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sixleggedinsect
Apr 25, 2005, 2:17 AM
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that was me. i remember a lot of faces as i dragged my confused self to my partner's car, so i thought i'd post and fill anyone who cared in-
in a nutshell, i started up the lower right ski track feeling pretty good about the whole thing. i scoped it from the ground and had a double rack of hand sizes, and it looked like there was a decent ledge/bulge to stand on after what looked to be the crux. i placed two solid cams, and then clipped the bolt. after i clipped the rope into the bolt, i decided the top biner wasn't lying flat against the rock, and unclipped and re-clipped the draw, leaving the rope in the whole time. with a sport draw, i wouldn't consider doing this, becuase it would result in a back-clip. but i was using a tripled trad sling and they are so flimsy that i really truly believed that it wouldnt matter. the bottom biner made no attempt, at that time, to rotate into back-clipped position. then i moved up tricky moves until the bolt was at my feet, and my belayer told me with a quaky voice that the rope had unclipped. i looked down, and sure 'nough, my draw was hanging there on the bolt, and the rope hung free. if i popped off now, i would deck.
oh.. f*ck
to make a long story short, i then made a poor set of decisions, all in quick succession. the climbing didnt look so bad, and the ledge i was shooting for just a few feet higher looked positive, so i figured the safest thing was to make it to the safe spot and hang out. i coudl have put a good cam in, but thought i could send it and opted instead to use the cam hole as a hand or foothold, worrying that i would rip while trying to place gear. i slowed down and unwittingly overgripped to be absolutely sure i didnt blow it at this tough section. and lo and behold, my arms were totally fried when i slapped both hands onto what looked like they would have been jugs (hell, they might be. won't know for a while..) and spent a few desperate seconds there slapping and flailing and then.. fell.
needless to say, i hit the ground. im told i never lost consciousness. that i sat up and just sat there dazed for ten minutes while someone called the rangers. they showed up, and some other good hearted folks, who retrieved my gear and humored me as i asked them again and again to poke my spine to check for any damage. confused, but very anxious to avoid being spine-boarded, i decided i was good enough to go, and my kind and very worried belayer drove me to the ER where i was thoroughly checked out. no head injury beyond some scrapes and an hour of very hazy forgetful confusion, and nothing else except for a very broken thumb and a fairly painful other thumb, and a couple more scrapes. pretty lucky, i figure, for falling 25' onto a rock.
it has occured to me that maybe i was cruising for a bruising. my belayer had warned me that day that the route had a burly reputation. but i asked a fellow camped next door if there was good pro, or anything that was scary but not obvious from the ground. he said the pro was fine, and the climbing tricky, and i figured i'd go for it. i'd sent run for your life and sidewinder earlier that day, and they both had felt secure, so i thought i could pull through, even if it was to be hard for the grade.
but that damn rope unclipping - man, i just didnt pull it together. by the time i realized how pumped i was it was too late to place gear and there it is.
so no climbing for a while.
thanks to the folks who dropped by to ask if they could help, retrieved my gear, and of course my belayer/chauffeur for 24 hours.
anthony
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hosh
Apr 25, 2005, 2:24 AM
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hey, hope things go well for ya...
hosh.
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one900johnnyk
Apr 25, 2005, 2:25 AM
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whoa dude, that's fucked up shit glad you're okay. i would've just shit my pants if i looked down and the rope was unclipped....
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angry
Apr 25, 2005, 2:26 AM
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You'll hear this alot; it could have been worse.
Have a speedy recovery, you'll be back by early june.
I have been in scary spots before. If it's truly life threatening and I'm unsure if I'll make it, I grab the ol' nylon jug. I figure I can regain my pride faster if I'm not dead. Of course if I'm feeling strong, I'll go for it, it sounds like that is what you did. It's a good reminder for us all to shun boldness on occasion and protect ourselves.
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micronut
Apr 25, 2005, 2:46 AM
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In reply to: my belayer had warned me that day that the route had a burly reputation.
i got the onsight on that rig a few years back. i was scared and I had the bolt clipped. it was during the road construction, and they had all the cars stopped at Intersection on the old road. regular tourists were milling about, waiting for the pilot car. they were all freaked out by my yelling and cussing as I barely squeeked through.
that's a freak, dude. get better fast.
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tahoe_rock_master
Apr 25, 2005, 3:09 AM
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So that was you I saw. I was climbing at J-Tree at the Hidden Valley Campground on friday, and saw some commotion at the ski tracks (which I had thought about leading earlier on thursday). I am glad you are okay though, for the most part. I hope you have a speedy recovery.
Matt
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cgailey
Apr 25, 2005, 4:04 AM
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Thanks for the post...glad you're OK.
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reprieve
Apr 25, 2005, 4:12 AM
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so did you ever figure out how the rope managed to come out of the quickdraw?
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curt
Apr 25, 2005, 4:15 AM
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Yikes. I'm also glad to hear that things didn't turn out worse for you.
Curt
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oldskool
Apr 25, 2005, 4:26 AM
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at least u sent Run For YOur LIfe, thats cool!!! get well dude
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oldfart
Apr 25, 2005, 4:31 AM
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Also glad to hear you're doing OK. Bold move. Glad it turned out for the better.
On a side note, Curt, holy shit. You post like they're paying you for it. 8 posts a day, every day, for 3 years?
http://www.newsquarechambers.co.uk/...rs/daycalculator.htm
If I had that many opinions I'd be a staff writer for the New York Times, or divorced, or both.
God speed to both of you.
