Fritz Nuffer wrote: Anyone taken a factor 1.75+? Anyone whipped on a bro or ice screw? 30' grounder? What's your craziest fall outdoors?
I ripped a 0.5 in a bad placement while liebacking and took a 30-footer on Wingate. This route too:
it's a good thing that piece caught him, because Escalante Canyon doesn't have the greatest stone. Nowhere near as solid as the Creek and routes are way shorter too. I personally never bother going there, even though it's closer than Indian Creek for me. Plus the BLM just shut down some of the best routes there.
I always have been a very conservative climber and never thought something like this would happen to me. They were a .5 C4, .5 C4, and 0C3.
My theory: The top held a previous fall, but was slightly flared. I tried to get a .75 in after, but it wouldn't fit, so I replaced the .5 (lesson learned- if it worked once don't mess with it). The second piece rips and you can see some dust come out if you slow down the video- maybe lichen weakened the lobes contact. The third has striations and is mangled- maybe I was beyond the force rating at that point? I think they had to have slowed me down, decking from 25ish feet should have done worse.
My worst fall was in 2002 on the steepest aspect of Grace falls. I was at the top finding little to no sticks on sublimated ice. I got a questionable screw in and was attempting to clip my tool as a temporary anchor so I could find a better placement to protect my move over the sublimated lip, when I lost a foot. That was all she wrote. I was abruptly on the ground. Landed on my head and knees in a fetal position with my bilayer Simon Ahlgren yelling out don't move. The fall was about 50ft. and not my most shining moment. I had the wind knocked out of me, saw my blown screw lying a few feet away, flipped it the bird and attempted to erect myself at the behest of Simon's wishes. The route looked like a crime seen, with an axe at the top and my last good screw in the middle of the pillar. Turns out My edelweiss helmet probably saved my life as the triangular plastic donut holding the webbing together snapped on impact. I heard it, and was hoping it wasn't my neck. The fall was witnessed by three people. I apparently cartwheeled about 3 full revolutions before impact. It was a hard and brutal 4 mile ski descent out. needless to say, it took about a month of awkward recovery to de torque my skeleton. I would like to thank again Brandon Miller for helping me down and Kelley Chordus for helping me get my gear back. I was back in the saddle as soon as possible and am still doing my best to get after it. I would also like to thank Simon for all the great Ice routes we motivated each other for. Phil Sabet
Visiting friend on property that had a crag that he bolted. Finished up one fun climb and moved the anchor to another at cliff-top. My mistake came when I never stopped to confirm the length of the climb that he had not climbed yet and got lowered off the end of the rope at about 20' into a small rock-filled gully. 2 cracked ribs, cracked scapula, wind knocked outta me. Could have been much worse. Always knot now. Before that I had taken one or two unexpected falls with full clipping slack out that almost resulted in grounders (<4' from ground).
Thomas Claiborne wrote: I've taken a couple of weird flipping falls, but nothing too bad. My most exciting fall ended up being safe but I was shitting myself as I took a 30ft ride onto a 000 C3 backed up by a blue alien. The C3 held -- thank god.
holy shit, onto a Grey Ghost? that's rowdy for an aid-only piece,
Two eighty footers (caused by piton failure) ,one in the Chamonix Alps one in UK . Both on a bowline around the waist tie in and both held directly on a over the shoulder belay. No problems ,but lost my cap on the Alpine flight. ..
I was leading every pitch as my buddy did not lead climb and we had never climbed at Whitehorse before.
Doing the easy 9 pitch Standard Route and was on pitch 3 (buddy belaying in the Toilet Bowl). Very little pro but there was an old pin in the rock (probably placed in Weisner's days) about 20 feet above the belay on pitch 3 and I remember telling my partner that I was clipping it for the mental support b/c it would never hold me. I progressed past the pin and was really getting run out above it when I noticed that I was on all lichen covered rock and it was getting way harder than 5.5. I had gone way too far left.
The only pro I had placed (clipped) was the old pin and I was way above that. I tried to move right to get back on route but came off.
I remember bouncing off the slabs as I was falling and distinctly yelling, multiple times, "TAKE, TAKE, TAKE" as I fell. I could actually see him pulling in rope as fast as he could but not getting it all.
I finally felt the rope grab and I stopped and I was below my belayer. The old pin had held.
