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matt
Jun 28, 2001, 2:55 PM
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What's your most frightening climbing experience? I havn't been climbing long enough to have anything to share...but what about you? Feel free to spill it here.
The following was added to this post by craig+abi:
i was held up at water fall boven by to black male men one with a pistol, and one with a huge mother nife , stole ditital camra 2000rand normal camera 250 rand of my own and stole clothes. on the run be care full!!!!!!!!!
my coach gearald camp fall of the one end of the rope (one side was shorter than the other)almost died ,one child,
[ This Message was edited by: craig+abi on 2001-07-24 09:45 ]
[ This Message was edited by: pushtheextreme on 2001-10-01 16:00 ]
[ Edited title ]
[ This Message was edited by: rrradam on 2001-11-16 19:11 ]
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kagunkie
Jun 28, 2001, 7:15 PM
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Decending is usually the most dangerous part of a climb...While decending the East Ledges after an ascent of the Shield on El Cap in 1997 I came as close as I ever want to being killed for a climb. After topping out around one oclock in the afternoon we hiked for several hours with our haul bags on our backs to reach the first rappell. We only had a short distance to the top of the rappell (terrace) and while I was leaning over to downclimb a short scramble my hundred pound load slid up over my head throwing me compleetly upside down and left me clinging on for my life! I yelled for HELP(the only time in almost thirty years of climbing) but my partner was too far away and could only watch as I struggled to hang on to the rock. I remember thinking I AM NOT READY TO DIE and that is when the addreniline pumped me up to a level of superhuman or GOD GIVEN strength. You can get real strong when something is trying to pull you off a thousand foot cliff! First I tried to get the bag off my back and let it fall instead of me but I couldnt let go to get rid of the damn thing. So all I could do is pull myself back up and hope I didnt slip and I thank GOD I did pull up and I didnt slip. Next time I WILL CARRY THE $$#@!!%$&% STUFF DOWN IN TWO LOADS EVEN IF IT TAKES A WEEK. Fatigue is a very crafty enemy of the climber. After a week of climbing and hauling with only a limited amount of food and water. Dehydration, hunger, and tiredness add up to FATIGUE and quite likely compromized judgment. So stay smart and dont be afraid to change plans or suffer a little longer. YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT.And by the way your life does flash before your eyes. I know becaus in that moment I saw everything that ever meant anything to me and now I know there is something more important in life than climbing, LIFE. Im now fourty years old and still CLIMBING MY ASS OFF....FIGHT GRAVITY MAN
[ This Message was edited by: kagunkie on 2001-06-28 20:36 ]
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wandt
Jun 29, 2001, 1:27 AM
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Trad leading a 5.10- corner in Squamish (Witch Doctor's Apprentice) I got to the crux at the little roof. Being severely overweight at the time, 5.10- was about my ceiling for anything, let alone onsight leading, so I was anxious to take a rest. There were no good gear placements, so as I was chalking up, trying to shake out, getting ready to tackle the polished smearing up next I glanced down to see that my last two cams had walked themselves out of the crack (I use longer slings now to eliminate rope drag). That left two nuts below, and then the ground. Fortunately, I made it up to a good sidepull and bottlenecking crack and stuffed it with as much gear as it would take and I could spare. Then I finished it. Whew.
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compclimber
Jun 29, 2001, 3:29 AM
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I have a new one every time I go climbing
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coach
Jun 29, 2001, 6:10 AM
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A partner of mine and I were climbing in Austin, TX and had just arrived at the wall and were scrambling up an area that was only about 5.6-5.7 to get to the top to set up a top rope. The route was only about 50-60 feet with a ledge about 30 feet up. I lead up to the ledge and as my partner approached the ledge I pulled out a camera to get a shot of him. He reached for a hold I had used just below the ledge and as he pulled up on it I snapped a shot which showed the hold and entire rock coming off in his hand. Luckily he didn't fall but it made me think about the fact that I had used the same hold not a minute before. I still have the photo with him holding a rock about the size of a football and looking surprised!
Climb On
[ This Message was edited by: coach on 2001-06-29 06:12 ]
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moses1
Jun 29, 2001, 11:42 AM
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i was climbing indoors on a big wall i had just taken a piss so i loosend my harness to get it out. well i went to climb and forgot to tighten it up and i started to climb well i got about 8m up and had put my right hand on a hold lower than my body and lurch for a hand hold with my left well i missed the hold and ended up going upside down and fell out my harness the crapiest feeling ever is seeing a landing mat come towards u. luckly al i did was wind myself and crack 2 ribs. that was scarry
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mkadlec
Jun 29, 2001, 11:50 AM
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This didn't happen to me, but I ran into a couple of climbers in Tuolumne last year and thought I would share this.
