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rainydave
Apr 1, 2003, 6:37 PM
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Some pretty scary stories, guys! I've got one too. I was out with two friends, in the middle of nowhere, working on an overhanging 5.11+ on toprope. I was not tied in, as I was showing my partner the first few moves to get off the ground. As I slipped/hopped off the rock, my partner, (who was tied in), thought I was falling and grabbed me. We swung out over the ravine and he lost his grip. Everything got quiet for a bit, and then I heard a loud crack as my back connected with a pointy rock before flipping me down into the ravine. When I stopped falling, I was pretty sure that my days of walking around were over :shock: and then I went into shock. To make a long story short, everything turned out to be OK in the end, but I was in a world of hurt for a long time after that. I think my little sister put it best when she said that the sole purpose in life for some people is to serve as a warning for others. I wonder if she came up with that on her own? :wink:
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ckershner0
Apr 1, 2003, 9:49 PM
Post #77 of 100
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Registered: Jan 8, 2003
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Short story...
Went climbing with my g/f and it was her first time belaying outside, and i was leading..... bad idea. I get about 70 feet up, and look down to ask her something, and she has both hands off the atc and looking down while cleaning under her fingernails.
Moral of this story... always make sure your belayer knows how to belay inside and out.
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kman
Apr 1, 2003, 9:56 PM
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Sounds like she can't belay period, inside or out. What a stupid thing to do.
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veilneb
Apr 1, 2003, 10:02 PM
Post #79 of 100
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Rainydave: Your sister didn't come up with that one.
Check out this link: http://www.despair.com/mis24x30prin.html
It's on a site about 'Demotivators' called Despair.com
Funny stuff!
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petsfed
Apr 1, 2003, 10:23 PM
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Desperately few desperates to my account. I guees the worst amounts to "Don't tell my mother I'm doing this." Other than, climbing through small flowing waterfalls would be about it.
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enigma
Apr 2, 2003, 8:27 AM
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In reply to: Kind of curious, how many days are in a week? This topic has been in here in the longest week in history.
Yes that's true!! Hmmn,Why :?: Isn't there any other topics that caught the attention of "Selected Committee"???
Or Maybe they just want to keep reminding us that climbing is dangerous??? Maybe an idea for a new thread, "/close calls forever", 8) catchy name--hmmn what do you think??
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katydid
Apr 2, 2003, 12:00 PM
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Actually, there have been a few problems with the site that have made it well-nigh impossible for the ToW editors to edit the topic. Once that is fixed, the Topic of the Week will start changing again.
Kate
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mtnmanmicah
Apr 3, 2003, 2:10 AM
Post #83 of 100
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Registered: Feb 1, 2003
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While trying to get off a waterfall that was basking in mid-day sun shine, my partner and i decided that we were going to have to down climb 15'or so after rappelling because the ropes were not going to reach the belay ledge. The only anchors were off to the side on rock because of ice quality.We had simuclimbed this same section on the way up. Any way my partner went down and made it to the ledge so then I went, and at the piont where the ropes ended, and i was to down climb my partner yelled "ice" "#@%$". I melted in to the wall best I could wrenching down on the rap lines still in my belay device. I was hit directly in the upper left leg and spun 180 degrees and fell 10'. After all the ice dust cleared I realized my crampons stuck in a little blob of ice what luck, I then climbed back up and got one end of the rope and then down climbed to the belay ledge where my partner had a new anchor ready. We still had two more piches to rap and we tied knots in both of those lines!
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darkside
Apr 7, 2003, 5:13 PM
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Hey not bad, this has been topic of the WEEK since February. It's now APRIL.
What's wrong with this picture. Did someone have an accident with topic selection?? :roll:
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climbingmusician
Apr 11, 2003, 8:54 PM
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Registered: Jan 4, 2002
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I think that I put this in my profile. It was back in when I was in high school I think it was my junior year of school and I was at a climbing area in CT. It had rained earlier in the day but had dried off by the time my climbing club was going to go climbing that day. I was belaying a friction climb for one of our fairly new members. My belay was a self belay off my harness backed up with some pro in the rock I was sitting on. My instructor checked my belay and back up to make sure it did it right and it was fine. The rock happened to still be wet and the girl wasn't able to make it all the way up. So I lowered her back down and had her about half way down when my back up broke (actually it was the rock that broke). I braced myself while belaying her down then when it totally broke I went flying (well not literally just a good pendulam swing about 3 feet off the ground) I still had her on belay and luckly there was a spot where she could stand on comfortly. My instructor grabed me and held me down while I lowered her the rest of the way down to safety. It was kinda scary at the time but luckly I didn't let go of the rope and kept the climber safe and myself.
