Trad fall at Indian Creek Crag RRG 4-27

Interesting video of another draws unclipping itself, different scenario but sort of interesting...

https://www.instagram.com/share/reel/BAQ-nX_Rj8

J D wrote:

Interesting video of another draws unclipping itself, different scenario but sort of interesting...

https://www.instagram.com/share/reel/BAQ-nX_Rj8

Not sure if everybody has seen this

https://youtube.com/shorts/mih60iMmLBs?si=2vFnj9o5wfUPa7n7

here's a longer video showing context (orange rope tied itself to a big cam on the climbers harness)

https://youtube.com/shorts/Ge7GLsxPWAI?si=qkQzM_PJoxNe5ubU

People seem very happy to throw cams into parallel-sided cracks. They can be bomber but not guaranteed!

Does anyone know how the climber is doing?  I'm not a member of that Facebook group, so I can't follow the link.  Godspeed on his recovery.

Marc801 C wrote:

What? In the 50+ years me and my partners have been climbing this has never happened to us. What the hell are you doing?

They were climbing and the rope got clipped into a a lower carabiner.
Carry on.

In Austin's photo, the scenario of the rope re-clipping the lower carabineer can only happen "on its own" in a fall where the upper piece holds on long enough for some tension in the lead line to be developed.  But Austin says this happens about 1x per year, but WITHOUT FALLING. 

So I think what might be happening here is that 1. Austin is Z-clipping two closely placed pieces or 2. After he clips the upper piece, the belayer removes some slack in the system with Austin's harness still lower than the rope biner on the lower piece and the lead line pushes into the lower biner.  

I myself have experienced scenarios 1. and 2. above several times in 30+ years, but it's not something to worry about because after you make a move or two you realize something is wrong and you reach down and fix it before continuing the climb.  

I tend to z-clip "a lot" when I climb in a gym because the bolts are so close together and I'm used to climbing outside in places where the bolts are never close enough to z-clip, unless you have an 8' wingspan.  That and I tend to not pay attention as much in a gym... a bad habit, I know.  

bob steed wrote:

In Austin's photo, the scenario of the rope re-clipping the lower carabineer can only happen "on its own" in a fall where the upper piece holds on long enough for some tension in the lead line to be developed.  But Austin says this happens about 1x per year, but WITHOUT FALLING.

Hi Bob, you might want to go back and re- read the first paragraph in Austin's post on page 3.

To expand on my previous post, I think the way a double-clip usually happens is the climber's rope gets "clotheslined" by a lower piece you swing by it. Climbs with a uniform geometry where the rope easily pulls away from the wall makes this more likely:

Here is a spot on a climb where a double-clip happened twice (though not on this attempt; the top carabiner skates off the edge of the crack in the next frame). The lower piece gets pulled outward as I fall, and during the leftward pendulum the rope slams into the lower carabiner. On later attempts I would place the lower piece with the gate facing left to avoid this.

Due to the physics it does seem unlikely for the top piece to fail once the lower is clipped, but that's not that comforting when you look up and just see your shitty top piece holding you.

Carter Fulton wrote:

My brother was on belay and said the climber was pretty lucky to be alive. In short, some cams ripped, a carabiner snapped clean in half, and the rope unclipped from the bottom piece that would have kept him off the ground... 

I heard the same narrative from somewhere too.