GriGri Failure = Trip to Brokeback Mountain

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Polar Sun

Trad climber

Joshua Tree

Topic Author's Original Post - Apr 22, 2006 - 05:27pm PT

I thought the following accident description might prove useful to others.

On April 10 I was leading the third pitch of the Kor/Ingalls route on Castleton Tower in Utah. Mr. Kor thought this pitch 5.9 in 1962—I found it rather harder than this and was repeatedly taking at the third bolt. I called out “take” most of the time, although at least twice I just sagged onto the bolt at my waist. My belayer was about 55 feet below me and did not have a clear line of sight to me. On my last failed attempt I merely sagged onto the bolt and was startled to find myself plummeting backwards through space. I went approximately 25-30 feet before crashing onto a ledge flat on my back and head. Most of those present thought I was dead given the intensity of the landing. Remarkably, I was conscious, fully orientated, and able to be lowered to the belay ledge, rap off unassisted, and walk down the 1000 feet of talus to the car without assistance. I even managed to crack jokes the whole way. The only injury I sustained was three broken transverse spinal processes. This injury is considered minor and I was back climbing within ten days of the accident.

In a word, I got dropped. The rope was still attached to the bolt at my high point. The rope was a Beal 9.4 Stinger being used with a GriGri. The belayer was experienced enough to know not to ever release her brake hand from the rope and her recollection is that her hand was on the rope the whole time.

All four of us present at the scene have generated a million theoretical scenarios about what happened to allow nearly 50 feet of rope to go rocketing through the GriGri. No one will actually ever know what happened.

It was my choice to use a rope that is smaller than Petzl’s stated 10 mm minimum rope diameter. However I have tested this combo repeatedly, and anyone who spends time around high end climbers knows that ropes as small as 9.1 Beal Joker’s routinely hold falls successfully when used with a GriGri. But I did break Petzl’s rule on the matter, so in that regard I perhaps sealed my own fate. Quien sabe.

Belaying a leader with a GriGri is an expert’s technique that requires a lot of hand dexterity. Perhaps I overestimated my second’s skill level.

The one overwhelming conclusion I drew from this experience is that my life-long rule about NEVER leading without a helmet is a sound one. I am CERTAIN I would have been severely injured or killed had I not been wearing a brain bucket-—the CRACK! my beanie made hitting the rock sounded like a gunshot.

WBraun

climber

Apr 22, 2006 - 05:33pm PT

"her recollection is that her hand was on the rope the whole time."

So 25 to 30 feet of rope went through her hand?

Polar Sun

Trad climber

Joshua Tree

Topic Author's Reply - Apr 22, 2006 - 05:35pm PT

This would appear to be the case.

WBraun

climber

Apr 22, 2006 - 05:37pm PT

So if that is true she did not belay correctly?

I use a 9mm with gri-gri and one must be very diligent with the belay. I wrap the rope around my belay hand at critical times for extra security.

Belaying is a very intense matter not to be taken lightly even with a gri-gri.

Ammon

Big Wall climber

El Cap

Apr 22, 2006 - 05:45pm PT

Wow Gene, I'm glad you are ok. I thought Petzl stated that a Gri could be used with an 8.5 and up.

I've actually heard of this happening many times. On a few accounts the belayer pulled on the inactive end of the rope (like a regular belay device), creating just enouph friction for the camming mechanism not to lock up.

Polar Sun

Trad climber

Joshua Tree

Topic Author's Reply - Apr 22, 2006 - 05:54pm PT

Petzl's official party line is 10-11 mm ropes. For awhile there were some GriGris that were stamped 9.7-11 mm. When I just checked the Petzl website they are back to stating the 10 mm limit.

Hardman Knott

Gym climber

Muir Woods National Monument, Mill Valley, Ca

Apr 22, 2006 - 05:58pm PT

Ammon wrote:

I've actually heard of this happening many times. On a few accounts the belayer pulled on the inactive end of the rope (like a regular belay device), creating just enouph friction for the camming mechanism not to lock up.