Its amazing how well a 120 pound person can hold the weight of someone that is about 200 pounds on belay and themselves off a bina and my harness. It was definatly scary and to think if I had let go we both could have been seriously injured but luckly I kept my cool and no one got hurt. I definatly learned that no matter how small and light a person might be you can hold twice the amount of your weight on your belay and that no matter how safe and secure your back up is in a rock it can always break. 8)
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texasclimber
Apr 14, 2003, 9:33 PM
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Registered: Jun 19, 2002
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Well, yesterday I was climbing in Potrero Chico for the weekend. It was our last day and we were going to do a sigle pitch climb called La Olla (the wave), 5.10b. It gets its name b/c the top looks like a breaking wave.
I set up the rope through the anchors for my partner to lower me (they were thick lowering rings). So I'm being lowered and I get to the 2nd bolt (35 feet up) and I hear my belayer say, "Oh sh*t!" I look down and he is holding the rope with nothing more than his hand! He neglected to tie a knott in the end of the rope in case the route used the whole rope. I used slings to clip into the 2nd bolt while he climbed up a little and put me back on belay.
I finally got back to the ground and didn't know how to feel. On the one hand I was pissed at my belayer b/c he should have been paying closer attention; but on the other hand, he saved me from breaking both legs or worse. ALWAYS TIE A KNOTT ON THE END OF YOUR ROPE!!!!!!!!!!
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smiley
Apr 15, 2003, 8:48 PM
Post #87 of 100
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Registered: Apr 9, 2003
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Just a kick in the forehead from the guy above me on my first climb. And I wasn't roped.
Lesson: rope, wear the right footwear, keep some distance, listen to experts who chew your guide out, and always perk up when your guide doesn't listen.
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skiorclimb
Apr 16, 2003, 9:47 AM
Post #88 of 100
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I was climbing at Rumney, NH with a novice belaying for me when I had a mini-epic followed by the strangest close call I have heard of. I was waiting to get on some moderate climbs 5.10ish at the bonsai wall. The only climb not occupied was war + peace a 5.9 jug haul. War and Peace was dripping water from many of its' holds however I decided it wouldn't mater with such big jugs.
Half way up I grabed a jug that was full of green slime, I tried to scoop out the slime or get around the hold but couldn't. Right next to war and peace is a 5.10(forgot name) that looked prety reasonable. I could keep makeing forward progress but was now pretey high above the last bolt I cliped on w+p, what kept hapening was I would get to the hieght of the bolt on the 5.10 but the bolt would be surounded by wet rock.
By the time I got to the clains (also surounded by wet slick rock) I was looking at a definate ground fall. As it was the climb was easy to top out so I; bypassed the chains, through a sling around a tree, climbed down to the chains, then finaly back to the tree to retrive the sling.
Ok here's the close call part, I through a biner around both sections of the rope so I could clean my draws of this unintended link-up route, and called to be lowered. When I reached the ground dangleing next to my head was a forty foot loop of rope. When I gave the rope a little shake out came forty feet of slack!
What makes this strange is that to clean this diagnol route I had to realy man handle that rope right to the last (first going up) bolt, it seems incrediable that the rope didn't get unstuck while I was on it, but came unstuck with just a lite shake afterwards.
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renobdarb
Apr 16, 2003, 11:23 PM
Post #89 of 100
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In reply to: Rainydave:Check out this link: http://www.despair.com/mis24x30prin.html It's on a site about 'Demotivators' called Despair.com Funny stuff!
This is one of the most hilerious websites i've ever seen... i laughed my a$$ off...
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fivel
Apr 17, 2003, 2:49 AM
Post #90 of 100
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Registered: Apr 17, 2003
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Yea I got a pretty good one too.
