The climber who fell is a friend of mine; in fact, I was belaying him when this unfortunate accident happened. Sunday morning we met up to practice setting trad gear. He was leading a route called z crack (I think) on the main face of the mini climbing area. The route is a super easy 5.8ish slab/crack climb perfect for practicing trad protection placement. He was about 15' from the top when he decided to "test" his pro by taking a lead fall on it. I reluctantly agreed to catch him. He let go and his cam popped. He fell about 25' and decked on a nasty rock horn ledge about 30' from the toe of the cliff. All I could see was his arm and leg hanging over the edge and he wasn't moving or responding. I anchored the belay, grabbed my extra rope and ran to the top of the cliff to rappel and assist him in any way I could. When I got down to him he was moving and somewhat coherent but had no idea what had just happened. He had a nasty gouge on the back of his head below his helmet that was pouring blood so I put a shirt over it and held pressure on it until it coagulated. I had called 911 and communicated to them that we would need high angle rescue to get him off the ledge safely. It took them about an hour from the time I dialed 911 for the FD special operations to show up and build a system to lower him off the rock. I was extremely impressed with how quickly they were able to evacuate him considering the circumstances. When all was said and done he sustained some skull fractures, a broken nose, a broken clavicle, ruptured spleen (forgot to mention he was vomiting blood), and a broken vertebrae. Fortunately none of his injuries will require surgery, just a few days in the neuro-trauma center and a few months to recover. Not bad considering the extent of his injuries. I am still perplexed as to how he could have possibly survived even with the helmet. Without it he would have died right there on the rock. I spoke with him today and he may be home as soon as tomorrow. He's expected to make a full recovery and be back climbing by the end of the summer. I learned a lot from the experience: 1-always wear a helmet when lead climbing trad or sport 2- anchor lead belays you may need to quickly anchor and escape them to help an injured climber 3- Not a bad idea to have an extra rope 4- Don't intentionally fall on your protection

Ok Roadhead

Climbing is about taking risks and some of us are willing to take greater risks than others. If it wasn't risky it would not be as rewarding. He was completely aware of the cost of failure and went for it anyway. Oh, and giveing is spelled giving.

Ok Roadhead

Climbing is about taking risks and some of us are willing to take greater risks than others. If it wasn't risky it would not be as rewarding. He was completely aware of the cost of failure and went for it anyway. Oh, and giveing is spelled giving.

1-always wear a helmet when lead climbing trad or sport 2- anchor lead belays you may need to quickly anchor and escape them to help an injured climber 3- Not a bad idea to have an extra rope 4- Don't intentionally fall on your protection

I forgot to mention that his last piece of protection (just below the cam that failed) was a draw on a bolt. Obviously the distance between the draw and where he let go was greater than the draw and the ledge.

The climber who fell is a friend of mine; in fact, I was belaying him when this unfortunate accident happened. Sunday morning we met up to practice setting trad gear. He was leading a route called z crack (I think) on the main face of the mini climbing area. The route is a super easy 5.8ish slab/crack climb perfect for practicing trad protection placement. He was about 15' from the top when he decided to "test" his pro by taking a lead fall on it. I reluctantly agreed to catch him. He let go and his cam popped. He fell about 25' and decked on a nasty rock horn ledge about 30' from the toe of the cliff. All I could see was his arm and leg hanging over the edge and he wasn't moving or responding. I anchored the belay, grabbed my extra rope and ran to the top of the cliff to rappel and assist him in any way I could. When I got down to him he was moving and somewhat coherent but had no idea what had just happened. He had a nasty gouge on the back of his head below his helmet that was pouring blood so I put a shirt over it and held pressure on it until it coagulated. I had called 911 and communicated to them that we would need high angle rescue to get him off the ledge safely. It took them about an hour from the time I dialed 911 for the FD special operations to show up and build a system to lower him off the rock. I was extremely impressed with how quickly they were able to evacuate him considering the circumstances. When all was said and done he sustained some skull fractures, a broken nose, a broken clavicle, ruptured spleen (forgot to mention he was vomiting blood), and a broken vertebrae. Fortunately none of his injuries will require surgery, just a few days in the neuro-trauma center and a few months to recover. Not bad considering the extent of his injuries. I am still perplexed as to how he could have possibly survived even with the helmet. Without it he would have died right there on the rock. I spoke with him today and he may be home as soon as tomorrow. He's expected to make a full recovery and be back climbing by the end of the summer. I learned a lot from the experience: 1-always wear a helmet when lead climbing trad or sport 2- anchor lead belays you may need to quickly anchor and escape them to help an injured climber 3- Not a bad idea to have an extra rope 4- Don't intentionally fall on your protection

