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Aunty Glen
Trad climber
Australia
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Nov 20, 2013 - 12:27am PT
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Not my anchor, we elected not to use it. I'm not sure on the padlockery ???
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Truthdweller
Trad climber
San Diego, CA
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Nov 20, 2013 - 12:36am PT
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Although a "Worst Rap Anchor" thread, does rapping off of More Monkey Than Funky in a Dulphersitz count for anything? Watched Thomas Einevol of Norway scream every inch down in a tshirt and painters pants, back in 1983...ouch!
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Steve Hickman
climber
Norwood, CO
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Nov 20, 2013 - 08:34pm PT
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A short new route somewhere on Twin Owls (ca. 1970's)- - time for beer and sex so rapped off and returned following week- - clipped into single (Charlet?) rap anchor pin and it fell out. Rotten granite and stupid good luck.
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Paco
Trad climber
Montana
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Nov 21, 2013 - 12:03am PT
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A head-sized rock, wedged in a vertical crack between the basalt pillars of Mount Wellington.
OH...one time I rapped off of some CHAINS...like the kind you use for towing vehicles, or hoist motors, that someone had like... BOLTED to the rock I was climbing on. It was bizarre. Can you imagine... what if rocks everywhere had pieces of metal put in them? Hahaha! Huh. I just wonder who would have put them there. Or why. Could've been gremlins, I suppose.
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TWP
Trad climber
Mancos, CO
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Nov 26, 2014 - 08:19am PT
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Bump for climbing content. Fortunately I have nothing to contribute to this thread.
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Gary
Social climber
Desolation Basin, Calif.
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Nov 26, 2014 - 08:59am PT
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Jeebus. I'll never complain about snow bollards again.
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martygarrison
Trad climber
Washington DC
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Nov 26, 2014 - 09:00am PT
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Probably every quarter inch station I ever used on the Apron.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Nov 26, 2014 - 09:10am PT
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A lot of people here have lead sheltered lives, even if they didn't think so.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Nov 26, 2014 - 09:24am PT
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I flush all the bad stuff from my mind.
One time I got lowered off of a small flake about halfway up Pratts crack, I was gassin out... up above my last piece by a good bit, in total desperation, just before panic, when I spyed a small flake. I reached out and pulled on it to see if it was going to hold, it did. Then I put a small sling on it and gently eased my weight onto it... it held and then I fell off.... the GF lowered me. Not exactly a rap but a way down to saftey.
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Inner City
Trad climber
East Bay
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Nov 26, 2014 - 09:24am PT
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Off route on something near "Boogie with Stu' left of the lower falls, we decided to rap off the only thing we could, the manky, quarter incher we were both already clipped into. As Helga descended, I saw the hanger flexing in a very scary way. I started to look around for tree limbs to grab if I went airborn. But of course, it held!
Some canyoneering anchors are definitely quite concerning. Anyone ever use the Macramé style not for rappelling? Yikes. Rock stacks, meat anchors and such sound bad, but seem to work well!
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Nov 26, 2014 - 10:16am PT
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Wedged in water bottle.
I've seen some manky crap but that is freacky!
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Nov 26, 2014 - 12:51pm PT
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California Needles, about 1984. Julie Lazar and I had just climbed The Howling. Julie was rapping off first on two 60M 9mm ropes. There was a nasty accident in the notch below us. If you know the place, there are several different levels to the notch and if you fall from one to the next things get ugly fast. It was then that I heard the cry "We need another rope NOW!"
I yelled down to Julie that I was going to send one of my ropes down. I figured I'd rap down to one of the bolts on The Howling and from there to the notch. Below me the party with the injured climber were lowering him to the ground with several ropes. When I arrived at the single quarter inch bolt, clipped in and began to pull my rope reality set in. The exposure there is staggering. I had my heart in my mouth as I gingerly lowered myself down to the notch.
Someone got to the tower and the helo was called. It's not so obvious today, but if you look around the Magician - Djin saddle you'll see that some of the trees were cut down. they lowered in a guy with a chain saw to clear the landing zone.
If I had a brain in my head I would have rapped on the single cord from the top and gone back to get it later.
