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RyanD
climber
Squamish
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Topic Author's Original Post - Sep 23, 2014 - 01:13pm PT
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It's raining here and somewhat gloomy, so tell me about when you heard the "TING"!??
Hadn't heard it forever luckily, then heard it yesterday 3 times! Aggghhhh!
Sure is a sinking feeling when you fall & then fall again right away. Amazing how much can go thru your mind in a short time.
Sadly I tied my record, except this time I ended up dangling in space 30' from my 00 C3 with a nice soft catch and last time I ended up in a tiny pile of snow at the bottom of the crag from 30' up. Fortunately these are the only 2 times I have had my gear rip despite at least a hundred plus whippers on gear climbs in my time.
Time to go sportclimbing for a bit since I obviously don't know wtf I am doing :-)
Speaking of, has anyone ever unclipped a biner in a fall thru back clipping or rotation of a runner unclipping from the bolt?
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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Sep 23, 2014 - 01:21pm PT
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It's funny, as I get older a lot of climbing memories tend to blend. Not falls. I remember most of them fairly vividly. Especially those long aid falls where things make noise as the pop out. Yikes!
I'm getting jiggy just thinking about it. I need a toke now.
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kaholatingtong
Trad climber
Nevada City
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Sep 23, 2014 - 01:24pm PT
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Just 1, a nut I placed blindly and then tested. Solo aid leading. And just enough extra fall to hit the ground, somewhat. I would like to keep it that way for a while, fortunately my gear seems to hold when I fall on it, which isn't the most often.
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GDavis
Social climber
SOL CAL
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Sep 23, 2014 - 01:29pm PT
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2.5 on some bullshit 5.8 at the Cathouse in Josh. Climbed up on bad pro, downclimbed and foot slipped. the ".5" was a nut that replaced itself a few inches lower and kept me from taking a 30 footer.
Goddamn dummy domes.
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Moof
Big Wall climber
Orygun
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Sep 23, 2014 - 01:32pm PT
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3 pieces. I was on a crappy purple TCU in oozing muck that popped as I was leaning over to inspect the next placement options. I ripped 2 nuts below that. I was nervous about running out of small cams so I had hung on a marginal nut to get the TCU, and had back cleaned the cam before that and put a nut in its place. Dumb. A medium offset brass HB caught me, and when I jugged back up to it the rock was holding the gate of the biner open. I was not in my happy place.
I popped 2 pieces several times in aid falls.
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Sep 23, 2014 - 01:49pm PT
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Two....aiding on first pitch of the FA of The Bourbon Bottle route on Mt. Brsdley, Alaska Range. I would advise against anyone jumping on it.
Free climbing I have pulled a single piece on a couple of occasions...never two.
Raining here....but, come to think of it, I'm in Squamish too.
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TheSoloClimber
Trad climber
Vancouver
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Sep 23, 2014 - 01:55pm PT
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What was it that you were on when that happened?
I've only had one piece rip so far, a blue WC Zero on the roof pitch of Freeway. I was just below the anchor and was stepping one foot up when the other one blew. All of a sudden, metal is flying at my face, and I'm swinging in towards Brownie at the belay, ~25 feet below, ~600 feet up.
That got the heart going a bit.
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RyanD
climber
Squamish
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 23, 2014 - 01:57pm PT
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Hey what's up Jim? Hope u guys got a few climbs in before this.
I'd like to say it's not always like this here but...........
If you are super keen and do not have the dry rock beta give me a shout. There's some sportclimbing that stays dry in the rain not too far away.
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Don Paul
Big Wall climber
Aurora Colorado
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Sep 23, 2014 - 02:35pm PT
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Either 2 or 3, I can't remember, on the Good Book, which is now damaged by rockfall. I was laybacking a couple of pitches up and my hand popped out, did a back dive and saw the pieces pull in between my feet as I was looking up. Not injured at all but did remind me that you cant just stuff tcu's into a crack and expect them to hold a fall.