I know how to escape and anchor a belay and did so.
There is an easy scramble route to the top of the cliff.
I carry enough purlin to strangle every member of the Chinese army
I didn't think it was wise to lower him because I was unaware of the extent of his injuries
I had an extra rope. I used it to rappel down to him
I had my pack full of protection, webbing, anchor rope etc.
I carry my headlamp that can be seen from outer space
I carry a burly first aid kit
Had extra clothing, used it to cover him
I have had extensive training in first aid. I plugged the hole in his head to keep him from bleeding to death.
Ex-military so I can give CPR to someone without a face.

I was well prepared FOR an accident, not so much to prevent one.

While I agree that this scenario raises some real red flags, and while I agree that constructive criticism can be a handy tool in helping climbers sort out their mistakes and not make them in the future, I don't agree that this guy deserves the "shit storm" that has befallen him. He was the first person to respond to the thread. He was the first person to respond to the scene. He was far more competent in his response to his partner's injuries than I think a lot of people would have been, and he really deserves credit for that.

So because I'm admittedly not qualified to give the kind of constructive criticism I mentioned above, I'm just going to say that I think the belayer should be commended for his post-accident actions, and that perhaps people should think about how effective it is to berate someone as an idiot and a moron, versus actually providing some good advice to that person in order to reduce the number of times accidents like this happen...

While I agree that this scenario raises some real red flags, and while I agree that constructive criticism can be a handy tool in helping climbers sort out their mistakes and not make them in the future, I don't agree that this guy deserves the "shit storm" that has befallen him. He was the first person to respond to the thread. He was the first person to respond to the scene. He was far more competent in his response to his partner's injuries than I think a lot of people would have been, and he really deserves credit for that.

So because I'm admittedly not qualified to give the kind of constructive criticism I mentioned above, I'm just going to say that I think the belayer should be commended for his post-accident actions, and that perhaps people should think about how effective it is to berate someone as an idiot and a moron, versus actually providing some good advice to that person in order to reduce the number of times accidents like this happen...

it is also interesting that our analyses of these accidents are often shaded by a climber's reputation. the tragic recent deadly accident in joshua tree, for instance, speaks of much more serious and avoidable mistakes than simply fall-testing your gear placements when backed-up by a bolt (but horribly miscalculating fall distance).

...JeffZ please ignore the others like Majid and Roadstead...

our analyses of these accidents

... you guys fully deserve the shit storm that has come your way--because this accident was completely avoidable and occurred solely due to your collective stupidity. You guys may want to seriously consider a different hobby.

Curt

The big difference in this case, I think, is that it was not an accident, it was an on purpose that went bad.

The big difference in this case, I think, is that it was not an accident, it was an on purpose that went bad.

Most climbing accidents are on purposes that go bad. Woody wanted his mate to lower him--on purpose--and didn't stop to think that he hadn't tied his mate in. Or if he did think about it, he accidentally miscalculated. Not tying in to an anchor is a pretty huge mistake. Todd Skinner was hanging by his belay loop--on purpose--and didn't stop to think that he had just ordered a new harness because his belay loop was just about worn through. Or if he did think about it, he accidentally miscalculated. Not backing up his belay loop when he knew it was heavily frayed is a pretty huge mistake.

