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shutupandclimb
climber
Palm Desert Ca.
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Topic Author's Original Post - Oct 7, 2008 - 05:07pm PT
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I would guess that on the average, I take real falls on gear 4-6 times a year. By a real fall, I mean a legit whipper, not plugging in a piece and yelling take. Sunday I took a fall on a route that I have climbed numerous times without problem. It is a slabby route and I Hit an outcrop which flipped me into a headfirst orientation. This is the first time that this has happened to me in over ten years of at least 2-3 days a week climbing. I don't normally wear a helmet unless I am in an alpine setting. I am considering changing this.
How often do you folks fall? What was your best/worse? how recently was your last fall?
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Blakeb
Big Wall climber
Ashland, Oregon
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I fall about twice a month, and when i read your post i started thinking that this is not many falls at all, when i use to pursue sport climbing i pushed myself to the point of falling more frequently and so i believe that i must not be pushing myself very hard when climbing on gear. SO, maybe the reason i am not climbing harder, has nothing to do with alcohol consumption and fat around my mid section, and more that i am not pushing myself to try harder routes because maybe i dont like falling, i have never had a bad fall so why do i dislike and tend to climb routes i feel confident on. I also dont wear my helmet all that frequently and have been reconsidering because my friend recently took a 20 footer on to his head and probably would not have survived if not wearing a helmet.
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Blakeb
Big Wall climber
Ashland, Oregon
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I fell off the couch last night, i fear no beer, its the floor that hurts
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happiegrrrl
Trad climber
New York, NY
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I try not to fall. I like to succeed and haven't reprogrammed myself ala Warriors Way to see falling as a success....hahaha.
I took a 20 or so foot fall a month or so ago, on Moonlight at the Gunks(p1, at the lieback section). The route was wet and that section was very wet. I didn't want to commit to the strenuous lieback, and was trying to make the move straight on instead. Bad idea....
I barn-doored and couldn't swing it back. My foot clipped the rope at the last placement and began taking me backwards. My partner (first time climbing together) had commented about my non-helmeted head and I was like 'I can't hit my head! She'll be right!!!!" I seriously had time to think that and I remember making an effort to swim upstream as I was going down. As the rope caught me, it righted me upwards.
It was on double ropes and the stretch was quite long. Came very close to a ledge system, but stopped a few feet above it. Surprising, since my foot was not very far above the last piece of gear placed.
Anyway, it ended up as a completely clean fall, luckily. My partner was pretty freaked out about it though. I think the rope in the system and stretch sort of took her by surprise. I got the tightest wedgie belay climbing back to the gear!
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Anastasia
climber
Not there
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I thought gear was used only as protection, it is there "if" you fall. Gear is not something that one should feel solid about falling on without regard. I was taught that when you lead, falling shouldn't be an option.
That is why I rarely fall on my gear and yes... I also rarely lead hard climbs. (Yes, I am a too chicken to do anything else.) When I do need to push the limits, I do it on top rope where falling is not an issue.
AF
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Jaybro
Social climber
wuz real!
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Pretty much every time I climb at my limit I take some falls. That's how I know it's my limit...
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Gary Carpenter
climber
SF Bay Area
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Riley,
I took a fall at the same place on Sacherer a couple of years ago before we started training for off-width. Got almost to the top but couldn't quite make it...slid down and bounced off the chockstone. The fall was clean and the pro was a sling on the chockstone. That fall was to motivation to build the OW crack machine.
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shutupandclimb
climber
Palm Desert Ca.
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 7, 2008 - 05:59pm PT
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I guess for me, falling is part of the game. I know when my gear is good, and the rewards are definitely greater when you truly find the edge of your personal envelope. Falling is ALWAYS scary,but the feeling of elation and the maniacal laughter that follow are Sooooooooooooooo gOOd.
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Dwain
Trad climber
Apple Valley, California
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Annie;
You beat me to it.
OLD SCHOOL Tradition was,
that you didn't fall on trad gear.
Top rope is a different matter.
That's when I push myself, and do really hard stuff I may fall on.
Don't get me wrong, I HAVE fallen on gear, but every time it's been something that had nothing to do with how hard it was.
ie; holds breaking off, belayer pulling me off, swift buzzing me and actually hitting me in the face.
In 44 years of climbing, I have probably fallen 15 to 20 times.
Dwain
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August West
Trad climber
Where the wind blows strange
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Unexpected whipper, less than one a year. But what is a "real" fall. Way back when I was trying to redpoint five and dime, I fell the first dozen or two times I tried it. Some were "takes" when I wimped out instead of going for it, but mostly I placed a couple of pieces, went for the crux and [predictably] popped off. Maybe ~ten foot fall or so. Hardly a whipper, but not sagging down on a piece a waist level. However, it has been a while since I've been in that sort of red point, trad mode.
