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bowshaaa
Boulder climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 8, 2013 - 07:41pm PT
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@rupell I had not heard of the thimble but looked it up and it was quite an impressive piece of rock. I think I may have missed the point and I apologize, no disrespect to anyone. I know some history of bouldering, no such things as the modern day climbing shoe and using a piece of carpet to protect the ground (not the climber)! I do appreciate the people before me who did so much for the sport. I guess I was taking the comment as people should climb with ropes instead of doing the high climbs without them. Sorry for the misunderstanding.
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ruppell
climber
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bowshaaa
No offense taken at all. Bouldering is an amazing pursuit in and of itself. I have friends that only boulder. I have friends who only rope climb. I just choose to do both. I can't really say I enjoy one more than the other or that one is better then the other. It's up to each person to choose what really drives them. I just climb.
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all in jim
climber
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Sorry if this has already been mentioned, but it looks like the main problem with the fall is that you missed the pad. Really taking the time to put the pads in the best spot seems like a crucial step in limiting the fear factor. It's good to be afraid if you are in a dangerous situation!
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bowshaaa
Boulder climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 8, 2013 - 08:12pm PT
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@rupell im a sport climber also but mostly boulder though. Id like to try trad but cant afford a rack.
@jogill thanks for your contribution here and to the sport of bouldering!
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gonzo chemist
climber
Fort Collins, CO
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Did a bit o' high-ballin' today out at Horsetooth Reservoir...jogill's old stomping ground.
Its all about staying relaxed, which is a bit of a contradiction. As far as getting back on the horse after getting bucked off...I'd rather get on steep stuff with a rope on.
Besides aren't you in MA? if so, you're not that far from Rumney and Cathedral Ledge. Apply those bouldering skills to tall objectives. Get on a rope, get a good belayer, and send some rediculous hard lines.
Otherwise, the only thing you can do is just steel you mettle, breathe, and execute the moves.
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hobo_dan
Social climber
Minnesota
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Check out Jeremy Bernsteins story about Chouinard after his 160 foot in the tetons--"it took me a year but I got it back"
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tom woods
Gym climber
Bishop, CA
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It might not ever be the same. Don't expect it to.
You got hurt. You always knew you might get hurt. Now you know what it's like.
I've done it. My arch is flat and it always will be. It took a while to get back up there and I still won't push it when I'm way up there. It has to be good holds or I come down. It's not the same.
Go get on some high easy problems that you know. They might scare you, but you know them so you will keep going. Eventually, they will feel easy again.
As for pushing it up high, that may or may not come back. It's part of life. If the line is good, there is still a chance.
PS- Suspended is a classic. The first jug has broken. It used to be like a steering wheel for the big jump, about the size of that old Sprint arcade game. It still works, but it's different.
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bowshaaa
Boulder climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 8, 2013 - 11:38pm PT
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@gonzochemist that is my plan for the spring: to sport climb as much as possible, i am psyched!
@hobodan thanks I will check that out
@tom woods, yeah it's in the back of my mind always but it doesn't really affect me anymore.
Thanks everyone for commenting and/or sharing stories of their accidents
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Relic
Social climber
Vancouver, BC
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Oh damn. Ya I see it in the more recent videos of Suspended, the rock scar where the steering wheel jug used to be. It was creeking and moaning pretty hard when I was reefing on it in March. Guess I be jumping now.
OP- get in it. Its super classic. You will love it.
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RyanD
climber
Squamish
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Damn relic, looks like ur gonna have to do SIS the dude way now instead of the crimpy little girl(Schwarzenegger accent) way! Have fun down there!
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Chinchen
climber
Way out there....
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lol...callin' ya out...
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justthemaid
climber
Jim Henson's Basement
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I'm still getting over the fear of the ground-level traverse.
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WBraun
climber
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If one has fear of highball just use rope.
So simple ......
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bjj
climber
beyond the sun
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I was thinking about making my own thread about fear and keeping your cool, but I might as well tag along on this one.
I just started climbing again 4 months ago after a 10 year layoff. It had been going well until last week. I've been upping the ante out at Red Rocks, and now I am paying for it.
