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off_route
Dec 28, 2004, 5:19 AM
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This is for all of you who have taken huge whippers on lead, or even little baby falls. What piece arrested your fall? Did anything else pop out before you were caught? Has this made you buy triplicates of one piece and use others for paperweights?
BTW Bolts don't count, uless they popped of course, I would listen to that story!
Off_Route
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chossmonkey
Dec 28, 2004, 6:45 AM
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The last fall I took on trad gear was somewhere around a 20 footer onto a #0 (purple) Metoliuos TCU. It held quite well, though it was towards the end of the pitch so all the rope stretch made the fall feel pretty soft. The TCU was about five feet below me when I fell.
It was on the West Face of Devil's Tower. It would have been great to see the look on the tourons faces when I popped. "Oh my God, he's going to die!" :lol:
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killer_crag_move
Dec 28, 2004, 6:45 AM
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A little over a year ago I took about a 10-footer on my first placement, a chalk. Dont remember the size but it was pretty small. I had It placed in a small crack. It was a scary fall and I was glad it held.
However, as I was hanging there trying to catch my breath, the chalk gave. The chalk smacked my head as I decked. It was one of the few times I wasnt wearing a helmet.
4 stiches in my head where the chalk hit and a broken tail bone and sprained wrist from when I hit the ground. Luckily I was only about 7 feet off the deck. That was my first and only climbing accident in the 14 years ive been climbing.
You wont watch me without a helmet if im leading. I also witnessed a friend take a lead fall and smack into an opposing dihedral. He busted up his elbow pretty good, and we were certain the helmet saved his live.
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holdplease2
Dec 28, 2004, 6:49 AM
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Registered: Dec 18, 2002
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A pretty big one onto a blue Alien, probably 20 feet.
A very very very very big one onto a red DMM stopper. (The "booty nut", john.) It was probably 60 feet and scared the bejeeses out of me.
-Kate.
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rrrADAM
Dec 28, 2004, 6:53 AM
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Have taken two 40+ footers...
One on a Yellow Alien on the soft Navajo Sandstone of Castleton Tower, nothing pulled.
Another on a #9 Stopper placed sideways in patina flakes on the granite of Mt Lemon. That piece held, but I did zipper the first 2 stoppers due to the angle of the rope pulling the pieces up and out in relation to my belay. I now try to always place a cam first, as they will rotate in this instance making them multidirectional in a sense.
Have taken too many smaller falls to count... mainly on stoppers ( I love stoppers), and a few on cams. Only pulled one piece top piece in all my falls, and I knew this one was mank, so it was backed up, and the backup held.
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boltdude
Dec 28, 2004, 6:57 AM
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Let's see... nothing big, but for what it's worth:
HB 2 1/2 quadcam (hand size), 20 foot fall, first lead fall (also first 5.9 lead, pitch 2 of Central Pillar in Yosemite - also first good lesson in crack tunnel vision, since I didn't notice the second crack only 3 feet left)
HB 2 quadcam (thin hand), 20 foot fall, first pulled gear (dicey placement of a #4 Hex in a parallel crack), first 10c lead (Waverly Wafer, Yosemite)
Orange Metolius TCU, 10 foot fall out of a roof crack (first ascent), broke a huge hold
Red Lowe Ball (#2), 10 foot fall on a first ascent, broken hold
Only falls that come to mind right away. Not counting tons of short falls/takes on gear.
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gunksgoer
Dec 28, 2004, 7:03 AM
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u would think people would answer this with "my new favorite piece"...
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holdplease2
Dec 28, 2004, 7:08 AM
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I'm more worried about my "next favorite piece..." if you know what I mean. ;)
-Kate.
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lazide
Dec 28, 2004, 7:11 AM
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Hmm, last fall was a 20ft fall onto a rusty #1 Copperhead on El Cap, after the rusted out head I had been on finally broke (and it held!). The one before that it was a short 6ft fall onto a #6 BD Stopper behind a loose flake (bomber!).
And if sport counts, I did take a (very fun!) 45 winger onto a bomber 3/8 bolt a couple years back, heh.
BTW, how did you get that 60ft winger Kate? Aid or free? Spill the beans!! :)
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killer_crag_move
Dec 28, 2004, 7:14 AM
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In reply to: I'm more worried about my "next favorite piece..." if you know what I mean. ;) -Kate.
hrmm, explain. In great detail please :D
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holdplease2
Dec 28, 2004, 7:15 AM
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Howdy, Lazide, you've been quiet...
I was aiding in zion...walking, ahem, "bomber" cams (yellow and green aliens). I wasn't paying close enough attention, selected one a size too small (blue), add that to a little rock grind and I had about 130 feet of line out, and wow. Won't do that again. First aid fall.
I had enough time to realize I was falling and then stare at the grigri on my harness and wonder if it would catch. It did.
-Kate.
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healyje
Dec 28, 2004, 8:11 AM
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Saturday before last out at Beacon took a ride on a Metolius #1 TCU unexpectedly with a shower of shards from a handhold that cut.
