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Gabel
Jan 14, 2011, 11:49 PM
Post #51 of 74
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Just got asked about my injury and thought I would share it with everyone:
In reply to: Hei ***, Sorry to hear about your injury. Did you deck like I did? The most important thing to know is that there is most probably a way back to climbing and a healthy body. Now it is almost 8 months since my injury and I live like I did before. The climbing is different, obviously and in fact I almost solely do bouldering now. This of course, is a 'mental' injury. I imagine, though, that your question is about the medical side of the injury. My L1 compression fracture was a minor one and could be treated conservatively - i.e. no surgery. The front side of the vertebrae got impressed by about 0,5cm and still is. The thing about vertebrae is that there is no way they can "grow back in shape" or something because the pressure on them is too high. A few days after my injury there was hardly any pain in my back and just some swelling left. The following months I used to be stiff and it started to hurt when I sat for too long. Most of this was caused by a muscular deficiency, due to my back muscles being contracted like a bitch for almost a week. The day after the accident every muscle in my body felt sore. I used to describe it by saying that it felt like 6 guys hitting me with baseball bats. Sitting by the way is the stuff you don't want to do, because the pressure on your vertebrae is the highest. Standing or lying is the best. I slowly started bouldering/traversing again and also PT. I now go to the gym twice a week and actually even do deadlifts and managed to pull 1.5 times my body weight just a week ago. But you should really be careful with your fracture for about 6 to 8 weeks, and refrain from any bigger stress (for example, deadlifts) for at least 6 months. My biggest problem in recovery were my heels, which hurt with _every_ step I took for a month, but since you did not ask about that I hope your heels are allright. Take care and take it slowly. Listen to your body. Climb when you want to. Gabriel Take care guys!
(This post was edited by Gabel on Jan 15, 2011, 12:01 AM)
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j_ung
Jan 15, 2011, 1:53 PM
Post #52 of 74
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I'm reminded of a friend of mine, who shall remain nameless. I met this guy when he was prolly around 10 or 11 years old when he and his father and brother began to frequent a climbing gym I managed. He was one of those kids you watch climb early on and think, "That kid's got talent. If he keeps climbing, he'll go places." Over the the course of a couple years I watch him evolve into a one of the hardest climbers at the gym, just like I thought he might, and then... the unthinkable happened. His belayer f-ed up, he decked and, if I recall correctly, broke an arm pretty badly. It took a long time for him to come back, but come back he did. Eventually, he was climbing hard again. Then it happened again. This time, instead of bouncing right back, he drifted away from climbing. I don't blame him. The poor kid cratered twice. It should never happen even once. Years passed and he didn't really climb much at all in that time. We saw him occasionally. One day, he came in to boulder and stayed all day, just like he used to. He commented to me how much he missed it, but that he didn't think he'd ever climb on a rope again. The kid was, like 16. How terrible to be so turned off by climbing at such a young age! But, he stuck with it simply because his love of the sport eventually proved to be greater than his fear of it. Now he lives in San Fran, works as head setter at one of the mega gyms, has a few Yos walls under his belt and climbs harder and tradier than ever before. That's how you get over an accident. You give your head all the time it needs, and if your love of climbing is better than your fear, you'll make it back. If not, so what?
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notapplicable
Jan 16, 2011, 12:18 AM
Post #53 of 74
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It seems to me that an accident "caused" by someone else would be much harder to get over psychologically. You can be discerning in your partner selection, you can triplecheck everything before you leave the ground and you yourself can perform flawlessly but when it comes right down to it, that other person is out of your control and it already happened once, so it could happen again...right?
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ClimbSoHigh
Jan 17, 2011, 8:07 PM
Post #54 of 74
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I fucking hate this websites spell check, somehow I always click back by accident and loose all of what I typed. This shit is going out with typos!!!!! Second try... To Gabriel
In reply to: Please excuse my English since I am not a native speaker Don't worry about it, you have very good english for a second language. My fiance is a HS teacher and just got a Freshman this year who could not recite the alphabet... To Billcoe
In reply to: You want to smoke a bowl or drink some beers, pretty common and fine by me, stay in control and don’t get sparks on my rope or (more) glass on the ground is all I've ever asked. You seem like a cool dude, wish more people with this mentality frequented my cliffs. I guess the west coast is more lax about this kind of stuff than out east. Back when I used to smoke at the crags, people would either look at me like I was a lepper, or come try and mooch a drag. Never once did someone tell me to just make sure I didn't spark on their rope. Good style. All I would add is to recomend people bring cans not bottles, that way they can't break one and can't leave shards of glass. I love me some after climbing beers, but I think the glass should not be at the crag (or pools and beaches), that shit hurts and I'm sick of pulling glass out of my hands and feet!Flappers are lame, but getting one from a beer bottle is extra lame.