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WBraun
climber
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Nov 26, 2014 - 01:09pm PT
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Best and worst simultaneously and this is not a rap anchor post :-)
Walt had led the crux pitch of the "New Route" Ice Climb.
There was no anchor at the top.
Walt belayed Stretch up while just sitting sitting in loose snow.
I was last.
As I exited the water running fist crack to the ice pinnacle there was a lot of slack in the rope.
A whole lot, way too much lol.
The Ice pinnacle broke with me still attached to it. ha ha ha
When the the force of the slack came tight on Walt's belay, Walt started sliding to the edge as Strech grabbed him also.
Both started to slide towards the edge and stopped before we all died.
We didn't ..... lol
Those are the best days.
Everyone looks forward to those type of episodes in their lives ...... :-)
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dagibbs
Trad climber
Ottawa, Ontario
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Nov 26, 2014 - 03:00pm PT
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Worst was... a rounded bulge that I decided to label a horn -- on Chapel Pond Slab in the 'Daks. It was only a slab, right, so I wouldn't hurt too badly. There was gear, so the other two climbers got to rappel on the gear, but I was cheap (that's how you learn, right?) so just left the rope slung over the bulge. Got to the ground, gave the rope a light flick, and it came tumbling down to me. I did try to be as smooth as possible on that rap -- no back up knot, since they tend to make things a bit more jerky.
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Nov 26, 2014 - 04:13pm PT
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Everyone looks forward to those type of episodes in their lives ...... :-)
As long as we can tell them.
Worst rap anchor I ever used was a knotted sling jammed in a crack. Pretty tame based on the stories above.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Nov 26, 2014 - 05:29pm PT
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For some the worst rap anchors doubled as the last rap anchors.
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Ihateplastic
Trad climber
It ain't El Cap, Oregon
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Nov 26, 2014 - 05:52pm PT
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Wrong turn from the Oasis at the top of the Apron.
Five or six of the mankiest rap anchors (all on a vertical wall) I ever experienced. Pretty much scared to death the whole way down.
At one point I unclipped from the "anchor" and just hung from wide hand jams in case the anchor ripped while the first guy went down. Another was a single rusted 1/4" button head. When the first guy reached one anchor he yelled up to bring a rock so he could hammer in the single crap pin we would use on the next anchor.
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Eric Beck
Sport climber
Bishop, California
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Nov 26, 2014 - 06:42pm PT
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Seemed good at the time. It's May 1961. I am still in high school. It's a sierra club trip to the Palisades. We are up early on our way to North Palisade. There is no bergschrund going up the U notch. The climb is uneventful and we find we are the first party that year. Back at the U notch, I find the rappel point. It is a single Gerry horizontal /vertical piton halfway in a horizontal crack. There is a single loop of parachute cord thru the eye. Without hesitation I set up the rappel and down we go. Total confidence in a rappel point that had been there all winter.
It was a good day, we went on to bag Sill.
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TheSoloClimber
Trad climber
Vancouver
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Nov 27, 2014 - 10:02am PT
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No super horrifying stories on my part, but a couple little tidbits.
At the start of this past season, it was too rainy and wet to climb, but I decided to go adventuring under the North Walls of the Chief. I started to climb up the North Gully, which was mostly third class interspersed with bits of fourth and fifth. Every so often I would get to a spot where I thought I would be uncomfortable downclimbing it, so I went on with the goal of topping out.
It got increasingly sketchy and difficult, so I decided to bail. I bootied someone's manky old fixed line, and slung boulders and shrubs to get down the scary bits, pulling the rope after me.
Not too extreme, but I felt like I got away with some sh#t.
Then, a couple years ago, myself, Kid Cormier, and Browniephoto bailed off an aid route (Zorros). The anchor was solid enough, but the rap was over an unfriendly edge, about 200 feet freehanging.
That was mellow. The rope was rapped on was left over the winter. In spring, Brownie jugged back up to retrieve it. That was nutty.
Last, Brownie and I set off to climb a spire in Kelowna. It was chossy as sh#t, and we never actually got there, but our plan to get off of it was to just hang the rope over opposite sides, and simul rap. Probably a good thing we never summited.
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jplotz!
climber
Wenatchee, WA
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Nov 27, 2014 - 10:48am PT
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