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holdplease2
Dec 28, 2004, 8:15 AM
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Easy, Killer... ;)
I mean I'm wondering which piece will catch the next fall.
:)
-Kate
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mntnman1973
Dec 28, 2004, 8:15 AM
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My first and only lead fall was on "A Womans Work Is Never Done" 10c in J-Tree. That also was my first lead on anything above 5.8 in J-Tree. It was on a #1 Trango tcu just below the crux. I oozed right off at the nasty smear near the top. It ended up being about a 12 footer.
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the_dude
Dec 29, 2004, 4:57 AM
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I had a cinch hanger blow on me up on El Cap (The swaging on the hanger was bunk). I was all relaxed after getting off a short string of marginal placements and resting on the rivit when it blew. I took about a 30 footer and was caught by a blue alien. When I jugged back up to the peice and took a look at it, I saw all the lobes hanging out of the crack.. the trigger was holding me! I just about soiled myself.
Cheers
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dirtineye
Dec 29, 2004, 8:19 PM
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Let's see, Big cams, (as big as the number 6 friend) little cams, (the green zero friend) various nuts and tricams in just about every size, ballnutz, sometimes in semi anchors under a crux, sometimes singly, some falls short some longer, all uneventful.
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lazyjammin
Dec 29, 2004, 9:02 PM
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Took the twelve foot fall onto a number three metolius power cam in a flared horizonatl slot just big enough to fit the cam. It was the only piece between me and the ground, man was I happy that that thing held.
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angry
Dec 29, 2004, 9:08 PM
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Unless I'm mistaken, Castleton is wingate, not Navajo.
I fell 10 feet on the Navajo of Potash road on a black alien. It kept me off the ground.
I once clipped some fixed webbing that looked like beef jerky, it held too.
I pulled a bolt out of the rock, looked at it and stuffed it back in and clipped it. I didn't fall on it but it might have held.
I self arrested with a hand jam once, pure luck, I couldn't do that again.
I've taken several good size falls on little nuts and blue aliens, some even on ball nuts.
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thewyseclimber
Dec 29, 2004, 9:28 PM
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In reply to: I self arrested with a hand jam once, pure luck, I couldn't do that again.
And would you WANT to do that again? Sounds like it might be painful...
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dinglestyle
Dec 30, 2004, 1:10 AM
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Registered: Oct 27, 2003
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Blue Roise 5.8+
#8 Wild County Stopper
Ye Gods 5.8
Fixed lost Arrow piton
Fly with the Falcons 5.11
#00 gray cam (smallist gear i have fallen on it was a short 6-8ft fall)
Un-named (Seneca 5.8-9)
#1 Black D cam
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cgranite
Dec 30, 2004, 1:35 AM
Post #21 of 138
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Registered: Aug 5, 2003
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#6 Metolius Powercam- 15 ft. fall
I wasn't very far past the piece, but I suppose my belayer had me loose.
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micronut
Dec 30, 2004, 1:47 AM
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In reply to: What piece arrested your fall? Did anything else pop out before you were caught?
I've fallen many times, with a few 20'+. I took a 20 footer onto an old #3 stopper with not that much rope out and it held, although my belayer jumped, which had to help. The only piece I've ever pulled in 12+ years was a #00 tcu, poorly placed when I was gripped on a crystal. Fortuately, I had a nest of small wires a few feet below.
In reply to: Has this made you buy triplicates of one piece and use others for paperweights? Off_Route
Depends on where I'm climbing. On granite, a double set of cams for sure, maybe even triple #1's and #2's if I'm using camalots, with some nuts. At other areas, a double set of nuts, with small cams mostly. My favorite piece is the yellow metolius, and I always carry 2, and they save my head if not my ass on almost every route.
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mtnjohn
Dec 30, 2004, 9:13 PM
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A while back I took +/- 40'er onto a #7 stopper.
It held fine.
Also, i took about a 15'er on Catchy Corner onto a small (can't remember which) quad cam, it blew and added another 10'-12' to the next small quad, it held.
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healyje
Dec 31, 2004, 9:38 AM
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Thinking about it, over the years I've really fallen on pretty much my entire rack at one time or another and multiple times on most of the small-mid size cams and mid-large size nuts.
Probably the most notable are a 30 footer onto a #3 Crack N' Up. I have always used them for free climbing pro - but, you have to have them slung right for the webbing to not be cut on a fall.
Lots of falls on a spider web ring of equalized small brassies where we really plowed through a bunch of Air Voyagers (think early Screamers); we pre-sliced the Air Voyagers with a steep diagonal cut through about 6 bar tacks to give the web of pieces time to equalize; most of the falls were 30+ feet and a typical fall would take out about 15-20 bars.
And I've taken endless dives on all my ball nuts. I have never had one pop and no they aren't hard to clean, in fact I've never had one that didn't come right out after multiple falls.
Once I took a short dive and avoided dying on a small wired peck placed end-for-end with the rope falling through the gate on clipping as I fell.
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