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OW
Trad climber
Patagonia
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Topic Author's Original Post - Feb 12, 2005 - 07:19pm PT
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Cam in rotten rock?
Tiny nut?
Hook?
I was working around the house and my mind wandered to a the first time I ever fell onto a hook. I was on really steep choss above a killer slab. I had a Lowe Ball in under the lip of the roof that was a body weight piece, then I'd hooked a few moves in a row up a rotten seam. I was beginning to get concerned about the consequences of a fall as I was staring at the hook I was on and the pebbles that were crumbling out from underneath it.
Up at max reach was what looked like a solid 1/4" edge, so I put a leeper on it and started to tension up the daisy. Just for good measure, I tapped the lower hook a couple of times with the trusty hammer, then started stepping up the upper hook. I got to the second step before it blew. I saw life flash before my eyes, knowing the lower hook would blow, then the Ball, then the slab. But the lower hook held!
Worried that it wouldn't hold for long, I placed the leeper in the divot it left when it popped, got on it and found a good thin seam from the top step. I'd wanted to do the pitch clean, but I wussed and got a knifeblade into that seam faster than you can say "dirty undies". It was all over then, cruiser to the top.
That made me think back long ago to the first ever lead fall I took and how fixed that nut was. 40 minutes it took to get out! Anyone here take a whip on a piece they thought would blow out? Ever get nailed hard by a piece when it popped out?
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BKW
Mountain climber
Central Texas
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Feb 12, 2005 - 09:07pm PT
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Second or fourth pitch? going to Sickle ledge. Upslotted a black alien just before the tension traverse. Tested it and it popped. Placed it again (it was all I had that would fit) tested and it popped. Placed it again and it held but didnt like it. Moved up and stepped out of the aiders to make a free move and realized was standing on one of my etries.
Could not stand up. Could not go down. Decided aw f*#k it and stood up anyway. Came off and falling thought "The shitty black alien!" It held! Got back on and was a lot more carefull about where my etries were.
Ended up bailing off of Dolt that try.
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Clayman
Trad climber
CA
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Feb 12, 2005 - 09:14pm PT
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Whipped onto a poorly placed blue alien behind in a shallow slot on the second pitch of atlantis in the needles. Only 2 out of 4 cams were in but the brass ring on the upper stem of the unit slid down and acted like a stopper when i whipped, thought for sure it was gonna rip. my bro couldnt clean it but townsend was able to get it out when they did the route the next day. Townsend- thanks again man, i thought it was there for good!
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akclimber
Trad climber
Eagle River, AK
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Feb 12, 2005 - 10:55pm PT
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I remember the first time I didn't fall on a tiny nut-would have died if I had. Was about half way up the first pitch of a FA. it was a face climb with sparce protection. There was a vertical crack that I was barely able to get a micronut into. About 10 feet below that was a cam, and then nothing to the deck after that-about 30 feet below the cam. I was about 35 feet above the micronut and no placements in sight, the wind was whipping across the face so hard I was getting off balance. If I had peeled off the nut would have gone and I don't think the cam would have helped a whole lot.:) I barely grabbed a nubbin I could sling just as I was slipping off. Finished the climb uneventfully after that but my heart was pounding!
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dirtineye
Trad climber
the south
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Feb 12, 2005 - 11:30pm PT
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Yes.
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Eric Chisholm
Trad climber
Sebastopol, CA
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Feb 12, 2005 - 11:44pm PT
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I've only taken one leader fall on gear! From about five feet of the ground on to a #10 hex. Took for ever to get it out!
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timmy_t
Trad climber
Fort Fun, Colorado
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Feb 12, 2005 - 11:49pm PT
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Hehehe, one time I peeled off of this climb and ripped the piece I knew was going to rip and the next piece (#2 forged friend) fell back into a pod and slid 6 inches down the crack before it caught me on just two lobes on the cam stops. That was the first time I ever fell on cam stops.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Ca
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Feb 14, 2005 - 01:37pm PT
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Pulled two pieces before decking off The Pirate at Suicide. Learned never to lead on brass nuts. Still hurts when I think about it.
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Lambone
Ice climber
Ashland, Or
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Feb 14, 2005 - 02:00pm PT
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My first fall on a hook was on my first trip up El Cap, on the Tripple Direct.
Classic gumby hooking, didn't want to make the 5.easy mantel onto the big ledge so I broke out the hooks.
This was on the pitch that traverses over to camp IV of the Nose. I pulled out my wad of hooks and cliped my aider biner through the webbing on the big one, all the other hooks remained clipped through that webbing also.
This was a brand new hook, and I just tied the webbing right before, and it had not been weighted yet (foreshadowing). So I jump on the thing, fully commiting right away since it was a bomber placement...and the freaking webbing comes UNTIED!
uuuggghhh...falling! A weird upsidedown pendulum sort of fall. My last piece was only about 5 ft down, but my partner must have had a bunch of slack out because I fell and swung at least 20ft.
The only reason this is worth mentioning, is that two bad things happened. #1-the rest of the hooks that were also clipped into that webbing went flying down the Nose....f*#k. And #2-I had a good grip on that ledge when the webbing blew and must have tried to hold on during the fall because my shoulder was partially seperated. While falling and swinging I remember swiveling it around to get it back in place, an instinctual thing. It hurt reall bad, for the rest of the climb I couldn't lift my arm above my head.
Two lessons I learned about hooks. When using one, take it off the biner with the rest of the hooks, so you don't loose them all, and check the knot. AND...don't hold onto the wall when testing a hook, if it blows you are bound to dislocate your shoulder...which is a very bad injury to have way up on a big wall.
cheers
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