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cliffmonkey2003
Aug 12, 2004, 7:15 AM
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So, I figured I'd post up about our little accident at Lumpy Ridge...
August 1: This was our second day in a planned week of trad climbing in RMNP and we decided to ease into our climbs with several short routes. Our reasoning behind this is pretty sound; we've never done a route bigger than three pitches (not even 3 full pitches at that). At the end of the week we had planned on tackling the North Ridge of Spearhead. My partner, Drew (osu_climber) is a solid 5.8 or 5.9 leader and actually has taken but one fall. We both seem to like the idea that "The leader does not fall". However, I have never led above a 5.6 and had only onsighted one or two of the 5.6 routes I've led. We did Batman and Robin the day before the big fall and I led two of the four pitches, my two being the longest ones, so I felt pretty confident in this leading business.
I was right to feel confident, I was going to lead the 2nd pitch of the two pitch route, Zingando, on Left Book at Lumpy (rated a 5.2/3!). I was pumped and so was my partner, we were ready to do this. Climbing among the Rocky Mountains is something neither of us had ever experienced. We live in Oklahoma, the approach was hell! But well worth its value in spectacular scenery. We were climbing within view of the summit of Long's Peak, I've always wanted to climb the Diamond, and our day could not have been going any better when we got to the bottom of Zingando.
We looked up and saw a climber belaying at what we thought was the first belay. We knew this was the route and looked no further into the situation than which way the climbers above were taking. We will never leave the ground with this mindset again. We racked up and Drew led the first pitch, which ended up being pretty short, considerably shorter than it should've been, and that was the first mistake made on the route. This was easy 5.4 to 5.6 climbing and I joined him at his belay station shortly after we racked up. Things were looking up. At this rate we might be doing a couple more routes than we had originally planned on. It was my turn.
I started from our funky position at the first anchor and quickly moved up a dihedral for about 8 or 10 feet and I was then out of sight of Drew. I worked fairly quickly compared to my normal pace and didn't spend a lot of time looking up and planning. Being out of sight of Drew meant two things that did not occur to me until after my fall. 1: Drew couldn't see the route that the 2 other climbers had taken. 2: Drew couldn't see any probable route or where I should be going when I was climbing and couldn't, therefore, give me any advice.
As I moved up, the holds became more sparse and the route eventually became an X-rated slab climb. But that's not what I saw when I was on the climb. I saw a bolt about 6 feet out of my reach and 3 or 4 protectable cracks within the next 40 feet. About 8 feet to my right is where I believe I should've moved to, an arete which would've provided safe 5.2 passage to the walkoff.
I chose to go left instead, towards the seemingly protectable cracks. Route description did not say it was runout at all and since I could not see around the arete, this was the obvious thing to do. Remember, I didn't look at the guidebook or topo. I moved up and clipped that bolt on some slab I thought could've gone at around 5.7, so I did think to myself, "Seems a little sketchy for the rating." But, oblivious to the danger, I kept going.
I said I had never led past a 5.6, and there is good reason for this, I can't TR above 5.9 and can only stick some 5.9's. I play it safe, usually. As soon as I moved past that bolt, I saw the first crack in my passage that would protect my falls. I got to it on some 5.7 to 5.8 slab climbing and nervously stuck a 0.75 Robot in its shallow mouth. I was nervous, because as I looked up, the climbing became harder, but I still saw those cracks, it looked a little runout but I was willing to try it then.
This was dumb, I kept going, I could've down-climbed to that shiny, very sound bolt and lowered off of it or gotten back on route. Anyways, I kept climbing, still, just out of sight of Drew and rarely conversing with him. I moved onto slab that was at the peak of my abilities, which until then I thought were 5.9 or lower, I'm convinced that I was leading a low 5.10 slab, but somebody please tell me if I'm wrong about this. I had never done anything like this before and I was a little scared at first, but I kept focused, real focused on my climbing. I made it to that second crack, 15 feet or so, above that robot.
This crack was unprotectable. I was crushed. It was a shallow groove at best. I knew by then that Zingando lay to the right of that arete and that I had made a big mistake. I have never been more scared in my life. However, I have also, never been more focused. It was the knowledge that I hadn't lost my head and that I wouldn't lose it that kept me going. I was confident... and stupid. I couldn't downclimb and the traverse right to the arete seemed more meticulous than the next 20-25 feet of upward climbing to the walkoff. I made up my mind and went up. I saw another crack and I knew that I could make it, so I kept my head, and didn't look back.
