I am seeing more and more people who are admitting to being dropped and having a very lackadaisical attitude about it. If you ever drop a climber, then you SUCK have no business climbing. I have never been dropped. I have had one near drop but there is a big difference between the two. She suffered a rope burn and caught me. I have never even come close to dropping someone and don't ever plan on it. Is it me or are there a lot of careless climbers out there.
*pops up some microwave kettle corn and waits for the indignant gumbies who try to excuse any incompetent belayer who isn't in the midst of a grand mal seziure, a heart attack, or childbirth by saying "but it could happen to anybody!" *
Happened once. Wasn't far, but it still happened. Later that day, we were toproping and I locked him off about three feet off the ground and asked if he'd drop me again. He hung and cursed for about 5 minutes until I put him on the ground. Hasn't happened again.
IMO general population of climbers think that all it takes is to lock off the belay device and all will be well. There is way more then that to belaying.
Belaying is an art and it takes years to learn it and do it really well.
From your poll I voted "Once......." but to be honest I'm very glad that it happened.
Lessons learned:
#1 Don't fall when climbing with n00bs
#2 Try your best not to fall on gear in Limestone ( Ontario's limestone )
#3 If you must fall, it is always best to fall on top of your belayer, with this set up they will learn the lesson the hard way.
definitly, I went with a deaf kid once=disaster I didn't get dropped but I was constantly checking him on everything. I say "falling" response "what?" needless to say I never had him belay me again.
IMO general population of climbers think that all it takes is to lock off the belay device and all will be well. There is way more then that to belaying.
Belaying is an art and it takes years to learn it and do it really well.
From your poll I voted "Once......." but to be honest I'm very glad that it happened.
Lessons learned:
#1 Don't fall when climbing with n00bs
#2 Try your best not to fall on gear in Limestone ( Ontario's limestone )
#3 If you must fall, it is always best to fall on top of your belayer, with this set up they will learn the lesson the hard way.
I did fall on my belayer once... i weigh 200, he tips the scales at 140. I was climbing sport above my level, and above the last bolt(as runout as rumney gets) and took a fall... Fun times...
I got dropped. Once. The first day I ever climbed. My girlfriend was introducing me to climbing at a gym, she was (supposedly) experienced. I decked from the top bar and couldn't sit up for about a half hour, took another six weeks to get over the whiplash. Could have been worse, though.
I'm pretty particular about who belays me these days.
About 4 times over 13 years... haven't been dropped in at lease 7 years... Guess what folks, they all had GriGri's (where's that rolls the eyes smiley when you need it!)
I haven't been dropped, but there was one close call in the Ramsey Center Gym at UGA.
I was climbing a slabby route that was hard for me, and I'd managed about the first half without any trouble. Then an employee yelled "Hey, Stephen, got a stance?"
I didn't at the time, but that kind of question made me get one with a quickness. I looked around, and Dirk (the employee) had put me on a backup belay and was telling my belayer to unlock his gri-gri, turn it around, and put me back on.
I was some mix of petrified and pissed. I'm really glad I hadn't gotten to the top or fallen unexpectedly before Dirk caught the error.
but i did not hit the ground, so maybe it does not count as being dropped, but it is the closest i have come. technically i dropped about 15 feet really quick. just got that free-fall kinda feeling for a second then my belayer let the handle of the gri-gri go and all was good.
if you are the type of person to yell at a belayer for something like that, i would suggest doing it once you are safely on the ground again!!
I haven't been dropped, but there was one close call in the Ramsey Center Gym at UGA.
I was climbing a slabby route that was hard for me, and I'd managed about the first half without any trouble. Then an employee yelled "Hey, Stephen, got a stance?"
I didn't at the time, but that kind of question made me get one with a quickness. I looked around, and Dirk (the employee) had put me on a backup belay and was telling my belayer to unlock his gri-gri, turn it around, and put me back on.
I was some mix of petrified and pissed. I'm really glad I hadn't gotten to the top or fallen unexpectedly before Dirk caught the error.
So uhhhhhh...... do you douple chech everything before you leave the ground/belay now?
Happened once to me while a noob was learning how to belay. made it to the top of the climb and as he was lowering (gri gri) he some how managed to drop me when i was about 10ft off the deck. Didn't really get to mad with him, i was kinda still in shock about being dropped, although i carefully explained to him how to be more careful with the gri gri and how to better control the rope. climbed with him for the rest of the season and he never made the mistake again.
definitly, I went with a deaf kid once=disaster I didn't get dropped but I was constantly checking him on everything. I say "falling" response "what?" needless to say I never had him belay me again.
you don't trust him just cause he is deaf? Kid's lucky he didn't have to listen to your bitching while belaying you.
I haven't been dropped, but there was one close call in the Ramsey Center Gym at UGA.
I was climbing a slabby route that was hard for me, and I'd managed about the first half without any trouble. Then an employee yelled "Hey, Stephen, got a stance?"