Just this past weekend we went backpacking in colorado national monumet. I did not bring any of my gear except for 4 carabineers, about 50 feet of webbing about 20 feet of cord and then my harness and my chalk bag. Well after we made our camp I just saw this pretty easy looking climb that was about 50 feet tall. So I'm thinkin oh piece of cake no problem. Well it was up until about 40 feet up when I got myself into a pretty big jam. I needed to rest so I take out my webbing and tie a water knot and then I clip 2 carabineers on it. I think well, I have no nuts so maybe if I just jam this carabineer into this nice Sandstone crack and bash it in it will hold me. So I stupidly go through with it and I place it and I kind of pull on it and I decide it is ok so I clip in and am about to take my arms off and just hang but I think, well I had better test this again. I un clip and grab the end of the webbing and pull really hard and then whole entire thing comes out including some of the rock. That was the dumbest thing that I have ever done and will NEVER REPEAT so dont try it.
I managed to get up to the top by down climbing and then moving around and finding some better holds but that was a close call.
Now I look back and I think
carabineer=Nut!!!!!!!!!!
man I am dumb
Never do that
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texasclimber
Apr 17, 2003, 1:53 PM
Post #91 of 100
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In reply to: veilneb wrote: Rainydave:Check out this link: http://www.despair.com/mis24x30prin.html It's on a site about 'Demotivators' called Despair.com Funny stuff! This is one of the most hilerious websites i've ever seen... i laughed my a$$ off...
That is one funny ass site! HAHAHA :lol:
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loren
Apr 24, 2003, 4:28 PM
Post #92 of 100
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Registered: Jan 31, 2002
Posts: 54
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I was getting ready to rap off of the first pitch of a two pitch climb at the Red River Gorge in KY. I was tied into my anchor with a figure 8 on a bite so I needed to untie in order to set of the rapel. So, I took a runner, clipped one end into the equalized point of my anchor and the other end in to my belay loop. At that point I weighted the runner by leaning back on the ledge and proceded to untie my knot.
After this happens, my partner reaches out and grabs me by the shirt and pulls me onto the ledge so that I am no longer wieghting my runner. When I look down I see that somehow when I clipped my runner onto my harness the webbing came out of the biner. The webbing was just caught on the lip of the biner OUTSIDE OF THE GATE. I had been leaning over backwards off of the ledge 70 feet off the deck, attached only by a piece of webbing hanging on the outide lip of the carabiner.
It actually didn't scare me that much at the time, I clipped it in and rapped off. Laying in bed that night though I couldn't help thinking about how close I'd come to death. What if I'd adjusted enough to make it slip off?
I guess the moral of the story is: Redundancy! (and maybe girth-hitched webbing)
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mattheww
Apr 27, 2003, 3:47 PM
Post #93 of 100
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Registered: Apr 16, 2001
Posts: 121
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I was with a friend and his climbing partner at T-Wall a few years ago before I started climbing. My friend was belaying his partner and at the very top of the climb the guy puts in his last pro before he reaches the top. To test it, he leaned back and bounced on it for some reason and the piece of pro popped out. As he fell, his other pieces of pro popped out one by one until finally, one a little below the middle of the climb held. Luckily my friend was taking up slack(shortroping) after seeing the third piece of pro pop out and was able to stop his partner about 8 feet from the deck. As you can probably guess, after a 80ft fall he decided to call it a day.
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voethoek
Apr 27, 2003, 6:29 PM
Post #94 of 100
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Registered: Apr 27, 2003
Posts: 5
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never change a winning concept :D
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voethoek
Apr 27, 2003, 6:57 PM
Post #95 of 100
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Registered: Apr 27, 2003
Posts: 5
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well gooday all glad to be here (still) 8)
my first close call was a belay error. i was climbing with a group of beginners (i consider myself one too) we were climbing a 5.10 and using thatone to climb a 5.10c alongside it. we used a wacky traverse and the rope was shaped to the wall as if zorro had just been there. i tried to keep cool...so far so good. finally i had finished the last meters and the rope was in the bullhornhook (scuse me for my lingo im still learning :)) i came down taking my stuff out of the route. at the last one there was a lot of tension on the rope and my belayer was standing 30 yards out on the footpath. with all my strength i pulled myself to the wall and in the movement i opened the clipper; the rope was loose...and i was laying flatout on my back my butt hurting like hail wondering what the h.. happended. lucky for me that fall was only 12 foot and my reflexes spared me a broken foot or worse.