This guy in Spokane fell on his gear--on purpose--with a bolt/draw below it, but he didn't stop to think about how much rope he had out and how far he would fall. Or if he did think about it, he accidentally miscalculated. He's lucky he had a friend there to save his life. This was, indeed, an accident in just the same sense as Woody and Todd.

For the climber, yes
For the belayer, no

It was not Jeff's choice for his partner to jump. In fact he states that he "reluctantly agreed to catch him." Yikes!! So how is it Jeff's fault that his partner decided to jump?

Most climbing accidents are on purposes that go bad. Woody wanted his mate to lower him--on purpose--and didn't stop to think that he hadn't tied his mate in. Or if he did think about it, he accidentally miscalculated. Not tying in to an anchor is a pretty huge mistake. Todd Skinner was hanging by his belay loop--on purpose--and didn't stop to think that he had just ordered a new harness because his belay loop was just about worn through. Or if he did think about it, he accidentally miscalculated. Not backing up his belay loop when he knew it was heavily frayed is a pretty huge mistake.

This guy in Spokane fell on his gear--on purpose--with a bolt/draw below it, but he didn't stop to think about how much rope he had out and how far he would fall. Or if he did think about it, he accidentally miscalculated. He's lucky he had a friend there to save his life. This was, indeed, an accident in just the same sense as Woody and Todd.

Perhaps he should not have agreed. Duh.

Curt

What's the alternative? I'm interested in your perspective. Once I assume the responsibility to belay, I'm on the job until I'm released. I would strongly discourage someone from taking test falls in that situation, but telling my partner I won't catch the fall violates the pact between climber and belayer.

If being an ass or making the wrong call while climbing were grounds for belayers to quit mid-route, we all might as well free-solo.

Don't fucking agree. Not even reluctantly. He knew it was a bad idea.

Part of the climber/belayer pact is for the leader not to do things that endanger the team.

Not agreeing means the climber is off belay. You're cool with that?

I really strongly agree with these sentiments. I don't take intentional falls but every time i lead something at my limit I accept that there is a good chance I will fall and i see no difference.

Most of us see a very large difference. In almost thirty years of climbing, I have known many competent, experienced climbers who unknowingly screwed up by not finishing their knot or clipping the wrong rope. Most of those incidents turned out ok. A few turned out tragically.

In almost thirty years of climbing, in the US, Canada, and Europe, I have never, ever known a competent, experienced climber who injured (or nearly injured) themselves by hucking volunteer lobs on ledgy, low-angle terrain.

That's the difference. Hearing about Woody's accident (or Angry's near miss), most of us on this site with both competence and experience could nod and say, yeah, I need to watch and make sure I don't mess up something like that.

But neither I nor, I am willing to bet, Curt or RGold or Angry or DMT or anyone else I can think of at the moment, is likely to look at this episode and say, yeah, that could've been me. Because it couldn't have been. No one I know or have ever known who is both competent and experienced would play crash test dummy in that scenario.

As best as I can tell from your post, you wouldn't have either. Your argument is that an involuntary fall is equivalent to a volunteer lob. But it isn't. Volunteer falls occur to n00bies because they are n00bs and have to survive a certain amount of time during which they are always in the death zone simply because they are n00bies. After they've acquired experience and competence, they may move into a new zone, one in which they are willing to take calculated risks on particular climbs in order to succeed.

But no one competent is going to deliberately court those risks in simple training situations-- who would just go out and stand in the shooting-gallery couloir to see if their helmet could turn a falling rock? Who is going to huck a volunteer lob on ledgy ground just to see what would happen if their gear pulled?

In my life, I;'ve known maybe two folks who were skilled climbers but who also would do those sorts of things. They both died young, and foolishly, and pointlessly, without having ever lived up to their talent.