I didn't at the time, but that kind of question made me get one with a quickness. I looked around, and Dirk (the employee) had put me on a backup belay and was telling my belayer to unlock his gri-gri, turn it around, and put me back on.
I was some mix of petrified and pissed. I'm really glad I hadn't gotten to the top or fallen unexpectedly before Dirk caught the error.
So uhhhhhh...... do you douple chech everything before you leave the ground/belay now?
Blasphemy!!! climb opn, your belayer will catch up... or maybe not.
I dropped my friend in the gym once, he was clipping from a greasy hold, then yelled take as he started falling, so when I moved I put my second hand on the brake side it got "sucked" into the atc, left a nasty burn scar on my finger. I felt HORRIBLE. Now I just let the person fall, a long fall is better than no catch. (He probably would have hit the floor anyways because he was trying to clip too low, at least that is how I attempt to justify it).
I did fall on my belayer once... i weigh 200, he tips the scales at 140. I was climbing sport above my level, and above the last bolt(as runout as rumney gets) and took a fall... Fun times...
it shouldnt matter how much more you weigh than your belayer. since rumney is generally safe im going to assume that you hitting the ground didnt have to do with his weight but his belaying. unless you were close to the ground way above the first bold. but this is a thread about getting dropped so i dont think thats the case.
anyways. ive never been dropped. im pretty carefull about who i let belay me so ive never really had that problem
I dropped my friend in the gym once, he was clipping from a greasy hold, then yelled take as he started falling, so when I moved I put my second hand on the brake side it got "sucked" into the atc, left a nasty burn scar on my finger. I felt HORRIBLE. Now I just let the person fall, a long fall is better than no catch. (He probably would have hit the floor anyways because he was trying to clip too low, at least that is how I attempt to justify it).
I dropped my friend in the gym once, he was clipping from a greasy hold, then yelled take as he started falling, so when I moved I put my second hand on the brake side it got "sucked" into the atc, left a nasty burn scar on my finger. I felt HORRIBLE. Now I just let the person fall, a long fall is better than no catch. (He probably would have hit the floor anyways because he was trying to clip too low, at least that is how I attempt to justify it).
Your posts makes no sense whatsoever.
Jay
We should go climb together some time, I can personally show you what happened.
(This post was edited by unrooted on Feb 16, 2007, 4:15 AM)
I've bee dropped twice. But thankfully have never decked. Once was the first time I ever went climbing. It was for a class at college and our teacher was belaying me. It was my winter recreation class and we were ice climbing. I was about 70 feet up when my axes kicked out and I fell about 20 feet before he caught me. He had been takling to the rest of the students about safety when he did this. I regrouped and finished the climb because i was too stubborn to come down. The second time was last summer. I was working at a youth at risk program. It was the end of the day and I wanted to get one climb in before we left. During the day I let the students do all of the climbing since the program was for their benefit. Well, the student that was going to be belaying was pissed off at me for askign him to belay again since he was already tied in. I took that chance of climbing with him belaying because there was a back up belayer and a staff standing between them with his hand on the rope. So, I made the mistake of assuming that three safety lines was enough. When I got to the top of the climb I called out "descending" the student replied "descend on". So I leaned back and a split second later I was stopped about 3 feet off the ground. I guess the back up belayer had started feeding out slack once i go to the top so he wouldn't have to when i was being lowered down. and the staff member was off in space. And the pissed off student intentionally let go of the rope to drop me. luckly the staff member was able to grab the rope and lock it off before I decked. I don't think I have ever been madder then I was at that moment.
The time it happened to me I was close to the ground, feel (10 feet maybe) and the rope stretched and I landed on the ground. My belay had no chance to stop me, I didn't/don't blame him, he did tell me he felt bad. I did walk away, but lesson learned, I'll use a less dynamic rope next time.
it shouldnt matter how much more you weigh than your belayer. since rumney is generally safe im going to assume that you hitting the ground didnt have to do with his weight but his belaying. unless you were close to the ground way above the first bold. but this is a thread about getting dropped so i dont think thats the case.
Go check out Three Easy Pieces at Upper Darth Vader and the one next to it. It's not too difficult to hit the ground there if you don't have a very attentive belay. I've seen people almost deck on many climbs at Rumney, usually because they're clipping too low, which the belayer can do little about.
Anyways, never dropped anybody, doubt I ever will. Seen it happen though, user error with a cinch. Sounds like that kind of error happens pretty often.
I dropped my friend in the gym once, he was clipping from a greasy hold, then yelled take as he started falling, so when I moved I put my second hand on the brake side it got "sucked" into the atc, left a nasty burn scar on my finger. I felt HORRIBLE. Now I just let the person fall, a long fall is better than no catch. (He probably would have hit the floor anyways because he was trying to clip too low, at least that is how I attempt to justify it).
Your posts makes no sense whatsoever.
Jay
We should go climb together some time, I can personally show you what happened.
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