UKC

Has anyone else every managed to accidentally clip the loops on the heel of their climbing shoe into the quickdraw whilst climbing?!

I was climbing on an indoor wall this evening and got part way across the roof at the top before realising that whilst heel hooking next to a quickdraw I had somehow managed to clip one of the loops on the heel of my climbing shoe into the clip.

Slightly unnerving as I was very pumped at the point and if I'd let go I would have ended up hanging upside down by my shoe. Luckily just managed to free it, otherwise was about to undo the velcro on my shoe and leave it hanging there! (Lucky also that had velcro shoe on!)

In reply to Elsier:

Not accidentally clipped my shoe but while climbing at the old Nottingham wall one of my oh so hilarious friends clipped my shoe to my chalk bag. Unfortunately I clipped my heel to his nose while he was trying to get the other one.

In reply to Elsier:

Dunno about rock shoes, but I've seen crampon spikes caught in quickdraws on harnesses now and again.

In reply to Elsier:

I heard a story once about a fella who got his nut key hooked into a shoe loop while he was climbing a chimney.

In reply to Oldsign:

I once got my nut key caught in the pull loops part way up a slab at Froggatt. I couldn't work out why I couldn't stand up out of the rock over I'd just done and found it really hard to take a hand off to free it.

In reply to Somerset swede basher:

Hmmm, I'm starting to think about snipping the loop on mine now...

In reply to Elsier:

I've caught my nut key in my shoe loop so many times while descending/scrambling down from routes, that I've learnt to be quite cautious about it these days. It's mostly that 'squat down on your haunches, then slide/jump off a boulder' type move that seems to be responsible for bring nut key and shoe together

In reply to Elsier:

I once took a short fall & the loop of my shoe somehow caught between the rope and the lower crab of the second runner down, it was enough to almost completely flip me upside down.

In reply to Elsier:

I once got my shoe lace loop clipped into a quickdraw as I was stepping up past it. There wasn't any other gear nearby to make myself safe with, but I *just* managed to reach down and unclip it while staying balanced. It made me play out numerous what-if senarios in my mind afterwards.

Mehmet

In reply to Hat Dude:

If I hadn't managed to unclip my shoe loop or undo my shoe before I let go, I would have been left hanging upside down by my shoe.

Not sure how I would have got out of that, don't think my core strength would be strong enough to pull myself back up. I guess someone would have had to lead one of the adjacent routes and I would have been left hanging until they could come and rescue me!

I am sure it's a fairly freak occurrence, but think I might snip my pull loops just to be sure it can't happen again.

Sounds like their are other related dangers with laces and even just having a tab of material on the back of your shoe.

In reply to Elsier:

I've definitely heard this happening on one occasion. Friendship-type bracelets are another thing I hadn't imagined were that risky, until I somehow managed to clip myself into a quickdraw with one!

In reply to Elsier:

This just goes to show no matter how stupid or unlikely theres always something to learn.
Im going to cut my loop now and just leave it as a pull tab.

In reply to Oldsign:

I've seen a guy get a nut caught in shoe loop as well. The nut was on his harness and he was in the middle of a high rockover just above the clip. He managed to get unstuck with a wee hip wiggle. If he hadn't though, that could have been a pretty awkward fall.

Similarly, but less scary...I once had a cam on the back of my harness wedge perfectly into a crack as i bum shuffled elegantly on a down climb. Left me dangling for a wee bit until I could work out what the hell was going on. Wish they could do that on the way up.

In reply to Elsier:

I learned the hard way to carry my panic quickdraw (one of these clip stick / quickdraw hybrids with one karabiner that can be held open by a spring and snaps shut when you clip it into a bolt) the right way round.

I had mine clipped to a gear loop on the back of my harness, springy krab down.

Of course I managed to back clip my rope just below the last bolt when committing to the exit overhang of a Frankenjura route. Cue massive rope drag, and triple rope length paid out for every meter I climbed.

By the time I realized the problem I was unable to reverse. Fortunately I was high enough to avoid decking even with the extra rope, so I decided to pull through, as a short fall could have been awkward. Quite close to being pulled off by rope drag and pump, though, and visibly shaking upon topout...

Lesson learned, from now on the springy krab goes into the gear loop, and a closed screwgate on the bottom end!

CB

In reply to Elsier:

I pushed my fairly broad fingers into the loops on the back of one of my shoes to pull it on, as I yanked the shoe on I lost my balance and fell face first, but was unable to pull my fingers out of the snug fitting loops quick enough to save myself. I was at the Works, so there was a soft landing on the mat but plenty of folk to laugh at me...

In reply to Elsier:
Whilst leading at Swanage, I once accidentally clipped the knot loop rather than the rope. It was just as I launched over an overhang. Suddenly I was stopped in my tracks and couldn't get back again. Eventually when my arms gave out I had to let go. Only fell a few feet but it was nerve wracking and I was probably quite lucky because there wasn't much rope to absorb the shock, I also had used a long sling extender to the nut to reduce rope drag round the overhang.

Text book mistake which is precisely why you should always tie on with the knot close to the harness and without a loop

In reply to Elsier:

I fell off at the wall once with the rope below the last draw behind my leg (schoolboy error), and managed to tie a half hitch round my ankle on the way down. I was well and truly stuck, hanging upside down, until someone climbed an adjacent route and untied me.
I've also done the nutkey in the shoe loop while attempting a rockover. Took a while to work out what was going on.

In reply to Natalie Berry - UKC:

I hadn't thought of that with bracelets. My novice friend was asking me at the weekend whether it was safe to wear jewellery climbing, but I presume between that and I think some stories I read on here about rings, I should probably advise against.

I suspect clipping your heel loop can only really happen on really steep ground where you are heel hooking and possibly only when the clip is free hanging rather than hanging vertically against a wall. I was on the top roof of the comp wall at Ratho.

In reply to Hooo:

That's exactly the predicament I would have been in! That must have been pretty alarming!

The nut key in the heel loop seems to be quite common.

In reply to Elsier:



+1 for the nut key in the hoop but also the bow of the laces.

In reply to Trangia:

Back in the days of Whillans harnesses, I heard of somebody clipping a runner into the rope between the tie in loop and the crotch strap krab then climbing on for a good few feet before realising.

In reply to Removed Usergilesf:

I think we've all been in a similar situation, although I don't think I've ever actually faceplanted! I pull my shoes on while sat down now.