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curt
Apr 25, 2005, 4:36 AM
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In reply to: Also glad to hear you're doing OK. Bold move. Glad it turned out for the better. On a side note, Curt, holy s---. You post like they're paying you for it. 8 posts a day, every day, for 3 years? http://www.newsquarechambers.co.uk/...rs/daycalculator.htm If I had that many opinions I'd be a staff writer for the New York Times, or divorced, or both. God speed to both of you.
Everybody needs a hobby--I have two. Climbing and posting on a climbing website.
Curt
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oldfart
Apr 25, 2005, 4:39 AM
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In reply to: In reply to: Also glad to hear you're doing OK. Bold move. Glad it turned out for the better. On a side note, Curt, holy s---. You post like they're paying you for it. 8 posts a day, every day, for 3 years? http://www.newsquarechambers.co.uk/...rs/daycalculator.htm If I had that many opinions I'd be a staff writer for the New York Times, or divorced, or both. God speed to both of you. Everybody needs a hobby--I have two. Climbing and posting on a climbing website. Curt
I can think of a couple more, but they both fall under the latter category.
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colqueerio
Apr 25, 2005, 5:03 AM
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Saw the rangers in the SUV scream past that evening from Voices Crag and wondered what had happened. I'm glad you're OK, Anthony. Sounds like a scary one.
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holdplease2
Apr 25, 2005, 5:39 AM
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Hey Anthony:
I'm glad you seem to be doing OK and sorry to hear about what happened.
Remember the 'campfire' conversation we had? Now, had you just stuck with my plan and remained a contented and solid member of the 5.7, no double-digits-please tribe, you would probably have just downclimbed, re-clipped that bolt, and been on your way! ;)
Keep your chin up, you'll be back at it. Lets talk if you want, you have my info.
Thanks for posting up.
See you soon,
-Kate.
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jcpace
Apr 25, 2005, 5:50 AM
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Yeah, thanks for filling us in. Truly glad you're ok. Get well soon
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twdirty
Apr 25, 2005, 5:57 AM
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Hey man, I'm glad you're ok. Have a speedy recovery and hope to see you in J-Tree sometime soon.
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overlord
Apr 25, 2005, 9:08 AM
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man, you were SO lucky.
amd what on earth were you thinking when you INTENTIONALLY backclipped. the draw wouldve twisted sooner or later because the rope wouldve lifted it frim the rock enoug to untwist the slings.
man, you really were lucky. i hope you learned your lesson.
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coldclimb
Apr 25, 2005, 10:09 AM
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Eeesh, good to see you're still with us man. Thanks for having the guts to write up what happened. ;) Good luck on your recovery!
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climboard
Apr 25, 2005, 2:06 PM
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Thanks for sharing a "lesson learned".
Heal quickly!
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sixleggedinsect
Apr 25, 2005, 2:25 PM
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In reply to: amd what on earth were you thinking when you INTENTIONALLY backclipped. the draw wouldve twisted sooner or later because the rope wouldve lifted it frim the rock enoug to untwist the slings.
yeah, well.. i wont do it again. but honestly, i really didnt think it was going to be a problem. ive sat around for a bit with one of my draws, and they really dont seem to care much about whether they're backclipped or not, unless you put a full twist in the draw (ie: essentially twice the twist of a backclip)
when my draws hang on teh rock, which way is backclipping seems arbitrary. the biners dont hang straight down and in the same plane as the top biner.
anyways, i figure it was a combination of this very weak half-twist backclip and a lot of bad luck, misaligned planets, etc. it takes me a lot of work, with my hand right next to the draw, whipping the rope around, to make it even try to unclip from the draw. and all i was doing while climbing was moving on up.
i've never heard this come up before. is it considered totally unacceptable to backclip a trad sling?
you live and you learn. im pleased to be doing both, in this case.
anthony
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cchildre
Apr 25, 2005, 3:22 PM
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And he walks away! Hardcore man, that is hardcore. You have seen the edge and been over it, now you are one of the few that walked away. Hope you learn from this one, as we all have from your great post.
Quick tip, or suggestion. Go make up draw using two lockers. They are harder to clip on the go, but in a case like this where you have a essential piece of pro where a failure results in serious injury, a locker draw could be the difference. I have started keeping one and it usually end up on the 2nd bolt or if I have a bomber 2nd trad placement then, either way it gets locked. Then no way can it come unclipped. In this case it would have given the assurance that reguardless of orientation, the rope will not escape. Could save your life. Just one mans opinion.
All that aside, it is great that you walked or limped away, hope you have a speedy and full recovery. You will get it next time.
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robdotcalm
Apr 25, 2005, 3:41 PM
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Thanks for sharing this. I always carry a couple of quickdraws with a locking carabiner on the end thru which the rope will pass to ensure critical clips. I use the quick locking type of carabiner where a slight twist locks the carabiner.
Cheers,
Rob.calm
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chanceboarder
Apr 25, 2005, 4:07 PM
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:shock: glad you're gonna be ok. good luck on your recovery.
jason
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urbanfood
Apr 26, 2005, 10:11 PM
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In reply to: man, you were SO lucky. amd what on earth were you thinking when you INTENTIONALLY backclipped. the draw wouldve twisted sooner or later because the rope wouldve lifted it frim the rock enoug to untwist the slings. man, you really were lucky. i hope you learned your lesson.
what's the point of this post? jeeze wish the guy some good luck or something or don't post. he just took a serious fall and he knows he made a mistake and he was kind enough to share the story with everyone. he knows he's lucky and that last thing he needs to hear is "i hope you learned your lesson" and be berated for a dumb move.
having a locker on the end a quickdraw ready to go is a good idea, i'll have to do that. thanks for the tip.
wishing you a healthy recovery.
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