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apeman_e
Nov 28, 2008, 1:32 PM
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So...I suspect that when many of us were learning to climb, we did some pretty stupid stuff i.e. complete misunderstanding of gear, concepts, physics, partners, ect.
Also, some of us are just stupid.
So come clean!- what is the dumbest thing you've ever done rock climbing?
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ddansby1
Nov 28, 2008, 1:43 PM
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Only put one piece of pro in @ The Glass and fell on it from 10 ft above swinging within inches of the ground. That or breaking my leg bouldering.
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sbaclimber
Nov 28, 2008, 1:48 PM
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Waaaaaayyyy back before I and my then climbing partner had any clue what we were doing (and a bit before the internet was even worth using to find porn, let alone good climbing info)...
We tried using "military webbing" (the od green cotton stuff, at best only good for tying a bed-roll together) to set up a toprope anchor, because it was free and "webbing is webbing....right!?"
We wrapped it around a boulder, which wouldn't have even been all that good with nylon webbing, as one of the corners was a fairly sharp 90deg, and we were set to go. 1st (and only for that day) climb, and all was fine....until my buddy ran into a bees nest...
I saw the bees first, and said, "let go, I'll lower you quick". Turns out, I didn't even need to lower him, and he definitely made it to the ground quick. As soon as his weight hit the rope, *snap* the corner of the boulder cut through the webbing, and he dropped. Thankfully, he wasn't more than 10-15' feet off the ground, and only scraped his elbow after falling ass-backwards down the small hill at the bottom of the 'crag' (it was really short, more a boulder really).
Could've been nasty if it had been any higher though.
Definitely taught us very early on to only trust tested and certified climbing gear! ...or at least time-tested...(e.g. knots and such)
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Guran
Nov 28, 2008, 1:49 PM
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After I seconded a climb, my buddy handed me a sling already secured to the anchor. I grabbed a locker and clipped it to my tie-in-loop. (I was using an alpine bod, so no belay loop. Therefore I used the loop of rope from my tie in to attach belay devices etc.)
Next we prepared to rap down. I untied the rope to thread it trough the rap ring.... and felt really stupid when the sling and carabiner connecting me to the anchor fell to the ground.
Luckily this was on a huge shelf so no harm done.
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taydude
Nov 28, 2008, 1:52 PM
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I once let a girl belay me that I had never seen belay before. I get halfway up this sport route, call for a take and nothing. Appearently she knew how to lead belay but didn't really know how to lock off well.
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knieveltech
Nov 28, 2008, 2:36 PM
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Went night bouldering with a bunch of friends on a trip to the New. Every last one of is was roaring drunk at the time so of course we pick one of the highball boulders at Cotton Hill Bottom, since it's close to the road. Did I mention the walk-off was a hairball downclimb over talus?
Two of the guys in the group who where unfamiliar with the area ended up bombing off of the "walk-off" (a 10' to 20' fall depending on where you fell and your angle of descent. One managed to land between rocks unharmed. The other fell off the very top of the boulder and landed in the middle of some cooler sized blocks. Shattered his elbow, six months of rehab, has since quit climbing. 
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wanderlustmd
Nov 28, 2008, 2:45 PM
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apeman_e wrote: So...I suspect that when many of us were learning to climb, we did some pretty stupid stuff i.e. complete misunderstanding of gear, concepts, physics, partners, ect. Also, some of us are just stupid. So come clean!- what is the dumbest thing you've ever done rock climbing?
So...what'd you do?
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apeman_e
Nov 28, 2008, 3:05 PM
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First time I set up a top rope, I tied an american triangle of death with one piece of old webbing on a two bolt anchor. My friend Silas got the rope we used from his roomate, who got it from a friend who had retired and kept it in his trunk all summer and winter. We clearly wanted to die.
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Parkerkat
Nov 28, 2008, 3:07 PM
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hahaha..couple new folks climbing with us once, and had seen them in the gym..seemed like they knew what they were doing..at least for top rope..so I set a top rope route for them outdoors, and asked if they were ok to go from there. They said yes, we've been outdoors before.. I double checked everything on them, Grigri, knots etc. Everything was fine.
10 minutes later as I'm on clip two of a new route down the way, I hear screams for help!..Rap down, run over as fast as I could, only to fine one of them clinging for dear life at the top of the route, while the belayer kept pulling out armfulls of slack!.. She thought the grigri didn't look "right"? ..WTF? and wanted to pull the rope out and re-thread it!!! (which would have been the wrong way had she done it!!!)..and get this, she couldn't figure out how to undo a screw locking biner!...so in the end, you have a moron who can't open a biner, while a climber at the top is in tears clinging for her life while the rope has pretty much been pulled out of the belay device!
- had to slap my gri on quickfast and belay her down myself..
Lets just say I learned to pick trip buddies a little better now!
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a-e-jones
Nov 28, 2008, 3:23 PM
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sounds like another day at rattlesnake point
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Parkerkat
Nov 28, 2008, 3:34 PM
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No Quite..but close..and no, not Nemo either..
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MikeSaint
Nov 28, 2008, 3:39 PM
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Once bailed off of a #9 BD Stopper when I could have equalized another stopper with it.
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socalclimber
Nov 28, 2008, 3:56 PM
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About 15 years ago, my partner and I went to do our first multipitch together. He lead the first pitch. When I got to the belay, I tied in. VERY SMALL LEDGE! We had the rope all tangled at our feet. During the gear sort getting ready for my lead, I went to lean back on the anchor when my partner grabbed me by harness, and said "SHIT, YOU'RE NOT TIED IN!". Sure enough, somehow during the switch over my end was untied from the anchor. I nearly went 130 feet to the deck. No clue which of us did this. It doesn't matter.
Lesson learned? Always know what your partner is doing!
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epoch
Moderator
Nov 28, 2008, 3:59 PM
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Started posting on climbing forums.
[What? Someone had to say it before page two.]
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zeke_sf
Nov 28, 2008, 4:42 PM
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epoch wrote: Started posting on climbing forums.
He has a good point.
Hmmm... one of the dumbest things I've done was the first hanging belay I ever made.
End of the third, classic 5.7 pitch of Nutcracker, I get in 3 pieces. A little paranoid, I back that up with a 4th piece for possible up-pull or what have you. This is, like, one of my first handful of leads.
Anchor complete, I finally call off belay just before pulling up the rope. It takes forever, considering my slinging on the slightly wandering route was a little F'd. It also takes forever because instead of hauling up the rope then putting it into the belay device, I essentially belayed probably 80'-100' of rope through my atc before encountering my 2nd.
Did I mention I was extremely baked at the time? Yeah...
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swaghole
Nov 28, 2008, 4:50 PM
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Not on rock but on ice - but it's still stupid.
I was on lead on a nice line when I noticed my harness kept dropping lower and lower on my ass. When I started the climb, I had my jacket tucked in under the harness but I didn't tighten it too much.
When I got up about 50', the jacket had pulled up enough so it was not longer tucked in. The harness became really lose and the weight of the screws and gear was threatning to pull it down over my ass. Not good - a fall with crampons could easily flip me upside down and I'd fall out of the harness.
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fresh
Nov 28, 2008, 4:58 PM
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big stupid mistakes are usually a cumulation of small stupid mistakes. like:
climbing standard route on whitehorse when it was wet, without a tag line, without having led a route on run-out slabs before, planning to lead every pitch. and there were thunderstorms predicted after 2PM. oh and then dropping my atc, that was stupid. but it wasn't as stupid as recommending my second to use the hip belay over the munter hitch. but I probably did that because I was dehydrated and dizzy because we didn't bring enough water which was also stupid. and then there was taking a steep variation near the end that my second had to climb around.
that was a good day.
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socalclimber
Nov 28, 2008, 5:26 PM
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fresh wrote: big stupid mistakes are usually a cumulation of small stupid mistakes. like: climbing standard route on whitehorse when it was wet, without a tag line, without having led a route on run-out slabs before, planning to lead every pitch. and there were thunderstorms predicted after 2PM. oh and then dropping my atc, that was stupid. but it wasn't as stupid as recommending my second to use the hip belay over the munter hitch. but I probably did that because I was dehydrated and dizzy because we didn't bring enough water which was also stupid. and then there was taking a steep variation near the end that my second had to climb around. that was a good day.
I like this one a lot. That list adds up.
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skiclimb
Nov 28, 2008, 5:27 PM
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Most of my climbing career learning stages were defined by having good background reading and some fantastic mentors...unfortunately sportclimbing wasn't one of those areas..Sport climbing had just started to take off in the US when I got into climbing and most of my mentors were crusty mountaineers and ground up trad ethicists..
One of my early sport leads I didnt have quickdraws and was just using a single biner. It was a vey short route 3, 1/4" bolts on a route with a couple low end .10 moves ending with a right-hand traverse to the anchor.
After the second bolt I heard my belayer gasp looked down to see that one of the biners had come un-clipped. Made me a bit nervous but I could see the moves and felt better finishing than trying to downclimb...
Eventually go to the rap anchor looked down and saw that ALL THREE BOLTS had come unclipped!!! Woulda been a 30ft deck onto boulders!!!
Belayer simply shaking his head obviously pretty scared for me ..yelled up that he didn't warn me because there was no point scaring me if I couldn't do anything about it.
I had to agree and thanked him for not mentioning it when I got down.
Learned about draws the hard-way that day..Well almost the hard way..
(This post was edited by skiclimb on Nov 28, 2008, 5:31 PM)
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apeman_e
Nov 28, 2008, 5:32 PM
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I just remembered...
In city of rocks last year, I led this really easy 5 or 6 pitch slab climb with my gf following. In the middle of the summer, with brutal heat, my gf finishes the first pitch (200 feet), clips in next to me, and realizes she forgot the water at the bottom.
Instead of having her lower me down, I said, "it's easy climbing, we'll be fine, let's just finish 'er up!" Once at the top, we are super dehydrated and and hunting for the rap anchors, covered in these insidious flying ant mutant things which apparently only live at the top of this dome (and in considerable numbers). We rap down the back, hike grueling talus in our climbing shoes around the dome to the front of the slab, and get the water. After a huge gulp, I hurled.
don't forget your water!
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notapplicable
Nov 28, 2008, 6:22 PM
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See my avatar. After finishing a lead I untied and lowered the rope to pull up slings for a top rope but when I got the gear I just tied the rope to my harness with a double over hand so I wouldnt loose the rope. I planed to re-tie it before I lowered but forgot and it came loose something like 25 ft. from the ground while I was cleaning a hex.
Thats about as dumb as it gets I'd say.  Luckily all I got was a broken wrist.
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duncanlennon
Nov 28, 2008, 6:38 PM
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Bailed off a ring piton some army guys left in the 60s. I was on a route that likely hadn't been ascended since then. Raining, moss everywhere, poor pro beneath me... Should have just backed it up, it would have only cost me a stopper.
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scottb
Nov 28, 2008, 7:50 PM
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A handful of things come to mind from when I was learning, but this is the worst:
I went out to a local crag with a friend who was more experienced than I. Only, just barely...
My friend had just bought a set of nuts and he wanted to lead on them. He went up an easy crack, built an anchor and lowered off. I went to TR it. When I got to the "anchor", this is what I saw: two nuts wedged under either side of a boulder perched on top of the cliff and they were slung together with an ADT... At this point I had never built an anchor off of gear but I had read enough to know that something wasn't right. But instead of saying "WTF is this?!!" and topping out and walking off. I just thought: "He climbs trad, he climbs harder than me, he knows what he's doing, it's prolly fine." So I weighted his anchor and let him lower me off. It was fine... but I feel like I lucked out big time.
Moral: when learning don't hesitate to call out your "mentor" if his setup looks like garbage. If he becomes defensive, find someone else to take you out.
Of all the stupid stuff that I've lucked out on while learning to climb, this one, ironically had the fewest consequences, but it makes me cringe when looking back on it more than anything.
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coolcat83
Nov 28, 2008, 8:04 PM
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was setting up a tr with a friend when some high school kids start setting up a rope from a twig of a tree. so we decided to help them set a real anchor, lent them some gear, there was one bolt over the edge and then some placements. while we were there and told them about SRENE and all that. so we climb they climb, my firned has to run to work, so i'm there waiting to break down the kids anchor, so i had to rap over the side of the route to the bolt. ok no problem, i drag my rope over from the climb i was on next to theirs, set the rap, start going clean the bolt and gear, look down and one rope end is about 25feet off the deck, knotted of course, so i quickly tied off that side with a 8 where i was, clipped it to my belay loop. and rapped the other with great difficulty since both strands were in my device and i didn't really have the skills yet to think about unloading the strand. the only thing that saved my ass was the fact that i'm paranoid about rapping so i tied the knot, keep looking at my ends, and had a autoblock backup so i could hang and deal with it. i went home, whipped a middle mark onto my rope (i still feed the ends when possible) and have never rappelled without equaling the ends ever again.
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mushroomsamba
Nov 28, 2008, 8:33 PM
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I've got an equally stupid rapping story. I was at the gunks with my partner doing a very easy route, 2 pitches 5.3-5.4 and we finished no problem. Got to the top and our first mistake was my partner dropping his ATC, no big deal, just used a munter hitch for the rap. The problem came however, when I was rapping after him and missed the rap station due to a complete lack of concentration. I was about 12 feet below it, and had to pendulum my way over to the other rope, unweight what I was on and use a munter to lower myself the rest of the way down. I felt like such an ass to mess up on something I'd done countless times.
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thatguyat99
Nov 28, 2008, 8:47 PM
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Yes...water.
Climbing Forbidden Peak and 1st mistake was
saying, "Oh we should knock this out pretty quick.
I'll just take 2 bottles of water and I'll be good."
Second mistake, "Oh we should knock this out pretty quick so I'm not going to take my headlamp."
Third mistake, "Oh we should knock this out pretty quick so I'm only going to bring my hardshell top and bottom and a fleece pullover."
Anyone see where this is going?
We were forced to take a different gully up to the
ridge because the snow couloir was out. Crazy, loose, dirty, hard to protect anything. Slowed us down
big time.Three pitches from the summit and clouds roll in. Visibility was about 5 feet...maybe.
We were already out of water for a few hours. Not to
mention out of food. Rapping down to the glacier was ...interesting. Our visual cue of what gully to take off of the glacier had changed due to warming during the day and snow sloughing off.
So, dehydrated, low blood sugar, confusion, cold. Oh and no headlamp...it's dark by now. Several hours of attempting to get off the glacier and we finally hunkered down in between some rocks laying on our packs and the rope using a plastic bag to try and trap heat in. And the excruciating cramps in our legs...we laughed at all the whining we were doing.
As the sun came up, the weather had cleared. We made it back to camp and ate and drank everything in sight. Stupid to be overconfident and lucky that the weather didn't get worse.
It was still a blast though.
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dan2see
Nov 28, 2008, 8:49 PM
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The first time I tried a multi-pitch gear lead, and my second had no experience with gear. In fact his harness was tied from 1" webbing, and his running shoes would never run again.
On the ground, I handed an empty gear sling to my second, climbed up a corner to a traverse. For extra security before the traverse, I found a higher point for my nut. I did a good job protecting the traverse. Then at the big belay ledge, I found some big tree roots to tie onto, and brought up my buddy.
So he started after me. First thing was, the gear sling I handed him. I did not tie it properly, so when it fell apart, he had to down-climb to retieve the sling and a few pieces. Then the high-point nut was just higher than his reach, so we left it there. The traverse went OK. From the big belay ledge, I had no trouble getting over those tree roots, but he couldn't get the angle so I had to haul him out of there.
I made other mistakes, too. On our walk-off I really felt stupid. My partner allowed that we didn't get killed, so it must be OK.
Well at least I could see the experience as lessons learned. But these mistakes really were "dumb" because I should have foreseen them all.
-----------
Oh there was another "dumb" thing, recently: I was rapelling with prusik back-up. It worked so well! Even better, I'm ambi-dextrous, so I can switch hands anytime.
Going over the last overhang, I controlled my swing by gripping my left, and releasing my right (which worked a few minutes ago). I ended up on my back with a thud, and rope-burns, a neat pattern of blisters where the prusik was.
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uhoh
Nov 28, 2008, 10:43 PM
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apeman_e wrote: So...I suspect that when many of us were learning to climb, we did some pretty stupid stuff i.e. complete misunderstanding of gear, concepts, physics, partners, ect. Also, some of us are just stupid. So come clean!- what is the dumbest thing you've ever done rock climbing?
Used 1" tubular webbing to make a prussik which I then used to solo TR. Below that I did tie safety knots. No decking was involved but I was eventually told I shouldn't be doing that and picked up a gri-gri.
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zeth01
Nov 29, 2008, 1:17 AM
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getting to the crag not warmed up and attempting to send a route that always kicks my ass. Attempt one was a nice cushy 15 foot fall. attempt two about to clip the top anchors overhanging on a crimp with one foot not so good and the other cammed in a horizontal crack ropes between my legs and i cant get it out fast enough so i rest for a moment with the rope still out and between my legs go for the clip again and the foot cam pops unexpectedly actually i expected it to. immediately upside down smacking back/head first into the wall near the first bolt. almost took out the belayer and myself. huge lump on my head. yeah this was today. last time i decide to leave my helmet at home.
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caughtinside
Nov 29, 2008, 5:49 AM
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I climbed with this dude named zeke once. Man, was that a mistake!
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rockie
Nov 29, 2008, 5:51 AM
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climbed outdoors on trad with someone who hadn't done a lead course, who anchored to a 'thin' tree, and nothing else.
1 x anchor. Not very clever.
(This post was edited by rockie on Nov 30, 2008, 11:23 PM)
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rockie
Nov 29, 2008, 5:56 AM
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Whoa there are some seriously near miss nutty things done on here.
I am not climbing with you! 
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zeke_sf
Nov 29, 2008, 5:56 AM
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caughtinside wrote: I climbed with this dude named zeke once. Man, was that a mistake!
Well, heeding my own advice, I'll gracefully bow out of this confrontation...
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zeke_sf
Nov 29, 2008, 5:57 AM
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rockie wrote: climbed outdoors on trad with someone who hadn't done a lead course, who anchored to a tree, and nothing else. 1 x anchor. Not very clever.
Trees are some of the best anchors out there if they are solid. They're considered to be as solid as, well, a friggin' tree!
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notapplicable
Nov 29, 2008, 6:17 AM
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curt wrote: apeman_e wrote: ...So come clean!- what is the dumbest thing you've ever done rock climbing? Caved in to peer pressure and went sport climbing.  Curt
Thats the kind of mistake that will haunt a man for years.
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rockie
Nov 29, 2008, 6:17 AM
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notapplicable
Nov 29, 2008, 6:20 AM
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zeke_sf wrote: rockie wrote: climbed outdoors on trad with someone who hadn't done a lead course, who anchored to a tree, and nothing else. 1 x anchor. Not very clever. Trees are some of the best anchors out there if they are solid. They're considered to be as solid as, well, a friggin' tree!
Thats what I was thinking. If trees are out then wedging myself between boulders is out, thats for sure.
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rockie
Nov 29, 2008, 6:23 AM
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Parkerkat wrote: hahaha..couple new folks climbing with us once, and had seen them in the gym..seemed like they knew what they were doing..at least for top rope..so I set a top rope route for them outdoors, and asked if they were ok to go from there. They said yes, we've been outdoors before.. I double checked everything on them, Grigri, knots etc. Everything was fine. 10 minutes later as I'm on clip two of a new route down the way, I hear screams for help!..Rap down, run over as fast as I could, only to fine one of them clinging for dear life at the top of the route, while the belayer kept pulling out armfulls of slack!.. She thought the grigri didn't look "right"? ..WTF? and wanted to pull the rope out and re-thread it!!! (which would have been the wrong way had she done it!!!)..and get this, she couldn't figure out how to undo a screw locking biner!...so in the end, you have a moron who can't open a biner, while a climber at the top is in tears clinging for her life while the rope has pretty much been pulled out of the belay device! - had to slap my gri on quickfast and belay her down myself.. Lets just say I learned to pick trip buddies a little better now!
wow! Lol, that's nuts.
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zeke_sf
Nov 29, 2008, 6:23 AM
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notapplicable wrote: zeke_sf wrote: rockie wrote: climbed outdoors on trad with someone who hadn't done a lead course, who anchored to a tree, and nothing else. 1 x anchor. Not very clever. Trees are some of the best anchors out there if they are solid. They're considered to be as solid as, well, a friggin' tree! Thats what I was thinking. If trees are out then wedging myself between boulders is out, thats for sure.
Wedging is solid! What do I know though, I didn't take any lead courses...