Two climbers we met had just completed climbing Daff Dome, when at the top they decided to smoke a joint. They started the descent (it is hard to find the rap rings at the best of times), and went down the West side and missed the anchor rings (north side). They were cursing as they downclimbed , when one of them noticed a piton right next to him!
Stoned as they were, they freaked and slowly climbed back up, and eventually managed to find the rap rings.
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trevor
Anonymous Poster
Jul 2, 2001, 11:42 PM
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I moved this topic because I thought it was better in the Injury forum...so here is mine.
I was top roping a 35 meter slab with a 60 meter rope. Yea, I know ... the math just doesn't add up. However, I didn't realize how high I would end up short from the bottom so I set it up and started rapelling down. Well to make a long story short, I tried to start climbing back up to a ledge after realizing I was still several feet off the ground and I pulled a 1 to 2 cubic foot boulder out of it's place. "Luckily" I was able to place it back and to look back down for another hand hold. Right then I hear something above me move to realize that the boulder had slipped again and had just fallen about 3 feet to knock me in the head-any higher and I would have been dead. But this was just hard enough for me remain concious and able to hold my own belay. Yes that's right the rope still wasn't long enough to reach the bottom so I was belaying myself...very stupid .
After I had lost about a pint of blood from the top of my head, I was able to finally stop the bleeding rappel down two cliffs (I was pretty high up) and hike out of the canyon. I have never seen so many strange stares from fellow climbers and hikers.
I came very close to serious injury or death because of a stupid mistake. Make sure you always buy a longer rope and never take shortcuts!!
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kagunkie
Jul 2, 2001, 11:58 PM
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one time i was climning up and i looked down and two friends fell out of the crack and that was scarey. really i mean it it really happend to me but im ok now. i went to the doctor and he gave me a labotomy and now im ok really ok now ok now ok now.
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matt
Jul 3, 2001, 7:26 AM
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Trevor, man I'll bet you still have nightmares about that experience!
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russman
Jul 3, 2001, 9:58 AM
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KoolKitty
Is this a CLimbing Camp that you are working with or what. I have been in charge of a number of Summer camps with climbing and ropes courses and we have NEVER ahd any problems...it seems like you guys are experiencing a lot of mishaps. Is it you and a couple of other climbers teaching kids? What are the ages of all climbing participants? Counslors? Just seems to me like a lot of problems. I know yoru original Director bagged out due to injury, so are he/she not overseeing anything at all, or not around at all? Just some ???'s
Trying to learn more of your problems and mishaps. Reply to this are private message me.
The Russman
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matt
Jul 3, 2001, 2:42 PM
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It seems you and your camp are slightly prone to disaster?
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coach
Jul 6, 2001, 6:22 AM
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Koolkitty,
Some short advice. Remember that you are supposed to be in charge, so take charge. I teach kids here and if they don't listen or do things they are told not to do they simply are sent off the course. Don't try to be their friend. Be the boss, it's your way or the highway. Safety can't be ignored, especially if you are dealing with young kids. The legal impacts can be too great. Hope this helps.
Climb On
[ This Message was edited by: coach on 2001-07-06 06:22 ]
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kagunkie
Jul 6, 2001, 7:18 PM
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Watching a guy step backwards off a twenty foot boulder and then pretend he meant to do it was pretty frightening.
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kriso9tails
Jul 31, 2001, 6:41 PM
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I've had times when I should have been scared, like risking a 40 foot ground fall (I have worse because I can be stupid, but that's what came to mind), but I wasn't at all bothered. However, just last week I was no more than a foot above the first draw and I found myself panicing. I think I get uneasy when I feel physically weak and tiered from not eating or sleepning properly. I have never been a fraid to die, but smashing into an arete is scarry to me. When I am afraid I'm usally still rational, but a wave of futility usually hits me. I just want t let go and give up. Once in a blue moon I'll wuss out and take a fall instead of pushing on. That is irritating, but it's hard to avoid
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kriso9tails
Jul 31, 2001, 9:15 PM
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It's not really a problem seeing as I've only ever been creeped out like that twice, and I've only ever really wussed out about three times out of hundreds of routes.
Nothing scares me with the exception of maybe kraken or blue whales, and even the I'd have to be swimming in the ocean and it would only be mild fear. I think the real trouble is the guilt of giving up, but somedays that's probably the best thing to do before you screw up and hurt yourself.
Oh yeah, shashing into aretes and ledges can be scarry too.
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kagunkie
Aug 1, 2001, 8:55 PM
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orgasmic...... do you climb at home in Mi.? How much time do you spend in the states each year? What kind of climbing do you do in Nepal and the Swiss Alps? Maby the other people on the site would like to hear some of your stories. You must have a ton of them. Lets hear some of your favorites.
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phishphan
Aug 1, 2001, 10:03 PM
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That was great! Tell some more stories!