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steveA
Trad climber
Wolfeboro, NH
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Sep 23, 2014 - 02:45pm PT
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Perhaps 20 pieces in a row- I really can only guess. Perhaps a 100ft. fall, as I zippered the entire pitch. Certainly one of my close calls.
supertopo.com/climbers-forum/1114340/2nd-ascent-of-the-prow-solo
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Lambone
Big Wall climber
Ashland, Or
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Sep 23, 2014 - 02:48pm PT
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I've had 4-5 pieces rip up on El Cap a couple of times. Gives you some time to think about it, that's for sure!
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Spider Savage
Mountain climber
The shaggy fringe of Los Angeles
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Sep 23, 2014 - 02:53pm PT
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^^^
That would be one I'd like to see the stuntmen at Camp 4 Collective recreate A good multi-angle video of a 100+ ft, 20+ piece zipper fall. That would tell the tale.
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moacman
Trad climber
Montuckyian Via Canada Eh!
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Sep 23, 2014 - 03:30pm PT
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Missionary's Crack pitch #5 on Yam. Pulled 4 stoppers a #6 held just before loading the questionable belay stance. Ended up 15' past the belayer with some nice rock & rope abrasions.(took about a fifty footer)
Stevo
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Sep 23, 2014 - 03:36pm PT
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2. Fell just a mere moment before grabbing the thank god black knob on The Pirate at Suicide. Pulled my top piece up and out with me. Ripped all the brass off both sides of an RP then hit the ground and my rope settled gently on the last piece. Nasty big toe tendon tear and a ruined shoe were most of the damage.
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matty
Trad climber
under the sea
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Sep 23, 2014 - 03:42pm PT
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3 or 4 but there were 3 or 4 hook placements in between as well, overall I took about 60 footer with rope stretch and almost hit a ledge. Yikes
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NutAgain!
Trad climber
South Pasadena, CA
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Sep 23, 2014 - 03:48pm PT
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Pretty early on in my climbing, I think I had 2 or 3 placements pop when I wasn't that high off the ground... ended up falling from about 35-40 feet up and stopping about level with my belayer standing on the ground.
Another time had one placement hold but the rope came unclipped, and the last piece was far enough down that I was lucky to live through the experience.
Never zippered a ton of pieces though.
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Ed H
Trad climber
Santa Rosa, CA
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Sep 23, 2014 - 04:04pm PT
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Fun topic! Only 3 pieces for me so far (and only one at time). I can tell you one thing - you sure drop quickly down to the last piece!
1. Decked setting a nut in a pin scar - thankfully only 10-12 ft off the ground and a nice sandy landing. I don't set those nuts so aggressively anymore.
2. Small piece (BD .3) pulled out of a lava pocket when I was hang dogging on it - dropped to a bolt about 10 ft down - thankfully a clean fall - belayer was surprised when he was un-weighted, then hit again!
3. The classic aid Noob move - bounce testing a small cam in a crack I thought was bomber - came right out and hit me between the eyes!
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donini
Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
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Sep 23, 2014 - 04:07pm PT
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I witnessed steveA's zipper on the Prow....quite an impressive show!
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ms55401
Trad climber
minneapolis, mn
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Sep 23, 2014 - 04:14pm PT
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I love ripping a piece that I was 88.3% sure was good. It's funny that the overriding emotion upon ripping such a piece isn't fear but genuine puzzlement: "huh, that piece blew? well, that's a bit of a surprise"
but ripping a piece that was suspect at the outset is skerry
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knucko
climber
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Sep 23, 2014 - 04:19pm PT
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Ripped some pieces while aid climbing. Never zippered anything.
Had one piece rip while free climbing. Travellers Buttress, #5 Camalots make a loud harmonic noise when they pull out!!! The nut I placed before it gets wide kept me just a few feet off the ground. It was early in my climbing career and I almost quit climbing right then!!
My partner calmed me down and after a bit I went back up, and fell again. Expecting the same result as the first time I was surprised and happy to find that it held. Then we bailed to the bar for beer!!!
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Norwegian
Trad climber
dancin on the tip of god's middle finger
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Sep 23, 2014 - 04:25pm PT
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5 or six pieces pulled on me when i
fell rope soloing the old A5 pitch
on glacier point.
a cam hook caught me
after 50 exciting feet
and i touched down to earth
with all the rope stretch
and self-belay bullsh#t.
