UKC

I'm still fresh when it comes to trad and still can't get my head around lead falls on gear.

Put my mind straight, just for a laugh (or the pant staining lucky moments), what's the largest fall you've had on trad? What route? and what gear held?

In reply to Oogachooga:

An epic 5m in total (2.2m above gear, 2.8m below on stretch) Can't remember the route, it was a gentle VS on some trad "coaching" course on the Orme, and backed up with a top rope anyway. Gear was a tri-cam on wire, hand made by Petr Kouba.
Jack Geldard was unconvinced. Hazel Findlay belayed the top-rope, and some punter belayed the lead rope.

It held brilliantly and also extracted easily enough.

Hazel shortly thereafter mentioned tri-cam placements for the first time on some blog about some proper hard climb (thought I think it was Caro Ciavaldini, rather than me, that had sold her on the concept)

In reply to Oogachooga:

(NB I broke my ankle on a fall that was much shorter than this despite one piece of gear ripping)

In reply to Oogachooga:
Watch "Asgard Jamming" (Favresse brothers, Sean Villanueva et al on Baffin Island). There is a HUGE whipper (I think it's Silvia Vidal, onto a standard medium nut) and nobody even comments on it, it's as if it's par for the course

In reply to Oogachooga: Watch "On Sight" the repeated falls onto that crappy nut on Gravediggers gave me a whole new respect for marginal placements.

In reply to Oogachooga:
Didn't take the fall, but held it. My brother took a 12m factor 2 off "The Niche" on Lower Falcon in 1967. Held him on a waist belay (nothing else in those days) despite being pulled upside down. Still got the scars. Held Roger Baxter-Jones on a 5m factor 1 a couple of years later (and he was a big bastard). My own longest fall on gear is about 8m. None of these is particularly unusual.

So, what exactly is your problem?

In reply to Oogachooga:

Took a 18ft on fern crack at the roaches a couple of weeks back a #3cam held the fall and also my weight for about 3 hrs whilst I was got down, split my helmet from landing on my head first (was topping out when lost my footing and a severe gust blew me backwards) shattered my ankle and are now the proud owner of a massive external frame for the next 5 months and docs of recommended no climbing for 18-24mnths after frame comes off in case of any impact,never trusted cams moving parts are normally a recipe for disaster but they are definitely gonna make up more of my rack when I get back out

In reply to Oogachooga:

Took a 20 metre fall onto marginal gear (tape on loose spike) when a hold snapped. This was while making the 3rd ascent of The Boulderer on Cloggy. The spike was sharp enough and the impact force big enough to cut two thirds of the way through the tape.

Usually it's the rock or placement that fails, not the gear. Practice placing gear in a safe environment so you can see what's good and what isn't . Walk around the foot of a crag, put in a wire at about shoulder height then clip a sling in to it and hang off it. It's surprising just how strong everything is.

In reply to Oogachooga:

Personally I have never had any big falls on gear. But I have belayed partners who have taken some spectacular falls.
One friend fell from near the top of San Melas. With his last piece below the halfway mark he was in for a decking but I jumped backwards off the rock I was standing on and his feet only brushed the ground.

In reply to Oogachooga:

Dunno, 8m or so? Gone further when the gear's all come out!

In reply to Oogachooga:

Personally 6-7 metres, touching the ground on rope stretch. I was fine.

This is always worth a watch:
http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=61201

In reply to squirrel00: We saw the helicopter from Ramshaw after bailing from the Roaches after one climb because of the wind. Glad you are reasonably okay.

In reply to Oogachooga:

About 7-8 meters. From the crux below half height on Tangerine Dream at Pembroke to a few meters above the ground. Upside down next to my belayer. 1 small cam ripped. I was very pumped. I think a rock number 2 held me.
I have had a few smaller falls and it always seems to be that piece of gear that you weren't going to bother with but though may as well place, is the one that saves me..

In reply to Oogachooga:
Fell off Slender Loris pulling rope through to clip the top peg. The friend by my waist pulled - it was in a flared break - and the small wires below shattered the placements before I was brought to a stop. I lowered the ten feet to the floor. Although this was a long way due to the sequence of failures, they all did a job in slowing down the impact and it felt gentler than some of the shorter falls I've taken. I knew the friend wasn't up to much as the flared break was also damp!
Should add that the guidebook has the route at 25m. so I reckon I fell about 18m off this one.

In reply to Oogachooga:

About 50 feet off Central Wall, Malham on (off!) aid. The tat snapped on the last aid point on the route. I did wonder looking at it (and I've since wondered whether somebody left it there to snap). Torrential rain and freezing; just wanted up fast, so stepped up. Only about one in four aid placements clipped (speed) and a lot of slack out.