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darkside
Sep 25, 2001, 10:59 PM
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I've been climbing several years now and consider myself a safe climber. I believe we get occasional wake up calls not to get complacent and if we're lucky these come from other peoples actions. Hopefully the other people are lucky too. Some people in this forum are extremely fortunate. I have lead 5.10's but last year was cruising a 5.5 in New Hampshire with a couple of friends. I started the first pitch with sun and blue sky but by the third pitch it had clouded over. One of my partners had lead easy gear but the other had only lead sport so I was taking the lead. During the fourth pitch rain appeared down the valley so with the route being a rising traverse, unknown rap stations/retreat options below us, we decided the best option was to finish the route quickly before the rain reached us. I started the fifth pitch and shortly after the rain came over the top of the cliff. Being something of a scramble I was running out the pro to move faster when my right foot slipped on damp lichen. As I barn doored I remembered my last hex was some 20ft below me so when I landed on the ledge I had just stepped from I crumpled and offered a prayer for my good fortune. I continued. On the sixth pitch the light mist had changed to light rain, the clouds had closed in and I couldn't even see my belayer, never mind the road. The fall hadn't bothered me but now I had to get my two partners off the cliff and if I fell I doubted their ability to get me off even though one was a paramedic. With the cliff being enshrouded in cloud and rain it was unlikely that attention could be raised for rescue and my last view of the parking lot told me other climbers had left. I felt it was all on me to get us off so ignoring the rain I climbed with extreme care and placed bomber gear. I was starting to get a little hyperthermic because of the rain and temperature drop by the time I started the final pitch but the rain had stopped. As I topped out I realized the climb would have been a lot of fun in the sun, which had now decided to make a reappearance. It also occurred to me that I had just had my ass kicked by a 5.5 and my humility was restored.
Regardless of the grade, the undertaking and risk should never be underestimated. Climb safe.
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kagunkie
Sep 26, 2001, 1:12 AM
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Randy.... I remember you telling me that story years ago, I guess I really didnt take it seriously enough since you still remember it that vividly. Its funny how we just discount what others tell us about how dangerous and how due respect climbing really is. Now another master of stone (Bill) has died, performing a relatively simple task, it makes you think about things. Its almost like something bad is bound to happen sooner or later. Just stay right in life, you could go at any time, so love life and those around you. After all its not what you remember its how your remembered.
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kagunkie
Sep 26, 2001, 1:23 AM
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Grant.....
Thats a hard way to learn about how serious climbing can be. Thankfully you made it and hopefully you will never face those circumstances again. Its amazing just how forgiving the world can be, just watch out for the day of no forgiveness.
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bart
Sep 26, 2001, 2:50 AM
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Coach, have you submitted that photo yet? If so, how is it called? If not, just do it!
Please... :veryinnocentandbeggingface:
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talons05
Sep 26, 2001, 12:10 PM
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20 ft. runout about 80 feet up, near the top of it there was a hold just enough out of reach that it would require a deadpoint. Scary as hell to totally let go for that second to go for that hold. When I caught it, I think I made about 2,223,512,251,651.36 promises to God that I would be the perfect person if he didn't let me fall of of that hold... Then i pulled past it to the beginning of a wonderful crack system hungry for gear...
AW
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kagunkie
Sep 26, 2001, 8:45 PM
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Bills mistake is a lesson I hope I never forget.
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elcapbuzz
Sep 26, 2001, 9:53 PM
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I don't know where to begin. Whipping 70' while soloing an FA in Zion. No. How about running out of water on El Cap for two days. Uhh, I know, freezing to the wall, unable to move for three days. NO. I'VE GOT IT. I think the scariest moment in climbing was helping a friend, when he freed Free Rider, on El Capitan. He insisted on climbing 6 to 7 pitches at a time. I told him I didn't think I could keep up, hauling six pitches at a time. To make a long story short, he lead 6 pitches and I was lowering out (500 foot lowerout) the bags, with me on them. Well, this would have worked but the lower-out line he had, was not long enough. I couldn't see around the corner and I didn't want to just cut loose. After much screaming from above to "quit being a sissy", I cut loose, knowing it was against my best judgment. I flew around the corner and looked up, with HORROR. The line I was on slid across an edge. The rope was cutting. I I started falling. I fell 30 feet onto the bags. At first I thought "this is it, I'm dead". I came to a stop at the bags. I looked up and realized why I fell. The edge cut the sheath on the rope and my body weight sent my down the core of the rope. I finnaly stopped when the sheath got so bunched up, it could hold my weight. Ok. By this time I was shiting tweenkies. To make matters worse, I had to ascend the core. Yes, tiny little strands of line, that look like you would fly your kite with, not climb El Cap with. Well, that's got to be the time when I was most GRIPPED. Be Safe, Learn from mistakes.
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