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murcy
Gym climber
sanfrancisco
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Aug 22, 2012 - 04:37pm PT
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Apologies for not following this thread super closely, but have they gone back for the dog?
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Jon Beck
Trad climber
Oceanside
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Aug 22, 2012 - 05:40pm PT
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one of those energy gels which if you take by themselves will make you sick hence vomiting since they need plenty of water to work.
I did a climb at Taquitz 20 years ago with a partner who was into those vile energy things. I ate a Snickers and took the lead, he downed a smelly energy concoction, flailed on the follow and proceeded to puke on my rope. Yes, I am blaming my partner and I am not going back for his dog!
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Crimpergirl
Sport climber
Boulder, Colorado!
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Aug 22, 2012 - 06:20pm PT
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Murcy for the win!
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corniss chopper
climber
breaking the speed of gravity
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Aug 22, 2012 - 06:36pm PT
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Petzl Tibloc Ascenders - for those routes where your 99% sure your not
going to have to jug.
 after just 12hrs of eating nothing but power bars was turning over
rocks/logs on the descent and eating ant eggs -suddenly quite delicious!
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the Fet
climber
Tu-Tok-A-Nu-La
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Aug 22, 2012 - 07:00pm PT
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It's also easy to make an impromptu aider out of a cordalette in a pinch
One time I made a hammer drill out of a nut tool, some tape, and an boom box.
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Spider Savage
Mountain climber
The shaggy fringe of Los Angeles
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Aug 22, 2012 - 08:34pm PT
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Chris, I say, practice up. Take the skills you learned and go for it again next year.
Be sure to rap off something about 1,000 ft high to get started. You can do the Boneventure Hotel in Downtown LA for charity in October. PM me for details.
You got some guts to go over that edge to start with.
Make sure you have the right partner too.
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couchmaster
climber
pdx
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Aug 22, 2012 - 10:45pm PT
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Wow. I'm with JLP. Great thread. I'd pay attention to Mark Hudons posts Chris. Not sure I'd want to be the guy that got stuck TWICE on the Nose rap, so pass on Dingus's advice.
The rest of youse guys need to be nicer to each other.
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Some Random Guy
Trad climber
San Francisco
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Aug 23, 2012 - 12:09am PT
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He went down and I didn’t hear anything for a while on the radio, so I tried to communicate and didn’t get anything right away. After another 10-15 minutes I heard, “I am at the bottom of the ropes and there isn’t an anchor.” He said he could descend a little farther. After a minute his next call was, “I am hanging in mid-air and can’t go down any more.” Before I could really respond he radioed me again and this time I could hear the panic kick in, “Dude I am stuck and there are no anchors.” I asked him to come back up but didn’t hear anything. Later on I would find out that he was hanging below the great roof. I would say about 15-20 minutes went by before he finally responded again telling me he was stuck and had vomited a few times since his last call. He said he was very dehydrated and scared. The communication was all one sided though. I kept asking him questions to see how he was actually doing and see what options we had to fix the situation but of the few times he responded he just told me how sick he was and never addressing what I asked him directly. Richard had forgotten the ascenders up with me but had prussiks with him. I mentioned that I could secure each separate side of the rope using a prussik on a munter but that he would have to work with me to keep one rope locked off and let the other go to transition the weight. I mentioned that if he could do that I could come down the other rope and help him as well as give him the ascenders if he felt that was easier or possibly haul him up. I didn’t get any response until he told me once again how sick he was but this time he said he needed help. It was really obvious at this point that he had already given up and I honestly feel he had given up within a minute or two of deciding he was stuck. More tries on the radio got no answer from him.
fukin' pussy....cut the rope.....i loath people like that
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ontheedgeandscaredtodeath
Trad climber
San Francisco, Ca
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Aug 23, 2012 - 12:22am PT
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That's funny-- I totally imagined the Touching the Void cut the rope scenario..."I didn't want to do it, but the multiple 3/4 quarter inch bolts were slowly pulling out of the granite under the 80 degree California sun.."
All the suggestions of what everyone would have done are meaningless for a guy too freaked out to do anything. Some people should just not be up on those walls. Same goes for the totally unprepared climbers in my opinion.
How many people posting on this thread (i) would have rapped into the abyss without making sure the ropes at least made it back to the wall at a potential anchor; (ii) would rap into the same sitch without being confident in the ability to go back up the rope; (iii) failing the foregoing, not just batmanned up the f*#king rope for 20 feet to a place where you could get things sorted?