Great lob into space and a wonderful bounce part-way back. Ironically the lob was fortunate; discovered my mate had hypothermia. Abbed off (not without its moments, given his condition) and returned the (formerly) new ropes to another mate.

Just stuff you did on wet days. All good, clean fun.

Mick

In reply to Mick Ward:

A Malham theme emerging!

In reply to Oogachooga:

Largest I've held is my mate falling the fall length of the top pitch of The Grim Jim on Dinas Cromlech, coming to rest next to me and whipping me clean off the wobbly flake belay; there was a fair amount of yelling.

In reply to Oogachooga:

Never a lead fall but a piece of gear I was lowering off ripped on me and dropped me 4-5m. The next bit caught me and I swung into brambles. That was an all round cock up.

In reply to Oogachooga:

i held my mates rope when he fell over walking to the belay at the top of cascade in the pass. he slid off the top, 2 screws in crud pulled out then next one held. he fell 90-100m flying over 2-3 other teams! its a 120m route and i lowered him about 10m to the floor. screws do hold! he still loves winter climbing

In reply to Šljiva:

thanks ,that was my first climb of the day too and was gonna suggest to the lads we head east because of the wind but we never got that far,think its gonna be paddling when the fixator comes off,if i cant do nothing for the next 18mnths my wife will end up killing me

In reply to Oogachooga:

I once fell around 25 metres, maybe even more, and was held by a Rock 7 on Burma Road in Glen Nevis. I had stupidly failed to drape a tape around a little tree root just below my feet and slipped off the last move when the top of the crag turned out to be coated in black slime. My only injury was a wrenched knuckle. As I sat in my harness recovering, under severe attack from midges, an angel - that is to say, a nurse on a picnic with friends - appeared from around the edge of an arete. "You poor dear," she said, "you look like you've had a nasty fright. Here, take these." With that she handed me a large foam cup filled with wine and some insect repellent.

In reply to davidoldfart:

Did the insect repellent make the wine taste funny?

In reply to Oogachooga:

Took an 8m fall off Diagonal Crack in Kingussie.
My last piece of gear pinged off, thankfully I raised my legs as when I stopped and lowered them I touched the ground. No physical inguries apart from rope burn, however suffered psychologically even though I got straight back on the route as I knew the gear was good.


Learned a couple of valuable lessons

1. don't overstretch for hold if you are knackered.
2. if you do do 1. make sure your last piece of gear is bomber.
3. make sure said last piece of gear is over half way if the overstretch is the top of the route.

Cheers
Euge

In reply to Bob:

No, I made sure to avoid the area around my lips when I smeared it on my skin.

In reply to Oogachooga:
Most of the way down Embankment 4, fell backwards out of the top groove and end upside down looking my belayer in the eye. Stopped by a Clog #1, an ancient microwire,


Chris

In reply to Oogachooga:

I don't remember any trad fall being especially spectacular. The only remotely airy one I can remember was a paltry 6m or so onto a rather rusty old lost arrow.

Falls on bolts tend to be *much* bigger.

jk

In reply to jamesturnbull:

yeah.... I remember that! Only the lucky screw held!

In reply to Oogachooga:
A fairly tame 20ft is the biggest although I've had loads of falls.

The 20ft one was on the Ruckle in Swanage, on the second pitch of an E1, that I can't remember the name of. Right by a cam placement, saw the rock crumble around it and came to rest next to my belayer held by a good nut.

Had a crap micro placement hold me on the slate, that one was quite surprising.

The biggest I've seen though was a little over 100ft when a mate fell of at Bosigran and ripped lots of gear. That was interesting but he lived to fight another day, although he no longer climbs.

In reply to jkarran:


Bizarre isn't it - trad is seen as being dangerous because you have to rely on yourself and your own judgment in protecting the route yet take small falls but in sport where you rely on gear placed by others whose ability you have no knowledge of, people are happy to take big falls.

Nowt so strange as folk.

In reply to Oogachooga:

I fell off the top of wombat at the malham due to sheer incompetence. Managed to strip half the gear as it all was down to my right and just came out. Ended up about 4 metres off the ground. The route is about 20 metres I think. So I think I fell about 16 metres. It was bizarre as the gear which came out appeared to be quite solid when I placed it. It was a knackered looking peg which held.

In reply to Oogachooga:

I've taken numerous falls. I rarely remember the details of them. They are always bigger in memory and at the pub than they really were. I have only ever hurt myself on one (clipped ankle in winter).The size or the hurt don't matter...still gutted to have failed on that route as it'd have been a still fairly significant ascent at the time within my circle of climbing mates. All about ego!