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rhyang
climber
SJC
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Curious to know if any of you who have had spinal fusions have had any advice from your surgeon about taking lead falls .. I was pretty much of the 'leader must not fall' mindset prior to my surgery, and even moreso now.
I led ice before trad, and that is definitely the attitude people have on that medium (lead fall on ice usually = broken ankle). I have a hard time shaking it even if I am leading something with bolts.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
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On lead I fall less than once a year. Less than that on gear. I've only taken small falls on gear and had it stick, I plan to keep it that way.
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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Too bad you added on gear..... : )) guess mosh pits don't apply.
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GOclimb
Trad climber
Boston, MA
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Rarely. Very rarely.
GO
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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I tend to fall fairly regularly and took an unexpected 40-50' dive not to long ago on an FA project. It all worked out fine in the end as it always seems to - to date, anyway. Coming from an early history of mostly overhangs and roofs, the whole 'must not fall thing' is pretty weird to me...
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hoipolloi
climber
A friends backyard with the neighbors wifi
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I don't fall all that often, not as often as I wish I could sack up and do, but I find myself climbing with the mentality mentioned. Sometimes I wish it wasn't so, but, oh well..
My biggest fall was at this place in Spain called Riglos. If you have climbed at the Pinnacles, it is almost identical to that type of rock(s). The main difference is Riglos has many climbs anywhere from 5-10 pitches.
We set out to do this route that moves up a steep section of wall into a big deep alcove, cave type hole, then traverses out and up into a massive 4-5 pitch 2 to 3 foot wide chimeny. When I was leading out of the alcove traversing left and moving upwards I quickly became aware of how runout and pumpy the climbing was, pulling over multiple bulges on big huge round river rocks. It was a blast.
As I pulled over the last bulge to get to a stance where you would clip an old 1/4incher, the rock (big river rock welded into the mud-like cement rock that holds them all together, you know what I mean), I had both hands on this rock, move my left off of it, and BOOM. The entire stone blew out of the side of the cliff and I went FLYING. I was about 10-15 feed to the left and 20ish feet above my last piece (an old bolt in one of these river rocks equalized to a horizontal yellow TCU). Thank god the thing held but I took a massive penji and banged the sh#t out of my right knee on this giant river rock sticking straight out of the wall. It was pretty brutal, I ended up about 15-20 feet below my belayer. I thought i blew my knee up, in the end it was just real swollen and kinda f*#ked up but no permanent damage.
I don't know that it really effected my attitude towards falling, hell, if Im going to fall, thats how I like it to happen, by surprise and suddenly, no time to think about it.
Lets see if I can get a few photos posted of Riglos..
The main formation, you can see "El Purro," a freestanding needle in front of the main formation at center.
The lesser formation set
The guy seconding is 74 years old, and climbing sold 5.10 climbing. He started putting up routes at this place in the 50's with hemp shoes and wooden pitons.
Me loving life..
Anyways, sorry to hijack the thread a little.
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Shimanilami
Trad climber
San Jose, CA
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When I'm sport climbing, I fall - and I don't mean take, I mean whip - probably half a dozen times a day. When you're climbing right at your limit, it's inevitable.
When I'm trad cragging, it's less ... perhaps twice a day. Some may think this is a lot, but I'm climbing on granite and I know how to protect myself ... only one broken ankle so far. (I somehow managed to catch the only knob within site with my foot.)
When I'm climbing multipitch or alpine, I try a lot harder to avoid falling.
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le_bruce
climber
Oakland: what's not to love?
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One fall this week, Farewell to Arms @ Donner, onto a yellow Alien.
I was spit out of the top, crux crack onto the last piece I placed before it - wasn't even close to climbing it clean.
The raspberried hands I'm typing with now tell the grim story. Cracks that take red Aliens and .75 BDs = evil, even if it's only for 15 ft.
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shutupandclimb
climber
Palm Desert Ca.
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 7, 2008 - 09:53pm PT
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Thanks 4 the feedback. When I sport climb I fall all the time as well. I was thinking 4-6 real lead falls a year isn't that many. It looks like we're all over the place. That's the beauty of our sport I guess. Strangely enough (or not) I see the most injuries in bouldering accidents. I have still to seriously hurt myself in a climbing accident..........no broken bones, or even sprains for that matter. I have never had a piece rip either.
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Anastasia
climber
Not there
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Pieces have ripped on me because of bad placements. Sometimes it was because I didn't have any pieces left that fit... Sometimes it was just my lack of skill...
Yet my worst injury was falling four inches onto uneven ground which twisted and broke my ankle.
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