I got a nasty burn doing just that when I first started using a Gri Gri in the gym.
I was instinctively holding the rope as one would with a traditional device.
It created enough tension to let the rope slip through. It all happened in a split second,
and the result is that the climber fell about 4 extra feet at roughly 1/2 speed.

Burning flesh does knott smell good!
But luckily it was only a small 2nd degree burn.

Edit: It was my right brake-hand that got burned, if that wasn't clear.
So how is that your partner didn't suffer massive burns when all that
rope slid through, assuming she never let go with the brake hand?

dirtineye

Trad climber

the south

Apr 22, 2006 - 06:40pm PT

Does the belayer have rope burns on her hands?

How is so much rope going to rocket though the device without burning the hand that never left the belay line?

I just do not see any reasonable explanation that will save the belayer from considerable guilt in the matter.
Something is rotten in Denmark.

I'm glad you lucked out! What sort of helmet was it?

Polar Sun

Trad climber

Joshua Tree

Topic Author's Reply - Apr 22, 2006 - 06:44pm PT

The helmet was a Petzl Elios to which I had added a one inch thick "bumper" of foam at the back to keep the thumbwheel assembly from punching a hole in my head. I hit square on my little foam bumper.

Shack

Big Wall climber

Reno NV

Apr 22, 2006 - 07:14pm PT

Rajmit that has to be your stupidest post yet!
You make an awfull lot of assumptions there without any facts.

JuanDeFuca

Big Wall climber

Stoney Point

Apr 22, 2006 - 07:35pm PT

Have you been having problems with your girlfriend?

kevin Fosburg

Sport climber

park city,ut

Apr 22, 2006 - 08:45pm PT

I think the "ever more pinner" rope tendency has bottomed out. Recently, a friend I was belaying had a brand new super skinny lead line. I forget the actual stated size but it felt like a 9mm. I definitely felt compelled to adopt the wrap-around-the-hand failsafe mode Werner mentioned. I also do that when belaying with gloves ice climbing.

Polar Sun

Trad climber

Joshua Tree

Topic Author's Reply - Apr 22, 2006 - 09:37pm PT

The GriGri in question was essentially new and was inspected post acccident for a secondary wear grove. It had none.

healyje

Trad climber

Portland, Oregon

Apr 22, 2006 - 10:25pm PT

Gene, glad you're ok. My experience with skinny lines in grigris has been if they can get moving then they'll keep moving and can get away from a rappeller or belayer pretty quick if they aren't paying attention. This is probably a case where it works fine for normal uses 95% of the time but woe on he or she that stumbles into a situation where the mechanics all line up for it to start running at a moment when a belayer not familiar with the risk is momentarily pre-occupied distracted, inattentive or unaware (which could easily mean just be looking up at the leader for a stretch...). This is a case of our belaying products not really pace with the new ropes. Petzl really needs to come out with a "skinny" version of them.

JuanDeFuca

Big Wall climber

Stoney Point

Apr 22, 2006 - 10:50pm PT

Has anyone died as the result of a Grigri misuse?

Holdplease2

Big Wall climber

Yosemite area

Apr 22, 2006 - 11:12pm PT

Hey Gene:

I am so glad you are relatively OK. Man.

I think your belayer was not holding the rope, friend. 50 feet of line and her fingers would be half gone!

My guess? It was threaded backwards. If you are more used to belaying topropers than leaders with the grigri...and you have it threaded backwards, it makes perfect sense that as the leader climbs it is *not* grabbing the cam when you feed rope.

Just a guess, I know. But still.

-Kate.

aldude

climber

Monument Manor

Apr 22, 2006 - 11:24pm PT

So remind me, why use such a heavy,expensive,flawed techy device when simpler,cheaper,lighter time tested devices will suffice??

Jaybro

Social climber

The West

Apr 22, 2006 - 11:36pm PT

Routes (esp at your limit) with lots of loose rock are not great choices for skinny ropes.

"Belaying a leader with a GriGri is an expert’s technique that requires a lot of hand dexterity."

That's not exactly a sandbagged pitch, either.