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healyje
Jan 17, 2011, 11:10 PM
Post #55 of 74
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As billcoe_ basically states, decking should NEVER happen - EVER. Period. End of story. That multiple people here can post up here saying they decked or have seen someone deck or know someone who decked is just plain frightening. It also tells you: a) The general demographic is out of control b) Gyms feed a large baseline load of new people into the demographic each year c) Learning protocols experienced in gyms are wholly inadequate relative to their throughput d) A lot of folks are climbing who shouldn't be What we have going on is climbing is becoming part of mainstream culture and experience. This trend exists because gyms are now common enough in each city of any size to act as an both an 'engine' and 'market' for media's increasing use of the imagery. But the problem with promoting climbing as just another [entitled] form of risk-free, suburban entertainment for all is gravity is both uncooperative and uncompromising. And now that climbing has a social presence, economic motive, and easy access, we've inconspicuously put Darwin hard to work and are turning a blind eye to that fact. In the end the ugly truth is there is no other way to sustain the current demographic [throughput / tidal flow] without threads like these. It's no different then the cost in injuries and deaths we accept as a society in order to drive automobiles. And it should be noted the type of belay device is wholly irrelevant to belaying safety. In particular note the paradox that while a grigri MIGHT have prevented any given person's decking, their use is generally involved in a majority of deckings. [ P.S. Yes, Darwin has always played a role in climbing, but he's never had to punch a clock and work the amount of overtime he is nowdays... ]
(This post was edited by healyje on Jan 18, 2011, 3:03 AM)
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david7896
Jan 18, 2011, 12:55 AM
Post #56 of 74
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hey great post. i had fell about a month ago broke both feet. the heals were the worst part, so i know what your going through. im seven day away from get my left cast cut off. the psychological effects i can also relate too. i hope to climb again. but i find myself looking at others climbing and i can feel my heart rate increase and i feel nervous. i know its all in my head, and i will just have to get out there and get over it. (probably easier said then done) but i hope you recover fast and just keep on climbing.
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spikeddem
Jan 20, 2011, 4:39 PM
Post #57 of 74
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healyje wrote: As billcoe_ basically states, decking should NEVER happen - EVER. Period. End of story. Hmm. I don't get that. Broken holds before a bolt or before a second bolt with decking potential. Broken holds before a first placement. A surprisingly soaked clipping hold that involves a bit of a move (for the grade) to get to. Bats, snakes, prickly vegetation can all reasonably cause a climber to peel off before a belay can really be set.
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healyje
Jan 20, 2011, 4:43 PM
Post #58 of 74
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spikeddem wrote: healyje wrote: As billcoe_ basically states, decking should NEVER happen - EVER. Period. End of story. Hmm. I don't get that. ... ...before a belay can really be set. The comments were made in the context of once a person is actually on belay, i.e. has clipped the first piece of pro. Prior to that a belayer should be spotting if on the ground and hoping for the best if not.
(This post was edited by healyje on Jan 20, 2011, 4:44 PM)
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ClimbSoHigh
Jan 20, 2011, 4:46 PM
Post #59 of 74
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Random story about mainstream climbing... I needed a piece of paper to break something up on a coupel nights ago, so I ripped out a random page of ads from the back of a Maxim. As I was doing my thing, I noticed that the page had Tommy Caldwell on it... WTF? It was an ad for that perfect pull up thing, which looks like a piece of crap overpriced pullup bar (that twists... ooooooooo!) which I would think most climbers do not use, as hang boards and rock rings are way better to train with. I think it's cool that climbers can support themselves these days through sponserships, promos, and advertising, but it shocked me to see Tommy doing ads outside of the climbing nich. I know Sharma and others do some mainstream adds, but I was supprised to see Tommy, also breaking into mainstream media/advertising. The gyms definately are a serious driving factor, but the pro's are also responsble for the media's increasing use of immagery, since they are selling their photo's to anyone who will pay them. I don't blame them for doing so, but it also promotes climbing to mainstream society. Buy this pull up device and you can climb rocks... So it's not only the gyms, but also the pro's and their sponsers. And billcoe and healyje are spot on that decking should not happen, but there are few exceptions. Decking when someone falls before the first pro happens and is part of leading (unless you stick clip for sport), and some climbs have ledges that you can hit no matter how solid your gear or belay is. In these situations the mentaility is "be solid at the grade and don't fall", but then again nobody would deck if they didn't fall. Boulderers technically deck any time they fall. Decking due to climber/belayer error should never happen, and missuse of a belay device seems to be the cause way too often. Shoddy 2 hour belay courses taught by HS gym rats in addition to the false idea that gri gri's are idiot proof seem to be a logical reason why decking is more prevelant and happens, even when lowering!