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rockie
Nov 29, 2008, 6:25 AM
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zeke_sf
Nov 29, 2008, 6:27 AM
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rockie wrote: zeke_sf wrote: rockie wrote: climbed outdoors on trad with someone who hadn't done a lead course, who anchored to a tree, and nothing else. 1 x anchor. Not very clever. Trees are some of the best anchors out there if they are solid. They're considered to be as solid as, well, a friggin' tree! Just one anchor point is a very stupid mistake, especially when it's a tree (edited to add that last point).
Well, that means you can't ever use a tree as an anchor - or even part of your anchor. If you don't trust them at all, then you certainly shouldn't anchor to a piece that, if it failed, would pull you and your other piece(s) right off the mountain.
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notapplicable
Nov 29, 2008, 6:44 AM
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rockie wrote: notapplicable wrote: zeke_sf wrote: rockie wrote: climbed outdoors on trad with someone who hadn't done a lead course, who anchored to a tree, and nothing else. 1 x anchor. Not very clever. Trees are some of the best anchors out there if they are solid. They're considered to be as solid as, well, a friggin' tree! Thats what I was thinking. If trees are out then wedging myself between boulders is out, thats for sure.
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rockie
Nov 29, 2008, 6:46 AM
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zeke_sf wrote: rockie wrote: zeke_sf wrote: rockie wrote: climbed outdoors on trad with someone who hadn't done a lead course, who anchored to a tree, and nothing else. 1 x anchor. Not very clever. Trees are some of the best anchors out there if they are solid. They're considered to be as solid as, well, a friggin' tree! Just one anchor point is a very stupid mistake, especially when it's a tree (edited to add that last point). Well, that means you can't ever use a tree as an anchor - or even part of your anchor. If you don't trust them at all, then you certainly shouldn't anchor to a piece that, if it failed, would pull you and your other piece(s) right off the mountain.
Where in there does it state I never use a tree as an anchor point?
Kindly don't put words in my mouth just because you assume things. Let me spell it out one more time for you as you didn't understand the first time obviously:
One anchor point, thin non-solid tree, is a pretty stupid thing to do.
(This post was edited by rockie on Nov 30, 2008, 11:28 PM)
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Goo
Nov 29, 2008, 6:47 AM
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i was rapping down from a pair of back up anchors at the top of a cliff about 30 feet down to another pair of anchors to set up a tr on this overhang... well, i rapped about 5-10 feet past the chains, and i didnt want to go all the way down and have to hike up again, so i decided to take my hand off the rope and climb back up that 10 feet (wearing my chacos, mind you)... and one of the holds above the anchors right at the top was really mossy and was just soil... good times. would have been about a 50 foot fall. but there were huge jugs for holds.
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rockie
Nov 29, 2008, 6:49 AM
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And zeke if you still don't understand, maybe take a year out to think it over, by then you may realise what I am saying, I'd rather you think about it than my have to tell you why though.
It is good to use brain cells, a lot.
Using them even often makes you sharper, seriously.
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notapplicable
Nov 29, 2008, 6:52 AM
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zeke_sf wrote: rockie wrote: zeke_sf wrote: rockie wrote: climbed outdoors on trad with someone who hadn't done a lead course, who anchored to a tree, and nothing else. 1 x anchor. Not very clever. Trees are some of the best anchors out there if they are solid. They're considered to be as solid as, well, a friggin' tree! Just one anchor point is a very stupid mistake, especially when it's a tree (edited to add that last point). Well, that means you can't ever use a tree as an anchor - or even part of your anchor. If you don't trust them at all, then you certainly shouldn't anchor to a piece that, if it failed, would pull you and your other piece(s) right off the mountain.
Don't listen to him Rockie, he's never even had professional instruction in these matters.
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rockie
Nov 29, 2008, 6:53 AM
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notapplicable
Nov 29, 2008, 6:59 AM
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rockie wrote: zeke_sf wrote: rockie wrote: zeke_sf wrote: rockie wrote: climbed outdoors on trad with someone who hadn't done a lead course, who anchored to a tree, and nothing else. 1 x anchor. Not very clever. Trees are some of the best anchors out there if they are solid. They're considered to be as solid as, well, a friggin' tree! Just one anchor point is a very stupid mistake, especially when it's a tree (edited to add that last point). Well, that means you can't ever use a tree as an anchor - or even part of your anchor. If you don't trust them at all, then you certainly shouldn't anchor to a piece that, if it failed, would pull you and your other piece(s) right off the mountain. Where in there does it state I never use a tree as an anchor point? Kindly don't put words in my mouth just because you assume things. Let me spell it out one more time for you as you didn't understand the first time obviously: One anchor point, namely a tree, is a pretty stupid thing to do.
What about this guy, would you belay off that?
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rockie
Nov 29, 2008, 7:04 AM
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notapplicable wrote: rockie wrote: zeke_sf wrote: rockie wrote: zeke_sf wrote: rockie wrote: climbed outdoors on trad with someone who hadn't done a lead course, who anchored to a tree, and nothing else. 1 x anchor. Not very clever. Trees are some of the best anchors out there if they are solid. They're considered to be as solid as, well, a friggin' tree! Just one anchor point is a very stupid mistake, especially when it's a tree (edited to add that last point). Well, that means you can't ever use a tree as an anchor - or even part of your anchor. If you don't trust them at all, then you certainly shouldn't anchor to a piece that, if it failed, would pull you and your other piece(s) right off the mountain. Where in there does it state I never use a tree as an anchor point? Kindly don't put words in my mouth just because you assume things. Let me spell it out one more time for you as you didn't understand the first time obviously: One anchor point, namely a tree, is a pretty stupid thing to do. What about this guy, would you belay off that?
Well it doesn't look like it is dying, or rotten. But I'd have to see it for real to know for sure 
It looks solid from where I am sitting, so that's a good sign.
It isn't too thin either, and it doesn't look loose at the roots, but again, I'd have to see it for real to be sure.
Still, I'd like to use 1-2 other anchor points besides this one, but if that was all I had.. and as long as it is assessed perfectly bomber, by me of course, then just maybe I would.
There is a tree at Squamish someone anchored us to, I got up to it and it was loose, seriously that one is going to come out at some point, and if people are not aware of it or aware to use other anchor points and just want to rely on that one, zeke! then they are going to likely die.
(This post was edited by rockie on Nov 30, 2008, 11:21 PM)
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notapplicable
Nov 29, 2008, 7:04 AM
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rockie wrote: notapplicable wrote: zeke_sf wrote: rockie wrote: zeke_sf wrote: rockie wrote: climbed outdoors on trad with someone who hadn't done a lead course, who anchored to a tree, and nothing else. 1 x anchor. Not very clever. Trees are some of the best anchors out there if they are solid. They're considered to be as solid as, well, a friggin' tree! Just one anchor point is a very stupid mistake, especially when it's a tree (edited to add that last point). Well, that means you can't ever use a tree as an anchor - or even part of your anchor. If you don't trust them at all, then you certainly shouldn't anchor to a piece that, if it failed, would pull you and your other piece(s) right off the mountain. Don't listen to him Rockie, he's never even had professional instruction in these matters. I can see that. I'd climb with you before I'd climb with him, not that I'd forget about that one! Edited to add: My mistake, I would never climb with him, but I would climb with you
WooHoo, in your face ZEKE!!!
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rockie
Nov 29, 2008, 7:06 AM
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notapplicable
Nov 29, 2008, 7:19 AM
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rockie wrote: notapplicable wrote: rockie wrote: zeke_sf wrote: rockie wrote: zeke_sf wrote: rockie wrote: climbed outdoors on trad with someone who hadn't done a lead course, who anchored to a tree, and nothing else. 1 x anchor. Not very clever. Trees are some of the best anchors out there if they are solid. They're considered to be as solid as, well, a friggin' tree! Just one anchor point is a very stupid mistake, especially when it's a tree (edited to add that last point). Well, that means you can't ever use a tree as an anchor - or even part of your anchor. If you don't trust them at all, then you certainly shouldn't anchor to a piece that, if it failed, would pull you and your other piece(s) right off the mountain. Where in there does it state I never use a tree as an anchor point? Kindly don't put words in my mouth just because you assume things. Let me spell it out one more time for you as you didn't understand the first time obviously: One anchor point, namely a tree, is a pretty stupid thing to do. What about this guy, would you belay off that? [image]http://pro.corbis.com/images/CB002449.jpg?size=572&uid=%7BA5648DA0-31BA-4998-AF10-E3A0FBA020B5%7D[/image] Well it doesn't look like it is dying, or rotten. But I'd have to see it for real to know for sure It looks solid from where I am sitting, so that's a good sign. It isn't too thin either, and it doesn't look loose at the roots, but again, I'd have to see it for real to be sure. Still, I'd like to use 1-2 other anchor points besides this one, but if that was all I had.. and as long as it is assessed perfectly bomber, by me of course, then just maybe I would. There is a tree at Squamish someone anchored us to, I got up to it and it was loose, seriously that one is going to come out at some point, and if people are not aware of it or aware to use other anchor points and just want to rely on that one, zeke! then they are going to likely die.
I think we may have very different ideas of what constitutes a tree. I wouldn't be happy to be belayed off an 8 inch diameter baby tree but as long as its not right on the edge, most grown trees will do just fine.
Hell sometimes if your topping out a slab with a low angle summit, you can just plop down on your ass and throw the rope around your waist. Point is, all belays are different and sometimes a seat belay is all you need.
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rockie
Nov 29, 2008, 7:26 AM
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notapplicable wrote: rockie wrote: notapplicable wrote: rockie wrote: zeke_sf wrote: rockie wrote: zeke_sf wrote: rockie wrote: climbed outdoors on trad with someone who hadn't done a lead course, who anchored to a tree, and nothing else. 1 x anchor. Not very clever. Trees are some of the best anchors out there if they are solid. They're considered to be as solid as, well, a friggin' tree! Just one anchor point is a very stupid mistake, especially when it's a tree (edited to add that last point). Well, that means you can't ever use a tree as an anchor - or even part of your anchor. If you don't trust them at all, then you certainly shouldn't anchor to a piece that, if it failed, would pull you and your other piece(s) right off the mountain. Where in there does it state I never use a tree as an anchor point? Kindly don't put words in my mouth just because you assume things. Let me spell it out one more time for you as you didn't understand the first time obviously: One anchor point, namely a tree, is a pretty stupid thing to do. What about this guy, would you belay off that? Well it doesn't look like it is dying, or rotten. But I'd have to see it for real to know for sure It looks solid from where I am sitting, so that's a good sign. It isn't too thin either, and it doesn't look loose at the roots, but again, I'd have to see it for real to be sure. Still, I'd like to use 1-2 other anchor points besides this one, but if that was all I had.. and as long as it is assessed perfectly bomber, by me of course, then just maybe I would. There is a tree at Squamish someone anchored us to, I got up to it and it was loose, seriously that one is going to come out at some point, and if people are not aware of it or aware to use other anchor points and just want to rely on that one, zeke! then they are going to likely die. I think we may have very different ideas of what constitutes a tree. I wouldn't be happy to be belayed off an 8 inch diameter baby tree but as long as its not right on the edge, most grown trees will do just fine. Hell sometimes if your topping out a slab with a low angle summit, you can just plop down on your ass and throw the rope around your waist. Point is, all belays are different and sometimes a seat belay is all you need.
I prefer more than just one anchor point.
If a huge solid, non rotting, healthy tree was the only thing I had, and it wasn't on the edge for sure! then it would likely be okay. Either way, it would have to be bomber and I'd want to ensure that the person I am climbing with is not put at risk by my decision either.
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notapplicable
Nov 29, 2008, 8:11 AM
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rockie wrote: notapplicable wrote: rockie wrote: notapplicable wrote: rockie wrote: zeke_sf wrote: rockie wrote: zeke_sf wrote: rockie wrote: climbed outdoors on trad with someone who hadn't done a lead course, who anchored to a tree, and nothing else. 1 x anchor. Not very clever. Trees are some of the best anchors out there if they are solid. They're considered to be as solid as, well, a friggin' tree! Just one anchor point is a very stupid mistake, especially when it's a tree (edited to add that last point). Well, that means you can't ever use a tree as an anchor - or even part of your anchor. If you don't trust them at all, then you certainly shouldn't anchor to a piece that, if it failed, would pull you and your other piece(s) right off the mountain. Where in there does it state I never use a tree as an anchor point? Kindly don't put words in my mouth just because you assume things. Let me spell it out one more time for you as you didn't understand the first time obviously: One anchor point, namely a tree, is a pretty stupid thing to do. What about this guy, would you belay off that? [image]http://pro.corbis.com/images/CB002449.jpg?size=572&uid=%7BA5648DA0-31BA-4998-AF10-E3A0FBA020B5%7D[/image] Well it doesn't look like it is dying, or rotten. But I'd have to see it for real to know for sure It looks solid from where I am sitting, so that's a good sign. It isn't too thin either, and it doesn't look loose at the roots, but again, I'd have to see it for real to be sure. Still, I'd like to use 1-2 other anchor points besides this one, but if that was all I had.. and as long as it is assessed perfectly bomber, by me of course, then just maybe I would. There is a tree at Squamish someone anchored us to, I got up to it and it was loose, seriously that one is going to come out at some point, and if people are not aware of it or aware to use other anchor points and just want to rely on that one, zeke! then they are going to likely die. I think we may have very different ideas of what constitutes a tree. I wouldn't be happy to be belayed off an 8 inch diameter baby tree but as long as its not right on the edge, most grown trees will do just fine. Hell sometimes if your topping out a slab with a low angle summit, you can just plop down on your ass and throw the rope around your waist. Point is, all belays are different and sometimes a seat belay is all you need. I prefer more than just one anchor point. If a huge solid, non rotting, healthy tree was the only thing I had, and it wasn't on the edge for sure! then it would likely be okay. Either way, it would have to be bomber and I'd want to ensure that the person I am climbing with is not put at risk by my decision either.
Thats fair enough. No reason to compromise on your safety if you don't have to.
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j_ung
Nov 29, 2008, 1:17 PM
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rockie, after 22 years of this stuff, I can honestly say that a BFT is hands down my favorite anchor on earth. Yeah, it's only one anchor point, but if you have something thick as three of you, live and healthy, why on Earth wouldn't you make that your anchor?
That, and Zeke's playing pretty nice with you. Maybe back off the insults just a bit. Please?
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zeke_sf
Nov 29, 2008, 5:01 PM
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notapplicable wrote: rockie wrote: notapplicable wrote: zeke_sf wrote: rockie wrote: zeke_sf wrote: rockie wrote: climbed outdoors on trad with someone who hadn't done a lead course, who anchored to a tree, and nothing else. 1 x anchor. Not very clever. Trees are some of the best anchors out there if they are solid. They're considered to be as solid as, well, a friggin' tree! Just one anchor point is a very stupid mistake, especially when it's a tree (edited to add that last point). Well, that means you can't ever use a tree as an anchor - or even part of your anchor. If you don't trust them at all, then you certainly shouldn't anchor to a piece that, if it failed, would pull you and your other piece(s) right off the mountain. Don't listen to him Rockie, he's never even had professional instruction in these matters. I can see that. I'd climb with you before I'd climb with him, not that I'd forget about that one! Edited to add: My mistake, I would never climb with him, but I would climb with you WooHoo, in your face ZEKE!!!
Damnz! I think I need to take a course in internet posting or something....
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zeke_sf
Nov 29, 2008, 5:05 PM
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rockie wrote: One anchor point, namely a tree, is a pretty stupid thing to do.
Yeah, but it's convenient!
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zeke_sf
Nov 29, 2008, 5:08 PM
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rockie wrote: Well fook! I am risking my life if I climb with him from all he's said so far. No one is worth that much!
You know you find the danger alluring. And, yes, I am totally worth it.
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wonderwoman
Nov 29, 2008, 5:19 PM
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j_ung wrote: rockie, after 22 years of this stuff, I can honestly say that a BFT is hands down my favorite anchor on earth. Yeah, it's only one anchor point, but if you have something thick as three of you, live and healthy, why on Earth wouldn't you make that your anchor?
The BFT is the anchor of choice in the North East, too. Although, I've been to Squamish twice so far and can say that I don't trust their trees at all! Seems like the soil is softer, the trees have more give, and branches are slimy, soft and break off way to easily. In NH, MA, NY and ME we have us some hardy trees! I would be less likely to trust a squishy Squamish tree, though!
I learned this technique from Intl. Mountain Climbing School class:
http://www.rockclimbing.com/...ff_a_Tree_62932.html
If the tree is bomber, the anchor is bomber. It also only makes sense to do if you're about to walk off the climb because the rope is part of your anchor.
As for the dumbest thing that I've ever done... On my first multipitch ever (Whitney Gilman Ledge), my leader yelled 'off belay'. I took him off belay and then proceeded to take myself off the anchor, assuming that I was on belay. It was a big ledge, but still pretty stoooopid!!! 
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angry
Nov 29, 2008, 5:26 PM
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notapplicable wrote: rockie wrote: notapplicable wrote: rockie wrote: notapplicable wrote: rockie wrote: zeke_sf wrote: rockie wrote: zeke_sf wrote: rockie wrote: climbed outdoors on trad with someone who hadn't done a lead course, who anchored to a tree, and nothing else. 1 x anchor. Not very clever. Trees are some of the best anchors out there if they are solid. They're considered to be as solid as, well, a friggin' tree! Just one anchor point is a very stupid mistake, especially when it's a tree (edited to add that last point). Well, that means you can't ever use a tree as an anchor - or even part of your anchor. If you don't trust them at all, then you certainly shouldn't anchor to a piece that, if it failed, would pull you and your other piece(s) right off the mountain. Where in there does it state I never use a tree as an anchor point? Kindly don't put words in my mouth just because you assume things. Let me spell it out one more time for you as you didn't understand the first time obviously: One anchor point, namely a tree, is a pretty stupid thing to do. What about this guy, would you belay off that? [image]http://pro.corbis.com/images/CB002449.jpg?size=572&uid=%7BA5648DA0-31BA-4998-AF10-E3A0FBA020B5%7D[/image] Well it doesn't look like it is dying, or rotten. But I'd have to see it for real to know for sure It looks solid from where I am sitting, so that's a good sign. It isn't too thin either, and it doesn't look loose at the roots, but again, I'd have to see it for real to be sure. Still, I'd like to use 1-2 other anchor points besides this one, but if that was all I had.. and as long as it is assessed perfectly bomber, by me of course, then just maybe I would. There is a tree at Squamish someone anchored us to, I got up to it and it was loose, seriously that one is going to come out at some point, and if people are not aware of it or aware to use other anchor points and just want to rely on that one, zeke! then they are going to likely die. I think we may have very different ideas of what constitutes a tree. I wouldn't be happy to be belayed off an 8 inch diameter baby tree but as long as its not right on the edge, most grown trees will do just fine. Hell sometimes if your topping out a slab with a low angle summit, you can just plop down on your ass and throw the rope around your waist. Point is, all belays are different and sometimes a seat belay is all you need. I prefer more than just one anchor point. If a huge solid, non rotting, healthy tree was the only thing I had, and it wasn't on the edge for sure! then it would likely be okay. Either way, it would have to be bomber and I'd want to ensure that the person I am climbing with is not put at risk by my decision either. Thats fair enough. No reason to compromise on your safety if you don't have to.
This is not the stupidest thing I've done. 
In the situation, it wasn't stupid at all.
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mikeboomer12
Nov 29, 2008, 5:38 PM
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I hoped on a climb in new area that I had never seen anyone climb before right at the peak of my lead ability. I checked in the guidebook and forgot to check how many bolts there were. Turned out to be three bolts and an anchor, 25m, runout. I got up to the third bolt and panicked. I was pumped freak and on a hold I wasn't comfortable clipping off of. I got a draw in the third bolt, but as I went to clip it, I pulled some rope and couldn't get it. I started to fall about to deck from 15m to a brutal landing. As my second hand let go and I started falling I made a desperate throw for the draw and caught it. I managed to clip and lowered w/o injury.
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Valarc
Nov 29, 2008, 6:41 PM
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rockie wrote: notapplicable wrote: Don't listen to him Rockie, he's never even had professional instruction in these matters. I can see that. I'd climb with you before I'd climb with him, not that I'd forget about that one!
Rockie, maybe if you took a breath between your recent machine-gun post-as-many-times-as-possible ramblings, you would realize that NA is mocking you. Not everyone needs to take a little course from some certified know-it-all to be a safe climber. I've met professionals who were idiots, and I've met beginners who were a lot more sensible in their approach to climbing. Taking a course does not an expert make.
Also, your avatar image is broken and it's really fucking annoying. Fix that shit.