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tradmanclimbs
Ice climber
Pomfert VT
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Sep 23, 2014 - 04:29pm PT
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3. upside down screamer. prettly long 30ft?
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MH2
climber
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Sep 23, 2014 - 04:35pm PT
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What a coincidence. It is raining and gloomy where I am, too.
I haven't had a piece rip that I remember, probably because there were no serious consequences. I have had a couple flakes break when the piece behind them was loaded, but again no consequences.
I remember a story Mike Warburton told me about a climb in Yosemite where the leader was slinging manzanita, fell, and now you need to visualize a leader sailing down past his belayer with a string of 8 manzanita bushes outlined against the sky on his rope.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Sep 23, 2014 - 05:08pm PT
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MH2, didn't Gordie Smaill rip off about a 150 footer on El Cap? Or was it
on The Chief? Or was it Givler? Lord, save me. Yeah, I've said that, too.
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wbw
Trad climber
'cross the great divide
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Sep 23, 2014 - 07:21pm PT
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Not me, but last fall my partner's tools shear out of the sand and crap on the very last move of a multi pitch mixed route on Quandary Peak. He pulls a nut, then a pin, then a screw and 65 or so feet later is stopped by a stubby. I've probably ripped that many pieces out on an aid fall or two, but I have never in my life witnessed a fall like that where in a a split second my mind simply accepted that this person was going to be severely maimed. Ironically he walked away from it.
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climbski2
Mountain climber
Anchorage AK, Reno NV
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Sep 23, 2014 - 11:32pm PT
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4 pieces about 2/3 of the way up the groove pitch. Stopped at a fixed KB. Great spot for a zipper.. nothing to hit. Very annoying though having to relead that after once putting the best pieces I thought I could find in. It's funny though how much better your placements get after a 25 to 30ish footer.
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Sep 24, 2014 - 06:17am PT
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I've tried but I just can't get those bolts to pull out.
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MH2
climber
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Sep 24, 2014 - 07:10am PT
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I think that Gordie Smaill did take a fall near the top of the Nose, but not a long one. He also fell and hit a tree on The Flake (just right of Apron Strings) and broke his leg if I recall. He may have taken a fall or two on Grim Reaper, or not. Something for me to ask Neil Bennett about.
The longest fall in my circle was one on Braille Book where the leader went from 80 feet above to about 100 feet below, according to belayer Bob Johnson, when a rattly nut did not hold. The leader only suffered scalp lacerations while Bob took a while to recover from a knee cap busted when he was pulled against the corner catching the fall.
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
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Sep 24, 2014 - 07:49am PT
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This is rather embarassing...
This story happened on my first ever "real" alpine lead back in the 1970s. I was 16 years old. Huntington Ravine, Mt. Washington.
I led a zig-zagging pitch. The crack ended, I placed a bomber #3 wired stopped and started aid climbing. I did a blind hook move around a corner and - PING! - the hook blew.
Every single piece ripped out during my fall - except the #3 wired stopper.
I stopped only a couple feet off the ground, upside down. I must have falled 50 feet. I am very lucky to have survived my early climbing days.
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Hendo1
Trad climber
Toronto
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Sep 24, 2014 - 08:12am PT
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Two occasions, a single piece each time. The last was in autumn 1997 -- it resulted in a 40-foot fall with the soles of my feet ending up level with the belayer's eyes.
I'm very conservative about placements now. If I don't have confidence in it, I consider downclimbing or bailing. I simply won't continue on bad gear.
I've seen YouTube videos in which guys take whippers with several pieces blowing and they're laughing about it later. I can only scratch my head.
Three years ago a guy I used to climb with here in the Toronto area had a short but devastating fall at Red Rocks and he's now paraplegic. A few pieces of gear would have prevented it.
http://www.mountainproject.com/v/serious-leader-fall-on-dark-shadows-red-rock-canyon-nv/107070646
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mucci
Trad climber
The pitch of Bagalaar above you
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Sep 24, 2014 - 08:12am PT
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Troy Johnson, ripped the whole groove pitch.