In reply to Oogachooga:

20m onto [or rather past] the belay, no runners. Belay pegs all but ripped; were removed by hand after we'd sorted ourselves out. Completed the route after changing under wear

In reply to Bob:

Well its not that bizarre when you consider its pretty common for trad gear to rip out and practically unheard of for a bolt to fail. Also sport climbing tends to attract those that want to push to their physical/psychological limits more and falling off is an inevitable part of that.

In reply to stp:

It's as much the trust part that I find strange.

Gear rips surprisingly rarely (assuming you know how to place it) usually it's because you don't take note of the direction of a potential pull so when you fall it gets lifted out.

In reply to Oogachooga:

I've never fallen on trad gear, and I don't plan on changing that any time soon. I really enjoy feeling in total control when above gear/soloing, so the whole 'if you're not falling off you're not trying hard enough' thing doesn't make much sense for me!

In reply to Oogachooga:


The two notable big Lakes examples are:
Pete Whillance off Raven Crag Threshthwaite.
One of the Ambleside team (MG?) off Castle Rock.

Both huge whippers with no injuries. Perhaps those involved could tell the tale?

We saw a lady fall 50 feet from Castle Rock and hit the deck, not nice, not too badly injured, but that was an abseling accident that should never have happened.

An 18-year old also sadly died some years ago at Castle South Crack after hitting the deck with no useful gear. The tragedy was compounded by drilling four bolt holes and fixing a memorial, immediately removed.

In reply to Oogachooga:

About a 7m fall on Whit's End Direct just before reaching the overlap.

I messed up the sequence on somehow ended up not being able to climb up or down and having to decide *when* to jump with gear below my feet. I looked down and saw more slack than I would have liked so I called to my belayer saying I was going to be off, hoping he would take in a bit, he didn't for fear of pulling the gear out so I took the whipper, my feet hit the slab and I ended up caught by a number 3 DMM nut, up-ended.

In reply to Dave Cumberland:

Err, Whillance nearly severed his tongue! I think Rick Graham was there at the time.

The big Lakes falls I know of involve one person, at least two of over 100ft plus several in the 30ft to 50ft range that would have been bigger but the ground got in the way!

In reply to Bob:


I tend to consider good gear and decent, recent bolts as trustworthy. The sport falls are bigger because the bolts tend to be more spaced than the gear I place and because they can be, the sport I do is steep, falls are often into space, the trad I do tends to be more complicated, less clean with plenty to rattle down and hit.

jk

In reply to Bob:

Yep I believe Pete grazed the ground. The Castle fall I believe was over 100 feet - in space fortunately.

In reply to Oogachooga:

18 metres on a route at Wilton.

Also about 14 metres on Wombat, Malham when hold broke.

A few others of around 10 metres.

In reply to Andy Long:

Andy,

Talking of RBJ, I took a 20 m fall off the second (crux) pitch Iago on Heron Crag, in 1971, straight onto his waist belay - my one piece of minute gear flicked out, i.e., fall factor of two. I fell down the whole of the first pitch as well and bounced onto the ropes a feet feet off the ground. I was wearing a waist band, which chopped my Norwegian sweater and grazed my stomach - no leg loops in those days. Roger held me with a standard waist belay with leather gloves. Falls like that were not so unusual in those days.

In reply to Oogachooga:
The only big lead fall I've taken was due to complacency on a route I know well - Jermyn Street at Millstone. My heel popped whilst placing the awkward high wire by the cave, and with only the peg on Regent street below and 8mm ropes I decked very gently on the stretch, just after watching my belayer Jason fly over my head.

I once arrived at High tor to see a guy high on Supersonic. He was at the top of the groove on the Flaky Wall, and somehow peeled off whilst trying to clip the peg, complete with armful of slack. All the wires he had in pinged, he hit the grass bank at the bottom and landed next to us, somewhat shaken but apparently unharmed. I think his second was so traumatised he rang an ambulance anyway. Must be well over 20 metres?

In reply to Adam Long:

Two significant lead falls.

First one in Dolomites on the Ramp Route. it was raining, never good on limestone. I fell about 6m and landed stood up on a ledge only damage was black and blue ankles the next day.

Second was at tremadog on the direct finsh to Hogmanay Hangover. Had both hands on top and both feet on decent holds, no idea what happened. Landed near belay arse first on a ledge, incredibly painful and had a backside like a baboon for weeks, took ages to break up the scar tissue but no perment damage.

In reply to John Roberts (JR):

And your ballsy flash attempt on Gaia!