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notapplicable
Nov 29, 2008, 7:42 PM
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zeke_sf wrote: rockie wrote: Well fook! I am risking my life if I climb with him from all he's said so far. No one is worth that much! You know you find the danger alluring. And, yes, I am totally worth it.
Your like the James Bond of internet posting.
The ladies can't resist your charms but once you've had your way, they will be cast aside. In your case anchored to a tree and pushed off a cliff.
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notapplicable
Nov 29, 2008, 8:23 PM
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angry wrote: notapplicable wrote: rockie wrote: notapplicable wrote: rockie wrote: notapplicable wrote: rockie wrote: zeke_sf wrote: rockie wrote: zeke_sf wrote: rockie wrote: climbed outdoors on trad with someone who hadn't done a lead course, who anchored to a tree, and nothing else. 1 x anchor. Not very clever. Trees are some of the best anchors out there if they are solid. They're considered to be as solid as, well, a friggin' tree! Just one anchor point is a very stupid mistake, especially when it's a tree (edited to add that last point). Well, that means you can't ever use a tree as an anchor - or even part of your anchor. If you don't trust them at all, then you certainly shouldn't anchor to a piece that, if it failed, would pull you and your other piece(s) right off the mountain. Where in there does it state I never use a tree as an anchor point? Kindly don't put words in my mouth just because you assume things. Let me spell it out one more time for you as you didn't understand the first time obviously: One anchor point, namely a tree, is a pretty stupid thing to do. What about this guy, would you belay off that? [image]http://pro.corbis.com/images/CB002449.jpg?size=572&uid=%7BA5648DA0-31BA-4998-AF10-E3A0FBA020B5%7D[/image] Well it doesn't look like it is dying, or rotten. But I'd have to see it for real to know for sure It looks solid from where I am sitting, so that's a good sign. It isn't too thin either, and it doesn't look loose at the roots, but again, I'd have to see it for real to be sure. Still, I'd like to use 1-2 other anchor points besides this one, but if that was all I had.. and as long as it is assessed perfectly bomber, by me of course, then just maybe I would. There is a tree at Squamish someone anchored us to, I got up to it and it was loose, seriously that one is going to come out at some point, and if people are not aware of it or aware to use other anchor points and just want to rely on that one, zeke! then they are going to likely die. I think we may have very different ideas of what constitutes a tree. I wouldn't be happy to be belayed off an 8 inch diameter baby tree but as long as its not right on the edge, most grown trees will do just fine. Hell sometimes if your topping out a slab with a low angle summit, you can just plop down on your ass and throw the rope around your waist. Point is, all belays are different and sometimes a seat belay is all you need. I prefer more than just one anchor point. If a huge solid, non rotting, healthy tree was the only thing I had, and it wasn't on the edge for sure! then it would likely be okay. Either way, it would have to be bomber and I'd want to ensure that the person I am climbing with is not put at risk by my decision either. Thats fair enough. No reason to compromise on your safety if you don't have to. This is not the stupidest thing I've done. In the situation, it wasn't stupid at all.
If I arrived at the end of a pitch to find that anchor, I'd be laughing too hard to be concerned.
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spikeddem
Nov 29, 2008, 8:44 PM
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notapplicable wrote: angry wrote: notapplicable wrote: rockie wrote: notapplicable wrote: rockie wrote: notapplicable wrote: rockie wrote: zeke_sf wrote: rockie wrote: zeke_sf wrote: rockie wrote: climbed outdoors on trad with someone who hadn't done a lead course, who anchored to a tree, and nothing else. 1 x anchor. Not very clever. Trees are some of the best anchors out there if they are solid. They're considered to be as solid as, well, a friggin' tree! Just one anchor point is a very stupid mistake, especially when it's a tree (edited to add that last point). Well, that means you can't ever use a tree as an anchor - or even part of your anchor. If you don't trust them at all, then you certainly shouldn't anchor to a piece that, if it failed, would pull you and your other piece(s) right off the mountain. Where in there does it state I never use a tree as an anchor point? Kindly don't put words in my mouth just because you assume things. Let me spell it out one more time for you as you didn't understand the first time obviously: One anchor point, namely a tree, is a pretty stupid thing to do. What about this guy, would you belay off that? [image]http://pro.corbis.com/images/CB002449.jpg?size=572&uid=%7BA5648DA0-31BA-4998-AF10-E3A0FBA020B5%7D[/image] Well it doesn't look like it is dying, or rotten. But I'd have to see it for real to know for sure It looks solid from where I am sitting, so that's a good sign. It isn't too thin either, and it doesn't look loose at the roots, but again, I'd have to see it for real to be sure. Still, I'd like to use 1-2 other anchor points besides this one, but if that was all I had.. and as long as it is assessed perfectly bomber, by me of course, then just maybe I would. There is a tree at Squamish someone anchored us to, I got up to it and it was loose, seriously that one is going to come out at some point, and if people are not aware of it or aware to use other anchor points and just want to rely on that one, zeke! then they are going to likely die. I think we may have very different ideas of what constitutes a tree. I wouldn't be happy to be belayed off an 8 inch diameter baby tree but as long as its not right on the edge, most grown trees will do just fine. Hell sometimes if your topping out a slab with a low angle summit, you can just plop down on your ass and throw the rope around your waist. Point is, all belays are different and sometimes a seat belay is all you need. I prefer more than just one anchor point. If a huge solid, non rotting, healthy tree was the only thing I had, and it wasn't on the edge for sure! then it would likely be okay. Either way, it would have to be bomber and I'd want to ensure that the person I am climbing with is not put at risk by my decision either. Thats fair enough. No reason to compromise on your safety if you don't have to. This is not the stupidest thing I've done. [image]http://www.rockclimbing.com/images/photos/assets/6/7756-largest_78512.jpg[/image] In the situation, it wasn't stupid at all. I arrived at the end of a pitch to find that anchor, I'd be laughing too hard to be concerned.
Heehee.
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notapplicable
Nov 29, 2008, 8:54 PM
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spikeddem wrote: notapplicable wrote: angry wrote: notapplicable wrote: rockie wrote: notapplicable wrote: rockie wrote: notapplicable wrote: rockie wrote: zeke_sf wrote: rockie wrote: zeke_sf wrote: rockie wrote: climbed outdoors on trad with someone who hadn't done a lead course, who anchored to a tree, and nothing else. 1 x anchor. Not very clever. Trees are some of the best anchors out there if they are solid. They're considered to be as solid as, well, a friggin' tree! Just one anchor point is a very stupid mistake, especially when it's a tree (edited to add that last point). Well, that means you can't ever use a tree as an anchor - or even part of your anchor. If you don't trust them at all, then you certainly shouldn't anchor to a piece that, if it failed, would pull you and your other piece(s) right off the mountain. Where in there does it state I never use a tree as an anchor point? Kindly don't put words in my mouth just because you assume things. Let me spell it out one more time for you as you didn't understand the first time obviously: One anchor point, namely a tree, is a pretty stupid thing to do. What about this guy, would you belay off that? [image]http://pro.corbis.com/images/CB002449.jpg?size=572&uid=%7BA5648DA0-31BA-4998-AF10-E3A0FBA020B5%7D[/image] Well it doesn't look like it is dying, or rotten. But I'd have to see it for real to know for sure It looks solid from where I am sitting, so that's a good sign. It isn't too thin either, and it doesn't look loose at the roots, but again, I'd have to see it for real to be sure. Still, I'd like to use 1-2 other anchor points besides this one, but if that was all I had.. and as long as it is assessed perfectly bomber, by me of course, then just maybe I would. There is a tree at Squamish someone anchored us to, I got up to it and it was loose, seriously that one is going to come out at some point, and if people are not aware of it or aware to use other anchor points and just want to rely on that one, zeke! then they are going to likely die. I think we may have very different ideas of what constitutes a tree. I wouldn't be happy to be belayed off an 8 inch diameter baby tree but as long as its not right on the edge, most grown trees will do just fine. Hell sometimes if your topping out a slab with a low angle summit, you can just plop down on your ass and throw the rope around your waist. Point is, all belays are different and sometimes a seat belay is all you need. I prefer more than just one anchor point. If a huge solid, non rotting, healthy tree was the only thing I had, and it wasn't on the edge for sure! then it would likely be okay. Either way, it would have to be bomber and I'd want to ensure that the person I am climbing with is not put at risk by my decision either. Thats fair enough. No reason to compromise on your safety if you don't have to. This is not the stupidest thing I've done. [image]http://www.rockclimbing.com/images/photos/assets/6/7756-largest_78512.jpg[/image] In the situation, it wasn't stupid at all. I arrived at the end of a pitch to find that anchor, I'd be laughing too hard to be concerned. Heehee.
Touche
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Goo
Nov 29, 2008, 8:56 PM
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notapplicable wrote: spikeddem wrote: notapplicable wrote: angry wrote: notapplicable wrote: rockie wrote: notapplicable wrote: rockie wrote: notapplicable wrote: rockie wrote: zeke_sf wrote: rockie wrote: zeke_sf wrote: rockie wrote: climbed outdoors on trad with someone who hadn't done a lead course, who anchored to a tree, and nothing else. 1 x anchor. Not very clever. Trees are some of the best anchors out there if they are solid. They're considered to be as solid as, well, a friggin' tree! Just one anchor point is a very stupid mistake, especially when it's a tree (edited to add that last point). Well, that means you can't ever use a tree as an anchor - or even part of your anchor. If you don't trust them at all, then you certainly shouldn't anchor to a piece that, if it failed, would pull you and your other piece(s) right off the mountain. Where in there does it state I never use a tree as an anchor point? Kindly don't put words in my mouth just because you assume things. Let me spell it out one more time for you as you didn't understand the first time obviously: One anchor point, namely a tree, is a pretty stupid thing to do. What about this guy, would you belay off that? [image]http://pro.corbis.com/images/CB002449.jpg?size=572&uid=%7BA5648DA0-31BA-4998-AF10-E3A0FBA020B5%7D[/image] Well it doesn't look like it is dying, or rotten. But I'd have to see it for real to know for sure It looks solid from where I am sitting, so that's a good sign. It isn't too thin either, and it doesn't look loose at the roots, but again, I'd have to see it for real to be sure. Still, I'd like to use 1-2 other anchor points besides this one, but if that was all I had.. and as long as it is assessed perfectly bomber, by me of course, then just maybe I would. There is a tree at Squamish someone anchored us to, I got up to it and it was loose, seriously that one is going to come out at some point, and if people are not aware of it or aware to use other anchor points and just want to rely on that one, zeke! then they are going to likely die. I think we may have very different ideas of what constitutes a tree. I wouldn't be happy to be belayed off an 8 inch diameter baby tree but as long as its not right on the edge, most grown trees will do just fine. Hell sometimes if your topping out a slab with a low angle summit, you can just plop down on your ass and throw the rope around your waist. Point is, all belays are different and sometimes a seat belay is all you need. I prefer more than just one anchor point. If a huge solid, non rotting, healthy tree was the only thing I had, and it wasn't on the edge for sure! then it would likely be okay. Either way, it would have to be bomber and I'd want to ensure that the person I am climbing with is not put at risk by my decision either. Thats fair enough. No reason to compromise on your safety if you don't have to. This is not the stupidest thing I've done. [image]http://www.rockclimbing.com/images/photos/assets/6/7756-largest_78512.jpg[/image] In the situation, it wasn't stupid at all. I arrived at the end of a pitch to find that anchor, I'd be laughing too hard to be concerned. Heehee. Touche
Now I see how you guys get so freaking many posts.
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notapplicable
Nov 29, 2008, 9:06 PM
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Goo wrote: notapplicable wrote: spikeddem wrote: notapplicable wrote: angry wrote: notapplicable wrote: rockie wrote: notapplicable wrote: rockie wrote: notapplicable wrote: rockie wrote: zeke_sf wrote: rockie wrote: zeke_sf wrote: rockie wrote: climbed outdoors on trad with someone who hadn't done a lead course, who anchored to a tree, and nothing else. 1 x anchor. Not very clever. Trees are some of the best anchors out there if they are solid. They're considered to be as solid as, well, a friggin' tree! Just one anchor point is a very stupid mistake, especially when it's a tree (edited to add that last point). Well, that means you can't ever use a tree as an anchor - or even part of your anchor. If you don't trust them at all, then you certainly shouldn't anchor to a piece that, if it failed, would pull you and your other piece(s) right off the mountain. Where in there does it state I never use a tree as an anchor point? Kindly don't put words in my mouth just because you assume things. Let me spell it out one more time for you as you didn't understand the first time obviously: One anchor point, namely a tree, is a pretty stupid thing to do. What about this guy, would you belay off that? [image]http://pro.corbis.com/images/CB002449.jpg?size=572&uid=%7BA5648DA0-31BA-4998-AF10-E3A0FBA020B5%7D[/image] Well it doesn't look like it is dying, or rotten. But I'd have to see it for real to know for sure It looks solid from where I am sitting, so that's a good sign. It isn't too thin either, and it doesn't look loose at the roots, but again, I'd have to see it for real to be sure. Still, I'd like to use 1-2 other anchor points besides this one, but if that was all I had.. and as long as it is assessed perfectly bomber, by me of course, then just maybe I would. There is a tree at Squamish someone anchored us to, I got up to it and it was loose, seriously that one is going to come out at some point, and if people are not aware of it or aware to use other anchor points and just want to rely on that one, zeke! then they are going to likely die. I think we may have very different ideas of what constitutes a tree. I wouldn't be happy to be belayed off an 8 inch diameter baby tree but as long as its not right on the edge, most grown trees will do just fine. Hell sometimes if your topping out a slab with a low angle summit, you can just plop down on your ass and throw the rope around your waist. Point is, all belays are different and sometimes a seat belay is all you need. I prefer more than just one anchor point. If a huge solid, non rotting, healthy tree was the only thing I had, and it wasn't on the edge for sure! then it would likely be okay. Either way, it would have to be bomber and I'd want to ensure that the person I am climbing with is not put at risk by my decision either. Thats fair enough. No reason to compromise on your safety if you don't have to. This is not the stupidest thing I've done. [image]http://www.rockclimbing.com/images/photos/assets/6/7756-largest_78512.jpg[/image] In the situation, it wasn't stupid at all. I arrived at the end of a pitch to find that anchor, I'd be laughing too hard to be concerned. Heehee. Touche Now I see how you guys get so freaking many posts.
My 4,300 is small time and its cold out with rain moving in, what else am I gonna do?
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rockie
Nov 29, 2008, 9:28 PM
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Valarc wrote: rockie wrote: notapplicable wrote: Don't listen to him Rockie, he's never even had professional instruction in these matters. I can see that. I'd climb with you before I'd climb with him, not that I'd forget about that one! I've met professionals who were idiots, and I've met beginners who were a lot more sensible in their approach to climbing. Taking a course does not an expert make. Also, your avatar image is broken and it's really annoying. Fix that .
Valarc, that depends who you select as your climbing guide really doesn't it. If you want to choose an idiot that is your bad choice, if you want to choose a recognised guide with alot of experience and knowledge, then that's far more sensible.
Each to their own though
As for fixing things, why don't you tell the site owner to do that. No need to use foul language is there, fix that!
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rockie
Nov 29, 2008, 9:30 PM
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rockie wrote: Parkerkat wrote: hahaha..couple new folks climbing with us once, and had seen them in the gym..seemed like they knew what they were doing..at least for top rope..so I set a top rope route for them outdoors, and asked if they were ok to go from there. They said yes, we've been outdoors before.. I double checked everything on them, Grigri, knots etc. Everything was fine. 10 minutes later as I'm on clip two of a new route down the way, I hear screams for help!..Rap down, run over as fast as I could, only to fine one of them clinging for dear life at the top of the route, while the belayer kept pulling out armfulls of slack!.. She thought the grigri didn't look "right"? ..WTF? and wanted to pull the rope out and re-thread it!!! (which would have been the wrong way had she done it!!!)..and get this, she couldn't figure out how to undo a screw locking biner!...so in the end, you have a moron who can't open a biner, while a climber at the top is in tears clinging for her life while the rope has pretty much been pulled out of the belay device! - had to slap my gri on quickfast and belay her down myself.. Lets just say I learned to pick trip buddies a little better now! wow! Lol, that's nuts.
This is what also happens when some do not take a course.
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tradrenn
Nov 29, 2008, 9:32 PM
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Can you tell us how big was that tree you speak of ?
For my own curiosity:
What was the route ?
V.
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rockie
Nov 29, 2008, 9:37 PM
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j_ung wrote: rockie, after 22 years of this stuff, I can honestly say that a BFT is hands down my favorite anchor on earth. Yeah, it's only one anchor point, but if you have something thick as three of you, live and healthy, why on Earth wouldn't you make that your anchor? As I said later on, if you read it all, I would use a solid, huge thick tree as an anchor, when there is nothing else especially, and yes I know that you say makes sense. That, and Zeke's playing pretty nice with you. Maybe back off the insults just a bit. Please?
Sure, but for the record, the way the posts were going on at the start of all this, it didn't sound like anchoring to trees were going to be so solid, there's been a lot of near misses from peoples feedback on here so far. I've seen some pretty bad looking trees, one that was used as an anchor, and no he had not taken a lead course.
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rockie
Nov 29, 2008, 9:38 PM
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tradrenn wrote: Can you tell us how big was that tree you speak of ? For my own curiosity: What was the route ? V.
Smoke Bluffs, I'd have to show you.
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rockie
Nov 29, 2008, 10:00 PM
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currupt4130
Nov 29, 2008, 11:14 PM
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I know this has gotten a little off track, but w/e. Here's the story of my almost unintentional victory whip...
So my almost unintentional victory whip happened at the New. I was on Lost Souls after flailing like crazy (12a, hardest route I've been on). I got to the top of the route and had climbed it on some gear that another group had hung. They let me use their stuff kindly because I was worried about not being able to get up and leaving behind something.
Anyhow, I got to the top and it started to sprinkle. I was up there and called down and asked if they wanted me to clean it. They said yea, go ahead. So I went in direct to the bolt, untied, threaded the anchors, and retied. I was getting ready to lower when they asked if it was getting wet up there. I told them no, and it wouldn't matter too much because the holds up top were huge. So they told me not to bother with it. I went back in direct to the anchors, untied, unthreaded, and retied.
I called down one more time to make sure they didn't want me to clean it. They said no. I hollered to Jim that I was about to come down, grabbed one of the jugs at the top and went to unclip my sling from the bolt. It was at the instant where I was unscrewing my locker that I realized I had never clipped back into the draws at the top. Jim still had a big loop of slack out from where I was playing around up there, and I would have dropped probably 45 or 50 feet on a route that isn't longer than 60 or 70 feet.
That almost victory whip is in my head at the top of every route.
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blondgecko
Moderator
Nov 29, 2008, 11:16 PM
Post #77 of 228
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I've consigned most of the nastiness to the recycle bin. This is supposed to be a fun thread - why turn it into a shitstorm?
Rockie, intentionally misquoting people is severely frowned upon here. Consider this a formal warning. Next time, it will be a time-out.
Others, please try to keep your tempers.
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caughtinside
Nov 29, 2008, 11:19 PM
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blondgecko wrote: I've consigned most of the nastiness to the recycle bin. This is supposed to be a fun thread - why turn it into a shitstorm? Rockie, intentionally misquoting people is severely frowned upon here. Consider this a formal warning. Next time, it will be a time-out. Others, please try to keep your tempers.
Please BANZ zeke.
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angry
Nov 29, 2008, 11:19 PM
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blondgecko wrote: I've consigned most of the nastiness to the recycle bin. This is supposed to be a fun thread - why turn it into a shitstorm? Rockie, intentionally misquoting people is severely frowned upon here. Consider this a formal warning. Next time, it will be a time-out. Others, please try to keep your tempers.
That's the dumbest thing you've ever done?
Weird.
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Valarc
Nov 29, 2008, 11:20 PM
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angry wrote: blondgecko wrote: I've consigned most of the nastiness to the recycle bin. This is supposed to be a fun thread - why turn it into a shitstorm? Rockie, intentionally misquoting people is severely frowned upon here. Consider this a formal warning. Next time, it will be a time-out. Others, please try to keep your tempers. That's the dumbest thing you've ever done? Weird.
I would say the dumbest would be volunteering to be a moderator on this website.
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blondgecko
Moderator
Nov 29, 2008, 11:24 PM
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Valarc wrote: angry wrote: blondgecko wrote: I've consigned most of the nastiness to the recycle bin. This is supposed to be a fun thread - why turn it into a shitstorm? Rockie, intentionally misquoting people is severely frowned upon here. Consider this a formal warning. Next time, it will be a time-out. Others, please try to keep your tempers. That's the dumbest thing you've ever done? Weird. I would say the dumbest would be volunteering to be a moderator on this website.
