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mar_leclerc
Jan 13, 2009, 12:43 AM
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Entertain us, everyone loves hearing stories about climbers falling off, gear pulling, bone crunching impacts, rope burns and so on. Maybe you didn't take the fall yourself, perhaps you held a big nasty fall, just tell us the story anyways. Maybe you watched some idiots at the same crag take huge whippers and dismember themselves. Let's hear it!
I don't have any fantastic stories of my own unfortunately. I managed to fall into a bergshrund but that just ended with me hanging upside down on my rope swinging in the darkness and then climbing my way out, exciting but not gory enough to really entertain. I also got complacent leading (it's bolted, no danger!) and blew a clip and cut my leg open in the rope, there was a good deal of spurting blood and swearing on that one.
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knieveltech
Jan 13, 2009, 12:59 AM
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I've only ever participated in one actual fall. I was belaying a partner on a steep overhanging route. My partner threaded the anchors then clipped a tram to the rope so he could clean his own draws. By the time he got to the last draw there was 30' or so of slack in the system (this makes sense if you imagine the route forming one line in a triangle, with the rope from him to the 1st bolt forming the 2nd, and the rope from him to the anchor forming the 3rd).
At this point he's looking at a massive swing into the trees if he pulls the first draw so I tell him to just chill, I'll lower him to the ground then we can boulder up and get the 1st draw. He responds with "Hold on a second.". Next thing I know he's dropping like a rock as a shit-ton of slack runs through the anchors. He'd unclipped his tram and let go of the rope, so what was a triangle ended up a straight line. Luckily he ran out of slack just as he hit the deck. No injury. Scared the shit out of me though and made me kick over my beer in my frantic scramble to pull in more rope.
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kriso9tails
Jan 13, 2009, 1:09 AM
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My most epic 'fall' was only a few inches at most. Back when I was a youngin' -- 'afore I was inta all that outdoor cliff danglin' and wot not -- I slipped off of a route in the gym on top rope. Unfortunately, my harness was not on properly and one of my boys had, for some unknown reason, tried to commit suicide by diving between the leg loop and my leg. I crushed it in just the wrong way (not that there is a correct way that I'm aware of, but certainly a better, less painful way).
It hurt somethin' awful. Felt like I was going to vomit and thought I had lost a nut, but lesson learned, believe you me.
Since then I have have taken some moderate whippers (never past fifty feet and onto a bolt, mind you), but in any stupid things that have happened to me since, my leg loops have always been sitting well adjusted.
I've never taken a truly epic fall. I don't really intend to either if it's in my power.
(This post was edited by kriso9tails on Jan 13, 2009, 1:49 AM)
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msiwoski
Jan 13, 2009, 1:10 AM
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Did he get you a new beer?
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Spidermonkey.Rosi
Jan 13, 2009, 1:33 AM
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The most epic fall for me was only inches but after you here the story you'll know why it was scary. I'll post it in a few.
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uhoh
Jan 13, 2009, 1:39 AM
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When I was a youngin', my parents bought me one of those plastic tricycles. I was probably about three. I rode it down some stairs.
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brownie710
Jan 13, 2009, 1:50 AM
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I was trying a route that was near my limit and only my wife was available to come along to belay me. I was excited and pumped before I got off the ground and didn't for some reason think to anchor my little wife. I was working my way up a right facing corner/crack and started to pump out about 25' up (like i said it was near my limit)and about 5' above a number 2 camalot. I new I was gonna fall but figured hell, I'm only a few feet above that solid #2. I yelled down "watch me" and expected to only take a small fall. Unfortunately I took a 20 something footer and softly touched my ass to the deck with rope stretch. i looked to my left and saw my wife laying on her side, eyes wide open and locking me off with white knuckles. Apparently she wandered pretty far back as i climbed and when i came off she whipped through the air/stumbled and landed next to me. She's a fine wife!!!!