Just sat there for a bit trying to get my head right and then we heard another group that was at the base and off to the cliff's right scream up, "HOLY SH!T!!! Don't move! We're calling rescue." I then yelled back, after a moment, "Nah, don't worry, I think I'm alright" They then yelled, "Holy F^CK! You're alive???"
I was bleeding all over my knees and ankles where I had repeated bounced off the slabs on the way down.
I was pretty shook up but my buddy really wanted to keep climbing so I climbed back to him and led the rest of the 7 pitches and we finished but I have never been so scared on a 5.5 in my life.
I decked a couple weeks ago from about 35 feet. Blew the third clip on a sport climb, and hit the ground before I knew what was happening. Forgive the spray, but my landing was a perfect "10" with a tuck'n'roll. I'm scared of the route now, though.
I was leading every pitch as my buddy did not lead climb and we had never climbed at Whitehorse before.
Doing the easy 9 pitch Standard Route and was on pitch 3 (buddy belaying in the Toilet Bowl). Very little pro but there was an old pin in the rock (probably placed in Weisner's days) about 20 feet above the belay on pitch 3 and I remember telling my partner that I was clipping it for the mental support b/c it would never hold me. I progressed past the pin and was really getting run out above it when I noticed that I was on all lichen covered rock and it was getting way harder than 5.5. I had gone way too far left.
The only pro I had placed (clipped) was the old pin and I was way above that. I tried to move right to get back on route but came off.
I remember bouncing off the slabs as I was falling and distinctly yelling, multiple times, "TAKE, TAKE, TAKE" as I fell. I could actually see him pulling in rope as fast as he could but not getting it all.
I finally felt the rope grab and I stopped and I was below my belayer. The old pin had held.
Just sat there for a bit trying to get my head right and then we heard another group that was at the base and off to the cliff's right scream up, "HOLY SH!T!!! Don't move! We're calling rescue." I then yelled back, after a moment, "Nah, don't worry, I think I'm alright" They then yelled, "Holy F^CK! You're alive???"
I was bleeding all over my knees and ankles where I had repeated bounced off the slabs on the way down.
I was pretty shook up but my buddy really wanted to keep climbing so I climbed back to him and led the rest of the 7 pitches and we finished but I have never been so scared on a 5.5 in my life.
Happy to hear you lived to climb again, never mind leading the rest of the route.
I like likin' that I like lichen. But usually as a tea. Never on the rocks.
This past May I was falling my way up El Matador on Devil's Tower and was probably 30ish feet up when my right foot slipped while I was moving my left and all my weight went onto my arms. The fall itself was mundane but I couldn't disengage my shoulders when I slipped, and the left one dislocated. I reduced it while I was still hanging there (my belayer says she heard the pop echo down the slot), though I probably should have waited. I bailed on a few more nuts than I would've liked; it's hard to clean well with one hand...
Damn a buddy of mine has decked off Kloof too. Got himself pretty hurt, climbs hard again tho. I’ve always felt kloof and sequential are overhyped choss
I have heard stories of other strange things happening on that route- ropes being cut, ropes coming unclipped. Choss? idk, still would like to go lead it again one day.
Not sure I agree on not checking/resetting a piece after you've fallen on it, but you were there and not me.
So how bomb/marginal did you think the three placements were?
It is a hard call, and there are examples of not resetting it and then having it fail in Eldo as well. I guess each situation requires an analysis I thought they were good, great and great- I would not have gone for it if I didn't.
Justin Skaare wrote: Wow, glad you're ok, that was brutal ... should be a R&I weekend whipper.
I thought about submitting it.. but after a friend of mine submitted one (also in Eldo), I decided I don't particularly care for the critique of that audience
I thought about submitting it.. but after a friend of mine submitted one (also in Eldo), I decided I don't particularly care for the critique of that audience
My friend was leading Bird of Fire in J Tree, placed a black totem as his last piece before it got steep and started climbing. I was expecting him to place sometime but he just kept going. His crack technique isn't the best so he laybacked the upper section. Well somehow he blew the last move to the anchor. Fell 30+ feet, got spun around and ended up stopping upside down looking at the ground. Ended up with a broken ankle and sprained wrist.
Best part is that the totem held and only a small indent from the rock can be seen on one of the lobes. <3 Totem
I thought they were good, great and great- I would not have gone for it if I didn't.
Yep, it can be a tough call at times, particularly with small and/or marginal pro. Still, three in a row sucks, what would you do differently on it if you did it again?
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