Feb 19, 2008, 2:07 PM
Post #26 of 52
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Re: [blueeyedclimber] What’s the longest lead fall you have taken?
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I took about a 30 foot fall in Thailand, only a few weeks ago.
I have been climbing and guiding at this place called Tonsai Tower on Phi Phi Island, Thailand. I am usually one of the best climbers at the crag, only because all of the good climbers in Thailand are in Tonsai. So I get over confident sometimes.
Anyways, I am teaching a lead climbing course, and my student is learning to lead on easy stuff. Quite boring. The day before, I had onsighted a 6c (5.11b I think) called Gladiator and skipped a bolt, leaving a quickdraw on the wall. My student wanted a break, and a fellow guide was at the crag with nothing to do, so I decide to go and get the draw.
No warm up, no stretching, stupid stupid stupid.
I am at the crux, a big overhang with a good distance between bolts. When I get tired and stressed, I skip bolts. It is faster and I climb better. So I had skipped a bolt, and am at the top of the overhang and am completely pumped. Worst flash pump I ever had. I go for the last tough move before a rest and a bolt, and just come off. I knew I was pumped but did not expect to fall on that move. The fall was from 15 to 20 feet above the last bolt I had clipped, so the fall could have been more like 40 feet. I swung all the way back to the wall below the overhang and came in hard, but I knew it was coming and was able to keep my face and body from smacking the wall. Sprained both wrists and my feet were sore for days, but that was it.
I'll never climb that hard with out a good warm up. I'm lucky I was ok. I scared the shit out of my student, who said he was done for the day after seeing that. He said he was just tired but I think he got freaked out. Oh well, live and learn!
Feb 19, 2008, 5:07 PM
Post #30 of 52
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Re: [cracklover] What’s the longest lead fall you have taken?
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I took a 40 footer because I was too cocky to clip a bolt on a granite trad route (5.8), after the bolt I placed a blue tcu in a flexy flake, then went right where I should have gone left. I then started traversing left on some slabby shit and popped off, I had enough time (while sliding down the slab) to notice the tcu spinning around the rope, my partner had enough time to take in 10 feet of slack. I fell onto my friends yellow TCU, it was bomber, but that fucking bolt would have stopped me from falling about 20 of those feet. I was had a 9 inch section of raw skin on my right fore-arm, and a bit of skin missing from the top of my hip bone and right knee, my harness was even tore up a bit, but mostly on the padding.
Lesson for all if someone is willing to go through the trouble of placing a bolt in granite clip that shit!
Feb 19, 2008, 7:30 PM
Post #32 of 52
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Re: [irregularpanda] What’s the longest lead fall you have taken?
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My biggest outdoor lead fall was pretty small - around 10 feet, maybe a little more. But it was the first lead I'd ever tried. After I'd been climbing for a few months, I got talked into leading The Raven, a 5.9+ at Shelf Road, and managed to slip off the top of a layback section. It was my second lead fall ever, the first having occurred a bolt below, with about 6 inches of drop.
There's a ledge on the route that sticks out a couple of inches, and I managed to catch my toe on it, on the way down. My friend Ron was taking photos, and had his camera on the high speed setting. I think something about all the shaking and cursing I was doing convinced him that a fall may have been coming. He caught the fall, and my left ankle breaking on the ledge. You can see the medial malleolus, the lumpy bone on the inside of an ankle, breaking off in this picture.
at least once you have to take a lead fall on a steep wall to see the coils of rope going by 65-70 feet is what I have taken before time does not exist it is all moment.. however the worst fall I think are the short ones with a bad belay and know where to go.
The outside corner at Quincy Quarry near Boston. I was teaching some new guys for most of the day and couldn't do any real climbing. I decided I was going to do at least one good climb that day, grabbed my trad gear and headed to one of the few few tradable routes in the quarry.
HA! it's a fun little lead ain't it? seems all peaceful like until you get to the hand/layback crack...
