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celticelement
Feb 5, 2003, 11:34 PM
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Just curious again. Does anyone know how long the longest survived fall is, roped or otherwise? Or how about the longest, start-to-deck, fall to have someone walk away from it?
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slabbyd
Feb 5, 2003, 11:42 PM
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OK, it wasn't a climbing fall, but I believe there was a European stewardess who survived the break up of an airliner at some obscene altitude, like 30,000 feet. She fell to earth in a section of the fuselage. Swear it's true.
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tenn_dawg
Feb 5, 2003, 11:43 PM
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People have survived Falls from 13,000 feet when their parachutes refused to deploy. They probably tacked towards a tree, or just got freakin lucky. (freaking lucky for sure) Travis
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tenn_dawg
Feb 5, 2003, 11:45 PM
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There was a belly gunner in a bomber in WWII that was shot out, and fell to the earth without a parachute. He landed on a steep incline in the Swiss Alps, and survived. Sheeeeit. I would have died before I ever hit the ground. Travis
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jhwnewengland
Feb 5, 2003, 11:51 PM
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Yeah, I've heard about those long ones too. As far as climbing falls: I'm sure there's been longer, but John Krakauer tells of a man (British Army, I think) who tried to solo the North Face of the Eiger, fell from 500 ft., and survived (uninjured) after he landed in some deep snow. That's in Eiger Dreams.
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bandycoot
Feb 6, 2003, 12:24 AM
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I believe that Dan Osman has set some records of roped falls. The one that I know of was (very roughly) 1100' on nothing but climbing gear, more than factor 1 fall.
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traddaddy
Feb 6, 2003, 12:24 AM
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I think it was 2 years ago during the derbyfest in the Red River Gorge, that some guy led Scabies (5.9 sport) on gear in the flake. At the top there is pretty much no feet...he slipped...bounced on his top piece, then all the pieces zippered and he decked! (uninjured). We saw him at Miguel's that night. Not the longest fall, but a good story anyway!
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phitty
Feb 6, 2003, 12:30 AM
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Longest fall a human survived: 6 miles and 551 yards; Vesna Vulovic, in the broken off tail section of a DC9 Jan 26, 1972 over the Czech Republic. 2nd Longest: Nicholas Stephen Alkemade, Royal Airforce Gunner, March 24, 1944, 18000 feet, landed in some trees and then the snow.
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beyond_gravity
Feb 6, 2003, 12:33 AM
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I don't see how someone could fall from an airliner at 30,000 feet. Even in the fall didn't kill you the sudden loss of cabin presser would have.
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atg200
Feb 6, 2003, 12:39 AM
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obviously she really died then. someone once decked from the third pitch of High E in the gunks - a soloist who peeled. landed in some trees and walked away without much injury. whoa.
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peas
Feb 6, 2003, 12:46 AM
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From the Squamish Guidebook: "So what's the longest "I walked away" groundfall at Squamish? In 1979, Paul Kindree soloed Diedre up to the last pitch, and finished off by a traverse to the right onto Sparrow. He slipped, and fell the height of almost three entire pitches before he landed on the treed ledge of Sparrow. Friends top-roped him out." I sure wouldn't want to skid down 3 pitches of slab.
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wv5ten
Feb 6, 2003, 12:53 AM
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not the longest, but nothing i would want to happen to me, my friend Ben decked at 50 feet. That was a few years back, broke pretty much everything, healed up and started climbing again.
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slabbyd
Feb 6, 2003, 12:57 AM
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"Longest fall a human survived: 6 miles and 551 yards; Vesna Vulovic, in the broken off tail section of a DC9 Jan 26, 1972 over the Czech Republic." That's just friggin cool!
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w6jxm
Feb 6, 2003, 1:10 AM
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The lady who fell from that airplane was sucked out when a portion of the roof tore off. She landed in some deep snow somewhere in the Rockies. (I'm not sure but I,ve heard that she broke her toe on a can buried in the snow) FYI, loss of cabin presure does not kill someone. The only reason that you cannot survive at that altitude is because lack of oxygen (That is the simple explanation; it is more complicated than that) The physical limit of the human body without a presure suit is roughly 57,000 because you blood begins to boil. Below that level you have to have suplimental oxygen to keep from becoming hypoxic.
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flamer
Feb 6, 2003, 1:36 AM
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Charlie fowler fell down the ENTIRE LOWER EAST FACE OF LONGS PEAK AND WALKED AWAY! Apparently there was a large pile of snow that had accummulated all season, this cushioned his fall. josh
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slab-dyno
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Feb 18, 2003, 6:16 AM
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I know a climber who fell 65 feet when a trail collapsed underneath him. He got up unharmed. Jimmy
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easysteve
Feb 18, 2003, 7:10 AM
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57,000? Are you sure? I thought it was something like 60,000, or 62,000 feet. I don't have math backing it up, just something I read on a website.
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godsmybelayer
Feb 18, 2003, 9:31 AM
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the altittude at which your blood starts to boil is some what theoretical, and is not an exact altittude but a range of altittude. The reason for this is that atmospheric density tends to vary depending on where your at in the world in the upper atmosphere. But safe to say, unless your in an SR-71 the odds of you encountering this in a Jet are none. And even then, those guys wear a thing like a space suit. So I guess it is none! :!:
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vertical_planar
Feb 18, 2003, 11:48 AM
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In a huge fall (like an airplane fall) it doesnt matter if you fall from 10000m or 20000m. After a point the falling body reaches marginal velocity wich means that it does not accelerate any more by falling. This is because its speed has increased to the point that the air resistance force (which is proportional to velocity) has become equal to the gravitational force. So excluding other parameters like air density in different heights and different falling positions,etc it wont matter much if the height is 3000m or 13000m
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clymber
Feb 18, 2003, 2:10 PM
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Threres a climb in El Portero called Texa Tumble. Some guy from Texas fell for the top of it not once but TWICE. Not on the same day either. Not really sure why you would want to go back to a climb that spit you off once and made you deck. Hell if i survived to ground falls I would be playing the lottery. If you are lucky enough to survive that you have to be lucky enough to hit the big jackpot
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curt
Mar 1, 2003, 11:02 PM
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Long before he became the clothing guy, Yvon Chouinard took a 150 foot leader fall attempting the first ascent of the Direct North Face route on the Crooked Thumb in the Tetons. He was belayed by Bob Kamps. If I recall correctly, this was in 1959. Curt
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apollodorus
Mar 2, 2003, 12:06 AM
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There used to be a story circulating in Yosemite Valley that Jim Bridwell took a 300 foot factor 2 fall on Half Dome. I don't remember the particulars, but it somehow involved his being yanked off a belay ledge and falling past the one below.
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thedreamingtree
Mar 2, 2003, 12:08 AM
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I beleive marginal velocity for a skydiver is 118-120 miles per hour I saw this on tv today. I guess it would also vary according to weight. just food for thought. Peace
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repseki
Mar 2, 2003, 12:20 AM
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i thought the term was "terminal velocity" not marginal. also, this would not vary for the weight of the falling person, becasue mass does not affect the speed of a failling object. if they were hugly overweight they would have more air resistance though so they would fall at a slower rate. not very much slower.
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braaaaaaaadley
Mar 2, 2003, 12:42 AM
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repseki- i was just about to say that, but you beat me to it!
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