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Messages 1 - 31 of total 31 in this topic |
GOclimb
Trad climber
Boston, MA
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Topic Author's Original Post - Mar 26, 2012 - 06:25pm PT
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Hey folks,
This weekend I had a friend who got her knee stuck in a knee-sized crack. She had good #5 above her, and she was only 30 feet off the ground, so it wasn't an immediate emergency. But when, after 1/2 hour of struggling she was unable to do anything better than fix it further and further, she started getting a wee bit spooked.
Eventually, we got it out, but the only thing that worked was me climbing up next to her, cutting off the pant leg, liberal application of sunscreen, and then me physically pulling *hard* at the leg in the direction it looked like it needed to go, while she relaxed that limb completely.
So this got me wondering - I felt like I was reinventing the wheel up there while I was helping her - anyone have any good tips to share?
Thanks!
GO
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Joe
Social climber
Santa Cruz
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Mar 26, 2012 - 06:27pm PT
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Steve, this one is for you...
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WBraun
climber
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Mar 26, 2012 - 06:28pm PT
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Dish soap.
That's what we had to use one day for a woman on Mungenella.
It took 3 of us 1 hour to free her stuck knee .....
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Mar 26, 2012 - 06:29pm PT
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Bwah-ha-ha-ha!! That was one of the most famous near-misses in British mountaineering history - Martin Boysen got his knee stuck on Trango Tower when climbing with Joe Brown, Moe Anthoine and others.
Maybe someone can find a link to the epic - unforgettable.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Mar 26, 2012 - 06:30pm PT
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Gordie Smaill or Al Givler got a foot stuck on the Salathe and the other
had to climb up and cut the back of the other's boot open to extract the
offending and, presumably, offensive foot.
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Mar 26, 2012 - 06:32pm PT
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And then there was Jason Kruk on "Boogie til you puke"
Of course his problems went further than a stuck knee...
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michaeld
Sport climber
Sacramento
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Mar 26, 2012 - 06:34pm PT
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Don't sh*t your pants. It only makes matters worse.
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GOclimb
Trad climber
Boston, MA
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 26, 2012 - 06:34pm PT
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Werner wrote: It took 3 of us 1 hour to free her stuck knee .....
So what was it that did the trick - aside from the lubricant?
For me, it was kinda like freeing a stuck cam, I had to really think hard about what had to go in which direction to find the path out of the rock. But then she was physically unable to do it herself, and I had to have her relax and pull her leg myself.
GO
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WBraun
climber
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Mar 26, 2012 - 06:38pm PT
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It took us a while to make the woman relax.
I was with Jesse the climbing ranger and another ranger.
Her knee was horrendously stuck.
We thought after a while we would need to drill away some of the rock around her knee.
But it finally came out after much effort of pushing from below and pulling from above.
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SteveW
Trad climber
The state of confusion
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Mar 26, 2012 - 06:43pm PT
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I can only think of Martin Boysen. . . on Trango.
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Mar 26, 2012 - 06:44pm PT
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Ha - the story is already posted right here on McTopo:
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=553289
I would love to read the article, but as always, Steve's scans are too low res with the print too small to read. I don't understand the point of scanning something that is virtually unreadable when it is easy enough to increase the size and resolution of the scan. It's not like there are any restrictions in bandwidth here.
Oh well.
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Tony Bird
climber
Northridge, CA
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Mar 26, 2012 - 06:46pm PT
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on the second ascent of yellow brick road, a climber got his knee irretrievably stuck in the offwidth right off the first belay. his partner rapelled to base, ran to the lookout tower and got a plastic squeeze bottle of salad oil, which was used to lubricate and free the leader's knee. the squeeze bottle is still in the crack at the belay. it is recommended that this section be liebacked. always climb safely and avoid the need for rescues.
from the needles guidebook (1992)
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Mar 26, 2012 - 07:05pm PT
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Woohoo, one of my favorite topics! Lots of related threads here on the taco. One was last week I think and has a link to a thread about the fissure Boysen, And Jillian in generator crack. I'll look it up in a while, if no one gets there first.
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cintune
climber
Midvale School for the Gifted
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Mar 26, 2012 - 07:21pm PT
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Just hit ctrl and + if you have a Windows machine. There must be something similar for Macs too. [This will not free a stuck knee, however.]
Americans would call it an off-width crack; I called it something else.
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Prod
Trad climber
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Mar 26, 2012 - 07:28pm PT
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Gotta love a hands free rest?
What were you on Gabe?
Prod.
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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Mar 26, 2012 - 07:43pm PT
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I would love to read the article, but as always, Steve's scans are too low res with the print too small to read.
Uh, it's perfectly clear on my screen. Maybe you need some Windex and a paper towel. Or new glasses.