Climbing is about taking risks and some of us are willing to take greater risks than others. If it wasn't risky it would not be as rewarding. He was completely aware of the cost of failure and went for it anyway.

Not agreeing means the climber is off belay. You're cool with that?

I don't think that's what the belayer meant when he said that he "reluctantly agreed." Obviously he is going to keep the guy on belay.

In saying that he "reluctantly agreed," the belayer is implying the the leader sought his approval to catch a deliberate fall, and he gave this approval.

What alternative is there? How about, "Dude, don't be a fucking idiot." "I'm fucking serious. Don't do it. You want to walk home? You want to climb again?"

Most of us see a very large difference. In almost thirty years of climbing, I have known many competent, experienced climbers who unknowingly screwed up by not finishing their knot or clipping the wrong rope. Most of those incidents turned out ok. A few turned out tragically.

In almost thirty years of climbing, in the US, Canada, and Europe, I have never, ever known a competent, experienced climber who injured (or nearly injured) themselves by hucking volunteer lobs on ledgy, low-angle terrain.

That's the difference. Hearing about Woody's accident (or Angry's near miss), most of us on this site with both competence and experience could nod and say, yeah, I need to watch and make sure I don't mess up something like that.

But neither I nor, I am willing to bet, Curt or RGold or Angry or DMT or anyone else I can think of at the moment, is likely to look at this episode and say, yeah, that could've been me. Because it couldn't have been. No one I know or have ever known who is both competent and experienced would play crash test dummy in that scenario.

As best as I can tell from your post, you wouldn't have either. Your argument is that an involuntary fall is equivalent to a volunteer lob. But it isn't. Involuntary falls occur to n00bies because they are n00bs and have to survive a certain amount of time during which they are always in the death zone simply because they are n00bies. After they've acquired experience and competence, they may move into a new zone, one in which they are willing to take calculated risks on particular climbs in order to succeed.

But no one competent is going to deliberately court those risks in simple training situations-- who would just go out and stand in the shooting-gallery couloir to see if their helmet could turn a falling rock? Who is going to huck a volunteer lob on ledgy ground just to see what would happen if their gear pulled?

In my life, I've known maybe two folks who were skilled climbers but who also would do those sorts of things. They both died young, and foolishly, and pointlessly, without having ever lived up to their talent.


Edit to correct my pre-coffee typos.

If that's what it takes to make my point. I enter in to partnerships with the implicit understanding that it's a team that takes care of each other. When the other person starts acting stupid for no good reason, the partnership is over. But, I don't think he had to go that far. He agreed to catch his unnecessary fall. He shouldn't have. Hell, you can tell it's a dicked up situation when a climber has to ask his belayer to catch his fall anyway.

But still, had he fallen, you would have still caught him, right? I mean, you wouldn't have let go of the rope, right?

Good post but you missed my point.

I agree that practice falls on ledgy terrain are stupid.

But I strongly disagree with the personal attacks on this thread from "experienced" climbers.

As someone with a background in mathematics and data analysis and a climber with 20+ years experience (I started young, i'm 27) I say that the serious accidents I have seen have been about equally distributed between very experienced climbers and new/somewhat inexperienced climbers... the just-experienced-enough-to-be-scared ones seem to be the only safeish ones.

(Actually there was a study about this a while ago but i can't seem to find it now?)

If an accident report is posted on this site the responses seem to fit into too catagories "traggic reminder" or "stupid n00b." I think that we would all be safer and better off if we view all accidents, no matter how inane as the former.

I consider myself a "safe" climber. I am experienced and aware of many risks and my notion of acceptable risk is at a level good for a 27 year old with no dependents. I don't take practice falls but I do lead a lot of hardish (5.10-5.11) low angle, often ledgy terrain onsite sometimes in remote areas with no cell service, sometimes protected by small gear or (rarely) old bolts or pins.

