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Tom
Big Wall climber
San Luis Obispo CA
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PTPP and I were on Scorched Earth, a very overhanging line just left of the Trip. The Poison Pill expando flake closed down on PTPP's #4 Friend during the night. I had set it with (I thought) plenty of space to spare the day before. But, the Pill was apparently ravenous because almost nobody goes up there to feed it cams. It was clamped down solid, and no manner of effort could retrieve it.
When the pig got loose, it fell 800 feet and hit the trees about 100 feet from the base. It made a strange noise all the way down, like the air being ripped apart.
Over the next two days, PTPP proved that he can climb quite rapidly up difficult terrain, if he wants to. His notoriously slow pace is by choice, and not because he lacks ability.
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Fuzzywuzzy
climber
suspendedhappynation
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Nov 11, 2009 - 03:51pm PT
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Minor but exciting event, Vern Clevenger, George Myers and TC are trying to climb "Banana Dreams" at the Cookie. (Done that one lately?) TC in the lead, kinda airy traverse, (for me) swing the rack out of the way... and I'm decorating the trees below!! Think it was and early Victor Marcus sling? Royo-boyo model -can't remember?
Price and I dropped the 6x6 wooden racks off Excaliber - weinie roast at the base apres topout? I might be making that up but it somehow rings a bell!
Great stories from all - thanks.
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Evel
Trad climber
Slartibartfasts Newest Fjiord
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Dec 30, 2009 - 06:09pm PT
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Decorum prohibits my naming names, but I know a couple of fellas that managed to drop the ROPES!!!!!!!!! Yes, things didn't look good, but they got out of their jam. EEEKKK! Story goes that about 5 or 6 pitches up on Whitesides a decent storm came up real sudden like. No probs, rig the rap and bail right? WRONG!!! Climber A drops not just one but BOTH ropes! By some miracle they get hung up like fifty feet below... By tying EVERYTHING together they managed recovery and the rest as they say is history.
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Fletcher
Trad climber
The beckoning silence
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Dec 30, 2009 - 07:46pm PT
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I was once about to climb a short chimney on Fei Ngo Shan Peak (or Kowloon Peak) in Kong Kong (the one directly above the old Kai Tak Airport; Lion Rock is here, but on a different part). I started up the chimney and had my pack on. It wasn't all that tight, but tight enough that I climbed down to remove the pack and haul it. Back at the belay, I was taking off the rack when all my gear started cascading onto the belay... which is at the top of a mildly exposed third class ramp that eventually drops off to a small cliff. WTF??????
Fortunately, nothing slid into oblivion. On further examination, the buckle on my gear sling had worked itself loose! That was one buckle I hadn't thought of doubling back and it was always checked thereafter!
Eric
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Mittens
climber
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Dec 30, 2009 - 09:39pm PT
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On an early free attempt of the Grack, I was carrying all of my chocks on the same biner. Pumped and attempting to get one in, I dropped the entire set! Too afraid to venture unprotected into the difficult terrain ahead, I had to retreat and the first free ascent was quickly robbed from me thereafter.
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Mark Hudon
Trad climber
Hood River, OR
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Dec 30, 2009 - 10:24pm PT
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On the West Face of the Sentinel a buddy of mine clips in the biner rack to the anchor and then twists and takes it off his should and chest. The twist of the sling falls against the gate, the gate opens and all our biners fall to the ground. To this day, I never simply "drop" something onto an anchor, I lower it and feel that is it secure before I let it go.
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MikeK
climber
Berkeley
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Not exactly a rack, but this brings something to mind.
I was on an ice climbing trip with a guy I had just met some years ago, who had spent the previous couple days enthusing about his new leashless tools, cutting edge stuff at the time. I, being weaker and more afraid, was skeptical of his comments like "The freedom of movement is wonderful. It's so liberating!"
Of course, as I belayed him up the first pitch, he fumbles a tool, which sails to the bottom and skitters far down the fan below.
"Ha, yes, I see those tools are so liberating! You liberated that bad boy all the way down into the creek!"
Hi Paul!