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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Aug 23, 2012 - 12:55am PT
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After another 10-15 minutes I heard, “I am at the bottom of the ropes and there isn’t an anchor.” He said he could descend a little farther. After a minute his next call was, “I am hanging in mid-air and can’t go down any more.”
That's when you know he was stupid bonked. I mean, you're at the lip of the great roof, you should be able to clearly see the ropes hanging in space to their end, and no anchor, Why go further!
peace
Karl
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Aug 26, 2012 - 03:34pm PT
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Thanks Phyl, it was worth it ,and not just for the Audio Rant™ ...though that was the extra special part!
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'Pass the Pitons' Pete
Big Wall climber
like Ontario, Canada, eh?
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Aug 26, 2012 - 11:50pm PT
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Thanks for your post, Chris - much appreciated. It would appear you need to make better decisions in whom you choose to do your adventures with.
You need to ask Richard to come on here and respond. He has a lot to answer for.
From the sounds of things, Richard is an incompetent. He should have known how to climb a fixed rope. Even worse however, he sounds like a total pussy, having called for a rescue more or less immediately without making any real attempt at self-rescue. How many people here on this forum have faced down death in far more dire situations, and figured out how to survive by their own wits?
Calling for a helicopter right away? Are you freaking kidding me, dude?
I'm not sure I buy the dehydration bit, either, considering he had a 45 lb pack, and so on.
With rescue so readily available, is this the choice that today's incompetents now make to solve their problems? Are there no more Real Men on El Cap? Are we no longer willing to be responsible for our actions, knowing that men with bigger balls than us are willing to risk their necks to come rescue us when we f*ck up due to our own stupidity? Whatever happened to paying your dues, to practising rappelling and jugging on a fixed rope hung under a bridge at night so nobody will see you? In other words, knowing what the hell you are doing!
Everyone - if you take nothing more from this story, take this:
Every climber on a big wall must have the tools and the ability - at all times - to move upwards and downwards safely on a fixed rope. No excuses, no exceptions, ever.
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ElCapPirate
Big Wall climber
California
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Aug 27, 2012 - 12:00am PT
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That might be one of your most solid posts ever, Pete.
I'm not blaming or pointing fingers at anyone, just saying that I agree that we all must be responsible for ourselves and rely ONLY on ourselves if sh#t hits the fan.
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ElCapPirate
Big Wall climber
California
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Aug 27, 2012 - 12:48am PT
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Agreed, there was no reason for the "pussy" comment.
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climbski2
Mountain climber
Anchorage AK, Reno NV
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Aug 27, 2012 - 12:51am PT
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Great googli moogli. A fairly old term.. wonder if an ancestor was involved.
Apropoit commercial
[Click to View YouTube Video]
This whole episode could make a good snickers commercial
Not going anywhere for a while?
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ElCapPirate
Big Wall climber
California
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Aug 27, 2012 - 01:05am PT
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Yup, he doesn't have to answer to anyone here... only to the charges they filed against him.
I think crying "uncle" is putting it WAY too lightly. I picture someone getting lowered off a top-rope when yelling for such relative.
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ElCapPirate
Big Wall climber
California
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Aug 27, 2012 - 01:24am PT
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ECP, do you run you wall climbs like that ?
Of course not Jim... I'm guilty of just skimming the OP's report and not reading this entire thread.
Like I said, I'm not pointing fingers and know as well as we all do, that we all make mistakes.
My point was if/when you make them, you better rely on yourself and ONLY yourself to get out of the mess.
Cheers!
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micronut
Trad climber
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Aug 27, 2012 - 01:32am PT
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Chris,
Thanks for stepping up and answering so many of the questions posed here.
1. For the record, I never got the vibe you were blaming Richard in your posts. Your facts on the way he handled things pointed the blame.
2. You admitted you made lots of mistakes. Solid move. A great skill in life.
3. You two, as a team, were way in over your head for a mission of this size. Sometimes you only get one "pass" like this. Stick with experienced partners from here on out man. A chain is only as strong as the weakest link.
4. Going on a mission like this with a guy who's skill set was as limited as Richard's was for you, like getting in a car with a drunk driver. I'm glad you both walked away. Hopefully your friendship stays intact.
5. Keep learning, keep climbing, and keep posting up here. The two of you should just go climb Nutcracker or something and enjoy a nice day on the rock as soon as you can. Clear the air and talk some stuff out. I hope you both have a long and memorable alpine career. See you out there.
-Scott
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