QFT.
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Valarc
Nov 29, 2008, 11:28 PM
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zeke_sf wrote: rockie wrote: Just one anchor point is a very stupid mistake, especially when it's a tree (edited to add that last point). Well, that means you can't ever use a tree as an anchor - or even part of your anchor. If you don't trust them at all, then you certainly shouldn't anchor to a piece that, if it failed, would pull you and your other piece(s) right off the mountain.
Since we got the nastiness deleted, perhaps we can re-start this conversation with a different tone. I'd like to hear what Rockie's professional instructor taught her in answer to Zeke's question. Since Rockie has shown a bit of a lack of reading comprehension, as well as poor language skills in general, I will try to rephrase Zeke's point.
Rockie, by your quoted post above, you seem to somehow indicate that trees are especially bad as a single anchor point, meaning that they would be worse than other single anchor point options. This would imply that you have an inherent mistrust of trees. If that is a case, how do you justify anchoring to a tree, period? After all, if a tree is, in your eyes, more likely to fail than other options, that makes it MORE dangerous to anchor to the tree than those other options, especially considering that, for a tree to fail, it would most likely have to be pulled free of the cliff wall.
If the tree were not trustworthy, and its failing meant pulling free of the cliff wall, that would mean that the tree would add a HUGE chance of failure to the rest of the system - adding the weight of a tree to your anchor, in what amounts to a factor 2 fall on potentially static cordage (your professional guide did teach you about fall factors didn't he?) is far more likely to pull the rest of your gear free than any fall you could possibly take.
So, again, how do you justify EVER using a tree as part of an anchor, if you consider trees to be inherently unsafe?
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notapplicable
Nov 29, 2008, 11:36 PM
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blondgecko wrote: I've consigned most of the nastiness to the recycle bin. This is supposed to be a fun thread - why turn it into a shitstorm?
Damn it, I go cook diner and miss all the fun!!
PM me the recycled stuff, inquiring minds want to know.
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rockie
Nov 29, 2008, 11:42 PM
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I'm not feeding you with anything that you can then use to twist how you want to.
Think what you like.
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rockie
Nov 29, 2008, 11:43 PM
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notapplicable wrote: blondgecko wrote: I've consigned most of the nastiness to the recycle bin. This is supposed to be a fun thread - why turn it into a shitstorm? Damn it, I go cook diner and miss all the fun!! PM me the recycled stuff, inquiring minds want to know.
It's meant to be a fun thread.
It's been a real blast.
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notapplicable
Nov 29, 2008, 11:52 PM
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caughtinside wrote: blondgecko wrote: I've consigned most of the nastiness to the recycle bin. This is supposed to be a fun thread - why turn it into a shitstorm? Rockie, intentionally misquoting people is severely frowned upon here. Consider this a formal warning. Next time, it will be a time-out. Others, please try to keep your tempers. Please BANZ zeke.
+1
Not only would this go a long way towards righting many previous wrongs but would serve as a pre-emptive strike against future problems as well.
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rockie
Nov 30, 2008, 12:07 AM
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notapplicable wrote: caughtinside wrote: blondgecko wrote: I've consigned most of the nastiness to the recycle bin. This is supposed to be a fun thread - why turn it into a shitstorm? Rockie, intentionally misquoting people is severely frowned upon here. Consider this a formal warning. Next time, it will be a time-out. Others, please try to keep your tempers. Please BANZ zeke. +1 Not only would this go a long way towards righting many previous wrongs but would serve as a pre-emptive strike against future problems as well.
+ 1
Make that 3 of us in that case.
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rogue10186
Nov 30, 2008, 12:35 AM
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Dumbest thing I've ever done was climb with a stoned belayer... but to be fair, this guy does practically everything stoned, so it wasn't to bad for him.
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rogue10186
Nov 30, 2008, 12:35 AM
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rogue10186 wrote: Dumbest thing I've ever done was climb with a stoned belayer... but to be fair, this guy does practically everything stoned, so it wasn't to bad for him.
QFPTFTW
Climbing in Bama is crazy!
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brownie710
Nov 30, 2008, 12:42 AM
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Hands down the dumbest thing.. building a belay station on a ledge on the 1st Flatiron which was home to a huge poison sumac bush/tree. Luckily I'm not allergic, unfortunately my second was. It cut my climbing trip short since I didn't really want to have his bleeding, oozing mitts touching my gear.. sorry again tommy!!!
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zeke_sf
Nov 30, 2008, 12:44 AM
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rockie wrote: notapplicable wrote: caughtinside wrote: blondgecko wrote: I've consigned most of the nastiness to the recycle bin. This is supposed to be a fun thread - why turn it into a shitstorm? Rockie, intentionally misquoting people is severely frowned upon here. Consider this a formal warning. Next time, it will be a time-out. Others, please try to keep your tempers. Please BANZ zeke. +1 Not only would this go a long way towards righting many previous wrongs but would serve as a pre-emptive strike against future problems as well. + 1 Make that 3 of us in that case.
+1
He's always messing wit my bidness. Bad zeke!
And, oh yeah, perfect summation, Valarc. I'm not sure how that can be misinterpreted but I'm sure somebody will find a way. I could actually see, if you were in a bad situation, trying to equalize a copse of shrubs or something, but that would be a messed up situation, not your normal BFT situation.
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blondgecko
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Nov 30, 2008, 8:30 AM
Post #92 of 228
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Guess I should add my story. Actually, I can think of two - both of which involve going woefully under-equipped into climbs that were well below my technical ability, but quite challenging in other ways.
The first is one I alluded to in another thread recently. This was only about two years into my climbing career, and I'd taken a trip to the Blue Mountains with a group, including my hapless (now ex-) girlfriend. Decided to take her on a bit of an "adventure" route one day. A friend recommended a five pitch grade 13 (5.6), along with a cheerful, "oh, you won't be needing any trad gear. It's a sport route!"
Heh. As it turns out, believing him was mistake number one. If I'd just read the guidebook description a bit more critically, I might have learned the truth.
Anyway, we rock up at the base of this thing (about a half-hour hike, upon which we saw nobody else) carrying a rope, a bottle of water, 8 quickdraws and a bunch of slings.
I began to realise something wasn't quite right when the first pitch (40m) had one bolt. The climbing was easy, though, and the belay anchor was at least bolted - and besides, I didn't want to back down in front of my girl - and so I decided to push on. Second mistake.
Second pitch was better. It had two bolts. Third was a 40m traverse, with a relatively sewn-up six bolts.
We could still have backed off from here (albeit with a bit of difficulty), but that pride thing still got in the way (and I was too dirt-poor and cheap to ever consider leaving behind any of my precious gear).
This pitch was a corner, with a crack that could have been easily filled with gear, but was considerably more sketchy with what we had with us. No bolts. Still, we felt sure that, as was the case on the rest of the route, there'd be a bolted belay waiting at the top.
For some reason, she insisted on leading this one. Did an admirable job, too. I'm honestly not sure whether some of the chockstones she slung would have held a fall, but they were never tested. After she got to the top, I heard an "I'm safe" - then everything went silent. It stayed that way for a long, long time.
Eventually, I heard a shaky "on belay!" and headed on up. When I got to the top, I understood the delay. She was sitting on a ledge a few metres wide, as flat as a pool table, slung to a wobbly shrub with a stem as thick as my wrist, and a loose boulder that weighed perhaps as much as I did. That was it. Absolutely nothing else, given what we had with us.
Anyone who's been to the Blue Mountains will know the funny bands of ironstone that run through the rock in places. They're much, much harder than the sandstone surrounding them, and hence erosion tends to leave them sticking out in big, flat horizontal sheets, generally under an inch thick. Climbing them is like climbing a ladder in terms of technical difficulty. The challenge comes in trusting them not to snap off under your weight. The next pitch was a bunch of these spaced a foot or so apart. It was also slightly overhanging.
It had no bolts. Or anything that could be slung.
Considering this anchor and the crack we'd just come up, downclimbing really didn't seem like an option. It was go forward, or sit and wait for help. The latter may well have been the best decision made that day, but I didn't make it. Instead, I decided to climb this pitch.
So that's how I ended up effectively soloing a pitch of overhanging, dodgy rock, at least 100m off the valley floor. Given the quality of the belay "anchor", in hindsight I should have just asked the girlfriend to untie - at least that way if I came off one of us would have still survived.
In any case, I climbed the pitch. I have never been so glad to see a BFT in all my life. Actually, in this case I ended up slinging two BFT's - banksias that were probably a few hundred years old - just for good measure.
Teenage gung-ho and hormones. A dangerous combination.
The other story involved attacking the grade 16 (5.8) Watchtower Crack at Mt Arapiles, for which the guidebook description reads:
In reply to: The most commanding line at Arapiles still echoes with the whimpering cries of a thousand struggling leaders...
... armed with a rack that included just two pieces big enough to actually fit the crack (and one of those just barely). 'Nuff said, really. That was a memorable day.
Edit: wayward quote tags.
(This post was edited by blondgecko on Nov 30, 2008, 10:30 AM)
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minibiter
Nov 30, 2008, 10:25 AM
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Had this girlfriend once. Got her into climbing, got her into sport climbing, including catching me, but only at the gym. Took her outside.
Got on this route, got 6 bolts up. Got above the 6th bolt, to where it was just below my feet and fell. Didn't think it would be a big fall.
Next thing I know I'm back by bolt 2, she's at bolt 1 with my side of the rope in her hands. Magically the rope bound in the ATC when she grabbed the wrong side, but not before giving her the worst rope burn I've ever seen. Luckily that was the only injury.
So I got her to put her brake hand on and we lowered off. Waited a bit then cleaned the route, with the gri-gri this time.
Lesson #1: Don't push people into new skills too fast. Let them learn at their own pace. Give plenty of time for practice and supervise the practice.
Lesson #2: Don't lose your common sense. Too easy to do with a cute girlfriend.
Lesson #3: You should know how to use an ATC, but that gri-gri would have saved me from my closet-yet-to-death experience while rock climbing or not, saved her hands, and her pride.
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rockie
Nov 30, 2008, 10:58 AM
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angry wrote: minibiter wrote: Had this girlfriend once. Got her into climbing, got her into sport climbing,. I only had to read that far. That's rough man, I hope you learned from your epic.
Aha ha ha. That's funny.
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knieveltech
Nov 30, 2008, 3:18 PM
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blondgecko wrote: I've consigned most of the nastiness to the recycle bin. This is supposed to be a fun thread - why turn it into a shitstorm? Rockie, intentionally misquoting people is severely frowned upon here. Consider this a formal warning. Next time, it will be a time-out. Others, please try to keep your tempers.
You must be new here.
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kane_schutzman
Nov 30, 2008, 9:58 PM
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buried my class ring in a crack and rapped off it
(This post was edited by kane_schutzman on Nov 30, 2008, 10:44 PM)
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sungam
Dec 1, 2008, 4:18 PM
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notapplicable wrote: See my avatar. After finishing a lead I untied and lowered the rope to pull up slings for a top rope but when I got the gear I just tied the rope to my harness with a double over hand so I wouldnt loose the rope. I planed to re-tie it before I lowered but forgot and it came loose something like 25 ft. from the ground while I was cleaning a hex. Thats about as dumb as it gets I'd say. Luckily all I got was a broken wrist.
I thought that was a rollerblading injury?
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sbaclimber
Dec 1, 2008, 4:20 PM
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sungam wrote: notapplicable wrote: See my avatar. After finishing a lead I untied and lowered the rope to pull up slings for a top rope but when I got the gear I just tied the rope to my harness with a double over hand so I wouldnt loose the rope. I planed to re-tie it before I lowered but forgot and it came loose something like 25 ft. from the ground while I was cleaning a hex. Thats about as dumb as it gets I'd say. Luckily all I got was a broken wrist. You rock climb? I thought that was a rollerblading injury?
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dingus
Dec 1, 2008, 4:40 PM
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Oh shit I could NEVER narrow down the selection to ONE - its a crowded field with lots of viable contenders.
DMT
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sungam
Dec 1, 2008, 4:44 PM
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notapplicable wrote: blondgecko wrote: I've consigned most of the nastiness to the recycle bin. This is supposed to be a fun thread - why turn it into a shitstorm? Damn it, I go cook diner and miss all the fun!! PM me the recycled stuff, inquiring minds want to know.
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camhead
Dec 1, 2008, 4:52 PM
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not sure if it was dumb, as I had no other option, but here is the scariest thing I've done.
Was bailing off a climb, making a probably 62m rap with two 60m ropes: one static and one dynamic. Got down to about five feet above my anchors when I realized that my static rope would not allow me to reach the anchors. The knot joining the two ropes was on the dynamic side; otherwise I could have let a bit of that side slip through and made it down, but trust me, i was stuck.
So, I untied the knot in the static line, let it slip through my ATC, and took a slow fall, belayed only by the weight of the rope and drag through the above anchors, clipping the lower anchors with my daisy as I fell by.
scared me, but I am not sure what else I could have done.
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Valarc
Dec 1, 2008, 4:55 PM
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You should have split the rope open and rapped the core strands.
n00b.
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sungam
Dec 1, 2008, 4:57 PM
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Tried to go new routing when I had only lead one or two routes. The first route went well, and I onsighted it (with a bit of shakyness). The place was *shudder* dollar quarry, in the ochill hills in scotland. *cough* choss *chough*
It's a slab, and only about 50 or 60 feet tall, with an easy walk off. No problem, right? rong.
The rock texture is a smooth dollarite with sharp cracks spiderwebbing across the 20 foot wide ramp of slab with an impending slightly overhanging headwall to the right. Climbing up the middle of the slab to avoid the wet smear of lichen and moss growing in the shade of the headwall to the right, and the loose looking choss on the left of the slab(which dropped into another slightly overhanging wall) I got plenty of small pro into these little seams and slots. Then I reached a funny feature. It was a big left facing L-shaped block, begging to be mantled. But the bottom of the L stuck out about 2 or 3 feet, and was 4 or 5 feet tall. the ledge was sloping and grassy. It seem the only thing to was to climb up the right hand side (the left hand side was the chossy edge) then shimmy around the 3 foot wide block onto the ledge.
I climbed up the right hand side, and started to get nervous. My hands were sweating even more then normal, making my chalk bag gooey and the moves around the block even less secure. As I moved away from my last piece (level with the ledge, maybe a foot lower, but on the right hand side of that block) elvis leg kicked in and in no small fashion. Despite this, I quickly made my way onto the ledge without falling off. Then I got my first sight of the slab ahead.
It was soaked.
Soaked, mossy, all the cracks filled with mud, and the only good looking pro was next to a big old loose block that jiggilied like a big girls but when I poked it.
I tried for twentey minutes, maybe half an hour to reverse those moves or to got higher. There was no way up, no way down, and nowhere to slot what little pro I had left (it was all in the lower crack).
So I jumped off the ledge.
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dingus
Dec 1, 2008, 5:00 PM
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notapplicable wrote: What about this guy, would you belay off that?
The weirdest thing! I was walking through the woods yesterday. Lots of trees in the woods, don't you know?
Anyway, I came across this dude, anchored to a tree, mumbling something about FINALLY finding a worthy anchor!
Turned out to be Big Wallers haha. Never mind when a tree is the sole anchor... how about the tree being the sole CLIMB TOO???
Madness!
DMT
(This post was edited by dingus on Dec 1, 2008, 5:00 PM)
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coolcat83
Dec 1, 2008, 5:10 PM
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didn't want to ascend back up and retie?
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notapplicable
Dec 1, 2008, 5:30 PM
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sungam wrote: notapplicable wrote: See my avatar. After finishing a lead I untied and lowered the rope to pull up slings for a top rope but when I got the gear I just tied the rope to my harness with a double over hand so I wouldnt loose the rope. I planed to re-tie it before I lowered but forgot and it came loose something like 25 ft. from the ground while I was cleaning a hex. Thats about as dumb as it gets I'd say. Luckily all I got was a broken wrist. You rock climb? I thought that was a rollerblading injury?
It seems no one here wants to talk to someone who doesn't engage in the self important act of prancing up rock faces so I started to pretend. I just wanted to fit in.
Thanks for outing me just as I was starting to make friends...thanks alot.
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notapplicable
Dec 1, 2008, 5:32 PM
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dingus wrote: Oh shit I could NEVER narrow down the selection to ONE - its a crowded field with lots of viable contenders. DMT
I just picked the one that caused me the most physical pain. Didn't want to be up all night writing post after post after post...
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sungam
Dec 1, 2008, 5:38 PM
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notapplicable wrote: dingus wrote: Oh shit I could NEVER narrow down the selection to ONE - its a crowded field with lots of viable contenders. DMT I just picked the one that caused me the most physical pain. Didn't want to be up all night writing post after post after post...
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0x2102
Dec 1, 2008, 5:45 PM
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On a whim, my partner and I stopped by Stone Mt. NC on the way back from climbing at Looking Glass to run up a pitch or two of slab. We picked something mellow looking, a slab with a crack for pro to a large but easy roof, and I set off on lead with whatever gear happened to be clipped to my harness from the last route at Looking Glass. When my partner suggested I take some runners I told him to F off and get on belay (still not sure why I was so surly) and I started cruising up the slab, placed a cam before the roof, pulled the roof and ran it out about 25 feet up a left trending seam/rail kind of feature, at which point I became unable to move due to rope drag. I was also unable to downclimb the slab roof so I placed a seriously marginal #5 stopper and proceeded to belay my partner up (with a strict "No falls!" warning) using the stopper and a crappy pseudo-handjam as the belay anchor. I doubt if I could have held even bodyweight from my stance. He climbed up to the roof and removed the cam, so that there was absolutely nothing between us and the ground save my handjam and pathetic #5 placement, then proceeded to nearly fall while turning the roof. He then led the last 50 feet or so of blank slab to the ledge and brought me up. It's been a long time since that happened and I still laugh at my idiocy and thank the gods that my buddy was able to climb through to the ledge and not fall.
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notapplicable
Dec 1, 2008, 5:59 PM
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sungam wrote: notapplicable wrote: dingus wrote: Oh shit I could NEVER narrow down the selection to ONE - its a crowded field with lots of viable contenders. DMT I just picked the one that caused me the most physical pain. Didn't want to be up all night writing post after post after post... heh, NA duz dumb things.
I blame my father really. When I was 2 1/2 years old he was carrying me down a set of icy steps out side my great aunts house, slipped and dropped my square on my head.
I'm sure the severe concussion, hours of unconsiousness, projectile vomiting, learned behavior memory loss and a funny shaped head from all the swelling, played some formative role in my development (or lack there of).
True story.
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sungam
Dec 1, 2008, 6:06 PM
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notapplicable wrote: True story.
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TJGoSurf
Dec 1, 2008, 9:38 PM
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After reading all this I feel so smart. The only dumb things I can think of is leading a route a few grades above my level, and only using a metilious personal anchor to clean a route. Nothing happened but scared me.
0x2102 wrote: On a whim, my partner and I stopped by Stone Mt. NC on the way back from climbing at Looking Glass to run up a pitch or two of slab. We picked something mellow looking, a slab with a crack for pro to a large but easy roof, and I set off on lead with whatever gear happened to be clipped to my harness from the last route at Looking Glass. When my partner suggested I take some runners I told him to F off and get on belay (still not sure why I was so surly) and I started cruising up the slab, placed a cam before the roof, pulled the roof and ran it out about 25 feet up a left trending seam/rail kind of feature, at which point I became unable to move due to rope drag. I was also unable to downclimb the slab roof so I placed a seriously marginal #5 stopper and proceeded to belay my partner up (with a strict "No falls!" warning) using the stopper and a crappy pseudo-handjam as the belay anchor. I doubt if I could have held even bodyweight from my stance. He climbed up to the roof and removed the cam, so that there was absolutely nothing between us and the ground save my handjam and pathetic #5 placement, then proceeded to nearly fall while turning the roof. He then led the last 50 feet or so of blank slab to the ledge and brought me up. It's been a long time since that happened and I still laugh at my idiocy and thank the gods that my buddy was able to climb through to the ledge and not fall.
What route was this?
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j_ung
Dec 1, 2008, 9:54 PM
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camhead wrote: not sure if it was dumb, as I had no other option, but here is the scariest thing I've done. Was bailing off a climb, making a probably 62m rap with two 60m ropes: one static and one dynamic. Got down to about five feet above my anchors when I realized that my static rope would not allow me to reach the anchors. The knot joining the two ropes was on the dynamic side; otherwise I could have let a bit of that side slip through and made it down, but trust me, i was stuck. So, I untied the knot in the static line, let it slip through my ATC, and took a slow fall, belayed only by the weight of the rope and drag through the above anchors, clipping the lower anchors with my daisy as I fell by. scared me, but I am not sure what else I could have done.