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Spidermonkey.Rosi
Jan 13, 2009, 1:57 AM
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I was up at Fossil rock and I had no equipment, you probably think you can guese whats gonna happen. I climbed a 40 foot hight wall of rock. The irony of the story is that I didn't fall. I actually took a rock slide back down to get to the bottom of the rock face again. The crasy thing is that before I left I decided to do some treversing. I was only a few inches from the ground so I wasn't worried. But I slipped and I started tumbling down a hill. To be Con
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pylonhead
Jan 13, 2009, 2:20 AM
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Mine is nothing special, but a bit of a climbing rite of passage.
I had been leading in the gym for a couple of months and this was my first day leading outdoors. I had just sent my first route on the sharp end, and my partner, who was hardly more experienced than I was, went over to lead a short 10a.
He climbed up to bolt number four and clipped in a draw. I could see his legs elvising and his arms starting to shake. He pulled up some slack and just as he was reaching for the clip his feet cut. He went flying down towards me, brushing through the branches of a tree, hit the end of the rope and yanked me five feet into the air.
I look up to see him hanging in his harness about 5 feet above my head. He had fallen about 20 feet.
He had never taken a fall like that before, and I had never had to catch one. We both knew intellectually that the system would work, but up until that moment I'm not sure either of us fully believed it.
We just looked at each other and started laughing hysterically. He lowered off to rest a bit, and we kept cracking up every minute or so out of sheer joy. Finally he shook out, went back up, and sent the route.
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mar_leclerc
Jan 13, 2009, 2:52 AM
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Oh, i forgot one of mine. one time I was in a speed climbing comp and i climbed my qualifier route super fast and then dyno'd for the bell. My belayer couldn't keep up with me and after i hit the bell I basically ended up sliding on my crotch down the slack rope nearly castrating myself from ropeburn... ouch!
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sonso45
Jan 13, 2009, 3:41 AM
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I was doing an early repeat of a bolted route on Granite Mtn, Prescott, AZ called Good Action. It was hard 11, I felt strong and wanted to play with the big boys so I got on it. All went well until just below the last bolt before the anchors. It is granite face climbing up and left on a weakness at this point. I move up a few thin moves on a diagonaling weakness, reachy and just barely in range for me. I'm @ 6' with a positive 4 ape index. As someone once asked, "do you call your friends to go reaching instead of climbing?" I gave it all I got and made it to just below the bolt. But, I couldn't reach it. I tried to downclimb to the last bolt, not wanting a pendulum fall, it was a bit far anyways. But, I couldn't reverse the diagonalling reach without falling.
So, I went back up and met the same block. I couldn't find a way to clip. Not even close enough to think about grabbing a draw and making a grab. As I contemplated how Barry Ward did it, I look at my failing fingers, just like in a cartoon, and they unbend from whatever they had, I come off and start my pendulum. I expected a nasty one but it got better. My belayer, PT, tried to help. He pulled in slack when I fell, but it only served to flip and twist me as I fell down and sideways. I ended up smashing into the rock with my back and my head tucked in. My elbow swelled immediately to grapefruit size, my hip was torn and swelling quickly and my huevos were being crushed in my harness. My head was intact and I could move my appendages so I was extremely happy. The walk down would have been hell except for my friends.
I haven't gone back to that route.
(This post was edited by sonso45 on Jan 13, 2009, 3:42 AM)
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angry
Jan 13, 2009, 4:02 AM
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Word,
I've had much more epic falls from a bike than I have climbing.
And I'm also going to bring back the word word.
Word.
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sungam
Jan 13, 2009, 4:07 AM
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This one time, when I was toproping a ice route, this dude called Angry totally dropped me.
Well, maybe it was more of a "my fat ass yanked his skinny ass into the anchors" but I had time to think about how I should fall, think back to an old parachuting book, and lock me knees and ankles together. Then I had time to think about how much it was going to hurt, then I had time to think "did he kutz t3h rowp??!?!?" Then he caught me again.
Then I sent.
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angry
Jan 13, 2009, 4:11 AM
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sungam wrote: This one time, when I was toproping a ice route, this dude called Angry totally dropped me. Well, maybe it was more of a "my fat ass yanked his skinny ass into the anchors" but I had time to think about how I should fall, think back to an old parachuting book, and lock me knees and ankles together. Then I had time to think about how much it was going to hurt, then I had time to think "did he kutz t3h rowp??!?!?" Then he caught me again. Then I sent.