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mike m
Trad climber
black hills
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Sep 24, 2014 - 08:37am PT
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On my first time leading El Matador, the classic stem box at Devils Tower, I was climbing in the corner and had not yet stemmed across. I was getting terribly pumped at about 60ft up and was working on putting in a cam. It would not go in right as the crack at the beginning has several spots where it narrows on the edge of the crack and opens up inside. I knew the cam I just place was crap but I couldn't get it out easily so I decided to keep soing to a spot higher up where I could see I could get a better piece in. Well needless to say I popped off a few feet above the bad piece, with a good piece maybe 5 feet below that. The piece pulled and I flew backwards and hit my back on the other side of the box before I landed. It is always amazing how far you fall when all is said and done. I was about 25 feet lower with the "bad" camhanging on the rope at my waist.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Sep 24, 2014 - 08:45am PT
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Why are people posting about their big one or two piece 'rips'?
STFU! WE WANT ZIPPERS YOU WANKEERS!!!!!!
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Patrick
Trad climber
Reno, NV
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Sep 24, 2014 - 03:05pm PT
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In the summer of 1991 I moved to Boulder Colorado. I had climbed up to mid .10 at Seneca and at my home crag the Bellefonte Quarry and a few grades below that at the Gunks between '89 and then. However, I had no experience on Granite.
My second day climbing in Boulder, I got to the top of the Northwest face on Elephant Buttress and set up the belay only to watch every single piece of protection I had placed (all nuts and hexes) zipper out of the route when I pulled the rope somewhat taught against my second who was putting on his shoes. My girlfriend who moved there with me, was watching this and forbade me to climb anymore. We broke up that evening. The guy I was climbing with, whom I met that morning at the Boulder Mountaineer never returned another of my calls. I didn't lead another climb on granite for over a year as I was convinced that was why it had happened and moved to Eldorado Springs.
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Evel
Trad climber
Nedsterdam CO
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Sep 24, 2014 - 03:31pm PT
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my home crag the Bellefonte Quarry
Patrick, who are you? I'm Rick Mix
Oh, I've zippered most of a pitch while aiding.
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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Sep 24, 2014 - 03:34pm PT
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Somewhere below the headwall pitch on the Trip, 1982 or so, about half-way up the pitch, I took a fall and pulled a couple pieces. Fifteen feet or so. I went back up and got about ten feet further and fell again, ripped the same pieces and a few more. I'm ok, but pissed. That was about a thirty-footer. I went back up again and reached my high point. I struggled with a few more placements and finally made it to easier ground. I clipped a broken-off fixed bong in exhaustion and without really testing it very well, I hung to catch my breath. I was looking at the piece as it popped and I sailed backward into space for quite a bit before I ended up dangling in space about ten feet out from the belayer and the third. They looked more spooked than I felt. There was blood and some missing skin but nothing serious. I reassured them that it wasn't really that bad, I was just probably flailing. Had to be about a fifty-footer, but I didn't really count how many pieces ripped.
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snowhazed
Trad climber
Oaksterdam, CA
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Sep 24, 2014 - 06:20pm PT
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Never more than one, and all of those were nuts...
i like cams
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RyanD
climber
Squamish
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Topic Author's Reply - Sep 25, 2014 - 12:59am PT
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Holy smokes, there's been some whoppers here.
RickA's story is nuts.
This resonated with me too.
I love ripping a piece that I was 88.3% sure was good. It's funny that the overriding emotion upon ripping such a piece isn't fear but genuine puzzlement: "huh, that piece blew? well, that's a bit of a surprise"
I have fallen on "only option" cams that I wasn't super psyched on but turned out to be bomber & also have seen seemingly perfect looking placements pop.
But the placement and how it looks isn't always the only factor I have learned.
The tale of how my gear ripped and I hit the ground because I'm dumb:
The time I hit the ground I was with Brownie it was January & he was trying Climb & Punishment, a steep little flake up at Penny Lane that had a piton at the top (Tami probably smashed it in the year I was born :-) about 30' up, before a little face crux pulling out of the flake and over a bulge with slopey crimps and smooth feet. Easier splitter leads to the chains. Anyways, the pin had just been removed by Marc as it had taken it's fair share of abuse & a few others had popped on ppl in town recently like little time bombs.