I have this mental pic of you sliding slowly -- and yet far too quickly, if you know what I mean -- down to an anchor with your brake in one hand and an open biner in the other, ready to clip before it gets out of reach. One shot... maybe two... Or, did you grab the anchor first, then clip in to it?
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camhead
Dec 1, 2008, 11:10 PM
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j_ung wrote: camhead wrote: not sure if it was dumb, as I had no other option, but here is the scariest thing I've done. Was bailing off a climb, making a probably 62m rap with two 60m ropes: one static and one dynamic. Got down to about five feet above my anchors when I realized that my static rope would not allow me to reach the anchors. The knot joining the two ropes was on the dynamic side; otherwise I could have let a bit of that side slip through and made it down, but trust me, i was stuck. So, I untied the knot in the static line, let it slip through my ATC, and took a slow fall, belayed only by the weight of the rope and drag through the above anchors, clipping the lower anchors with my daisy as I fell by. scared me, but I am not sure what else I could have done. I have this mental pic of you sliding slowly -- and yet far too quickly, if you know what I mean -- down to an anchor with your brake in one hand and an open biner in the other, ready to clip before it gets out of reach. One shot... maybe two... Or, did you grab the anchor first, then clip in to it?
I grabbed the anchor first. It was not quite as Vertical Limit as it sounds, there was a small ledge below the anchor, and it was less than vertical. However, it definitely would have been smarter to just prussik back up to the top. I was pissed off and it was getting late, though.
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sungam
Dec 1, 2008, 11:17 PM
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camhead wrote: j_ung wrote: camhead wrote: not sure if it was dumb, as I had no other option, but here is the scariest thing I've done. Was bailing off a climb, making a probably 62m rap with two 60m ropes: one static and one dynamic. Got down to about five feet above my anchors when I realized that my static rope would not allow me to reach the anchors. The knot joining the two ropes was on the dynamic side; otherwise I could have let a bit of that side slip through and made it down, but trust me, i was stuck. So, I untied the knot in the static line, let it slip through my ATC, and took a slow fall, belayed only by the weight of the rope and drag through the above anchors, clipping the lower anchors with my daisy as I fell by. scared me, but I am not sure what else I could have done. I have this mental pic of you sliding slowly -- and yet far too quickly, if you know what I mean -- down to an anchor with your brake in one hand and an open biner in the other, ready to clip before it gets out of reach. One shot... maybe two... Or, did you grab the anchor first, then clip in to it? I grabbed the anchor first. It was not quite as Vertical Limit as it sounds, there was a small ledge below the anchor, and it was less than vertical. However, it definitely would have been smarter to just prussik back up to the top. I was pissed off and it was getting late, though.
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chossmonkey
Dec 1, 2008, 11:32 PM
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camhead wrote: not sure if it was dumb, as I had no other option, but here is the scariest thing I've done. Was bailing off a climb, making a probably 62m rap with two 60m ropes: one static and one dynamic. Got down to about five feet above my anchors when I realized that my static rope would not allow me to reach the anchors. The knot joining the two ropes was on the dynamic side; otherwise I could have let a bit of that side slip through and made it down, but trust me, i was stuck. So, I untied the knot in the static line, let it slip through my ATC, and took a slow fall, belayed only by the weight of the rope and drag through the above anchors, clipping the lower anchors with my daisy as I fell by. scared me, but I am not sure what else I could have done.
I think I let the rope go through the devise and held onto both sides of the rope as I reached down and clipped in.
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rockie
Dec 1, 2008, 11:37 PM
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notapplicable wrote: sungam wrote: heh, NA duz dumb things. I blame my father really. When I was 2 1/2 years old he was carrying me down a set of icy steps out side my great aunts house, slipped and dropped my square on my head. I'm sure the severe concussion, hours of unconsiousness, projectile vomiting, learned behavior memory loss and a funny shaped head from all the swelling, played some formative role in my development (or lack there of). True story.
Reminds me when I was around 5 yrs old. Something on top of the wardrobe I wanted in my room. Climbed up to get it and the whole thing fell. Was trapped between that and my bed, luckily the bed was where it was or I'd have been squashed.
Stayed there as no one heard me calling.
Sometime later, my brother came up to tell me, "your dinners on the t' abel, Whatyou doing under there?!"
Me: "I'm stuck, it fell"
A slap and a ticking off later from Mother.
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rockie
Dec 1, 2008, 11:45 PM
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Somewhere South of Bristol during my first year of climbing. Heading to a climbing area, when my climbing partner noticed another climb he had wanted to do before but never got round to doing. Limestone, and it looked pretty easy enough from the road at least, like steps going up the route. But wrong, once on it I found how hard it actually was, and the lead climber didn't hear me yelling up that I can't do this! No choice then, this seemed to happen a few times where I had little choice but to climb it anyway.
Nearer the top, there was nothing to hold onto or grip onto, and still he couldn't hear me yelling I can't get up this thing. The only thing I had was the rope, so that was what I climbed to get up, and I had the Elvis Presley legs too plus a bit more, I was shaking all over. I like that term, have to remember that one next time I or anyone I climb with gets the shaky legs climbing.
Didn't want to climb for a little while after reaching the top, until my nerves calmed down again.
When I got home and told the bf, also a climber, started laughing and asked, "do you want to know why that was so hard?"
Of course I did. He said because there was hardly any protection on it.
Me = You're telling me!
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altelis
Dec 2, 2008, 1:39 AM
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^^^^ wtf?
i have no idea what that was
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coolcat83
Dec 2, 2008, 2:02 AM
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ok i'll add one more to my shame form before, i took a 25 footer following once...and it was a shamefully low grade at that... poor route finding skills will do that. hit a high angle slab and only bruised my ego. i should have down climbed or tried to do something else, but it was early in my climbing career and all i could think was oh s*^t i'm stuck shaking like a leaf, oh well, hope that cam holds...jump
traverse+slack+stupidity=whip
(This post was edited by coolcat83 on Dec 2, 2008, 2:04 AM)
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ajstotts
Dec 2, 2008, 4:35 AM
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1st top rope ever. Top roped through 2 rap hangars, then went up to look at it again.
Nope 2 bolt hangars no biners. That was dumb.
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nfowler50
Dec 2, 2008, 5:05 AM
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When I wanted to get into climbing i bought a dynamic rope. There weren't any crags very close but I wanted to use it. So that night my friend and i decided to repel off this water tower. We climbed to the top and tossed one end of the rope over the edge. We tied the other end to a steel bar.
What happened next was me just being stupid... real stupid.
I clipped my ATC into the rope with a LOT of slack left out. I stupidly proceeded to climb over the railing.. without taking out the slack. I let go of the rail with one hand to hold the braking end of the rope and slipped.... my first whip! haha!
I had so much speed going down that rope if I hadn't had a gardeners glove to hold the rope with, I probably would have been screwed.
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majid_sabet
Dec 2, 2008, 6:26 AM
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This should go to the top of this thread.
I planned to climb a wall and one day before me and my partner go on the wall, partner chickened out and I was left abandoned on my own. In search for plan B, my partner informed me that two other climbers from our gym were going to do the same wall so I asked If I could joint them on the wall. This was going to be my first time climbing with these guys and I had no idea about their performance on the real rock until that day but I knew a year earlier, they did the same wall so I was confident that things will go smooth. we met on a weekend and began climbing the wall. After we finished 13+ pitches of trad, we began descending from the other side of the rock which required 9 pitches of full 60 meter rap . To keep things safe and to make sure the other two least experienced partner do not fuc*up while rapping, I choose to be the last guy rapping, doing all the clean up at the rap stations.
Somehow one of the guy finds a bag on pitch 4 (200 meter above base) next to a tree while I was on pitch 5. By the time I noticed this extra bag, we were near pitch 1 and less than 30 minutes before the sunset .I was so stressed out by one of the partners that I completely ignored on to asked myself “why the bag was there” and by the time I could add up the numbers, we were near the base.
Once we reached the floor it was getting dark. One of the guys started walking down toward the trail to leave the bag at the junction and we started doing the clean up. As we were about to leave, I heard a voice yelling:
HEYYYYYY
ANY ONE OUT THERE?
YOU GUYS......
I looked up and I could barley see two bodies several hundred feet up on the wall right near one of the rap stations that we just passed by,
HEY HEY
DO YOU GUYS SEE A ROPE BAG DOWN THERE?
Is it there?
to be continued
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Adk
Dec 2, 2008, 3:53 PM
Post #127 of 228
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Critiqued a fellow climbers anchor to another friend and then listened for the fallout several months later.
Let's see...top belay two pitches combined, about 150',
with just two anchor pieces (with ample pro to place more as well as ample places for pro). One of which pieces were placed horribly in the same crack as the other which was not even placed with the direction of pull being though about.
Let's just say when I got there I fixed the mess as others were to follow still.
I'm a bit more careful as to when I critique a possible life saving anchor that is set up where I climb. Well...not really....
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dingus
Dec 2, 2008, 4:06 PM
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majid_sabet wrote: I looked up and I could barley see two bodies several hundred feet up on the wall right near one of the rap stations that we just passed by, HEY HEY DO YOU GUYS SEE A ROPE BAG DOWN THERE? Is it there? to be continued
Holy shit batman! LOL!
DMT
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apeman_e
Dec 2, 2008, 9:25 PM
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majid so you're the one who stole my rope bag!
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gunkiemike
Dec 2, 2008, 10:04 PM
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Dear Penthouse, one time in college, me and my buddy were on a road trip. Oh wait, wrong story.
This may or may not be the dumbest thing I've ever done, but it's the one that never fails to bring a smile to my face. It was my first full year of climbing. I'd done a fair amount of TR'ing, and a few days of cragging 1-3 pitch routes. I read everything there was about gear placements, and, as the normal second on the rope, had become quite good at cleaning gear. It was my role in our little group. Dave or Frank leads; I clean the pitch. I took great pride in my gear-removing skills.
Then one day late in the season we have a bigger group headed out for our longest route yet. Due to the particular combination of people and gear we had, it was decided that we'd climb as two teams of two, and the first team would leave their gear in for the second team (said gear to be returned to the first leader at each belay. Yea, they'd have to wait for us to come up behind them. No problem as the pitches were short.) Someone suggested I lead the second rope; what better way for me to sample leading than to lead through the pre-placed gear?! So we tie in accordingly, my buddy puts me on belay at the base of the first pitch. Just before I take off, I ask him, "You want me to clean it as I go?" The look he gave me was priceless.
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Factor2
Dec 2, 2008, 10:22 PM
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Well, this isn't so much dumb as it is out of necessity, but probably one of the more dangerous situations I've been in.
My Partner and i were on the fourth pitch of a route. I was nearing the end of the rope, and was about 40' from my last piece on 5.9/10 ground, and out of earshot of my belayer. I looked and looked but could not for the life of me (almost literally) find a suitable anchor spot. Eventually off the left i saw a little divot in which i could slot a flaring stopper. I placed this marginal piece, slung myself to it, found a hold for one hand, and called that my anchor. The scariest part was when there was no pro left between my partner and I, just that one stopper and my hold.
(This post was edited by Factor2 on Dec 2, 2008, 10:22 PM)
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majid_sabet
Dec 2, 2008, 10:53 PM
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Part II
Anyway, we found out that the two climbers on the wall dropped one of their cams while ascending and decided to recover it on the way down. Once they reached #4 rap station , they dropped the rope bag next to a tree but carried the rest of trad gear to go and look for the cam.
Obviously the two in my team were no better than the other two on the wall cause the year earlier, both guys in my team spend the night on the same wall when they forgot to carry headlamp but beside all the CF that was circling over my head, I had a bigger problem some 200 meter above me.
After talking little more to the guys on the wall, they said they had another 50 meter rope but were not sure about the rap stations. As I was rapping, I did recall a few rap rings on the bushes in between the chain links therefore, these guys gave us ok to walk away leaving the rope bag on the base.
Lesson learned;
1- Do not climb or partner up with people you do not know
2- Climbers (partners) may show their other faces which may include physiological problems during SOL situations so be ready to deal with it.
3- Do not assume anything and things may not always be black or white. There is always a reasons for things been there but it is not up to you to come up with solutions.
4- If you see something that does not belong to you, especially if something in a significant size ended up in your path, leave the fuc*ing thing alone. There is defiantly a reason behind it.
5- Be responsible and get ready to deal with SOL situations even if you have to climb back up in dark to undo your fuc*up.
6- Team leader or the most experienced climber is always in charge even if someone else in your team fuc*s up. In this case I failed and ignored to ask about the bag when I knew about it, I still failed to take the bag and forgot to leave it on the #1 Rap station 1.Not if that rope bag was going to change anything but, what if the guys on the wall could not locate the last natural anchor and need to rap a full 50 meter on double rope? I surely did not want them to spend the night in cold or jeopardize their own lives down climbing the face.
7- There is always an angle that save your as* .in this case, we were lucky that we did not have to climb back to deliver a rope bag.
MS
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ski.ninja
Dec 2, 2008, 11:14 PM
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First time I rigged a 'biner brake for rappel I had it all set up on the rope, prusik hooked into my leg loop, then proceeded to start towards the edge WITHOUT CONNECTING THE BRAKE ONTO MY HARNESS. Luckily, I'd also forgotten to unclip my daisy before I went for the edge and managed to catch my mistake before anything bad happened.
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sungam
Dec 2, 2008, 11:20 PM
Post #134 of 228
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ski.ninja wrote: First time I rigged a 'biner brake for rappel I had it all set up on the rope, prusik hooked into my leg loop, then proceeded to start towards the edge WITHOUT CONNECTING THE BRAKE ONTO MY HARNESS. Luckily, I'd also forgotten to unclip my daisy before I went for the edge and managed to catch my mistake before anything bad happened.
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ski.ninja
Dec 3, 2008, 12:01 AM
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sungam wrote: ski.ninja wrote: First time I rigged a 'biner brake for rappel I had it all set up on the rope, prusik hooked into my leg loop, then proceeded to start towards the edge WITHOUT CONNECTING THE BRAKE ONTO MY HARNESS. Luckily, I'd also forgotten to unclip my daisy before I went for the edge and managed to catch my mistake before anything bad happened. Shit dude, you got lucky!
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dingus
Dec 3, 2008, 12:02 AM
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majid_sabet wrote: Lesson learned; 1- Do not climb or partner up with people you do not know 2- Climbers (partners) may show their other faces which may include physiological problems during SOL situations so be ready to deal with it. 3- Do not assume anything and things may not always be black or white. There is always a reasons for things been there but it is not up to you to come up with solutions. 4- If you see something that does not belong to you, especially if something in a significant size ended up in your path, leave the fuc*ing thing alone. There is defiantly a reason behind it. 5- Be responsible and get ready to deal with SOL situations even if you have to climb back up in dark to undo your fuc*up. 6- Team leader or the most experienced climber is always in charge even if someone else in your team fuc*s up. In this case I failed and ignored to ask about the bag when I knew about it, I still failed to take the bag and forgot to leave it on the #1 Rap station 1.Not if that rope bag was going to change anything but, what if the guys on the wall could not locate the last natural anchor and need to rap a full 50 meter on double rope? I surely did not want them to spend the night in cold or jeopardize their own lives down climbing the face. 7- There is always an angle that save your as* .in this case, we were lucky that we did not have to climb back to deliver a rope bag. MS
You learnt ALL THAT from stealing a rope? Jeez, imagine how many lessons you could learn if you stole a WHOLE RACK lol!
DMT
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zeth01
Dec 4, 2008, 4:29 AM
Post #137 of 228
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quite often I see dumb things hapen at Chuckawalla where all the after work "climbers" go. I've ssen a few deck. I've seen people taken off belay after yelling take. Yesterday I saw someone belaying with a gri gri upside down and they were using a solid gate oval biner in place of an hms. Here I am trying to work a 12 but im too nervous to climb because i'm affraid the ignorant peops next to me are going to die. I've given up trying to help people there. they get too defensive. If your going to climb THINK. Use your damn brain. I have no idea what people think sometimes but theres no excuse for shit like this to happen.
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altelis
Dec 4, 2008, 4:48 AM
Post #138 of 228
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zeth01 wrote: quite often I see dumb things hapen at Chuckawalla where all the after work "climbers" go. I've ssen a few deck. I've seen people taken off belay after yelling take. Yesterday I saw someone belaying with a gri gri upside down and they were using a solid gate oval biner in place of an hms. Here I am trying to work a 12 but im too nervous to climb because i'm affraid the ignorant peops next to me are going to die. I've given up trying to help people there. they get too defensive. If your going to climb THINK. Use your damn brain. I have no idea what people think sometimes but theres no excuse for shit like this to happen.
um, i believe this belongs in the "false humility but really spraying" thread 
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sungam
Dec 4, 2008, 5:15 AM
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altelis wrote: zeth01 wrote: quite often I see dumb things hapen at Chuckawalla where all the after work "climbers" go. I've ssen a few deck. I've seen people taken off belay after yelling take. Yesterday I saw someone belaying with a gri gri upside down and they were using a solid gate oval biner in place of an hms. Here I am trying to work a 12 but im too nervous to climb because i'm affraid the ignorant peops next to me are going to die. I've given up trying to help people there. they get too defensive. If your going to climb THINK. Use your damn brain. I have no idea what people think sometimes but theres no excuse for shit like this to happen. um, i believe this belongs in the "false humility but really spraying" thread
No offense to the lad, but that was fucking blatant.
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zeth01
Dec 4, 2008, 6:45 AM
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Whatever!
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zeth01
Dec 4, 2008, 6:48 AM
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i'm glad that you all can put someone else down to make yourselves feel better. I was simply making a point. You all should watch the language and stop complaining about what you don't know.
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zeth01
Dec 4, 2008, 7:47 AM
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yeah yeah yeah either way it's still ridiculous
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rockie
Dec 4, 2008, 8:23 AM
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zeth01 wrote: yeah yeah yeah either way it's still ridiculous
Heh!
By the way, what's it like being a bum?
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dingus
Dec 4, 2008, 1:32 PM
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zeth01 wrote: i'm glad that you all can put someone else down to make yourselves feel better.
Here I am trying to work a thread and you're whining and distracting me. Merde!
DMT
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altelis
Dec 4, 2008, 2:11 PM
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notapplicable wrote: zeth01 wrote: i'm glad that you all can put someone else down to make yourselves feel better. I was simply making a point. You all should watch the language and stop complaining about what you don't know. Whipe your tears darlin, its all in good fun. 
Say "cool whip" again.
Why?
Just say it. "Cool Whip"
Cool Whhhip
PS- man did i come close to cheesetitting that box o' tissues!
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Valarc
Dec 4, 2008, 2:18 PM
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notapplicable wrote: zeth01 wrote: i'm glad that you all can put someone else down to make yourselves feel better. I was simply making a point. You all should watch the language and stop complaining about what you don't know. Whipe your tears darlin, its all in good fun.
I suggest that Zeth needs to change his shampoo. I recommend this fine product:
(This post was edited by Valarc on Dec 4, 2008, 2:19 PM)
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camhead
Dec 4, 2008, 2:22 PM
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sungam wrote: altelis wrote: zeth01 wrote: quite often I see dumb things hapen at Chuckawalla where all the after work "climbers" go. I've ssen a few deck. I've seen people taken off belay after yelling take. Yesterday I saw someone belaying with a gri gri upside down and they were using a solid gate oval biner in place of an hms. Here I am trying to work a 12 but im too nervous to climb because i'm affraid the ignorant peops next to me are going to die. I've given up trying to help people there. they get too defensive. If your going to climb THINK. Use your damn brain. I have no idea what people think sometimes but theres no excuse for shit like this to happen. um, i believe this belongs in the "false humility but really spraying" thread yup. No offense to the lad, but that was fucking blatant.
How is that spraying? Everyone and their dead dog "works" 5.12; it;s nothing special.
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dingus
Dec 4, 2008, 2:25 PM
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camhead wrote: Everyone and their dead dog "works" 5.12; it;s nothing special.
Working any route is nothing special.
DMT
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zeth01
Dec 4, 2008, 3:59 PM
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exactly
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qwert
Dec 4, 2008, 4:24 PM
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Back to topic?
Yes?
So there it is:
funny and/or stupid things qwert has done climbing:
Going climbing after a night of partying and not sleeping much (dunno, 1 to 2 h?). Leading something that is at the upper level of what i can climb.
somehow finished wrong, and at the top, realized that ther was no anchor, so i topped out. No problem, normally there are trees, but not at this spot of the cliff, all i could find was some shrubs (pinky thick, at max, but at least a few of them) to sling and belay from.
As you can guess, my follower was happy to see that anchor.