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At around 30 ft I place a cam and look down and see to my dismay that the nut I had placed directly below had popped, resulting in one piece between me and the ground. Instead of backing it up, I decide to push on. I reach the one super manky bolt on the route, clip it, take a sigh of relief, and back it up. Crisis abated.
on outside corner? don't you mean that rusty old piton bashed in at about teh second ledge? ;-)
dude, excpet for the falling part, I had a similar experience on OC a couple years ago. I placed Blue tricam at teh bottom of the hand crack, started up, and kicked the tricam out as I passed it, making my last piece of gear the old piton 10 feet below that last little footledge. so, I downclimbed. I have never had such a monster kung fu deathgrip on the rock in my life, then or since ;-)
that's a fun lead, right there ;-)
My own biggest lead fall happened at Purgatory Chasm in sutton MA, on the 5.8 roof "Paradise Lost". I'd led it the week before no problems, and came back super confident. got up under the roof, protrected under the roof behind a solid flake, placed the usual #3 camalot in the slot just above the roof, clipped it, rested a second or two under the roof, and then pulled over onto teh sloped face above.
unfortunately the key sidepull was covered with dirt...I could feel my hand going, going, adn...
"FALLING!"
the first one was only about 10-12 feet.
I got back on, got back up under the roof,, settled my head a bit, and then pulled over -
after pulling over the roof I wind up in this awkward squatted stance, off balance backwards, needing that side pull to steady myself so I can move my rigth foot up one hold, which rebalances me forward into the slopped face...where there aren't any positive handholds, or crimps even -
anyway the key left hand sidepull was still too dirty, I felt it going, and off I went backwards again.
I too had an audience, one of whom took this picture as I swung down on the second fall.
total was about 15-20 feet or so. I was pretty sketched after the second fall. Oh, the gear that held me was an ebay-sourced Chouinard U-stem #3 Camalot ;-)
(This post was edited by robbovius on Feb 19, 2008, 8:41 PM)
Feb 19, 2008, 9:30 PM
Post #36 of 52
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Re: [Arrogant_Bastard] What’s the longest lead fall you have taken?
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It was a tad over 120'. The green route, off the arete next to the vending machine.
Thats funny!
I've taken a bunch, but never over about 20 feet. Most memorable was 20 feet, headfirst backwards, after blowing out of a steep layback. Rapped to the ground, grabbed another 1.5 friend (old school solid aluminum stem, pre-forged, pre-cable), went back up, and with a better piece in, of course I didn't fall again.
Nov 16, 2008, 8:00 AM
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Re: [areyoumydude] What’s the longest lead fall you have taken?
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The 80ish footer was pretty bad but it was close to other pepes so I did all right. But then one year I was late in the season at City of Rocks. Then the partner didn't show up . I had a list to do so I stayed on. The day after the ranger had stopped by to announce " there's no body in the reserve except you so I am going to be back in a couple days." I tool a 20 footer on Animal Crackers while solo. That silly fall messed with my head and I ended up callin the trip a day early.
Nov 16, 2008, 8:30 AM
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Re: [frogman21] What’s the longest lead fall you have taken?
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frogman21 wrote:
at least once you have to take a lead fall on a steep wall to see the coils of rope going by 65-70 feet is what I have taken before time does not exist it is all moment.. however the worst fall I think are the short ones with a bad belay and know where to go.
Nov 16, 2008, 1:15 PM
Post #41 of 52
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Re: [spikeddem] What’s the longest lead fall you have taken?
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On LTD in the Wichitas I slotted a #3 wired stopper into a keyhole--it was hanging halfway out and I said to my belayer "no way will that hold..." 20 feet of slab higher, that thought is probably what caused me to fall. The piece held as I tumbled backwards down 40 feet or so, ripping off the sole of one shoe and a reasonable amount of skin in the process. That stopper now has a special place in my heart!
Nov 16, 2008, 2:17 PM
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Re: [USnavy] What’s the longest lead fall you have taken?
