (or someone else) is at placements doesn't really dictate the safety, etc. Its more about the route and rock. You might take giant whips on spltter cracks with even not so perfect placements. Conversely, you might not want to fall on other routes that have a decent placements.

I've got a crazy idea, but since the recent anti-child and all men suck threads, I bet it won't happen.  Don't give a shit what others think online!

MClay wrote:

How long did you lead trad until you took a proper fall on gear? 

It was several years before my first "true" leader fall. I started climbing before cams, didn't have the plug and play mentality some have today and was probably overly cautious. There were several times I downclimbed and fell off with gear above my head. I don't remember what route my first "true" leader fall was on or what gear but I do remember it coming as a complete surprise. One second I was in the middle of a move, the next I was dangling.

Healyje wrote:

I have no problem with people climbing any way they want. 

I do have a problem with it when they start calling all sorts of antics trad climbing because they happen to be carrying gear.

Joe, I think people can climb any way they want as long as they don't screw it up for me or lie about it afterwards.  When they talk about "sending",  "red point", "pink point", "brown point" I just sort of shut off my brain or day dream about something else.

Adam Block wrote:

I Thought I was warming up on 5.8. Nope! 11b... Gold DMM offset nut under my feet caught me botching an unprotected mantle move. It wasn't a warm up but I sure was warm after that

"unprotected mantle move" "Gold DMM offset nut under my feet caught me"  seems kinda contradictory...

or worse. aid.

And I think even they hung on a piton or 2. I guess they were sport climbing and didn't even know it!

I was pink pointing a crack some guy put up and he said to jump. So I did. So, if you consider clipping pre placed gear "leading trad" then it only took me from the time I started that climb until I took the intentional whipper to fall on gear. If not, well, shucks, I don't remember the first fall.

I did have a buddy who took his first whippers on his first legitimate trad lead though. Dumb? Exhilarating? The fall was good, so I say play through.

Sad that most don't realize that REAL trad climbing means you are either climbing or dying! Doesn't matter what the "modern" definition of trad is- if you fall or hang you are undermining the TRUE SPIRIT OF TRAD CLIMBING™ and are just projecting on gear. Period!

Nolan Huther wrote:

TRUE SPIRIT OF TRAD CLIMBING™ 

Could we get that on a shirt with Chuck Norris giving a thumb's up just because?

Did I trad climb a bolted route if I didn’t hang in any of the bolts? 

Only if you put the bolts in on the ascent, like the olden days with pitons. 

This was my first summer of trad climbing so I worked up from 5.7s into the 5.9 range.  Never really "fell", per se, on lead.  Had to take after hastily getting a piece in at the last second while I was leading some sustained 5.9 once.  And I took a few times struggling my way up my first OW - Wolf's Tooth on Twin Owls.  

However, I almost took my first huge whipper while I was climbing the Culp on Halletts.  Got a little confused on some route finding on a traverse near the top, and tried traversing too high up.  With my last piece 10' under my feet, I was balanced on a couple gastons and some uninspiring flakes for feet.  As I started to move a foot up, the other foothold broke, and I was left hanging by only my two handholds, feet free beneath me.  Scared the living daylights outta me but I composed myself enough to get back on the rock, down climb, and traverse in the right spot.

Joe Prescott wrote:

If you ain't flyin', you ain't tryin'.

This. I whip on *good* gear placements almost as much as on bolts...

Micah Klesick wrote:

This. I whip on *good* gear placements almost as much as on bolts...

While I haven't personally seen it, I have it on very, very, top-notch and goodly authority that this is in fact the case.

I hate the sensation of falling, not scared of heights i know the gears good I just really hate the sensation no matter what i have beneath me. Trad i still haven't even take a fall and i have been at it for years.

My first fall on gear was after about 10 pitches. I was leading a slightly overhanging 5.6 (haha) that i had previously top roped succesfully, so thought it would be no problemo. However, I didn't know that in southern Nevada in the middle of July, the rock could feel a bit greasy, and my hand just buttered off at the crux. I ended up pumping out and unconcernedly yelled "falling!" to my trusty belayer. I was shocked to pull out two cams, one of which the lobes inverted like a cheap umbrella in the wind. Thankfully my first piece caught me and I mostly avoided grounding out (except for whacking my ankle on the ground.) I was going to give it a second shot, but thought better of it because I was limping. My buddy went and put up a 5.8+ sport route and I satisfied myself with following that for the day. My conclusion was that the piece I placed correctly kept me out of the hospital......I have since taken many falls on my gear, and from time to time someone will ask me, "Do you trust the gear enough to fall on it?" My answer goes something like, "If I didn't think it was going to work, there wouldn't be  much of a point in placing it."