Cleaned a traversing route once, but didnt bother to clip myself to the rope going down to my belayer. Was joking about jumping, and crashing into the people below, at the lowest point of a pendulum, should i jump.
At that moment my feet slipped, and i went into a pendulum towards the people at the lowest pint.
Nice guy that i am, i pulled up my feet, wich safed the folks, but caused my to crash ass firt, uncontrolled into a big boulder. Had to sleep on my front the rest of the holiday.
Went climbing with a costudent recently. I was leading, and we where talking english as the lowest common denominator (me german, her icelandic), and just when i was about to fall, i realized that i did not know the english word for "take". so i was hanging there, slowly peeling of the holds, and going "ermm, uh, could you ..." SLAM
No biggy, since she was a good belay, and could handle an unexpected fall, but funny nonetheless.
qwert
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sungam
Dec 4, 2008, 5:22 PM
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camhead wrote: sungam wrote: altelis wrote: zeth01 wrote: quite often I see dumb things hapen at Chuckawalla where all the after work "climbers" go. I've ssen a few deck. I've seen people taken off belay after yelling take. Yesterday I saw someone belaying with a gri gri upside down and they were using a solid gate oval biner in place of an hms. Here I am trying to work a 12 but im too nervous to climb because i'm affraid the ignorant peops next to me are going to die. I've given up trying to help people there. they get too defensive. If your going to climb THINK. Use your damn brain. I have no idea what people think sometimes but theres no excuse for shit like this to happen. um, i believe this belongs in the "false humility but really spraying" thread yup. No offense to the lad, but that was fucking blatant. How is that spraying? Everyone and their dead dog "works" 5.12; it;s nothing special.
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TJGoSurf
Dec 5, 2008, 12:23 AM
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qwert wrote: Back to topic? Yes? So there it is: funny and/or stupid things qwert has done climbing: Going climbing after a night of partying and not sleeping much (dunno, 1 to 2 h?). Leading something that is at the upper level of what i can climb. somehow finished wrong, and at the top, realized that ther was no anchor, so i topped out. No problem, normally there are trees, but not at this spot of the cliff, all i could find was some shrubs (pinky thick, at max, but at least a few of them) to sling and belay from. As you can guess, my follower was happy to see that anchor. Cleaned a traversing route once, but didnt bother to clip myself to the rope going down to my belayer. Was joking about jumping, and crashing into the people below, at the lowest point of a pendulum, should i jump. At that moment my feet slipped, and i went into a pendulum towards the people at the lowest pint. Nice guy that i am, i pulled up my feet, wich safed the folks, but caused my to crash ass firt, uncontrolled into a big boulder. Had to sleep on my front the rest of the holiday. Went climbing with a costudent recently. I was leading, and we where talking english as the lowest common denominator (me german, her icelandic), and just when i was about to fall, i realized that i did not know the english word for "take". so i was hanging there, slowly peeling of the holds, and going "ermm, uh, could you ..." SLAM No biggy, since she was a good belay, and could handle an unexpected fall, but funny nonetheless. qwert
That's every time for me. Only I try stuff that is a little above my level. 20' isnt that far to fall.
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StudentoftheEarth
Dec 7, 2008, 2:09 AM
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So, I wanted to ascend a rope to move some holds at the gym I work at and had recently been shown the klemheist knot, so I was like sweet, I'll use my newly acquired skills. So I got my harness, webbing carabiner, and atc. I used the atc for one end of the rope, locking it off by tying the rope around my waist back to where it comes out of the atc. Then, I took the webbing tied my klemheists to the other end and proceeded to sit/stand my way up the rope. I went up moved the holds, came back down and then reviewed my setup. O.o I realized that it's a good thing I decided to stay in my seat.
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chossmonkey
Dec 7, 2008, 1:18 PM
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sungam wrote: camhead wrote: sungam wrote: altelis wrote: zeth01 wrote: quite often I see dumb things hapen at Chuckawalla where all the after work "climbers" go. I've ssen a few deck. I've seen people taken off belay after yelling take. Yesterday I saw someone belaying with a gri gri upside down and they were using a solid gate oval biner in place of an hms. Here I am trying to work a 12 but im too nervous to climb because i'm affraid the ignorant peops next to me are going to die. I've given up trying to help people there. they get too defensive. If your going to climb THINK. Use your damn brain. I have no idea what people think sometimes but theres no excuse for shit like this to happen. um, i believe this belongs in the "false humility but really spraying" thread yup. No offense to the lad, but that was fucking blatant. How is that spraying? Everyone and their dead dog "works" 5.12; it;s nothing special. Maybe you guys, but I've never had to work a 5.12.
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sungam
Dec 8, 2008, 2:49 AM
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chossmonkey wrote: sungam wrote: camhead wrote: sungam wrote: altelis wrote: zeth01 wrote: quite often I see dumb things hapen at Chuckawalla where all the after work "climbers" go. I've ssen a few deck. I've seen people taken off belay after yelling take. Yesterday I saw someone belaying with a gri gri upside down and they were using a solid gate oval biner in place of an hms. Here I am trying to work a 12 but im too nervous to climb because i'm affraid the ignorant peops next to me are going to die. I've given up trying to help people there. they get too defensive. If your going to climb THINK. Use your damn brain. I have no idea what people think sometimes but theres no excuse for shit like this to happen. um, i believe this belongs in the "false humility but really spraying" thread yup. No offense to the lad, but that was fucking blatant. How is that spraying? Everyone and their dead dog "works" 5.12; it;s nothing special. Maybe you guys, but I've never had to work a 5.12. You are so modest.
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USnavy
Dec 8, 2008, 7:19 AM
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camhead wrote: sungam wrote: altelis wrote: zeth01 wrote: quite often I see dumb things hapen at Chuckawalla where all the after work "climbers" go. I've ssen a few deck. I've seen people taken off belay after yelling take. Yesterday I saw someone belaying with a gri gri upside down and they were using a solid gate oval biner in place of an hms. Here I am trying to work a 12 but im too nervous to climb because i'm affraid the ignorant peops next to me are going to die. I've given up trying to help people there. they get too defensive. If your going to climb THINK. Use your damn brain. I have no idea what people think sometimes but theres no excuse for shit like this to happen. um, i believe this belongs in the "false humility but really spraying" thread yup. No offense to the lad, but that was fucking blatant. How is that spraying? Everyone and their dead dog "works" 5.12; it;s nothing special.
Umm not really. Only maybe the top 10 - 20% of all climbers (including gym climbers) can lead a real 5.12 outdoors. Where I come from its more like the top 3%. And actually Wikipedia defines 5.12a as the starting point for the "semi-professional" climbing class. So yes leading 5.12 does put you a few notches above most. No, you’re not an elite climber if you lead 5.12 but your definitely up there.
(This post was edited by USnavy on Dec 8, 2008, 7:22 AM)
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swoopee
Dec 8, 2008, 12:57 PM
Post #159 of 228
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Goldline rope, Swiss seats, risking/taking 30-40 foot whippers on said goldline/swiss seat combo. Not climbing for 25 years. Easing back into climbing at age 47 one month after massive heart-attack by attempting 5.9 and 5.10 climbs. I win!
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camhead
Dec 8, 2008, 2:07 PM
Post #160 of 228
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USnavy wrote: camhead wrote: How is that spraying? Everyone and their dead dog "works" 5.12; it;s nothing special. Umm not really. Only maybe the top 10 - 20% of all climbers (including gym climbers) can lead a real 5.12 outdoors. Where I come from its more like the top 3%. And actually Wikipedia defines 5.12a as the starting point for the "semi-professional" climbing class. So yes leading 5.12 does put you a few notches above most. No, you’re not an elite climber if you lead 5.12 but your definitely up there.
ok, in addition to you quoting fricking wikipedia, you COMPLETELY missed my point.
I did not say that "everyone climbs 5.12," I said that "everyone WORKS 5.12." i.e. with many closely bolted sport climbs or even splitter cracks, it is possible for a 5.10 climber to get on a 5.12a and eventually clip the anchors, thereby justifying his failure by saying "well, I was WORKING it."
Thus, if anyone tells you "I work 5.12," it is nothing to be impressed at.
If someone consistently onsights 5.12 gear routes in a variety of styles, then yes, that is approaching the elite levels of climbing.
comprende?
(This post was edited by camhead on Dec 8, 2008, 2:09 PM)
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sungam
Dec 8, 2008, 2:56 PM
Post #161 of 228
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I worked a 12a yesterday. It wuz an eliminant on a 5.8, how badass am I???
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Carnage
Dec 8, 2008, 11:04 PM
Post #162 of 228
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sungam wrote: I worked a 12a yesterday. It wuz an eliminant on a 5.8, how badass am I???
black rain?
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sungam
Dec 8, 2008, 11:59 PM
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Carnage wrote: sungam wrote: I worked a 12a yesterday. It wuz an eliminant on a 5.8, how badass am I??? black rain?
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notapplicable
Dec 9, 2008, 12:02 AM
Post #164 of 228
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sungam wrote: I worked a 12a yesterday. It wuz an eliminant on a 5.8, how badass am I???
**Swoon**
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irregularpanda
Dec 9, 2008, 12:25 AM
Post #165 of 228
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OK, back on topic here.
Years ago (had only been leading for 3 months) I jumped on outer space with a friend. It's a 6 pitch 5.9. To reach the line, you climb an easy ramp for a pitch, then traverse left on a longer, easier pitch to reach 2 tree ledge, as it's called. It's a huge ledge.
However, the guidebook also said that you could climb something more interesting, if you do some unspecified slab climbing, and then, somewhere on the second pitch, traverse to library ledge from the left, across a slab. My partner and I went that way.
Pitch 1: My buddy leads up some sketchy slab, his only good pro for the first half of the pitch was made by slinging a rotten tree stump burrowed into a shallow crack. Awesome. Then he laybacks a wide flake, with a thimbleberry bush growing out of it. For those of you who aren't familiar with thimbleberry, when you smear your feet againts granite, with thimbleberry underfoot, it's very slippery. He finished the pitch on sheer willpower knowing he wasn't allowed to fall.
Pitch 2: My turn. I could see more slab, then off to the right, a long traverse to library ledge. I climb the slab, and place my last piece. A decent nut. I check out the traverse. It's a slab. No cracks at all. 40 foot traverse. ugh.
After pissing my pants for about a half hour, I decide to skip the route, and work my way up a pretty looking corner system just above me. The cracks in it are shallow, and kinda dirty. I had to clean dirt out for most of my placements. It was scary, but at least it wasn't slab. I ran out of rope, and made an anchor. At least the anchor was bombproof. At least there were rappell stations off to my left, on a series of trees and bushes.
I bring my friend up, and he's cursing me for how I climbed those hard moves (I pulled on my nuts, A0 for the cruxes). Anyway, he gets up, and we realize that in order to reach those rappell stations, we had to be below and left of my anchor. He puts a piece in, and tells me to downclimb, so I can lead to the rap station. "don't fall" he says.
Ha, all he had was a totally overcammed #2 camalot. so I do it, traverse another 20 feet left to the rap station, and anchor in to the ancient red (or what used to be red) webbing. He should have just climbed over to me, but for some reason, whilst setting up said rappell, he unties. It took us 20 minutes for me to throw a rope end to him that he could reach. I think that was dumbass choice number 35 that day. Anyway, 7 rappells later, and we were on the ground.
A week later, and someone showed me where the correct start to Outerspace was. If you do it properly, it's a fun 5.9. Don't try to go up "maryjane dihedral" unless you want to climb a 5.10c dirty off width that is 5 pitches up the wall.
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clausti
Dec 9, 2008, 12:36 AM
Post #166 of 228
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sbaclimber wrote: qwert wrote: i realized that i did not know the english word for "take" That's okay, there are a bunch of other 4 letter words in english that are understood equally as well, when uttered in the appropriate manner.
somebody pulled off a big cobble at maple when I was there. she yell something in some language, not sure what, when it came off. and yet somehow, everyone (even those not looking) clearly understood that she meant ROCK!!
(This post was edited by clausti on Dec 9, 2008, 12:36 AM)
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Sin
Dec 9, 2008, 6:23 PM
Post #167 of 228
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The dumbest thing I've ever done, mmm? I was at a climbing campsite/party getting to know other climbers, and they were talking about climbing trad. I said cool I wanna try that ( in my head), they heard " I can climb trad".
The next day we were in front of a 5.8, and my new partner asked me if I liked the route. Thinking he was gonna lead and I was gonna follow, I said sure. He says alright you go ahead an lead this one, I'm still hung over. Next thing I know I'm leading like it was 10 below zero, sewing up this short, but "deadly" 5.8 thanks to my ego. Pls don't try this at home kids, LOL.
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dingus
Dec 9, 2008, 7:40 PM
Post #168 of 228
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Sin wrote: The dumbest thing I've ever done, mmm? I was at a climbing campsite/party getting to know other climbers, and they were talking about climbing trad. I said cool I wanna try that ( in my head), they heard " I can climb trad". The next day we were in front of a 5.8, and my new partner asked me if I liked the route. Thinking he was gonna lead and I was gonna follow, I said sure. He says alright you go ahead an lead this one, I'm still hung over. Next thing I know I'm leading like it was 10 below zero, sewing up this short, but "deadly" 5.8 thanks to my ego. Pls don't try this at home kids, LOL.
So the dumbest thing you ever did was take up lead climbing?????
I don't get it!
DMT
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Sin
Dec 10, 2008, 4:30 PM
Post #169 of 228
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dingus wrote: Sin wrote: The dumbest thing I've ever done, mmm? I was at a climbing campsite/party getting to know other climbers, and they were talking about climbing trad. I said cool I wanna try that ( in my head), they heard " I can climb trad". The next day we were in front of a 5.8, and my new partner asked me if I liked the route. Thinking he was gonna lead and I was gonna follow, I said sure. He says alright you go ahead an lead this one, I'm still hung over. Next thing I know I'm leading like it was 10 below zero, sewing up this short, but "deadly" 5.8 thanks to my ego. Pls don't try this at home kids, LOL. So the dumbest thing you ever did was take up lead climbing????? I don't get it! DMT
I'm talking about leading without knowing what a good or bad placement looks like, and not following first to pick up the correct way to place gear.
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dingus
Dec 10, 2008, 4:32 PM
Post #170 of 228
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Sin wrote: dingus wrote: Sin wrote: The dumbest thing I've ever done, mmm? I was at a climbing campsite/party getting to know other climbers, and they were talking about climbing trad. I said cool I wanna try that ( in my head), they heard " I can climb trad". The next day we were in front of a 5.8, and my new partner asked me if I liked the route. Thinking he was gonna lead and I was gonna follow, I said sure. He says alright you go ahead an lead this one, I'm still hung over. Next thing I know I'm leading like it was 10 below zero, sewing up this short, but "deadly" 5.8 thanks to my ego. Pls don't try this at home kids, LOL. So the dumbest thing you ever did was take up lead climbing????? I don't get it! DMT I'm talking about leading without knowing what a good or bad placement looks like, and not following first to pick up the correct way to place gear.
Lots of folks learned this way bro. It may be dumb but if that's the dumbest thing you ever do in climbing you're in good company.
DMT
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Goo
Dec 10, 2008, 4:55 PM
Post #171 of 228
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camhead wrote: USnavy wrote: camhead wrote: How is that spraying? Everyone and their dead dog "works" 5.12; it;s nothing special. Umm not really. Only maybe the top 10 - 20% of all climbers (including gym climbers) can lead a real 5.12 outdoors. Where I come from its more like the top 3%. And actually Wikipedia defines 5.12a as the starting point for the "semi-professional" climbing class. So yes leading 5.12 does put you a few notches above most. No, you’re not an elite climber if you lead 5.12 but your definitely up there. ok, in addition to you quoting fricking wikipedia, you COMPLETELY missed my point. I did not say that "everyone climbs 5.12," I said that "everyone WORKS 5.12." i.e. with many closely bolted sport climbs or even splitter cracks, it is possible for a 5.10 climber to get on a 5.12a and eventually clip the anchors, thereby justifying his failure by saying "well, I was WORKING it." Thus, if anyone tells you "I work 5.12," it is nothing to be impressed at. If someone consistently onsights 5.12 gear routes in a variety of styles, then yes, that is approaching the elite levels of climbing. comprende?
yes exactly what i was gonna say. good call.
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sungam
Dec 10, 2008, 5:56 PM
Post #172 of 228
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dingus wrote: Sin wrote: dingus wrote: Sin wrote: The dumbest thing I've ever done, mmm? I was at a climbing campsite/party getting to know other climbers, and they were talking about climbing trad. I said cool I wanna try that ( in my head), they heard " I can climb trad". The next day we were in front of a 5.8, and my new partner asked me if I liked the route. Thinking he was gonna lead and I was gonna follow, I said sure. He says alright you go ahead an lead this one, I'm still hung over. Next thing I know I'm leading like it was 10 below zero, sewing up this short, but "deadly" 5.8 thanks to my ego. Pls don't try this at home kids, LOL. So the dumbest thing you ever did was take up lead climbing????? I don't get it! DMT I'm talking about leading without knowing what a good or bad placement looks like, and not following first to pick up the correct way to place gear. Lots of folks learned this way bro. It may be dumb but if that's the dumbest thing you ever do in climbing you're in good company. DMT
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jacobs
Dec 23, 2008, 5:04 PM
Post #173 of 228
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poping out my shoulder on a climb
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sungam
Dec 23, 2008, 5:12 PM
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jacobs wrote: poping out my shoulder on a climb
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ClimbSoHigh
Dec 30, 2008, 8:42 PM
Post #175 of 228
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its also a good idea to have the anchor backed up, expecially where it is rubbing the rock. Tie two webbings to two boulders/trees so if one fails or is sliced there is a back up. It also cuts in half/quarter the amount of force on each piece of webbing durring an emergency bee lowering.
Also make sure to tug/jump on tr anchors to give em a good test before climbing/rapping.
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furbucket
Dec 30, 2008, 10:26 PM
Post #176 of 228
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Back on topic again:
I was cleaning the top of the route and I had girth hitched my daisy to my gear loop. I leaned back before I untied my harness and thought, "Oh, that feels different. Oh well, whatever." Then I realized that I f'ed up before I untied thankfully. I was really tired that day!
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zeke_sf
Dec 31, 2008, 3:07 AM
Post #177 of 228
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furbucket wrote: Back on topic again: I was cleaning the top of the route and I had girth hitched my daisy to my gear loop. I leaned back before I untied my harness and thought, "Oh, that feels different. Oh well, whatever." Then I realized that I f'ed up before I untied thankfully. I was really tired that day!
Scary stuff. You sound like a metolius safety harness kinda guy.
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jt512
Dec 31, 2008, 4:40 AM
Post #178 of 228
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curt wrote: apeman_e wrote: ...So come clean!- what is the dumbest thing you've ever done rock climbing? Caved in to peer pressure and went sport climbing. Curt
Do I get credit for that?
Jay
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reno
Dec 31, 2008, 4:58 AM
Post #179 of 228
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jt512 wrote: curt wrote: apeman_e wrote: ...So come clean!- what is the dumbest thing you've ever done rock climbing? Caved in to peer pressure and went sport climbing. Curt Do I get credit for that?
Only if I get credit for you plugging gear at Oak Creek Overlook, and claiming it was "fun."
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xArtx
Jan 11, 2009, 12:52 AM
Post #180 of 228
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Simple one,
Fell while seconding, grabbed the rope just above a quickdraw,
almost lost a finger to the quickdraw biner.
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matt4923
Jan 11, 2009, 5:57 AM
Post #181 of 228
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I take full responsibility for the stupidity and unawareness of the following.
I was teaching a friend from work how to climb. I chose a super easy top rope route for him to learn on. We climbed it a few times then I noticed some bolts off to the side of our anchor that continued higher. Thinking it would be cool to show him lead climbing I cleaned our anchor by removing the rope from the draws/chains, then walked over to the bolts that were close by and leading up higher.
See the stupidity???
I cleaned our top rope anchor and walked along the ridge to the newly found bolts. I felt a small tug from my belayer and FINALLY realized I was 50 feet up on a small ridge not clipped into anything nor was I anchored or protected anywhere along the climb! I quickly yelled, "LET GO OF THE ROPE AND TAKE ME OFF BELAY!" I quickly moved to the bolt and protected myself.
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climberslacker
Jan 11, 2009, 10:29 PM
Post #182 of 228
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So i was tradding with my little brother, and he talked me into leting him lead instrad of follow, he got to the crux of the climb and decided to come down. So i climbed up, got past his gear, got ready to set my own, and realized i had no cams that fit or any nuts or hexes that fit, i finally managed to get a peice in, then climged up to the top, i still yell at him :)
by the way, there is a #3 camalot that i dropped on Y-crack at lake dixon, if anyone finds it, and could you om me?