On tuesday I took a 35 foot fall on the 4th pitch 5.10d. Strenuous right facing dihedral. The small tcu I put in 10 feet above a bolt, just before the crux liebacking blew out when my right foot suddenly popped just before easier ground. Somewhere on the way down, I smacked my left elbow on a small ledge or something. It didn't break anything, but swelled up with fluid like crazy. Iced it for a couple of days and all was well.
On thursday, climbing another 5.10d dihedral, this time left facing. Plugged a bomber 3/4" cam just before the bulge and gunned it (strenuous liebicking again). Just as I was lifting my foot to exit the crux onto easier ground, my hands blew out. This time was worse. I flew off and back, and as the rope came tight (much shorter fall, only 12 feet), the momentum swung me back into the wall. I was out of position and barely got oriented the right way with my hands and feet in front of me before impact. It wasn't enough time. I smacked my forehead and nose right into the rock.
I saw stars, but did not go unconscious. I did bleed all over the place and may have a broken beak. Decent abrasions on my face, but no major damage.
I now see that in addition to needing to remember to actually bring and wear my helmet when I'm pushing it, that I have been climbing in the past. I have pretty much started all over from scratch, but in my head I am telling myself that because I used to laugh my way up hard 5.10 trad routes, I still can. Wrong. In both cases, I was at my limit and would have barely squeaked through. It wouldn't even have felt fun if I did make it. 20 years ago, I wasn't trying to lead 5.10+ on gear after 4 months of climbing!
This was a wake up call and I probably need to slow down before I really pay for it.
I was very scared right after hitting my head, thinking I was 15 to 20 minutes away from succumbing to a serious skull fracture / brain bleed.
Now I am having trouble imagining doing anything besides sport climbing or the easiest of gear leads.
Help?
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pyro
Big Wall climber
Calabasas
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this is how to spot a person on a highball boulder problem.
if u come out to stoney point the boy's can show u how it's done.
p.s. ur video is kool love the scene just wished the spotter left the other pad alone. he was doing things right till then. i'm sure he had good intention :)
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Reeotch
Trad climber
4 Corners Area
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boshaaa,
Yes you could rehearse these things on toprope, but that is sort of cheating to a highball purist.
I did a lot of bouldering before pads were available, and most of the highballs I did back then were accomplished by climbing up and then climbing back down, climbing up a little bit higher, then climbing down again. I always avoided jumping off problems if at all possible.
The thing I'm emphasizing here is the skill of down-climbing. Most of those hard highballs were wired one move at a time, ground up, over many sessions. You would have the thing completely dialed even before you sent it.
There is also a lot to be said for knowing your body, and having a good feel of how solid you are on a given move. Often you have to avoid easier dynamic moves for more difficult, but more secure static technique.
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Todd Eastman
climber
Bellingham, WA
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You don't always get to lead the dance...
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Bruce Morris
Social climber
Belmont, California
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There's a classic boulders' progression that starts with low classic B1 problems and progresses to V9 and up highballs. When you are young and immortal, you start with easy stuff and work up until you're going for it high off the ground. Then, a big fall followed by a recovery cycle that ends in another big fall and a second big injury and rehab. At this point, a lot of people switch to low hard problems and start to TR everything they do that's high off the ground. Or else they quit bouldering altogether and stick to lead climbs with ropes. Anything they do into the self-destruct zone they now do on TR. Depends on how bad the first injury was and how old you were when you got it. I sure know a lot of people over 50 who won't boulder anything that gets the bottom of their feet more than 6 feet off the deck.
So do your way hard high-balls before osteoarthritis and spinal degeneration limit your ability to take hard ground falls.
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bowshaaa
Boulder climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 9, 2013 - 05:27pm PT
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@pyro that's high quality spotting! Nice photo!
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bowshaaa
Boulder climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 9, 2013 - 05:32pm PT
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@bjj sounds like you've had a rough history with trad. If that was me i would just do more overhanging routes so you could fall straight down and not into the wall. I dont do trad but i sport climb and find that overhanging routes are less scary.
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