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T wall: found gear after accident

Brittany Decker 1 · · Kennesaw, GA · Joined Oct 2013 · Points: 0
Kyle Harris wrote:Brittany, First off glad to hear you are making such good progress on your recovery, and I wish you the best to a full recovery that hopefully leads you back to climbing. I had planned a trip to T-wall the day of your fall but didn't make it and heard of your accident the next day wile climbing at Foster Falls. When I was informed that a climber decked on or near a bolder the first thing that popped in my head was "It Ain't So Easy" I have climbed that one a couple of times and from the time you step off the boulder till you get to the first crux the pro is marginal at best. There are a few passive placements but they are on flakes of rock that would most likely break in a fall. Nothing really gets good again till just below the first crux. I think its important for people to know that it defiantly isn't poor placement or lack of ability that contributed to the fall, but more to do with the type of climb. Like most at the Tennessee Wall the bottom has poor placements and is why that and several others have a spicy and/or pg-13 rating with it. I spoke with a ranger one afternoon at Sunset Park about the frequency of injury's and accidents due to the same factors that you described in your account. He told me in his 20+ years of being a ranger in Chattanooga area the amount of incidents have increased 10 fold with the accessibility of climbing gear and climbing areas. I truly hope those who read your account and others can heave the warning of not getting in over your head and to know what routes are within your ability. Again best of luck with your recovery.
Thank you! It's really interesting to hear what you said about the gear. You're certainly not the first person who's told me this. Lots of people who have done the route before told me that the gear was not good so they can understand why it happened. One of my friends soloed it... he said he would have been more scared looking for gear then he was just climbing it. Haha.

Even more interesting is the bit you said about passive pro. This is super good for me to know! As I stated above, I didn't add additional gear to my harness after I put up the other climb for my friends. One thing that I left on the ground (but normally have with me) was most of my passive protection. I lost a lot of memory about what actually happened, but I've always had a nagging feeling that the passive pro would have come in handy... maybe it wouldn't have pulled. Regardless, it just goes to show that your instincts are usually right.

And yeah, people need to be educated. Especially with trad climbing. There are routes that offer very specific gear placements and if you miss them, you might be in trouble... which sounds like it may have happened in my case.

Either way, all is well that ends well so I'm psyched. Thank you!
NC Rock Climber · · The Oven, AKA Phoenix · Joined Dec 2009 · Points: 60
John Byrnes wrote: 5.samadhi, perhaps you should take your own advice and "mind your fucking business" because just about every point you've made on this thread is wrong. (And JFYI, so are most of your other posts on other threads.) Because climbing is a sport where you sometimes only get one mistake, it is imperative that accidents are analyzed and that information is shared, so that other climbers can avoid making the same mistake. Do you think that "low hook turns" aren't such a problem anymore because no one analyzed the problem and warned other skydivers? Doh! In almost all climbing accidents there's more to it that just one mistake (this is no exception) such as "improper placement" of gear. I think Ms. Decker describes the "Cascade Effect" quite well. The bottom line is that you're full of shit to say 'There is nothing here for you to learn other than "don't do that".' MP is populated by climbers of all abilities and experience levels. Not everyone is as smart as 5.samadhi and this is an important place for them to learn. I broke my back many years ago because of a situation that I never anticipated. And at that time, lots of other climbers were also making the same mistake. That mistake doesn't happen much anymore because gear, guides and practices have changed. Gee, maybe we all should have kept quiet so YOU could make the same mistake too, eh? (Or maybe you did anyway... How'd you break your back?) Clearly Ms. Decker was forthcoming so rest of us could learn from her accident. She'll never make those mistakes again, and if only one other climber avoids them too, it'll have been worth it. If that makes you uneasy, 5.samadhi, don't read these posts. But please, STFU. Brittany, best wishes from another broken back.
Spot on, John. Great post.

Brittany, I hope that you are continuing on your way to a complete recovery. Thanks for sharing the details of your accident so that others can learn.
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Southern States
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