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Janet Wilts
Trad climber
Moose
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Well, not a rack...
but years ago when Largo, Mari and I were climbing (Mari and my first try at a wall) ...John was leading and when he finished the pitch and started hauling the bag, the haul bag got stuck....So John being a strong guy, decides he can just haul on the line and free it (a scissor like motion) (hmmmmm... wonder what that would do to a rope)....and from my belay perch, below him, I saw an object go hurdling past me....at first I thought it was a person.... when we found out it was just the haul bag...who cares....(that was probably a ploy by John...make us think it's a person so that when we find out it was just all our food, water, gear....we wouldn't care so much...hahhahahaa)
Luckily it didn't matter so much, since John just went into hyper mode and got us off the climb that afternoon.....
such fun memories....
Janet
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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For some reason, the South Face of the Column got me on two different occasions. In 1971, I was trying to flip the haul line, but caught it around my glasses, sending them back to Dinner Ledge. Those glasses were far more crucial to me than a mere rack, since I could not read the big "E" on an eye chart from ten feet without them. Then, in 1973, my partner dropped not only most of the rack, but also our daypack containing the cameras, topo, water, and lots of other useful stuff, from almost the same place (a sling belay above the Kor Roof). This time, they landed a thousand or so feet below on the ground. Amazingly, no one else was on the route either time.
On the rope dropping front, I have it on good authority (from a member of the first ascent party) that Steve's Folly on the Hogback was originally named "Steve Dropped the Stupid Rope."
John
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Jan 14, 2010 - 11:59am PT
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Bump...For Screamin' Chip! The loosest player at any poker table! LOL
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Jun 13, 2010 - 12:23am PT
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Bump!
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gonamok
Trad climber
Bite my azz
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Jun 13, 2010 - 12:57am PT
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I was on the second tier of that big ol overhang at the top of the nose in the middle of the night, and when i stood up on one of those ancient bolts it pulled, resulting in a 15 foot back first, head-down fall. When i stopped the 50 lb rack i was toting flew off my shoulder and would have kept going, but something snagged long enough for me to secure it again.
Good thing, because my jumars were on the rack.
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Wayno
Big Wall climber
Seattle, WA
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Jun 13, 2010 - 01:12am PT
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My buddy, Kim Dao dropped a rack somewhere below the Trip headwall. We managed just fine and luckily the rack hung up in a tree and didn't crater.
Raaaaaack!
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mac&cheeze
Social climber
sl,ut
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Jun 13, 2010 - 01:50am PT
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while leading a pitch on don juan, Crows head spires Utah I had two #4's dislodge themselves from my harness while squeezing up the overhanging crux. My partner Ben Yelled "Cams" and I was in disbeleife as they bounced down to the dirt. I still owe him a #4 and have to remember why to rack to the outside.
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kent
Trad climber
SLC, Ut
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Jun 13, 2010 - 01:55am PT
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I dropped a haulbag which contained the whole wall rack. Thankfully it was during the descent (east ledges). Luckily the haulbag survived and spilled the contents in a small radius. Phew. I guess the rack is ok?
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Auto-X Fil
Mountain climber
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Aug 27, 2010 - 11:03pm PT
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Just three screws, but that was most of the rack. No idea how, they were just gone. My partner manned up and led the final pitch with one screw and one Spectre, fortunately to a tree belay. Pretty sure I still owe him.
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TrundleBum
Trad climber
Las Vegas
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Aug 28, 2010 - 05:13am PT
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Not me.... nope Nevah
(uh huh)
Once, never again. Early on, me and Callaghan...
The Prow on Cathedral Ledge BITD.
Ok so it wasn't the whole damn rack just what was cleaned from the previous pitch...
We still topped!
Ummm bump 4 "GRAVITY CHECK!!!"
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justthemaid
climber
Jim Henson's Basement
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Aug 28, 2010 - 11:24am PT
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Another bump for a great thread.
I don't have any daring stories of fumblage myself, but I have been the rescuer for a lad who dropped his rope rappelling and was stranded at the station. Fortunately only one pitch off the ground, so I just led up and we rapped down.
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