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bearbreeder
Jan 20, 2011, 4:55 PM
Post #60 of 74
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decking can still happen ... pro can fail, there are some climbs where the 2nd bolt is poorly placed and decking is a very possible, there is only one bolt on the slab per pitch, you could hit a ledge, etc ... on a well bolted climb ... decking shouldnt happen after the first clip ...
(This post was edited by bearbreeder on Jan 20, 2011, 4:56 PM)
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dynosore
Jan 20, 2011, 5:34 PM
Post #61 of 74
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Good grief, healyje's comment was clearly in the context of decking due to belayer error. You guys look for the tiniest things to rip apart....and healyje is right, there seems to be an atmosphere of "it happens" among a lot of climbers, none of whom I will EVER rope up with. If my belayer ever let me deck, they best hope I'm incapacitated.
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lrossi
Jan 20, 2011, 5:44 PM
Post #62 of 74
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ClimbSoHigh wrote: Random story about mainstream climbing... I needed a piece of paper to break something up on a coupel nights ago, so I ripped out a random page of ads from the back of a Maxim. As I was doing my thing, I noticed that the page had Tommy Caldwell on it... WTF? It was an ad for that perfect pull up thing, which looks like a piece of crap overpriced pullup bar (that twists... ooooooooo!) which I would think most climbers do not use, as hang boards and rock rings are way better to train with. I think it's cool that climbers can support themselves these days through sponserships, promos, and advertising, but it shocked me to see Tommy doing ads outside of the climbing nich. I know Sharma and others do some mainstream adds, but I was supprised to see Tommy, also breaking into mainstream media/advertising. The gyms definately are a serious driving factor, but the pro's are also responsble for the media's increasing use of immagery, since they are selling their photo's to anyone who will pay them. I don't blame them for doing so, but it also promotes climbing to mainstream society. Buy this pull up device and you can climb rocks... So it's not only the gyms, but also the pro's and their sponsers. And billcoe and healyje are spot on that decking should not happen, but there are few exceptions. Decking when someone falls before the first pro happens and is part of leading (unless you stick clip for sport), and some climbs have ledges that you can hit no matter how solid your gear or belay is. In these situations the mentaility is "be solid at the grade and don't fall", but then again nobody would deck if they didn't fall. Boulderers technically deck any time they fall. Decking due to climber/belayer error should never happen, and missuse of a belay device seems to be the cause way too often. Shoddy 2 hour belay courses taught by HS gym rats in addition to the false idea that gri gri's are idiot proof seem to be a logical reason why decking is more prevelant and happens, even when lowering! I can't believe I read that. WTF does that have to do with the analysis of this particular accident?
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ClimbSoHigh
Jan 21, 2011, 2:22 PM
Post #63 of 74
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In reply to: I can't believe I read that. WTF does that have to do with the analysis of this particular accident? Your right, not much... but your post has absolutely nothing to do with the accident... It was just a random story about climbing becoming mainstream, in response to a post about people decking in gyms due to climbing becoming mainstream, in a thread about someone decking in a gym. I'm not claiming my posts are great, infact they usually are just me rambling, but I'm more on topic (barely) than your post.
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jt512
Jan 21, 2011, 4:09 PM
Post #64 of 74
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ClimbSoHigh wrote: In reply to: I can't believe I read that. WTF does that have to do with the analysis of this particular accident? Your right... You're: a contraction of "you are." It's not that hard. Really. Jay
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spikeddem
Jan 21, 2011, 4:34 PM
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jt512 wrote: ClimbSoHigh wrote: In reply to: I can't believe I read that. WTF does that have to do with the analysis of this particular accident? Your right... You're: a contraction of "you are." It's not that hard. Really. Jay A large body body of emerging experimental evidence suggests otherwise, Jay. Theory doesn't always hold up to experiment.