In reply to Oogachooga:

All my trad falls have been sub 5 metres thankfully. The first proper one was 4 metres onto a size 2 micro wire which held! Gave me a lot more confidence in smaller gear, as did a 2-3 metre drop onto a microcam.

In reply to Oogachooga:
Many years ago whilst descending NE Slope, Les Courtes, I lost control and tumbled/cartwheeled approx last 300m, summersaulting over the bergschrund

We were unroped, I had the only rope in my sack, friend had to jump 'the gap' to join me on glacier!

Stuart

In reply to Oogachooga:

I went about 35/40 feet onto a micro (0.25 I think, the yellow one)in 2001 from the top of a VS called War of the Worlds at Shorncliffe in the Wye Valley.

It was a crap bit of gear. It was off to one side and I'd joked about how bad it was when I placed it. I only bothered because I made a rule of looking for gear before I went into the loose section at the top of the crag.

As I came off from above it holding (and standing on) a 6 foot by 8 foot flake, the micro swung me out from underneath it, the flake hit the slabby section of the crag below where I'd stopped and exploded outwards into big chunks, all of which missed my belayer, but felled 2 large trees nearly the same height as the crag.

...and then there was a moment of silence.

In reply to Oogachooga:

My only proper lead fall (ie significant distance) was not onto gear. Fell before I got the first bit in. Broke my elbow and had a ride in the big red and white bird.Gangway, Subluminal, Swanage.

My only lead fall onto gear was right at the start of Amazon Crack at Stanage. I'd reached up and put a nut....I think a 4 wallnut...into one of the parallel cracks, right on tiptoe, before I started. I slipped on the first move and my alert belayer held me about 9 inches abouve that rock near the bottom. That was *after* I'd recovered from the broken elbow, and getting back into it, still with a healthy respect for Severes !

In reply to Oogachooga:

I initially assumed that this thread was about falls from grace whilst under the influence of heroin...

As far as climbing falls are concerned, I've yet to fall on gear. The only times that I've fallen, I haven't had the benefit of having had the opportunity to place any gear and I therefore decked... Which is slightly annoying, considering how much money I've spent on gear over the years.

In reply to Blackmud:


You don't always get the choice. One of the longest falls I've taken off a trad route was from the top of the long pitch of Redshift at Gogarth (I think the first pitch?) which finishes up a short groove to a belay ledge.

As I was bridged across the groove, a big chunk of the left side of it decided to fall off. I went for miles, as the last piece was way below me.

Fortunately it was the best bit of gear on the whole pitch (Friend 3 - everything else was dodgy wires). Even more fortunately the route is steep enough that the falling block missed my friend on the belay below and disappeared into the sea.

Strangely, the route didn't change at all - but the finishing groove of that pitch is now a couple of feet further left.

In reply to Oogachooga:
25-30ft a couple of times.

Once at Ilkley Quarry on Curving Corner from the top move to the bottom of the crag, inverting on the way, and ending up with my head a foot from the ground. That was exciting. Mid-size camalot held the fall.

Another one on some limestone crag in Yorkshire somewhere where the top move was "protected" (*cough*) by a hawthorn bush... which came out. I do remember covering the guidebook in blood. Another mid-sized camalot I think held it.

In reply to Oogachooga:

Many years ago I fell 70 feet from Joyous Gard at Mother Carey's Kitchen. It was my second ever attempt at an HVS, and proved to be considerably more difficult than the first one I climbed. I was held by a rock 3, which to this day has a slight gouge mark where it was pulled into the rock. Several years later I was making my way to my tent on a camp site in North Wales when I heard someone say to his mate, 'Bloody hell - there's the guy who took that fall in Pembroke'.

In reply to Oogachooga:

I fell from the top holds of Razor Flake at Duntelchaig years ago. Fortunately an early Friend at just over half height held, after two other bits of gear popped. I remember landing heavily on my backside, in between a couple of rocks. Walked away and learned a few lessons as a result. My partner framed the Friend and I've still got it, sitting on a window ledge.
Jerry

In reply to Oogachooga:

From going for the finishing holds on the Golden Mile at Chee Tor to not far off the ground. Bloke whose rope it was has not forgiven me for that after 20 odd years or so. My borrowed belayer almost had a heart attack.

In reply to Adam Long:


That's the second tale on here of falling off dodgy Yorks/Peak limestone and all the gear ripping. My first whipper was at Stoney (Mortuary Steps) and all my gear pinged and I was caught by an old peg. Totally unharmed, but it does appear that seemingly good gear in polished limestone is actually toss.