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I was putting up a new route a few years ago in the Grand Canyon, it is on the south rim somewhere near hermits trail, cannot be specific because of the NPS. However it is a beautiful line with amazing views and classic moves, from the ground it looked like it would go at 5.9-5.10ish not bad for a backcountry climb. The first moves are stiff with no pro for about 15'off the deck, around 20' I placed a bomber LA, continued up another 15' and placed a 1/2 angle fairly bomber placement, and within another 15' the the seam disappeared, so in my ignorance continued to climb up(15-20'), looking up I a saw a small horizontal shelf with some tough grass/and a baby cacti/ and a small pine tree 1" in diameter. Yup the horizontal was crap but I did manage to to equalize the grass/cacti/bush, by now the grade was around 5.6 and only had to climb about 20' to top out, however lichen was scattered around, it was the flaky stuff on sandstone. Of course by now I was starting to worry(Elvis was in the house), since my feet were scating off the lichen and crumbly sandstone, finally the top came, however toping out in the GC is not always easy since most top outs require a bit of scree climbing. I spotted a fairly good size tree 2-3" dia. close to the edge and grabbed it and started to mantle up and out. The next moment is frozen in time, the slab of rock I was mantling on was actually a not attached to the cliff, nor were the roots of that tree anchored into anything solid and as I was starting to fall I remember that I admired what a delicate root system that tree had. Whack!! back into reality the fall lasted for a long time I went zipping past the equalized garden, past the 1/2 angle and cratered into the deck, the LA held and saved my life. I broke my right foot in several places, including fracturing my right shin/ankle, broke three toes on my left foot, and two fingers on my right hand and broke my fiberglass CAMP helmet(it was brand new). Needless to say I left on my climbing shoes for the hike out, since I knew there would be no way to hike out with broken and swollen feet.(cell phones were not around yet) Late 80's. Thankfully there is a clinic on the south rim and they take credit cards. Lesson learned if you are going to fall 50+' and deck wear a diaper since there was a steaming hot tater in my pants!!! Anthony
Nov 16, 2008, 4:00 PM
Post #43 of 52
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Re: [anthonymason] What’s the longest lead fall you have taken?
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I took a good 35-40ft ground fall when I was learning to lead. As the gear pulled it slowed me down. didn't get hurt and rode my bike home.
The biggest fall I've seen was at Smith Rock. A Mexican guy took a big fall near the top anchors on Churning in the Wake. With a combo of skipping some bolts and poor belay he fell so fall he almost kicked the belayer in the head. the belayer was pull atleast 10ft off the ground. yikes
On a route called the sting at the gunks, probably about 25-28 feet, with a soft catch. There is an all-points off giant dyno at the end from above your gear, and if you miss the top jug it's a lot of airtime. Fortunately the gear is two bomber cams in .75 range - and I was pinking it on bomber gear.
Nov 16, 2008, 4:41 PM
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Re: [blueeyedclimber] What’s the longest lead fall you have taken?
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My longest was at the Red. I was on Creep Show and was clipping the chains. This was my first weekend ever on lead, and actually my first time ever on a rope. Got to the top of Creep Show and got my draw in the chains. Then pulled out slack to clip the draw, my hand slipped off the sloper at the top and I fell around 30'. I was a little pissed.
Nov 16, 2008, 11:39 PM
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Re: [currupt4130] What’s the longest lead fall you have taken?
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Mine also @ the Red, Slow Jack, had both hands on the sloping holds @ the top and fell 15' on the bomber #4 hex I placed above the large Hueco. First trad lead ever!
Nov 17, 2008, 2:24 AM
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Re: [jamatt] What’s the longest lead fall you have taken?
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Theres a big difference between the falls you are expect and those sneaky ones where you are just climbing, minding your own business then BLAM you are suddenly taking some air time
I can't remember distances but I do really a couple where I was thinking "man this fall is taking awhile... Oh there goes the bolt, should be stopping sometime soon.... "
Nov 17, 2008, 2:50 AM
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Re: [Myxomatosis] What’s the longest lead fall you have taken?
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Scariest Fall I ever had was on Closer to the Heart at Stone. Not the longest but by far the scariest. Slid about 15-20' Stayed upright and palmed my way down. could watch the little curlyques of rubbers coming off my shoes. I was about 3-4' from the second bolt. Slid until I was a few feet above the 1st bolt. I guess that still counts as a whipper even though I didn't fall past the bolt.
Nov 17, 2008, 4:25 AM
Post #50 of 52
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Re: [Myxomatosis] What’s the longest lead fall you have taken?
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Myxomatosis wrote:
Theres a big difference between the falls you are expect and those sneaky ones where you are just climbing, minding your own business then BLAM you are suddenly taking some air time
I can't remember distances but I do really a couple where I was thinking "man this fall is taking awhile... Oh there goes the bolt, should be stopping sometime soon.... "
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