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spikeddem
Jan 21, 2011, 4:36 PM
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In reply to: As billcoe_ basically states, decking should NEVER happen - EVER. Period. End of story.
dynosore wrote: Good grief, healyje's comment was clearly in the context of decking due to belayer error. You guys look for the tiniest things to rip apart....and healyje is right, there seems to be an atmosphere of "it happens" among a lot of climbers, none of whom I will EVER rope up with. If my belayer ever let me deck, they best hope I'm incapacitated. For how much we emphasize "it depends" on this site, for the words "NEVER happen - EVER. Period. End of story," I'm not so sure it was clear. I assumed that's what he meant, but that's why I made me post. To say "NEVER happen - EVER. Period. End of story" but have an implied context is kinda silly.
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ClimbSoHigh
Jan 21, 2011, 5:50 PM
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In reply to: You're: a contraction of "you are." It's not that hard. Really. Jay UR right, glad you caught it. It was a typo, but I'll never give in to spell check or proof reading. Don't need to since I have Jay to correct my work. Lets get this thread back on track, Gabriel doesn't need grammar lessons.
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billl7
Jan 21, 2011, 6:17 PM
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spikeddem wrote: In reply to: As billcoe_ basically states, decking should NEVER happen - EVER. Period. End of story. dynosore wrote: Good grief, healyje's comment was clearly in the context of decking due to belayer error. You guys look for the tiniest things to rip apart....and healyje is right, there seems to be an atmosphere of "it happens" among a lot of climbers, none of whom I will EVER rope up with. If my belayer ever let me deck, they best hope I'm incapacitated. For how much we emphasize "it depends" on this site, for the words "NEVER happen - EVER. Period. End of story," I'm not so sure it was clear. I assumed that's what he meant, but that's why I made me post. To say "NEVER happen - EVER. Period. End of story" but have an implied context is kinda silly. It's a rallying cry, like a past US president naming a few countries the "axis of evil". ... not expected to be an accurate phrase under just any specific belief system (context).
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Gabel
May 22, 2011, 7:22 PM
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Over one year since my accident. I went to Bleau with my brother the other day. He took a photograph after I finished a tricky boulder. I was looking down the way I just came up. When I zoomed in the picture I could see that there was something else. I was smiling. Take care.
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robdotcalm
May 23, 2011, 3:06 PM
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Wonderful to see that picture that says it all about your recovery. Keep on moving! Rob.calm
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Gabel
May 10, 2012, 6:58 PM
Post #71 of 74
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+2 years. :-) I have missed the exact date, which is probably a good sign. I have stopped climbing entirely and am now trying to get to a somewhat decent total in one of the regional powerlifting comps...hehe. Meanwhile she is starting to aim for things with her tiny arms and grab them... Take care!
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dagibbs
May 14, 2012, 4:46 PM
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majid_sabet wrote: desertwanderer81 wrote: majid_sabet wrote: In reply to: My speculation is that he had the rope strands parallel to feed slack and I fell in that very moment. Once the rope was in motion it was too late. This is one of the reasons why i hate parallel belaying method more than anything else in climbing cause at that given moment , if you take a fall, the rope will slip thru the belay device and you will end up with rope burn. What the heck is a "parallel belay method" ? is not what the heck but what the fuck. see the retard who is teaching how to belay on this film. When both ropes are parallel during taking slack, if the leader takes a fall, rope will zip thru belayer hand .this method should be banned from all gyms and whoever came up with it should be hanged to the nearest tree. http://www.ehow.com/...5_belay-climber.html [IMG]http://www.picfury.com/2n/img/ScreenHunter_01 May 07 1634-1.jpg[/IMG] I travel a lot, and so go to a lot of different climbing gyms and often try to pick up a climbing/belay partner. I arrived at one gym, and saw lots of people belaying that way, and decided that I did NOT want to climb at that gym, and just bouldered. (I far prefer climbing routes to bouldering -- but even more so, I don't like being dropped.)
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billcoe_
May 24, 2012, 9:17 PM
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I love happy endings! Congratulations Gabriel!
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robdotcalm
May 25, 2012, 10:29 PM
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Gabel, It’s good to hear that you’ve recovered and are power lifting. I’m still climbing as indicated in my earlier post on this thread. Lifting was the essential factor in developing the strength and sturdiness needed to climb again. Especially important were the classic power moves: squats and dead lifts. So even though you’re not climbing now, your body will be ready if you decide to start again. Congratulations on your new child. She looks ready to go. In another 6 months you’ll be chasing after her as she tries to climb the furniture. With our 5 younger grandchildren living locally, I’m in a repeat stage of such activities (well, not quite, the kids are no longer toddlers, but they keep my wife and me busy in other ways). Cheers, Rob .calm
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