UKC

I think I may have bust a rib last week by belly flopping a top-out, having being to lazy to tie-on and just clipped the rope to my belay krab... then trapping the belay device under my rib cage during said belly flop.

Do I win most stupid climbing injury of 2014?

In reply to Dom Whillans:

helmet fell off the top shelf and gave me a big lump on my forehead...

In reply to alooker:

I've got one of those fancy wild country nut keys on a leash, my friend was using it somehow he let go and it flung back and bust his lip...not exactly stupid but it was highly amusing from where I was!

Spraining a finger while trying to tear fingertape though...

In reply to Dom Whillans:

Central Crack in Wilton Three: I had failed and left two cams in about half way up. While I was walking.round to set up an abseil my mate hand.over handed up the ropes that went through the cams. Took the cams out and threw them.down. He then realised that HE was half way up and unable to go up or down... He fell off before I could set up the top rope!

We were camping there at the time (well, bus from.Salford to Bolton and then.on.to Wilton was an epic journey!) so we made him wait until the following afternoon before we took.him to hospital. He had broken one.of.his ankles!

In reply to Dom Whillans:

Using my nut key to tug upwards on a well placed (stuck) nut. Hunched over, forehead resting on the rock and wham! nut comes flying out and makes friends with my eye. Nice little shiner in the morning...

In reply to Dom Whillans:

Broke a crowned front tooth when trying to sort out a bunch of wires.

Then several years later did the same again!

In reply to mh554:


I did the same thing 2 weeks ago but instead of the nut hitting my face I punched myself in the face.

In reply to Dom Whillans:

I somehow crushed my finger while doing a heel hook, my heel came down on my finger (instead of next to it). I kept on climbing on it for 3 weeks and it got worse. I had to see a physio, and was told to stop climbing for 6 weeks. I stopped for 3 and went back to climbing. It still hurts.

In reply to Dom Whillans:

Put a bundle of wires on a carrier crab in my mouth, let go and the (open)crab slammed shut on my bottom lip. A lot of blood and a very thick and sore lip. Made eating salty and vinegary fish and chips painful. No long lasting consequences, and didn't affect my climbing one way or the other.

In reply to Dom Whillans:

I have managed to pull a hold off just to have it hit me in the face. Luckily I wasn't too high above the mat, but it did put a massive scratch on my glasses and give me bloody nose.

In reply to BigHairyIan:

hand.over handed up the ropes that went through the cams. Took the cams out and threw them.down. He then realised that HE was half way up and unable to go up or down... He fell off before I could set up the top rope!
That really is quite special!

In reply to Dom Whillans:

Demonstrating a heel hook on a boulder problem about an inch off the floor and tore the cartilage in my knee. Had to wait two days to get back home from font to get it looked at as others decided it was a waste of valuable climbing time.

In reply to Dom Whillans:

Pulled a tendon in my leg on the approach to a crag.

In reply to nniff:

That reminds me of an incident I saw on Burbage some years ago involving 3 comedy yorkshiremen.

One of them tried leading Long Tall Sally, couldn't do it and lowered off the gear by the bulge. They then set up a top rope but he still couldn't do it and the gear was still in the route.

By this time quite an audience was surreptitiously watching.

One of the three then decided to climb up the rope hand over hand and hang on to it while he got the gear out, he also had a fag in his mouth. His grip failed and he slid down the rope as he did so the fag fell down the front of his shirt. He was able to slow himself down enough to not hit the deck too hard but arrived there jumping about, not knowing which was burning worse, his hands or the fag inside his shirt.

In reply to Dom Whillans:
Another nut-key related one: I slipped on the (unbelievably polished) limestone path on the descent from the Penon d'Ifach, landed on my arse on the end of my nut key and snapped it in half. Wasn't massively painful and didn't break the skin but I came up in a *spectacular" bruise.

In reply to Dom Whillans:

I once managed to puncture my arse with one of my own crampons.

In reply to Dom Whillans:

I broke my arm topping out in Font......... really sucked

In reply to Wingnut:

Whilst they were on your feet?

In reply to mh554:

No. Put them down the wrong way up (yes, I'm an idiot), then slipped and sat down suddenly.

In reply to Dom Whillans:

it's heartening to find i'm not the only fool... though laughing at some of these replies is causing more pain.

In reply to Dom Whillans: No names but...... tripping over your rucksack at the end of a session at the wall and tearing ankle ligaments so badly you could not go to France was both frustrating and silly!

In reply to Dom Whillans:

Once showing off doing a one arm pullup I pulled the hold off and smashed it into my forehead.

As this was on a sea cliff I had no option but to climb out, which caused copious amounts of blood to pour down my face almost giving the two old dears eating a picnic a heart attack as I topped out in front of them with blood dripping off my chin and nose.

In reply to Dom Whillans:

I had a partner who fell about 8m and got caught as the rope stretched but his feet still to hit the ground. Amazingly he was absolutely fine! However while picking his next lead later on in the slipped on wet grass while reading a guide book and twisted his ankle so badly he couldn't climb for a few weeks!

In reply to Hat Dude: And that reminds me of another comedy incident, unrelated to climbing though. A chap used to walk home from work past our house every evening, almost always smoking a pipe. On this occasion there was a stiff breeze blowing and he was walking into it minus his pipe. As i looked out of our window i could see his pocket was on fire and he was unaware as he was walking into the breeze and couldn't see the smoke trailing behind him. I pulled up our window and shouted " Your pocket's on fire". He'd put his pipe in his pocket without putting it out properly and the ensuing antics taking his coat off and trying to put it out were a joy to behold.

In reply to Dom Whillans:

Mates girlfriend broke her sternum climbing one of the overlaps on Spartan Slab, Glen Etive. Saw another mate break an ankle falling about 4 inches at Bowden.

In reply to jonathan shepherd:

C3 pulley putting my running shoes on. Doh.

In reply to Dom Whillans:

I did some unexpected solo scrambling a few weeks ago, wearing a baseball cap instead of a helmet. Pulled up over a ledge and didn't notice the big roof about 4 foot above the ledge. When I stood up, I smacked my head on the roof, splitting the front of my head open. I saw a lot of stars and felt like vomitting, but thankfully I stayed conscious and didn't fall off the ledge. Still have neck pains, but (hopefully) nothing serious...

Not as fun as the other ones, but I definitely felt stupid afterwards.

In reply to LJC:


I've got a persistent A2 injury. Not affected much climbing trad when taped, but it keeps flaring up doing things like this, or picking up heavy bags - it's infuriating.

In reply to Dom Whillans:

I sat on a bumble bee once. No one volunteered to get the sting out.