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deltav
Jan 12, 2009, 2:27 AM
Post #183 of 228
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Wrapped a tree to rappel a route and nearly rapped off the rope because one side was still 70+ft in the air. At the time I did know enough to tie a knot and didn't bother to check that both ends were on the ground. Needless to say, I never made that mistake again!
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bandidopeco
Jan 12, 2009, 3:00 AM
Post #184 of 228
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Culmination of many little mistakes, then one big enough to do my ankle in for so far 2 months.
My partner and I were climbing at the Technicolor wall in the Creek, and I did some big hands route, pretty nice. Since it was 120' I brought up our second rope and tied them together, leaving the knot on the pink rope side. Rapping down I left a directional in since my partner would TR and clipped the pink rope in.
at the bottom I noticed that the knot was between the anchor and directional, uh oh. Fortunately we still had enough rope for my partner to lead up to the directional, so she did that, made it to the top after some time, and had a rope running up to the anchor, down to me and back up to her. She was going to untie the EDK and re-thread the ropes, but I told her not to. Now pulling the rope up it got stuck in the first piece of gear, so I soloed up to remove it, which was safe enough, good big hands the whole way, but instead of downclimbing I decided to traverse left on iffy holds for no reason whatsoever.
Slipped, fell, landed feet hip face, ouch my ankle.
so now it's been since late October and hopefully I won't be so stupid again.
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curt
Jan 12, 2009, 6:02 AM
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jt512 wrote: curt wrote: apeman_e wrote: ...So come clean!- what is the dumbest thing you've ever done rock climbing? Caved in to peer pressure and went sport climbing. Curt Do I get credit for that? Jay
I'll certainly give you partial credit.
Curt
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asellers98
Jan 16, 2009, 7:16 AM
Post #186 of 228
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I have to admit, last weekend at Reimers Ranch was my dumbest mistake climbing EVER! I took off my climbing shoes inbetween routes, and was walking around barefoot letting my feet breath. And to walk back to the rest of the group I was climbing with, I could either walk under people's belay, or walk a more dangerous way around a tree near a drop off. Well, I chose to be considerate, and ended up slipping. I nearly killed myself. By the grace of training hard lately, I was able to death pinch the tree root with one hand, three fingers.
If I had failed that last desperate throw, I would have been falling backwards on my back, landing on a fallen tree, then bouncing and hitting my head on a boulder. It was at the end of Dead Cats, by the purramatic kitty 6000 route.
Lesson learned, listen to your intuition. I kept telling myself I should be wearing shoes. I lost a nice sized chunk of skin on both feet for the error.
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Rudmin
Apr 1, 2009, 5:19 AM
Post #187 of 228
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After leading 2nd pitch of an easy 5 pitch sport, I take of my shoes and clip them to a sling I was anchored on. Instead of using the loop, I clipped over the whole thing. Of course I forgot about that and watched them slip off the end when I was moved the sling. They caught on a cactus at the start of the 1st pitch.
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jamincan
Apr 1, 2009, 7:00 PM
Post #188 of 228
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furbucket wrote: Back on topic again: I was cleaning the top of the route and I had girth hitched my daisy to my gear loop. I leaned back before I untied my harness and thought, "Oh, that feels different. Oh well, whatever." Then I realized that I f'ed up before I untied thankfully. I was really tired that day!
It seems that tying into gear loops is a relatively common mistake, but I don't understand how it happens. I always tie into, or girth hitch a daisy chain to the regular tie in points at the front of my harness. Tying into one of my gear loops would be significantly more awkward. How does this happen?
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irrational
Apr 2, 2009, 12:45 AM
Post #189 of 228
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So not the dumbest thing i've done but i think the dumbest thing i have witnessed in 13 years of climbing. While walking up to whites bluff @ lions head, we came across a group of climbers struggling up the 5.8 there (the rest of the crag is 11+ish). Something about there draws looked a bit odd as we got closer we found there draws were a chain of accessory biners. So we told them that they would break under body weight plus a feather and they fluffed us off so we turned around and went to halfway dump instead.
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subantz
Apr 2, 2009, 1:04 AM
Post #190 of 228
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I would say the dumbest thing I have done in order are
1: Bolting a crack
2:chipping holds
3: climbing with a static line
4: chopping a mixed line
5: starting shit on RC.com
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hafilax
Apr 2, 2009, 1:20 AM
Post #191 of 228
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Dropped a belay device
Dropped a nut tool
Forgot to clip the last piece before a long runout
Did all the leading in a party of 3 with 2 10.5mm ropes (the last time being a 6 pitch moonlight climb after leading 11 pitches that day)
Almost got a rope stuck by rappelling the wrong way around a buttress
Any other stupid things I've done I didn't realize at the time.
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mar_leclerc
Apr 2, 2009, 1:47 AM
Post #192 of 228
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Left an ice tool at a rap station
Dropped an ice screw
Got a cam stuck by bumping it with my knee when climbing past
Jumped off a boulder and hot hung up mid flight by a nut on a sling catching in a crack, ouch!
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chopperjohn
Apr 2, 2009, 11:41 PM
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Climbing with a guy nicknamed "Fuck face".
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barkandbite
Apr 4, 2009, 7:21 AM
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Tried pissing off a 500’+ dihedral.
At first I thought, boy that mist feels kinda’ good. Than I (we) realized…
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swoopee
Apr 5, 2009, 12:10 AM
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Left my climbing shoes at the crag today and when I went back to get them, they were gone. I am planning to climb tomorrow so I guess that I'll have to go buy a new pair. That was just plain dumb.
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DETN8R
Apr 5, 2009, 6:00 PM
Post #197 of 228
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Since I havent been outdoor climbing yet I've only done a few stupid things at the gym. I tied in in correctly, completely under my harness on top part.(I didnt notice and my girlfriend didnt check me well enough) I fell off a route and swung into the rope going to my belayer and the carabiner holding my ATC clipped onto the rope. I should have had the gate screwed down.
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kylekienitz
Apr 5, 2009, 7:09 PM
Post #198 of 228
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Assuming that 5 pitches of 5.8 with a single rope rappel would go without a hitch and therefore only bring one rope.
Humbug Spires in Montana - My partner and I got a late start after a date the night before with an 18 pack of PBR. It was late June and a perfect day, I let my partner convince me that we didn't need to haul another rope four miles back to The Wedge. Halfway up pitch three it starts hailing, the temperature plummets and daylight is quickly waning. We are soaked, shaking cold, and forced to bail. PROBLEM: Oh shit KM, we only brought one rope. The pitch was definitely longer than 30m... oh shit.
I realized that day how crack systems lend themselves nicely to gushing torrents of surging water. We were SOAKED.
We slung a chockstone and I rappelled off of it, not knowing how far down the rope went, though I knew it didn't reach the belay anchor.
The ropes reached 2 feet past two manky, old, rusty, thin as hell 1/4" studs and clipped one yelling 'off rappel.' Scared out of my mind I tried to keep as much weight off of it as i could with a waterfall trying to push me off the rock.
My partner clipped the other, equally manky piece of sheet metal. I tested my bolt with body weight and after seeing little movement I RAPPELLED off of ONE decrepit bolt.
I prayed the whole way to the belay anchor and there was no doubt an 'amen' on my lips when I was able to clip something substantial. My partner made it down fine also.
That was the worst part. After that it was trivial stuff like: getting the rope stuck pulling it from the next rappel, barely making the last rappel to the ground, shaking so bad i couldn't take my shoes or harness off, hiking / running back in the dark, running into bears 1 mile from the car.
Too tired to set up the tent we said 'fuck the bears' and slept on pads in the parking lot.
I learned a lot from that experience. I think a lot about the choice to rappel from that bolt. It really was the only option, (i didn't want to equalize the two because of the fear of shock loading one bolt if the other pulled - if one bolt went I didn't want to pull KM off too. I really had no idea how much these bolts could take.)
From now on though I think about:
- always two ropes if on anything longer than 30m. especially on multi-pitch trad.
- be prepared for weather.
- Bear Spray!
- have a better understanding of the route (the third pitch of this was severely run out.)
- think about time and daylight!
- be prepared and think about the worst case scenario.
So, dumbest thing ever done climbing: drink too much PBR the night before.
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chilli
Apr 5, 2009, 10:09 PM
Post #199 of 228
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several years ago i was setting up for TR and, being about 10ft from the cliff's edge i figured "i don't need to clip in this far away from the edge" (those are famous last words). i started slinging a boulder for a USSR and couldn't quite reach to flip the rope over a corner, so i grabbed a flake on the boulder and stood on a little edge for some extra height...
next thing i know there was a loud crack as a microwave-sized chunk of the flake came off in my hand, sending both me and the flake tumbling toward the cliff. i stopped a couple feet from the precipice, the flake did not. i yelled "rock" with more fervor and terror than i ever have had to since. luckily no one was immediately below.
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i'm ALWAYS tied in now - even if i am "far enough away from the edge" and you won't see me yanking on a flake without a thorough check.
-
in the years following i also carried my new found respect for my ability to make stupid fuck-ups with me; and whether building an anchor on lead or just for TR, i always remind myself, saying "don't screw this one up" (it's a little extra motivation to keep everyone safe)
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TJGoSurf
Apr 5, 2009, 10:14 PM
Post #200 of 228
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I tied into my leg loops once. I'm glad I'm so paranoid about coming down and didnt just leap off. I had only tied into my leg loops.
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petsfed
Apr 5, 2009, 11:26 PM
Post #201 of 228
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I once rappelled off a thoroughly rotted bit of static cord that was looped through a pinch in either dirt or rock, I really wasn't certain which. All so I could retrieve a couple of draws on a sport climb in Sinks Canyon.
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milesenoell
Apr 6, 2009, 12:44 AM
Post #202 of 228
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I was seconding a pitch, cleaning as I went. When I got to the top of a pitch and went to untie and thread the anchor using the standard tie an 8 on a bight, clip the 8, untie, thread, re-tie method that I had just learned. Of course I didn't bother to back it up in any way. So, standing in an Ok, but definitely not that great stance, I tied my 8, clipped it to my harness and untied from the rope. That's when I realized that I grabbed the rope on the wrong side of the draws and tied my 8 BELOW the draws. All it took was for me to grab the rope a little lower and clip it back in, but it definitely got my heart pounding thinking about how dead I'd be if I'd slipped.
Oh, and another one. Speed soloed a crack I had dialed at the end of a day, in almost complete darkness. The climb was fine, but trying to find my way down in the dark on the walk off I nearly went off a cliff.
(This post was edited by milesenoell on Apr 6, 2009, 2:03 AM)
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Myxomatosis
Apr 6, 2009, 1:28 AM
Post #203 of 228
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Thought solo'ing a 5.9 crack was a good idea for a warm up..... (didn't have big gear)...
Thank god sense kicked in at the "fall any higher and do damage" mark
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bill413
Apr 6, 2009, 3:24 AM
Post #204 of 228
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kylekienitz wrote: Assuming that 5 pitches of 5.8 with a single rope rappel would go without a hitch and therefore only bring one rope. ... I let my partner convince me that we didn't need to haul another rope four miles back to The Wedge. ... - always two ropes if on anything longer than 30m. especially on multi-pitch trad.
Harrowing story. Glad of successful outcome!
It was a similar discussion / experience that convinced me of the utility of climbing on double ropes. Never again do you have to have the discussion about bringing a rap / retreat rope - it's built into the system.
In reply to: So, dumbest thing ever done climbing: drink too much PBR the night before.
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kylekienitz
Apr 7, 2009, 3:17 AM
Post #205 of 228
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In reply to: In reply to: So, dumbest thing ever done climbing: drink too much PBR the night before. And the problem with that was? Oh - PBR - well....should have been a better brew.
Ok, I retract this statement. It was actually my first time with an excess of beer which just happened to be PBR.
Alas, do not worry - my faith in the sweet nectar has only increased since.
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jhb3999
Apr 8, 2009, 2:37 PM
Post #206 of 228
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What's rock climbing?
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Muddud
Apr 10, 2009, 9:41 AM
Post #207 of 228
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haha, oh, god, way too many stories.
although i definitely learned not to trust when friends read a book and tell you to go hunting after rap rings that aren't there to go set a top rope. always read the book yourself, or you might wind up simul-climbing around some serious sketchy areas for the better part of an hour. ugh.
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jfitzpat
Apr 10, 2009, 5:33 PM
Post #208 of 228
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Registered: Apr 8, 2009
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Probably the dumbest thing I've ever done was to hook up with a partner based solely on his gym banter. I did the first two pitches as one long one by agreement.
10' off the belay it becamse suddenly clear that this was his first trad lead, ever. He ended up climbing back to the ledge. I should have rapped off then, but didn't want to abandon gear.
To cut a long story short, I ended up leading all the pitches, and hauling him twice. We just crawled, and were nearly benighted. As it was, we finished the hike back to the cars by my lone Petzl Tikka.
The hardest part for me was that he never stopped the 'talk'. I tried to keep my cool, but I wanted to say, 'dude, when there are only two people in the elevator, everyone knows who farted...'
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clmbr
Apr 11, 2009, 2:08 AM
Post #209 of 228
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Posts: 29
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Just finished leading a 5.10 and having lowered off me and the belayer were talking while untying, waiting for the others. They were taking their time so decided to quickly do a 5.8 offwidth on top rope, next to the climb I had just done.
Off I go and its a lot harder than i expected, so grunted up about 15ft, found the only tiny ledge in it for a foothold and jammed my arm into the offwidth for a rest. At the same moment my belayer and I looked at my tie in and realised I had a 'figure 4',not an 8 as I had been halfway thru untying and forgot to tie back in properly.
Suddenly the footrest wasn't so great but I managed to retie with one hand and lower off.
Always check yer setup, check each other and don't get distracted.!!!!
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barkandbite
Apr 11, 2009, 4:21 AM
Post #210 of 228
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10-4 on the double checking. it's manditory w/me.
i once started backing off a rap with only 1 of the 2 rsides threaded through my atc. Scheeze, i nearly went splat! I noticed just as i was starting to hang my ass off the edge!
stay in the game. check your shit
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herbertpowell
Apr 11, 2009, 11:31 PM
Post #211 of 228
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Registered: Apr 3, 2009
Posts: 79
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I'd say my biggest mistakes usually relate to forgetting something related to the sun and having a miserable day because of that.
Sunblock, sunglasses, hat, wearing a dark shirt on a glacier (ugh), etc.
The worst part is I never seem to learn, despite having had some nasty sunburns in uncomfortable places (behind my ears was probably the worst!).
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verticon
Apr 12, 2009, 10:42 AM
Post #212 of 228
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Registered: Aug 22, 2005
Posts: 223
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One month ago I was leading a 2 pitch WI4 with my GF belaying. I left the 2nd belay stance (bomber, 2 ice screws and a thread), went round a pillar and up. 60ft and 4 screws higher the rope becomes tight and I'm stuck.
I shout for some slack, pull on the rope, but nothing happens. Snowing, hard wind blowing, no chance to communicate.
After a few moments I feel the rope is slack and I continue climbing up to a tree on top of the cliff. I setup the anchor and I pull up the ropes. Well, surprise ! Instead of a tight rope with my GF tyed in, I get the two rope ends. I rapped down in rage keen to get an explanation. And I've got it: she dropped the stack of ropes from the stance, both ropes went around an ice feature and clogged. She didn't know what to do and because I was pulling on the ropes, she untied and set me free, hoping to rescue her on my way down, which I did, but I shouldn't... :o)
The dumb thing ?! Not teaching her how to manage ropes at the belay, not telling her that if I wanted to solo I'd rather did it on my own will, and climbing ice with an inexperienced belayer.
(This post was edited by verticon on Apr 12, 2009, 11:00 AM)
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mrswix
Apr 14, 2009, 1:21 AM
Post #213 of 228
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Registered: Apr 29, 2008
Posts: 48
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thats some gf you got man...
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NDKalltheway
Apr 14, 2009, 7:39 PM
Post #214 of 228
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Registered: Aug 21, 2008
Posts: 27
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I was working for a summer camp and we were stringing a new cable between telephone poles for a high ropes course. I was climbing up and nearly to the top of the one pole (45ft) when poor placement of my lobster claws resulted in them being tangled up in the cables that were already put up. It was a mess, I was stuck on one side of the pole and my clip in points were awkwardly placed on the other side. The lobster claws were weaved along the opposite side of the pole I needed it to be in order to reach the drill point. I mindlessly unclipped the claws from my harness and untangled it. I wrapped it around the other side of the pole and reclipped. About halfway through tightening the carabiner, I figured out what I had done... chills shot through my body as I realized that I had been dangling from one hand and on shitty footing with a 45ft fall only a minor slip away.
Not exactly climbing, but definitely the hardest vertigo I've ever had.
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tomtom
Apr 15, 2009, 7:36 PM
Post #215 of 228
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Registered: Jan 9, 2004
Posts: 366
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Last weekend I lowered off after leading a single pitch climb and noticed that I had only completed half of the reweave of my figure eight.
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technogeekery
Aug 3, 2009, 2:19 AM
Post #216 of 228
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Registered: Jun 17, 2009
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This thread is too good to die, so I'll contribute.
I learned to climb at school with a bunch of other kids - we learned from older brothers, watching other climbers and books - ie we had no clue. Stings of misfortunes and near-misses resulted - we were very fortunate that we were able to learn from experiences without anyone getting seriously injured... A couple of classics from those times:
My partner and I decided to go new routing on a rural peak that we thought was unclimbed. It was a table-top mesa in the African bush with an easy scramble to get to the top, and ringed by sandstone cliffs. On the tallest of those cliffs (maybe 100m?) was an obvious 3-pitch line, relatively easy corners and faces to a big ledge about 80m off the deck, then an awesome overhanging wall like a wave about to break - split by a huge crack. So we gave it a go - the first two pitches went fine, but when I tried leading the overhanging crack, it was full of mud and batpoo, and I was spat out several times with a faceful of goo.
So we decided to clean it on toprope - maybe not great in the strict ground-up ethics of the day, but the line was too beautiful. So we escaped up an easier line from the other end of the ledge, set up an abseil anchor directly above the crack, and my partner volunteered to lower off and clean as I'd been doing the leading.
But we'd seriously underestimated the overhang - a few metres down and he was well clear of the rock, so he decided to abseil down to the ledge, and clean the climb on toprope (we weren't thinking clearly...) Very soon he was nearly at the bottom of the rope (a doubled 45m 9mm 1/2 rope) level with the ledge - and 5m away from it out in space... After much wriggling, jerking about and generally looking like a fish on a line, we realised that it was not possible to build enough momentum on the end of a line to swing anywhere near the ledge - he was stuck, shirtless, rotating gently under the hot sun, with a lot of air under his arse.
He was also feeling VERY nervous hanging directly above an 80m drop on a skinny rope. He took a few wraps of the rope around his leg, and I dropped the end of another 1/2 rope to him and put him on backup - and then we started working out how we were going to get him up. I had a bit of fun suggesting he throw his climbing shoes out into space to see if the reaction would push him into the rock, and dropping small twigs on him as he dangled in space - but in reality it was quite serious - we were 3-4 hours from any help, so we had to work it out ourselves.
Simple you say - prussik. Well yes, I'd read about that once in a book...and it came to mind, luckily. So I got a couple of slings, and for the first time ever, started twisting them around a rope to work out how this prussik knot thing worked. Eventually I found a configuration that seemed to work, so I lowered the slings down to my mate, shouted instructions down to him, and off he went.
Fortunately it worked, after a fashion - the knot was pretty basic and bound up a lot, and the 1/2 rope stretched a LOT so for a long time we weren't sure it was going to work at all. But eventually he started going up - and 2 hours later my brutally sunburned partner crawled up over the rim.
We rather gave up on the route (and climbing) for the weekend... So sometimes book learning can get you out of a situation that sheer lack of common-sense has gotten you into - but I have to tell you its better to do that sort of thing in nicely controlled circumstances first!
And then there were all the myriad stupid things we did like everyone else. The stupidest thing I've personally done is abseiled off the end of my rope. It was a doubled single-rope ab, I checked the ends were on the ground so didn't bother tying them - but then I re-adjusted the belay to make it more secure, and didn't re-check. Somewhere in the procedure I'd managed to pull one end about 10 ft off the ground. Luckily it was the ground and not a ledge, and landing flat on my arse from 10ft hurt my pride more than anything else - but thats where I started ALWAYS putting stopper knots on ab ropes.