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Dr.Sprock
Boulder climber
I'm James Brown, Bi-atch!
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Mar 26, 2012 - 09:55pm PT
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liquid wrench
for the real tough cases, liquid plumber.
etches the outer layer of epidermis, which you don't need anyway,
it was left over from the cave man days,
propane torch- not to expand the rock,
heat the guys foot til he rips out the knee from shear pain,
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PAUL SOUZA
Trad climber
Central Valley, CA
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Mar 26, 2012 - 10:24pm PT
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How about some Astroglide?
Hahaha
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Dr.Sprock
Boulder climber
I'm James Brown, Bi-atch!
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Mar 26, 2012 - 10:35pm PT
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yes cosmic, we know,
welcome back to vegas,
jus call me dantanna,
got weed?
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john hansen
climber
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Mar 26, 2012 - 10:36pm PT
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Hey Pass the pitons pete,,,,,
Try holding down the "ctrl" button on your computer and then hit the + key.
It will enlarge the page so you can read the print. Then hold down "ctrl" and hit the - key and it will go back to the original size.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Mar 26, 2012 - 11:53pm PT
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So one day shortly before the turn of the century, up at broken tooth, we decide to do that .10d wide crack just before the main crag as a warmup while waiting for Rock Lobster. I lead it and get my knee, stuck, more than I have before, but in a few minutes I'm able to wiggle the bruised joint out, set up a sling shot and lower. The woman I'm climbing with goes up quickly and gets her knee stuck, for a long time. Ace wanders by and we start telling fissure Boysen jokes, laughing robustly. Only then stop, because it's not funny anymore. It's been a long time, like 20-30 minutes. But with much effort and torn flesh she gets her damaged joint out, and soberly, we limp over to Rock lobster.
Shortly there after, I'm climbing up there with Rev Mike of Vail, and I retell that story, lots of laughs, haha.. We head down to the Super Bowl and there is Donini with a group of international climbers, mostly from Cuba and Germany. He makes introductions. When he comes to the last guy he says, "oh and this is Martin Boysen" I shake his hand, look him in the eye and ask;
"Of the Fissure?"
He looks me in the eye and says;
"Piss off!"
Hilarity ensued!
Okay, to complete the stuck knee cannon;
http://www.supertopo.com/climbers-forum/688099/Generator-Crack-is-a-Cruel-Mistress-A-Facelift-Tale
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Mar 27, 2012 - 03:39am PT
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on the second ascent of yellow brick road, a climber got his knee irretrievably stuck in the offwidth right off the first belay. his partner rapelled to base, ran to the lookout tower and got a plastic squeeze bottle of salad oil, which was used to lubricate and free the leader's knee. the squeeze bottle is still in the crack at the belay. it is recommended that this section be liebacked. always climb safely and avoid the need for rescues.
from the needles guidebook (1992)
I think I've seen that bottle. Our solution was not to lieback the wide, but to climb the easy 5.6 face out to the right.
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Willoughby
Social climber
Truckee, CA
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Mar 27, 2012 - 04:26am PT
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Please stop lubing up all the offwidths. Thank you.
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Fluoride
Trad climber
West Los Angeles, CA
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Mar 27, 2012 - 04:33am PT
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ekat, I've heard Crisco/vegetable oil is the trick as well.
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Dr.Sprock
Boulder climber
I'm James Brown, Bi-atch!
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Mar 27, 2012 - 04:52am PT
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what about Pepsodent toothpaste?
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Decko
Trad climber
Colorado
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Mar 27, 2012 - 05:00am PT
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I hear say on Ruper them that free stuck folks also used a form of cooking oil.......
Maybe that is why the wide section of that route is so damn greasy
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Delhi Dog
climber
Good Question...
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Mar 27, 2012 - 07:06am PT
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Nightmare...getting stuck in the squeeze on Steck/Salathe.
As I'm breathing in then out inching my way up all I could think of is how long my body would take to finally fall out of there if it did get stuck.
Oh, and fat knees suck:-)
cheers
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GOclimb
Trad climber
Boston, MA
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 27, 2012 - 10:38am PT
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Prod wrote: What were you on Gabe?
My wife was belaying her friend up an unnamed crack at Reservoir Wall at the Creek. I was racking up to get on something else nearby when I noticed my wife's friend's predicament and went over to help.
GO
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kennyt
climber
Woodfords,California
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Apr 25, 2013 - 10:13pm PT
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Is a stuck knee an old aid route somewhere?
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rgold
Trad climber
Poughkeepsie, NY
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Apr 25, 2013 - 10:52pm PT
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I once (unwittingly) climbed the crack on Ruper the day after the RMRG had poured motor oil down it to free someone's stuck knee. Man that thing was slippery.
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