The following is from Mt Project about an accident at Foothill Crag (Ventura CA). Obviously some inexperienced climbers who would have benefitted from some good advice. Best wishes for a decent recovery.


«just heard from someone who spoke with the belayer that was involved in this accident. Here are the apparent details:

Two local teens were planning to top-rope the 90-foot tall route "Roothless Poodles" (5.10a).

The individual who would later become the victim built an anchor that consisted of one continuous loop of 1-inch webbing that was clipped with carabiners to 3 different bolts. The rope was then passed through the end of the loop of webbing. No carabiners were used to attach the rope to the loop. The second climber complained that the anchor "did not seem right." The first climber reported that he had "done it this way before."

The individual who had built the anchor then successfully climbed the route with the rope running directly through the webbing. He sat back and began to be lowered off of the anchor. Approximately half way down the route, the rope sawed completely through the webbing anchor.

The climber dropped approximately 45 feet, remaining upright and clawing at the rock as he descended. The climber suffered life-threatening injuries including 3 broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a broken pelvis.

The injured climber was air lifted to a hospital. He is expected to make a full recovery.»

The individual who had built the anchor then successfully climbed the route with the rope running directly through the webbing. He sat back and began to be lowered off of the anchor. Approximately half way down the route, the rope sawed completely through the webbing anchor.

My thought on this is that the inexperienced climber had probably seen someone rapel with a the rope directly on webbing. He may have thought that if rapelling is ok, then lowering off should be fine.

Hi

I read this a couple of years ago, seems appropriate. Maybe someone can learn something from it.

http://www.theuiaa.org/...ff_and_abseiling.pdf

jep

Ska

As tragic as this is, it would have been even worse if the friend who spoke up was the one who was injured.

Interesting read. The melt-through times were surprisingly short in those tests.

Edit: Sorry, folks, we're too far out of hand. Socalclimber, I would have loved to leave this alone and wait

for you to log on and self edit, but remarks like yours lead straight into escalating noise. In this forum, those days are

over folks. I get how frustrating it is to hear about accidents like this, but please keep the tone mature or don't post at

all.

Posts in this thread have been moved to the Recycle Bin. If yours was a reasonable response to the initial hoopla, I

apologize, but it probably went, too.

Jay

I get how frustrating it is to hear about accidents like this,

The stats of the accidents speak for themselves, and will continue to do so.

What is going on is disturbing. It is also predictable. This isn't fucking bowling or knitting. This is a very dangerous way to spend your time. The more that people hear this, including the "loved ones", the better.

The shallow response would be: then let the stats do the talking. To a slightly greater depth, I'd rather not see you banned, socal.

Besides, there are plenty of places for the free reign of feelings outside of I&A - assuming the new moderator rules aren't quite so heavy elsewhere.

Bill L

Your premise here is a good one: climbing has risks, the consequences of mistakes can be high, and people need to know that. What you don't seem to understand is that when you post statements that essentially say "it's too bad the climber who fucked up didn't die," you've derailed discussion of that good premise. This thread is no longer about a climbing accident and what climbers can learn from it -- it's about you, and whether or not you are a heartless asshole.

It's too bad you still don't get it.

JL

If you want to protect peoples feelings, then don't encourage them to pursue an activity that is inherently dangerous.

<snip>

Perhaps this can be somehow factored into the moderator policy. Or maybe it has. Is a blunt-and-to-the-point style that risks insults really in conflict with the site's goal of 'mature' posts in I&A?

Bill L

I very clearly understand what's going on here. Apparently you do not.

I think, though, that there is a difference between a blunt-and-to-the-point-style versus writing that you think it is sad that someone DIDN'T die, no matter how ignorant their actions.

I think, though, that there is a difference between a blunt-and-to-the-point-style versus writing that you think it is sad that someone DIDN'T die, no matter how ignorant their action.

This exactly the place for these feelings to be presented.