That's what you get for snoring/toproping/not having an accent/being fat/wearing a borat thong.
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sungam
Jan 13, 2009, 4:18 AM
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angry wrote: sungam wrote: This one time, when I was toproping a ice route, this dude called Angry totally dropped me. Well, maybe it was more of a "my fat ass yanked his skinny ass into the anchors" but I had time to think about how I should fall, think back to an old parachuting book, and lock me knees and ankles together. Then I had time to think about how much it was going to hurt, then I had time to think "did he kutz t3h rowp??!?!?" Then he caught me again. Then I sent. That's what you get for snoring/toproping/not having an accent/being fat/wearing a borat thong.
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vegastradguy
Jan 13, 2009, 4:26 AM
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my most exciting fall was on Mary Jane up at Mt. Chizelton...going for the crux, my waist is about 6" above my last draw and i come off.
my partner (35 years of climbing), manages to let me sail for about 25' or so before i come to a stop. i look down as he's lowering me to the ground and i'm like "what the hell, man?"
he replies "i thought you were going for it..."
moral of the story- never let a guy who normally uses his hip to belay use a gri-gri....
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kane_schutzman
Jan 13, 2009, 5:00 AM
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I'm trying to think if I should tell the one about where a huge never touched by human boulder, knocked me of the ledge, then I fell into that steep gully and my ass pinned between two boulders saved my life. Or the one where I stupidly climbed on easy terrain, slipped on loose pebbles and took a 15 foot fall onto a single draw that was 25 feet of the ground. Do the math.
Not proud of either one. Damn though did I learn something. This at least 2 ton rock, fucking moved from me placing 4 fingers on it. Crasy, must have been propped up like that just waiting on someone to touch it
(This post was edited by kane_schutzman on Jan 13, 2009, 5:02 AM)
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shockabuku
Jan 13, 2009, 5:23 AM
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My best falling story ever:
I was about 16, painting the dining room in my wife to be's (5 years later) house and got too high on the step ladder and it toppled over sideways and fell out from under me.
Or maybe it was the day I was climbing up an extension ladder from the porch roof to the main roof of the house we were working on. I just get my head past the gutter when all of a sudden the gutter is rushing up toward the sky. I think, "What the hell?" and then I hit the porch roof. My big toe was stuck between rungs on the two sides of the extension ladder and it starts to slide off the porch roof, dragging me with it. I can't get my foot out when suddenly Pete, my boss, grabs the ladder and says, "I can't hold it!" I got my foot out. Lost the nail on my big toe.
I'd have a better story to tell if I was Jeff, the guy who absent mindedly walked off the roof one day.
Or Matt, the guy who stepped backwards off the roof into a big hole in the ground. That was funny. Look, there's Matt. Whoops, Matt's gone. Neither one injured seriously.
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havard
Jan 13, 2009, 7:47 AM
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A couple of years ago, I was pushing my personal best on a crack that ends in very thin face climbing. The crux is getting out of the crack and into the face. I backed off the crux move a few times, downclimbing to a stance and rested. My friend and mentor was at the belay. He said, buddy, just do it. If you fall off, there are plenty of good pro below you, and it is time for you to start falling on it anyways. So I looked at my pro, decided he was right, and went for it. Now, a few feet above the crack there is a bolt. I was unable to clip it, since I was standing very thin and had no draws left on the side of my harness where I needed it to be. So I fell off, got the rope behind my leg, flipped over, and watched my mentor pull in slack while falling face first. I remember wondering if I was going to fall out of the harness or not, when the rope came tight and slammed my shoulder into the wall. I'm not shure how long exactly the fall was, but my first fall on my own gear ended upside down. My mentor lowered me, and asked if I was all right, I said, yes, just a little pain in the shoulder, that's all. Then he said "when I told you it was all right to fall off, I didn't mean you should fall like that". Thinking of it still gives me a nervous giggle.
PS sorry for the spelling. English is not my native language..