I am a pretty decent slab climber but I am also willing to hop on stuff that I have about a 50% of falling on provided I am reasonably certain I can fall safely. (the local philosophy is that hard slabs should be fairly well protected otherwise they will not see enough traffic to remain free of moss...I am more conservative in places like jtree etc where run outs are more the norm or in areas that are more remote or when the gear is truly questionable etc etc etc)

I have fallen (lots) doing this and if I keep doing this sort of climbing I WILL fall more. Thus I see no difference between continuing to do so and taking intentional falls, the only difference (and thus the only safety) will be in how I protect the falls, how good I am at falling and when I decide to back down.

Reading about this accident has reminded me of the great weight that rests on my notions of reasonable safety, it has caused me to go over the precautions I take on hard climbs... things like redundant solid gear, awareness of ledges, a big foam helmet that protects the back of my head and keeping legs free of the rope and below me so that they hit first, allways being prepared to land like a cat etc etc etc...

It serves as a reminder of how serious a low angle fall can be and thus hones my notion just how far I should be willing to push it before I back down.





Because of all this, my point is that by concentrating on the dangers of practice falls and personal attacks on n00bs I think lots of posters on this thread are missing the warning about the dangers of low angle climbing in general and the importance of self rescue and first aid skills. This kind of attitude breads complacency which is never a good thing.

Those are my thoughts, the may differ from the norm because of the type of climbing I gravitate towards or they may be just plain wrong. Either way I need to get back to work :/

Jeff

I have few questions for you;

1-what is the weight of your partner (including with what he had on him).
2-what type/model/brand cam was in use
3-how high was he from the last protection before he decided to take a fall
4-size /model and rope age
5-your belay device type
6-rough estimate on how much slack you think you had before his fall
7- estimate the total amount of rope in use after the accident ( from your belay to the knot at his harness).

Thanks

<a veritable tome>

Unless you drop the rope and tell your partner he's off belay, you're agreeing to catch him. There are ultimately only two choices:

1. Agree to catch him (maintain the belay)
2. Don't agree to catch him (take him off belay)

But still, had he fallen, you would have still caught him, right? I mean, you wouldn't have let go of the rope, right?

If an accident report is posted on this site the responses seem to fit into too catagories "traggic reminder" or "stupid n00b." I think that we would all be safer and better off if we view all accidents, no matter how inane as the former.

Of course I would have caught him. Then I would've lowered his ass and went home.

you never done anything like this ?

EVER ?

who would just go out and stand in the shooting-gallery couloir to see if their helmet could turn a falling rock? Who is going to huck a volunteer lob on ledgy ground just to see what would happen if their gear pulled?

I agree that practice falls on ledgy terrain are stupid.

But I strongly disagree with the personal attacks on this thread from "experienced" climbers. . . . If an accident report is posted on this site the responses seem to fit into too catagories "traggic reminder" or "stupid n00b." I think that we would all be safer and better off if we view all accidents, no matter how inane as the former. . . . by concentrating on the dangers of practice falls and personal attacks on n00bs I think lots of posters on this thread are missing the warning about the dangers of low angle climbing in general and the importance of self rescue and first aid skills.

...

But I do see this incident as another example of an entirely new type of accident, one I'd not seen before I began to visit this site regularly: Victory or practice whipper gone bad.

This is a category of "accident" that simply didn't exist for roughly the first century-and-a-half of serious mountaineering and technical rock climbing. It gives us an entirely new-- and clearly avoidable --hazard that may eventually impact the rest of us through liability and access issues.

...

If you have spent your hours aid climbing and learning how unpredictable real gear and rock can be; if you have spent a few seasons taking your unexpected and dangerous n00b whippers on real climbs; and if you have survived your time in the n00b danger zone and reached a point at which you are trying to push serious numbers and sequences on the Big Stone or some other appropriate setting; --then you may be in one of those situations in which it is appropriate to huck a few volunteer lobs on gear. Until then, don't do it.

...