Crushed again, when I reached this second shallow groove. Now I was 30-35 feet above a cam placement that I didn't feel too comfortable with in the first place. Oh well, I kept going. I decided that I wouldn't be beaten.
I had no hands on most of this slab climb, balancing on tiny nubs and stable flakes, but eventually the small flakes started breaking under my testing foot and I got worried again. I thought that if I fell here, I would certainly not be limping away from Lumpy. I would be in a litter or a body bag, maybe even several 2 gallon Ziplock Freezer Bags. I still kept my head. I was gonna make it.
I got to within 6 or 7 feet of paperback ledge, the walkoff, and my right foot slipped. I struggled for a second to regain balance on my left foot, but overcompensated and started sliding downwards. After one split-second, I was yelling falling and feeling skin being torn from my hands. The pain was too much, so I pushed out, away from the wall and started tumbling.
Meanwhile, Drew only saw me for half a second before midfall, but he heard my yelling so he started taking in slack as fast as he could. He knew that I was runout, but he didn't know how much. He put on the brakes and I stopped.
I can remember the tumbling, but I can't remember thinking anything as I was falling. When I reached the end of the line and hung about 30 feet from the deck, I thought, "Holy s---, I'm alive." And then I felt pain. I groaned and Drew still couldn't see me. He had no idea whether or not I was alright. I heard him yelling, and my only reply was, "Let me down". I wanted him to lower me to the ground, but I didn't even think about ropelength and whether or not he would have enough. He did, luckily, and he lowered me down into a briar patch. I thought I would walk away uninjured when I reached the bottom until I saw my left arm. The adrenaline had hidden most of the pain. Drew even had enough rope left to rap down to the ground (barely). We both saw that the fall tore off the flesh on the back of my elbow for about a 2 inch by 4 or 5 inch gash and it went clean down to the bone.
Drew bandaged me up with a couple of bandanas I was carrying and he got our packs and started walking out. It didn't seem so long walking in, but the walk out seemed to take forever, so naturally I started joking about the situation. I think Drew was happy that I was able to joke about it and I did it more or less out of boredom, but also to ease his worries. We drove to hospital in Estes Park where I was put on morphine (first time for that, that stuff works wonders) given an IV and a Tetanus and told I was going to be transferred about an hour to Loveland for surgery.
I got to Loveland, and went through the surgery. All they did was clean out the rocks and bone and stitch it up. Then, I was out the next day.
When Drew went back to get our gear he met the two climbers I had seen across the way, on the bookmark I think, and they told him what they saw. Apparently, I had fallen about 80 feet. Drew got our gear including the Robot, which is what held me and told me about it all later.
I can't move my arm too well right now, but the doc said I should regain full mobility in it. My hand was pretty tore up too, but that's not a big deal. Drew has picks of the injury and will post them sometime. They aren't too gruesome looking.
I'm real sad that our trip was cut short, but I learned from it, and I'm grateful for that knowledge now. I was dumb in several instances, but those mistakes won't happen again. I learned the hard way this time, but I would rather not do the same again, so if anyone can offer alternatives to my decisions that would've been better, I would rather learn the easy way and be prepared, so your advice would be appreciated.
Also, if those 2 climbers are members of this site, please tell me what you saw. And if anyone knows of descrepencies in my story or can give info on what I was climbing on, I'd like to know about that too.
I was lucky, be smart guys, be prepared.
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shrubby
Aug 12, 2004, 7:35 AM
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glad to hear you made it out alright. hopefully youll get a chance to hit up that route again. the crack on the 2nd pitch is pretty nice.
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coclimber26
Aug 12, 2004, 12:54 PM
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Good report, thanks for sharing. Gives a good reality check in route finding skills and commitment on runnouts, I'm currious to see what route if any you were actually on.
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jdouble
Aug 12, 2004, 1:30 PM
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Yikes! Thanks for the exciting read, I could see myself reaching for just one more little flake.......
Did you have a helmet on?
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overlord
Aug 12, 2004, 1:57 PM
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man, that was some first fall.
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pt
Aug 12, 2004, 1:59 PM
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I hope you heel up quick! We have all made alot of mistakes that could have hurt or killed us. Sounds like you learned a few lessons from this experience.
