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Rock fall at idwal slabs

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 IOAN D 28 May 2006
Was on Rampart corner today on the continuation walls at the idwal slabs and a dustbin size boulder came whizzing past and landed in a crash right by my partner, anyone else seen it? really shat me up!
 truckmonkey 28 May 2006
ive herd and seen rockfall there but it was further over to the left as you look out form the slabs not near any routes, still scared me a little though
Fishtrumpet 28 May 2006
In reply to IOAN D: Reminds me of a quote from Arron Ralston's book (quoting someone else) - Geologic time is now.
 MikeTS 29 May 2006
In reply to Fishtrumpet:
Obviously Global Warming. The Welsh glaciers are beginning to thaw.
OP IOAN D 29 May 2006
In reply to MikeTS: No somebody from above pulled it from the rock!
 Dave Stelmach 29 May 2006
In reply to IOAN D: There have been notable earthquakes in Wales.
 drunken monkey 29 May 2006
In reply to IOAN D: I once saw a sheep fall most of the way down Idwal Slabs, bounce at the bottom then get up and walk off. Most impressive. Double hard sheep. Quite different to hear about ten folk shouting "sheep below" down the crag!!!
 Fume Troll 29 May 2006
In reply to Fishtrumpet: includes now?

Cheers,

FT.
 truckmonkey 29 May 2006
In reply to drunken monkey: that would have made a funny story in a+e; so how did u sustain these injuries sir....
 phsharpy 29 May 2006
In reply to drunken monkey: i remember doing a course at plas y brenin a few years back and we were at the slabs and found a dead sheep at the bottom. It turned out the instructors had found it the week before all smashed up but still alive on a ledge about half way up. They tried to kill it humainly with a large rock but couldn't so they flipped it off. Is there some particularly good grass part way down that makes them dive off?
 pottsworth 29 May 2006
In reply to IOAN D:
I thought the size of blocks of rock was ment to be described in terms of household appliances.
So dustbin would bresumable be somewhere between widescreen TV and fridge freezer mark
 drunken monkey 29 May 2006
In reply to phsharpy: It was really funny in a kinda sick way, couldve had very serious consequences albeit. It was just kind of on one piece of grass munching away as they do, and it decided that it wanted to be on this next piece of grass. Unfortunately for it, it wasnt very good at traversing VDiff/Severe!!!
 Mick Ward 29 May 2006
In reply to phsharpy:

Sheep will graze from ledge to ledge, do a move they don't want to reverse, then graze/starve on the last ledge for a long time (days/weeks??) When you try to rescue them, they tend to panic/jump off.

They're very hard to kill. Their brains are extremely well protected by bone. Flipping 'em off is not a good idea (unless it's El Cap!) Large rocks? Forget it! The best way seems to be to up-end 'em so their weight breaks their neck. Not pleasant - but a release from suffering.

Mick
 mark reeves Global Crag Moderator 29 May 2006
In reply to Mick Ward: Found a sheep that had fallen from Crib Coch to the Pyg Track, we could see the line in the snow it had bounced down. Couldn't bring myself to off it, as I had no idea how.

A friend in the pub said rather tongue in cheek, it takes a big stone and a lot of determination. Glad I didn't starttrying!
 JdotP 30 May 2006
Doing First Pinnacle Rib on Tryfan on sunday, my climbing partner shouted down "I'm not gonna belay here, there's a dead sheep and it stinks!"...
 drunken monkey 30 May 2006
In reply to monkey kong: Maybe the sheep in Snowdonia cant take no more, and have all decided to top themselves.
 Swirly 30 May 2006
In reply to IOAN D: I can explain that, and I'm glad noone was hit.

If this is the rock I'm thinking of then dustbin is also an exaggeration. I was on the upper staircase and just below the top I was holding a flake as an undercut as i stepped up the whole lot came away in my hands, I fell about 5m onto a cam that held on a different part of the same flake (if it hadn't then I'd have been close to decking as my last runner was way below me). The scar that remained was quite wet and almost looked like rotten wood. I was really worried that the rock could do some serious damage as it flew outwards being practically thrown over my head due to the way i was holding it and it went straight down the holly tree wall.

And yes I'm well aware that i fell off a diff.
 Joss 30 May 2006
In reply to Mick Ward:

Your knowledge of the best way to kill sheep is almost worrying..
Fille 30 May 2006
In reply to IOAN D: *Sounding like the typical worrying mother* I hope you were wearing helmets...

They may not save your life with a rock that size but they can do an awful lot for you if you crack your skull off thing!
 Mick Ward 30 May 2006
In reply to Joss:

I started off climbing in the Mournes. I've no idea why, but there seem to have been more knackered sheep there than in any other mountain area in which I've climbed. An early memory (1967) is of hearing a knackered goat get repeated shotgun blasts - interspersed with pitiful bleating.

The farmers didn't seem too worried. I commuted for two days between a sick sheep and a farmer before realising that the latter was never going to come out for it...

Somebody (I can't remember who - denial??) told me how to kill/not kill a sheep. It worked.

I've got faults (bad ones) but, thankfully, violence to stricken creatures ain't one of them.

So don't worry...

Mick
OP IOAN D 30 May 2006
In reply to Swirly: I saw your climbing partner shortly as i toped out and she said that it was you who dislodged the boulder, the boulder seemed alot bigger to me as i felt the wind of it on my face. And it is lucky that it landed on the ledge were my partner was standing because the slabs were like a fun fair and we would have seen the ten pin bowling affect!

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