In Mission Gorge, on my FIRST lead ever (a 5.4 crack), I was using a piece of webbing for my rack sling because I was too cheap to buy a real one. About 40 feet up every single piece slide off the webbing one by one and dropped to the ground (and those #11 hexes could kill a belayer from 40 feet!)... apparently I skipped learning how to tie a webbing knot when I read Royal Robbins rockcraft book.
Egads, nothing like downclimbing 40 feet of 5.4 for a newbie climber.
It always amazes me that climbers survive our first 6 months.
ps. I've purchased a real sling since then AND learned how to tie knots.
Andy Laakmann wrote: It always amazes me that climbers survive our first 6 months.
No kidding, if I would have fallen on my first trad lead I'm pretty sure I would have decked.
I led Calypso (5.6 in Eldo) with a half a set of stoppers. I had had about a minute at the base with my partner (who had never led, but read a book) telling me how to put them in. Scary business.
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