And finally the dumbest thing that ever happend when I was responsible for the climbing - I was climbing with my younger brother, and tried out a local "test-piece" for new leaders - easy, but broke through a dramatic roof on big holds, so quite scary and committing. I made it through, and set up belay at the top, ready to bring my brother up. Now as schoolkids, we had very little money, and my brother didn't have a harness. he'd belayed me directly from an anchor at the bottom, and when I'd set up at the top, I took my harness off, and lowered it down to him to use, while I prepared to belay him off the anchors directly. I wasn't worried about myself, I had a very secure stance and there would be no force on me if he fell. And fall he did, and hung, and thrashed around, and fell again, and hung, until he had no strength left and I lowered him back down to the ground.
I walked around (easy walk-off) to the bottom of the cliff, had a chat with him, and then as his arms were really pumped, went to help him untie... which is when I discovered that he wasn't tied in at all, he'd fallen and thrutched and lowered from about 20m on the overhand knot I'd used when I lowered the harness to him before the climb!
We never did tell Mum...
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gojiclimber
Aug 3, 2009, 3:44 AM
Post #217 of 228
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Registered: Mar 15, 2009
Posts: 27
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Probably the Dumbest thing I've ever done when I was learning to use my mini traxion for rope soloing.
After I reached the top of the rope I disengaged the mini traxion and went to single strand rappel of the other half of rope. Well, when I was halfway down the pulley re-engaged and couldn't be released without slack in the rope, and the atc weighted wouldn't allow me to feed slack.
I was stuck alone for a good while until I managed to make a huge pendulum to ledge where I could stand and unweight the rope.
Now I just remove the pulley for the descent.
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zeke_sf
Aug 3, 2009, 5:15 AM
Post #218 of 228
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technogeekery wrote: This thread is too good to die, so I'll contribute. I learned to climb at school with a bunch of other kids - we learned from older brothers, watching other climbers and books - ie we had no clue. Stings of misfortunes and near-misses resulted - we were very fortunate that we were able to learn from experiences without anyone getting seriously injured... A couple of classics from those times: My partner and I decided to go new routing on a rural peak that we thought was unclimbed. It was a table-top mesa in the African bush with an easy scramble to get to the top, and ringed by sandstone cliffs. On the tallest of those cliffs (maybe 100m?) was an obvious 3-pitch line, relatively easy corners and faces to a big ledge about 80m off the deck, then an awesome overhanging wall like a wave about to break - split by a huge crack. So we gave it a go - the first two pitches went fine, but when I tried leading the overhanging crack, it was full of mud and batpoo, and I was spat out several times with a faceful of goo. So we decided to clean it on toprope - maybe not great in the strict ground-up ethics of the day, but the line was too beautiful. So we escaped up an easier line from the other end of the ledge, set up an abseil anchor directly above the crack, and my partner volunteered to lower off and clean as I'd been doing the leading. But we'd seriously underestimated the overhang - a few metres down and he was well clear of the rock, so he decided to abseil down to the ledge, and clean the climb on toprope (we weren't thinking clearly...) Very soon he was nearly at the bottom of the rope (a doubled 45m 9mm 1/2 rope) level with the ledge - and 5m away from it out in space... After much wriggling, jerking about and generally looking like a fish on a line, we realised that it was not possible to build enough momentum on the end of a line to swing anywhere near the ledge - he was stuck, shirtless, rotating gently under the hot sun, with a lot of air under his arse. He was also feeling VERY nervous hanging directly above an 80m drop on a skinny rope. He took a few wraps of the rope around his leg, and I dropped the end of another 1/2 rope to him and put him on backup - and then we started working out how we were going to get him up. I had a bit of fun suggesting he throw his climbing shoes out into space to see if the reaction would push him into the rock, and dropping small twigs on him as he dangled in space - but in reality it was quite serious - we were 3-4 hours from any help, so we had to work it out ourselves. Simple you say - prussik. Well yes, I'd read about that once in a book...and it came to mind, luckily. So I got a couple of slings, and for the first time ever, started twisting them around a rope to work out how this prussik knot thing worked. Eventually I found a configuration that seemed to work, so I lowered the slings down to my mate, shouted instructions down to him, and off he went. Fortunately it worked, after a fashion - the knot was pretty basic and bound up a lot, and the 1/2 rope stretched a LOT so for a long time we weren't sure it was going to work at all. But eventually he started going up - and 2 hours later my brutally sunburned partner crawled up over the rim. We rather gave up on the route (and climbing) for the weekend... So sometimes book learning can get you out of a situation that sheer lack of common-sense has gotten you into - but I have to tell you its better to do that sort of thing in nicely controlled circumstances first! And then there were all the myriad stupid things we did like everyone else. The stupidest thing I've personally done is abseiled off the end of my rope. It was a doubled single-rope ab, I checked the ends were on the ground so didn't bother tying them - but then I re-adjusted the belay to make it more secure, and didn't re-check. Somewhere in the procedure I'd managed to pull one end about 10 ft off the ground. Luckily it was the ground and not a ledge, and landing flat on my arse from 10ft hurt my pride more than anything else - but thats where I started ALWAYS putting stopper knots on ab ropes. And finally the dumbest thing that ever happend when I was responsible for the climbing - I was climbing with my younger brother, and tried out a local "test-piece" for new leaders - easy, but broke through a dramatic roof on big holds, so quite scary and committing. I made it through, and set up belay at the top, ready to bring my brother up. Now as schoolkids, we had very little money, and my brother didn't have a harness. he'd belayed me directly from an anchor at the bottom, and when I'd set up at the top, I took my harness off, and lowered it down to him to use, while I prepared to belay him off the anchors directly. I wasn't worried about myself, I had a very secure stance and there would be no force on me if he fell. And fall he did, and hung, and thrashed around, and fell again, and hung, until he had no strength left and I lowered him back down to the ground. I walked around (easy walk-off) to the bottom of the cliff, had a chat with him, and then as his arms were really pumped, went to help him untie... which is when I discovered that he wasn't tied in at all, he'd fallen and thrutched and lowered from about 20m on the overhand knot I'd used when I lowered the harness to him before the climb! We never did tell Mum...
^^^I'm not reading that.
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bill413
Aug 3, 2009, 4:13 PM
Post #219 of 228
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Registered: Oct 19, 2004
Posts: 5674
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zeke_sf wrote: technogeekery wrote: This thread is too good to die, so I'll contribute. I learned to climb at school with a bunch of other kids - we learned from older brothers, watching other climbers and books - ie we had no clue. Stings of misfortunes and near-misses resulted - we were very fortunate that we were able to learn from experiences without anyone getting seriously injured... A couple of classics from those times: My partner and I decided to go new routing on a rural peak that we thought was unclimbed. It was a table-top mesa in the African bush with an easy scramble to get to the top, and ringed by sandstone cliffs. On the tallest of those cliffs (maybe 100m?) was an obvious 3-pitch line, relatively easy corners and faces to a big ledge about 80m off the deck, then an awesome overhanging wall like a wave about to break - split by a huge crack. So we gave it a go - the first two pitches went fine, but when I tried leading the overhanging crack, it was full of mud and batpoo, and I was spat out several times with a faceful of goo. So we decided to clean it on toprope - maybe not great in the strict ground-up ethics of the day, but the line was too beautiful. So we escaped up an easier line from the other end of the ledge, set up an abseil anchor directly above the crack, and my partner volunteered to lower off and clean as I'd been doing the leading. But we'd seriously underestimated the overhang - a few metres down and he was well clear of the rock, so he decided to abseil down to the ledge, and clean the climb on toprope (we weren't thinking clearly...) Very soon he was nearly at the bottom of the rope (a doubled 45m 9mm 1/2 rope) level with the ledge - and 5m away from it out in space... After much wriggling, jerking about and generally looking like a fish on a line, we realised that it was not possible to build enough momentum on the end of a line to swing anywhere near the ledge - he was stuck, shirtless, rotating gently under the hot sun, with a lot of air under his arse. He was also feeling VERY nervous hanging directly above an 80m drop on a skinny rope. He took a few wraps of the rope around his leg, and I dropped the end of another 1/2 rope to him and put him on backup - and then we started working out how we were going to get him up. I had a bit of fun suggesting he throw his climbing shoes out into space to see if the reaction would push him into the rock, and dropping small twigs on him as he dangled in space - but in reality it was quite serious - we were 3-4 hours from any help, so we had to work it out ourselves. Simple you say - prussik. Well yes, I'd read about that once in a book...and it came to mind, luckily. So I got a couple of slings, and for the first time ever, started twisting them around a rope to work out how this prussik knot thing worked. Eventually I found a configuration that seemed to work, so I lowered the slings down to my mate, shouted instructions down to him, and off he went. Fortunately it worked, after a fashion - the knot was pretty basic and bound up a lot, and the 1/2 rope stretched a LOT so for a long time we weren't sure it was going to work at all. But eventually he started going up - and 2 hours later my brutally sunburned partner crawled up over the rim. We rather gave up on the route (and climbing) for the weekend... So sometimes book learning can get you out of a situation that sheer lack of common-sense has gotten you into - but I have to tell you its better to do that sort of thing in nicely controlled circumstances first! And then there were all the myriad stupid things we did like everyone else. The stupidest thing I've personally done is abseiled off the end of my rope. It was a doubled single-rope ab, I checked the ends were on the ground so didn't bother tying them - but then I re-adjusted the belay to make it more secure, and didn't re-check. Somewhere in the procedure I'd managed to pull one end about 10 ft off the ground. Luckily it was the ground and not a ledge, and landing flat on my arse from 10ft hurt my pride more than anything else - but thats where I started ALWAYS putting stopper knots on ab ropes. And finally the dumbest thing that ever happend when I was responsible for the climbing - I was climbing with my younger brother, and tried out a local "test-piece" for new leaders - easy, but broke through a dramatic roof on big holds, so quite scary and committing. I made it through, and set up belay at the top, ready to bring my brother up. Now as schoolkids, we had very little money, and my brother didn't have a harness. he'd belayed me directly from an anchor at the bottom, and when I'd set up at the top, I took my harness off, and lowered it down to him to use, while I prepared to belay him off the anchors directly. I wasn't worried about myself, I had a very secure stance and there would be no force on me if he fell. And fall he did, and hung, and thrashed around, and fell again, and hung, until he had no strength left and I lowered him back down to the ground. I walked around (easy walk-off) to the bottom of the cliff, had a chat with him, and then as his arms were really pumped, went to help him untie... which is when I discovered that he wasn't tied in at all, he'd fallen and thrutched and lowered from about 20m on the overhand knot I'd used when I lowered the harness to him before the climb! We never did tell Mum... ^^^I'm not reading that.
It is definitely worth reading - the image of the partner being rotisseried in the sun is pretty evocative.
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bobbj22
Aug 3, 2009, 8:12 PM
Post #220 of 228
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Registered: Aug 13, 2007
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I missed a draw when I was rapping/cleaning a route and had to prusik back up some while very pumped out. I made it and removed the draws quickly since people had been waiting, however, I forgot to remove the prusik. I then looked up and realized I put the prusik on both ropes and couldn't pull the rope when I got to the bottom. I tried to swing myself to the rock so I could work my way up to it and knotted a bight on my foot for maximum swing potential. It didn't work and my bight knot slid up to my belay device. I was stuck in mid air with my atc jammed, my prusik dangling several meters above me, and I'm so tired that a large bowel movement would have pushed me into a fatigue coma. Everyone thought it was hilarious because of how tired and pissed off I was and eventually my buddy climbed up and scooted my prusik down after watching me flail and curse for 5-10 minutes. I'm blaming it on the lack of sleep but I sure won't forget feeling humiliation/frustration/self-loath and having those feelings cycle over and over within a few minutes. FML
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Myxomatosis
Aug 3, 2009, 9:28 PM
Post #221 of 228
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You can make a big loop with the rope below the ATC then stand in the loop and therefore, making your body higher up the rope to reach your prusk.
If your prusk was still to far out of reach, I wish I was there to laugh at you
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koepkeca
Aug 3, 2009, 9:50 PM
Post #222 of 228
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scottb wrote: A handful of things come to mind from when I was learning, but this is the worst: I went out to a local crag with a friend who was more experienced than I. Only, just barely... My friend had just bought a set of nuts and he wanted to lead on them. He went up an easy crack, built an anchor and lowered off. I went to TR it. When I got to the "anchor", this is what I saw: two nuts wedged under either side of a boulder perched on top of the cliff and they were slung together with an ADT... At this point I had never built an anchor off of gear but I had read enough to know that something wasn't right. But instead of saying "WTF is this?!!" and topping out and walking off. I just thought: "He climbs trad, he climbs harder than me, he knows what he's doing, it's prolly fine." So I weighted his anchor and let him lower me off. It was fine... but I feel like I lucked out big time. Moral: when learning don't hesitate to call out your "mentor" if his setup looks like garbage. If he becomes defensive, find someone else to take you out. Of all the stupid stuff that I've lucked out on while learning to climb, this one, ironically had the fewest consequences, but it makes me cringe when looking back on it more than anything.
^^ We once forgot to lock the locker on Top Rope that attached the rope to the anchor. NEVER AGAIN...
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peg_leg1
Aug 3, 2009, 10:38 PM
Post #223 of 228
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Registered: Nov 10, 2006
Posts: 21
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I'm still alive after climbing for 16 years, so I guess I haven't been that dumb.
OK, so two years ago I was ice climbing in the Adirondacks. I was rapping off a climb using just one 8.2 rope to get down. With the rope iced up, the one end started feeding through much faster than the other. At a moment of terror I saw the end of the rope coming toward my belay device. I clamped down on the rope as hard as I could and waited for a sure death free fall. But the climbing gods were with me. The rope stopped about two feet from the end of the rope. I anchored myself in and fixed the situation, and have been tying knots in the end of my ropes ever since. Also useing two locking biners through rope/belay device help a lot with thin/icy ropes.
J
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zeke_sf
Aug 4, 2009, 3:02 AM
Post #224 of 228
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Registered: Apr 28, 2006
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bill413 wrote: zeke_sf wrote: technogeekery wrote: This thread is too good to die, so I'll contribute. I learned to climb at school with a bunch of other kids - we learned from older brothers, watching other climbers and books - ie we had no clue. Stings of misfortunes and near-misses resulted - we were very fortunate that we were able to learn from experiences without anyone getting seriously injured... A couple of classics from those times: My partner and I decided to go new routing on a rural peak that we thought was unclimbed. It was a table-top mesa in the African bush with an easy scramble to get to the top, and ringed by sandstone cliffs. On the tallest of those cliffs (maybe 100m?) was an obvious 3-pitch line, relatively easy corners and faces to a big ledge about 80m off the deck, then an awesome overhanging wall like a wave about to break - split by a huge crack. So we gave it a go - the first two pitches went fine, but when I tried leading the overhanging crack, it was full of mud and batpoo, and I was spat out several times with a faceful of goo. So we decided to clean it on toprope - maybe not great in the strict ground-up ethics of the day, but the line was too beautiful. So we escaped up an easier line from the other end of the ledge, set up an abseil anchor directly above the crack, and my partner volunteered to lower off and clean as I'd been doing the leading. But we'd seriously underestimated the overhang - a few metres down and he was well clear of the rock, so he decided to abseil down to the ledge, and clean the climb on toprope (we weren't thinking clearly...) Very soon he was nearly at the bottom of the rope (a doubled 45m 9mm 1/2 rope) level with the ledge - and 5m away from it out in space... After much wriggling, jerking about and generally looking like a fish on a line, we realised that it was not possible to build enough momentum on the end of a line to swing anywhere near the ledge - he was stuck, shirtless, rotating gently under the hot sun, with a lot of air under his arse. He was also feeling VERY nervous hanging directly above an 80m drop on a skinny rope. He took a few wraps of the rope around his leg, and I dropped the end of another 1/2 rope to him and put him on backup - and then we started working out how we were going to get him up. I had a bit of fun suggesting he throw his climbing shoes out into space to see if the reaction would push him into the rock, and dropping small twigs on him as he dangled in space - but in reality it was quite serious - we were 3-4 hours from any help, so we had to work it out ourselves. Simple you say - prussik. Well yes, I'd read about that once in a book...and it came to mind, luckily. So I got a couple of slings, and for the first time ever, started twisting them around a rope to work out how this prussik knot thing worked. Eventually I found a configuration that seemed to work, so I lowered the slings down to my mate, shouted instructions down to him, and off he went. Fortunately it worked, after a fashion - the knot was pretty basic and bound up a lot, and the 1/2 rope stretched a LOT so for a long time we weren't sure it was going to work at all. But eventually he started going up - and 2 hours later my brutally sunburned partner crawled up over the rim. We rather gave up on the route (and climbing) for the weekend... So sometimes book learning can get you out of a situation that sheer lack of common-sense has gotten you into - but I have to tell you its better to do that sort of thing in nicely controlled circumstances first! And then there were all the myriad stupid things we did like everyone else. The stupidest thing I've personally done is abseiled off the end of my rope. It was a doubled single-rope ab, I checked the ends were on the ground so didn't bother tying them - but then I re-adjusted the belay to make it more secure, and didn't re-check. Somewhere in the procedure I'd managed to pull one end about 10 ft off the ground. Luckily it was the ground and not a ledge, and landing flat on my arse from 10ft hurt my pride more than anything else - but thats where I started ALWAYS putting stopper knots on ab ropes. And finally the dumbest thing that ever happend when I was responsible for the climbing - I was climbing with my younger brother, and tried out a local "test-piece" for new leaders - easy, but broke through a dramatic roof on big holds, so quite scary and committing. I made it through, and set up belay at the top, ready to bring my brother up. Now as schoolkids, we had very little money, and my brother didn't have a harness. he'd belayed me directly from an anchor at the bottom, and when I'd set up at the top, I took my harness off, and lowered it down to him to use, while I prepared to belay him off the anchors directly. I wasn't worried about myself, I had a very secure stance and there would be no force on me if he fell. And fall he did, and hung, and thrashed around, and fell again, and hung, until he had no strength left and I lowered him back down to the ground. I walked around (easy walk-off) to the bottom of the cliff, had a chat with him, and then as his arms were really pumped, went to help him untie... which is when I discovered that he wasn't tied in at all, he'd fallen and thrutched and lowered from about 20m on the overhand knot I'd used when I lowered the harness to him before the climb! We never did tell Mum... ^^^I'm not reading that. It is definitely worth reading - the image of the partner being rotisseried in the sun is pretty evocative.
You were right, it was a good read. Usually, long posts on the knob aren't that good and my brain was too fried from studying to chance the letdown.
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bill413
Aug 4, 2009, 3:17 PM
Post #225 of 228
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Registered: Oct 19, 2004
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zeke_sf wrote: bill413 wrote: zeke_sf wrote: ^^^I'm not reading that. It is definitely worth reading - the image of the partner being rotisseried in the sun is pretty evocative. You were right, it was a good read. Usually, long posts on the knob aren't that good and my brain was too fried from studying to chance the letdown.
I agree - a lot of the long ones are not well crafted. Glad you enjoyed this one.
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bobbj22
Aug 4, 2009, 6:53 PM
Post #226 of 228
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Registered: Aug 13, 2007
Posts: 54
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Yeah it was at least a body length or two above me. Looking back I would've laughed too if I was at the bottom. I looked like a buffoon.
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TarHeelEMT
Sep 3, 2009, 3:32 PM
Post #227 of 228
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Registered: Jun 20, 2009
Posts: 724
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The other day I climbed a route that was my first-ever trad lead. I recall that when I first climbed it, I used the fixed rap anchor as my main anchor, then backed it up with a sling around a horn on a boulder. The rap anchor is and was bomber, but the boulder, while good-sized, was on down-sloping ledge and could've been dislodged with a good bit of force.
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cracklover
Sep 3, 2009, 4:45 PM
Post #228 of 228
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Registered: Nov 14, 2002
Posts: 10162
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This was back when I was first learning to aid climb. I had set a bottom anchor, led the pitch, set a top anchor, and lowered on the free strand. So far so good.
Then I made a really dumb mistake. I decided to ascend the free strand (I think I did this because I wanted to practice free-hanging jugging, and the wall overhung a good bit) and then clean the gear from the top down. Well I got about 2/3 of the way down, having to pull myself in further and further on the anchored end of the rope, when I pulled in as far as I could on an ascender, and still couldn't reach the wall to clean the next piece.
But I also couldn't release the ascender because of the tension pulling me in. I was stuck. Naturally, right then, the last of the day's sun died, and it became pitch black. Fortunately for me, I had some friends nearby who came and rescued me, there, dangling 10 feet from the ground, stuck on my two lines.
If they hadn't been there, I surely would have figured something out and gotten down safely, but without a headlamp, in the pitch black, it would have taken a good while.
Very embarrassing.
GO
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