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ts83
Jan 13, 2009, 8:30 AM
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I broke my ankle on my first lead fall - but the scariest fall I've taken was in the gym. I started climbing, not long ago, at the University of Nebraska gym. The wall there is small, but the routesetters there, dlintz in particular, set really fun, varied routes. Unfortunately, despite the quality of the routes, I was bored one day and decided to try a large dyno, skipping holds on an easy route. I was on toprope, and for some reason, after I missed the hold, either my belayer didn't take in slack, or I merely jumped too hard because of a misjudgment in the strength of my massive leg muscles, but the rope came very loose as I fell. A loop of slack curled up the right side of my neck, coming tight under the right side of my jaw. I had bruises on the left side of my neck and under my right ear, but had the rope finished another quarter turn, I would have hung myself. As it was, I had a sore neck from the rope jerking my chin up hard, and questions about rope-shaped hickeys from the kids I was coaching at the time. Lucky, I suppose.
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tradrenn
Jan 13, 2009, 10:12 AM
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angry wrote: I've had much more epic falls from a bike than I have climbing.
Hey, me too.
Last time I touch a bike I broke two of my arms.
Fuck that cycling shit, climbing is safer.
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jmvc
Jan 13, 2009, 10:29 AM
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uhoh wrote: When I was a youngin', my parents bought me one of those plastic tricycles. I was probably about three. I rode it down some stairs.
When I was 17 and fearless I whammed my bike into a bend at 110km/h and promptly lost control of the back wheel. With the bike pointing too far into the bend, it was rather difficult to overtake the car I was planning to blast by on the exit of the bend.
Almost made it, but clipped the side of the car with the remaining one inch of handlebar I wasn't holding with my right hand. So I was left with a motorbike going at about 100kmh, with the handlebar pointing as far as it goes to the right. It promptly started whamming from side to side, and I remember thinking "Hmm, I don't think I can stay on this for long". I was right.
About three handlebar whacks later I was ejected, and remember seeing my bike sliding along on the road beside me. Suddenly there was no road, and all I could see was my bike flying. I deduced I was doing the same thing. Then everything went brown as I churned to a halt in the adjacent vineyard.
Lucky to get away with cracked ribs really..
Edit: The bike was fine 
(This post was edited by jmvc on Jan 13, 2009, 10:30 AM)
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kachoong
Jan 13, 2009, 2:02 PM
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havard wrote: PS sorry for the spelling. English is not my native language..
No worries, it sure is a lot better than plenty of English speakers here.
Not necessarily the "best" fall I've taken but a fall I *remember* the most, occurred after 7 years of climbing, and is similar to the one Lynn Hill took a while back (except luckily I only fell 20 feet, instead of her >100 ft).
I started to tie into a toprope at one of our local sport crags. I had the single eight tied, threaded the end through my harness and had it half way back through the eight (not finished). Remembering I hadn't put my shoes on, I sat down and in addition was distracted by conversation. I put on my shoes and immediately began climbing a route too difficult for me. When I pumped out I sat back, shook my hands to de-pump and *wwwhhhhhooooooop* the rope unthreaded like a whip cracking and I fell 20 feet backwards onto a rock platform.
Luckily I had minor grazing and sprained wrist, but was mostly shocked. My initial decision prior to climbing was to run up an easier climb to the right, which I know I would have finished without falling. I decided instead to climb the harder one. If I had climbed the easier route, I would have leaned back at the anchor and fallen about 60 feet onto rock instead.
This was my biggest lesson of complacency.... and hopefully the last!
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DoItGetRuined
Jan 13, 2009, 3:27 PM
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For me, not too epic, but pretty painful.
A friend of mine was working on a V5- in the gym and, after being unable to talk him past it, the next day I scrambled up to the crux. I showed him how to move past it, and then I figured "Hell, just finish it." I hadn't moved a mat over and the next hold, a giant ass sloper, broke under me and I fell about 11 feet, from overhang, onto my back. Scary, and the impact felt like it crushed my lungs. I was also bleeding pretty good from the hand and arm, and the hold landed about two feet from my head.
10 minutes later, I got a pad, set a new hold, and finished the easy little bugger 
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