At this point I had done this climb maybe 20 times including an onsight early in my climbing. #spray I had it pretty sauced i figured and when Brownie was having a time and asked me to hang the rope I did not hesitate. He came down and we pulled the rope, I grabbed a few cams and headed up the flake, checking out his pieces and clipping them as i went past, he only put a few in the initial flake but I didn't mind because I had this thing wired. I got to where the piton was(crux) quickly, moved some gear around, an upward facing Blue wild country Zero & a red C3 to the left a bit to account for the missing Iron, and was checking out how it had made a cool, new, little handhold. I grabbed it and kind of half committed to a method of doing the move off this new hold. It felt weird so I reversed it and tried to just thug thru on muscle memory into my usual sequence, but my feet were out of position from cranking on the new hold. I was boggled and getting flash pump since this was my warm up.
I hung out for a sec then decided I'd just jump off and get back into the proper position to get the feet up, instead of reversing more weird moves. Since the cam was at my knee anyway, I tell Brownie & let go. Next thing I know PINGPINGPING and I was laying in this 4' round, lone patch of snow on a ledge 5' off the ground. It was really fukked up & I was a bit confused but somehow ok? I quickly climbed back up & cleaned the remaining gear & down climbed. Then, we went top roping, for a bit.
It turned out that when the piton was removed the top part of the flake became expanding, a few weeks after my experience I walked by & noticed a smashed up, dinner plate size rock on the ground with chalk & even a bit of rust on it had came off right where my jingus gear had blown up on the cliff. Not sure how it came off in a fall or otherwise but I hope nobody was hurt. Now the climb is a little easier and maybe has better flow thru that section too. Still haven't led it again tho, maybe when it snows hahaha!!
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xtrmecat
Big Wall climber
Kalispell, Montanagonia
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Sep 25, 2014 - 06:28am PT
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Four is my personal best.
Tangerine Trip, the traverse, just before the mid pitch anchor. Tied off two fixed pieces that looked pretty sketch, and the tapered nut I was on was the best I could get with what was left on the rack. With about half a step and six inches to go to a bolt the nut popped, predictably so.
Tom gave me the photo at the bottom of the fall, a little below the roof, all air. Super soft catch, but as stated before, it gives you time to think, which was the worst/best part. Let out a huge wahoo, but didn't stop shaking and being nervous until I made the anchor and decompressed.
I do remember enough time to comprehend the air speed was fast enough to be heard and that I should have stopped by now. Not enough time for conscious thought of "I'm gonna die" though.
I believe my Camelot .4 is still on the rack in perfect shape is what caught the fall, but me being way bigger than my partner pulled him up past the anchor and tight to the rivet that was above him. Oliver got the worst of it.
Burly Bob
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John Christie
Trad climber
Boulder,Colorado
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Sep 25, 2014 - 09:04am PT
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Many years ago, in a quarry near Edinburgh, Scotland I fell off a route at about 50 feet ripping a pin and 3 nuts. I decked it hard on boulders with some rope catch from my first piece, a 2.5 friend that held. It turns out the pin was rusted through...
The pin hit me on the chest and broke skin and I landed on my side on the boulder beach. Apart from a numb left elbow (for a month) and some shock I more or less walked away. The twin morals of the story were (1) NEVER trust old pins, and (2) nuts placed in cracks on whinstone rock lined with calcite are useless for holding a fall.
I went back a year later, rapped down the route pre-placing some bomber gear and lead it no falls.
Ironically the quarry, which was basically a hole in the ground, was subsequently filled in and the route is now buried, presumably for eternity.
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rockermike
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Sep 25, 2014 - 09:54am PT
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Two pieces, aid climbing. I was top stepping looking for next placement when the micro nut I was on blew (looked OK to me), then the cable on the next lower micro nut snapped. What, maybe 15' total. But lots of exposure. ha
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