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skateman
Aug 12, 2004, 2:12 PM
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Holy Sh@#! An 80 foot whipper as your first leader fall! I am also new to leading. Hoping my first fall is less than 10'. My main concern is route finding. So far I have only done leads
in area that I am very familiar with. (Not by choice, rather by convenience and time constraints)
Hope you are feeling better!
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highlife
Aug 12, 2004, 2:45 PM
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THATS HARDCORE! GLAD EVERYTHING WORKED OUT AND YOU LEARNED FROM THAT. MY FRIEND TOOK A 30 FOOTER. IT WAS HARD FOR HIM TO GET TO WHERE HE WAS LEADING HARD AGAIN. I THINK IT TOOK A FULL SEASON TO GET OVER IT.
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tyify
Aug 12, 2004, 3:00 PM
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Slab falls are killer. You usually remove large chunks of skin. My friend took a 35 foot fall which resulted in her hands looking like this.
http://www.rockclimbing.com/...p.cgi?Detailed=35923
Glad your okay. Getting sketched and doing something stupid like that sucks big time. Count your blessings and learn to judge what can hold pro from a ways off.
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boadman
Aug 12, 2004, 3:04 PM
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Way to take the whipper dude. Sometimes when you go for it you get fucked, and sometimes you get to the top...
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vegastradguy
Aug 12, 2004, 3:09 PM
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wow, quite a story...quite a fall.
i always bring a topo with me on route to consult before leaving belay, and if i get to a point on the pitch that i cant tell where to go, i'll try to get a stance, and barring that (if i feel that i could be in trouble if i dont check the topo), i'll hang off pro to double check. i've never had to hang, but i'm not opposed to it.
it sounds like not looking at the topo before you left the ground and not checking the topo before leaving the first belay were your primary mistakes. theres also the heading for a crack when you werent sure where to go. at your lead level, it may have been a better choice to lower off from that bolt. but then, i wasnt there, so i cant make that decision for you.
anyway, hope you heal up quick, and it sounds like you learned alot, which is a good thing considering the circumstances!
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xclimber47
Aug 12, 2004, 3:33 PM
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Wow, crazy fall.. thats quite a cam you got, you should frame that or something if it held an 80' whipper.
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holmeslovesguinness
Aug 12, 2004, 3:54 PM
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Wow.... talk about luck cheating the Grim Reaper out of his due. Route finding and being able to accurately judge the terrain ahead of you are pretty key trad skills. Some peope will say 'when in doubt, run it out', but I think you learned the pitfalls of that approach the hard way. At least you lived to climb another day, hope you heal up quickly.
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curt
Aug 12, 2004, 4:28 PM
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Here is may armchair analysis of where you erred. First of all, you got lost and off route. Then:
In reply to: This was dumb, I kept going, I could've down-climbed to that shiny, very sound bolt and lowered off of it or gotten back on route. Anyways, I kept climbing, still, just out of sight of Drew and rarely conversing with him. I moved onto slab that was at the peak of my abilities, which until then I thought were 5.9 or lower, I'm convinced that I was leading a low 5.10 slab, but somebody please tell me if I'm wrong about this. I had never done anything like this before and I was a little scared at first, but I kept focused, real focused on my climbing. I made it to that second crack, 15 feet or so, above that robot. This crack was unprotectable. I was crushed. It was a shallow groove at best. I knew by then that Zingando lay to the right of that arete and that I had made a big mistake. I have never been more scared in my life. However, I have also, never been more focused. It was the knowledge that I hadn't lost my head and that I wouldn't lose it that kept me going. I was confident... and stupid. I couldn't downclimb and the traverse right to the arete seemed more meticulous than the next 20-25 feet of upward climbing to the walkoff. I made up my mind and went up. I saw another crack and I knew that I could make it, so I kept my head, and didn't look back.
You obviously should have gotten back on route when you initially saw your error in route finding. Also, it was obviously bad judgement to continue because you then got yourself into a situation where you could no longer retreat. When trad climbing it is handy to be able to down climb everything you go up--particularly if the gear is sparse. I'm glad to hear that you will be OK though and that this didn't turn out to be much worse for you.
Curt
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jakemojo13
Aug 12, 2004, 4:39 PM
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Wow. That is crazy. I have yet to take my first trad fall. I am planning a looking glass trip this month which should be slabolicious. I will try to take some lessons from your account. Man, you should frame that robot and put it on your wall!