the second one is a classic i think: i was climbing near my limit (5.10b at the time) and forgot to distribute my clippers evenly on each side .thats were murphy's law kicks in. at the third bolt i ran out of clippers at the good side. My left hand was crossed over my right in the hardest move of the route..i could touch the bolt with my nose it seemed.my arms were pumping up and i had to let go...not seeing the the rope had crossed over my right leg...i released and the next thing i saw were my mates looking at me quite pale as i was hanging 20 cm above the ground..upside down..
realizing i nearly lost my head i smoked a sigaret (kind a) and did some really eazy routes with no foreclimbing anymore that afternoon :)
is last one is a silent killer i think: i multipitched a route witch two other beginners...one of them quite heavy and three really heavy backpacks..(never understood what i crap i dragged along then) well anyway the climb went good after some trouble hauling up the bags (were i was assigned the humble task of guiding them over an overhang..) really content and tired i packed up my crap and put the backpack on my back.not realizing were i was standing...a little moment of not paying enough attention was it to make me lose balance and if not for the little very stuburn mountain bush (thank you gaia)i would still be lying looking at the birds on the bottom of the verdon gorge.
my advise...put on your backpack at a safe place, check your equipment in accordance to the route or pitch you will climb and be sure of your mates and thank gaia for strong bushes.. :twisted:
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jono
Apr 27, 2003, 10:28 PM
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Registered: Aug 6, 2002
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me and my partner were climbing and i was belaying. his foothold came loose and a chunk of rock about a foot wide came down. it just about hit me and his brother. anyway, belayers wear helmets too, or at least i do now.
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renobdarb
Apr 28, 2003, 4:21 AM
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this should be called "Topic of the Spring".
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ptone
May 2, 2003, 5:40 AM
Post #98 of 100
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Registered: Mar 5, 2003
Posts: 350
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I took my friend to the gym for the first time the other day.
Wanted him to get the first belay etc lesson from someone else
(people I know and trust) and play climb a bit to get used to it.
They use grigri's in the gym, I had my ATC (never leave home without it;^)
but it was his first belay so I figured I was safer this way, grigri's being idiot proof...
BWAHAHahahahahgackhicasput...ahem...
Yeah, but idiot's aren't grigri-proof!
So I climb up a bit, jump, catch, cool. We talk about how the system works, I feel good, and he's just had his lesson...
So up I go, dancing tr to the top (about 14m to the tr anchors in our gym, 19m to the roof), yell 'take', no problem, sit back, ahhhh.
Take my hands from the wall.
Swoosh-jerk-bounce! drop a couple meters.
I yell 'slower!' with a big smile.
SWOOOOOOOOOSH-JERK-SWINNNNG :shock:
When I stop swinging I'm staring into his eyes.
'Just a couple more feet' I say 'This harness is pinching!'
Some will say 12m to scrape a gym floor is nothing, but I was glad I peed before the climb!!!
Seems when he pulled the handle back (too fast, too far) and the rope hissed he froze for a sec before letting go. Only takes a sec! The autolock did save me tho...
I've heard the grigri's handle called a 'gas pedal'
Now I know why :D
Happy trails...
-p
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dynoguy
Oct 1, 2003, 5:26 PM
Post #99 of 100
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Registered: Sep 6, 2003
Posts: 730
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This may be off topic bought I just read John Long book "Close Calls", it was pretty good. I liked the one where the guy falls naked out of the hammock while tried to have sex and is only tied in by his ankle :lol: !
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corpse
Oct 6, 2003, 2:45 PM
Post #100 of 100
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Registered: Jan 17, 2003
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In reply to: This may be off topic bought I just read John Long book "Close Calls", it was pretty good. I liked the one where the guy falls naked out of the hammock while tried to have sex and is only tied in by his ankle :lol: !
I heard that too - except I think in 1st person from the person it happened too on this site? I could be wrong. Lucky for her his protection worked. I just hope he didn't have his nuts lodged in a crack at the time.
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