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gottarock
Aug 12, 2004, 4:49 PM
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very well written account of your fall. I have to agree with VTG, taking a topo on route or at least reviewing before you climb is key! I spent 4 days climbing at Lumpy last Aug. We did Hiatus, White Whale and Zingando on the Left Book. My memory of Zingando is that the first belay is a full rope length out... pass the roof to right and then follow up to belay station on small ledge with tree. I think that where you went left , the same crack system bears right, that was your route up to the Paperback Ledge and the walkoff. I didn't know that there were any routes to the left of Zingando... I wonder if someone has started bolting in a primarily trad area?
no biggie. you survived and can go back to Lumpy after you heal. good luck, have fun and climb safe.
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cliffmonkey2003
Aug 12, 2004, 4:55 PM
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No, I wasn't wearing a helmet, and I'm real lucky that I didn't hit my head on anything. Trust me, that will change.
Vegastradguy, I like your method of carrying a topo with you, and actually thought of that while I was in the hospital. That was kind of a bad time to think of something so important.
Curt, I definitely agree with your analysis. The routefinding and not knowing when to stop were my biggest mistakes. My partner and I agreed that we should stick to some routes that we know for a while and routes that we can see each other on. Maybe after a while of that, I'll have some more definite experience routefinding and making the decisions that count.
I am healing pretty quickly, and actually my left hand looked a little worse than the one in that photo, but its all scabbed up now. I think I'll be able to get back on the rocks again inside 2 months. I'm definitely getting back on the horse because I love climbing and appreciate this sport and what I can learn by it even more after my fall.
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pjcozzi
Aug 12, 2004, 4:59 PM
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Nice report. I'm glad to hear your doing good. I really hope my first lead fall isn't like that.
Pat.
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j_ung
Aug 12, 2004, 5:16 PM
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Aye, Laddie... Sometimes you take the whipper... and sometimes, the whipper... she takes you.
:twisted:
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cliffmonkey2003
Aug 12, 2004, 5:20 PM
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Comment from emt driving the ambulance to Drew:
"Left Book is good for keeping us in business."
EMT's are morbid people, but funny.
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markc
Aug 12, 2004, 5:42 PM
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In reply to: Way to take the whipper dude. Sometimes when you go for it you get f---, and sometimes you get to the top...
I don't think this is a positive attitude to have for new trad leaders. I'm admittedly conservative. However, someone who has never experienced a lead fall on gear taking an 80' whipper on a small cam is frightening. No offense to the OP, but several critical errors led him off-route. The chain of errors continued until he had an accident which required surgery. That's not something to treat casually.
He admits to not consulting the guide or topo, not knowing which major features to climb towards, and having a communication breakdown with his partner. If his partner had the topo/guidebook, the OP could have easily clipped in directly to the bolt and get some beta when it really could have helped. He pressed on in increasingly difficult territory rather than work towards easier climbing or downclimbing. He counted on protection that never materialized. I'm not trying to be harsh, I've made some of the same mistakes myself. It's part of the learning curve that isn't measured by ratings. I'm glad the OP is recovering. Happy climbing when you make it back out.
mark
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holmeslovesguinness
Aug 12, 2004, 5:43 PM
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In reply to: Comment from emt driving the ambulance to Drew: "Left Book is good for keeping us in business." EMT's are morbid people, but funny.
LOL. Lumpy really is kind of a pretty tricky place to climb in a lot of ways. Flared cracks and weird placements abound. Hopefully you'll get back there soon and take care of business.
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billcoe_
Aug 12, 2004, 7:59 PM
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Thanks for being honest and sharing. There is no advice any of us can share which would be better than the learning experience you got. Many of us have near identical stories and have survived learning experiences very similar, glad you're OK.
Having given CPR to a dead guy who augered in after he got off route once on the 1st pitch of a route he had FOLLOWED THE DAY BEFORE (he went straight up, route when right), simple errors of judgement and F*ing up can sometimes have horribly tragic and painful results.
Take care, and remember that knowledge truely is power:
Bill
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dredsovrn
Aug 12, 2004, 8:20 PM
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Sounds like a long list of lessons learned. Glad you made it.
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vayporz
Aug 12, 2004, 8:52 PM
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Good to hear your okay.... thank you for the story and reminder of how important it is:
1. For proper route finding prior to leaving the ground when possible.
2. For good communication during the climb, even when conditions hamper such.
3. To have a good partner like you did.
Thanks for sharing with us.
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