That said, next decent one I can recall was also on Peak lime, but with good gear (pumped senseless on the top flake of Two Sunspots, Chee Tor). The gear in the lovely Chee Tor slots is generally bomber I think and the bold-but-safe style of routes is pretty cool.

Last year I took the plummet from the top of Big Greeny - proper slapping into the woeful nothingness that doesn't constitute the top - and landed at close to the bottom with my rather light belayer up in the air (12m fall I guess). Also fell about 8m off Rigor Mortis, Castle Rock when some bastard hadn't chalked it prior to my ascent and I couldn't find the holds. Completely unfair.

In reply to Oogachooga:

It was many years ago and I was young and dumb. I'm not going to estimate lengths but here's a photo:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/55682113@N08/14109217443/

I was somewhere near A and fell ripping all my gear bar a rock 2 right next to the belay at B. I came to rest somewhere about C.

Unsure if gear had pulled from the belay I shouted up to my mate "Are you alright" to which he responded "Am I alright? How the f*ck are you!"

In reply to TXG:

War of the Worlds does that! I did exactly the same when the top of the crag departed company. The small wire held and the massive block missed my brother by inches. He went very pale. On the same day, I was on those funny 'concretions' some way up Spanish Inquisition (?) or Ironside's Men and as I uttered the words...'these holds are funny, they don't look solid, but seem to be...' everything exploded. I landed on my brother this time!

In reply to Oogachooga:

About 10m off 'The Lion in the Winter' at Cheddar Gorge North. I climbed myself into what felt like a complete dead end above 6a moves I couldn't reverse, and ripped the first cam in the dirty crack of 'Simba' when I fell (which was about 4m below me and to the left). I met my belayer in the air about 2m from the deck.

E3(6a) my arse.

Some funny stories! and some interesting close calls.

It seems to me that the gear that holds is always the one that stops you decking out!...just

I suppose from enjoying the sport climbing challenge I can always find a well protected trad climb to push my limits on, even (dare I say it) deadpoint it.

My 'beginners impression' of trad if I am brutaly honest is either climbing routes well within your limit, enjoying the adventure or crazy ass run-out routes with 1x toy car on a piece of webbing to protect it. Obviously there is more to it than that!

In reply to Oogachooga:

Why don't you start a thread called "most boring and regular trad falls you've taken lately in which everything worked as it is supposed to". It wouldn't be as fun as this thread, which is most entertaining, but it might give you a better idea of what it's all about, instead of acting as an amplifying chamber for your own fears.

In reply to Oogachooga: Ironically, the worst injury I've had trad climbing, a dislocated knee, was do to a tiny fall. I went 4-6 feet on Saul's Crack at the Roaches but I was bridged and twisted badly.

I've had no massive falls personally but I went over 8 metres on Vulcan at Tremadog (didn't spot a obvious foothold at the crux) and probably a similar distance, three times!, on Warpath at Roscolyn which was just a bit beyond me.

However, I did belay another UKCer on the 2nd pitch of Oceanid when he took a fairly sizeable factor 1 fall. Near the top of the pitch he pulled a fridge-sized block of rock off and went a good 15 metres. I was pulled a good metre upwards and he end up hanging in space 2-3 metres out from the rock behind me. FWIW it was a Rock 3 that held him.

In reply to seankenny:

Don't get the wrong impression, I enjoy the stories! Totally agree that this sort of thing doesn't happen every day.

Bit of a tongue-in-cheek thread for inspiring confidence in bomber placements.

In reply to The Ex-Engineer:
he pulled a fridge-sized block of rock off

This sort of thing however, is friggin' scary haha

In reply to Oogachooga:

I'd just written a beautiful piece about my fall. Then deleted it instead of posting it.

So in short. October, getting dark, Swanage, fog, Facedancing in one pitch, top crux, 12m or so fall.
Second was a legend. Thanks Sue!

The longer version just had so much more to smile about!

In reply to DaveHK:

Is that the Overseer? That is quite a fall!

In reply to Kirill:

Yup. Taught me a valuable lesson about gear in iced up cracks!

I'd estimated it at the time as about 20m but it's probably longer although memory could be playing tricks on me.

In reply to Oogachooga:

In a word, Yes.

It must have been well over a tonne of rock that came off. The noise when it hit the bedrock around 30metres below and shattered was utterly deafening. Thankfully, apart from us, the crag was empty. That's the most scared I've been in nearly twenty years of rock climbing.

In reply to Kirill:

I was unhurt despite smacking the ledge but when I got lowered to the deck I found that my bulldog had rammed through the cams of a 3.5 camalot. It had to be hammered out. I was quite glad it wasn't my leg.

In reply to Oogachooga:

60ft upside down off the second pitch of Mulatto Wall at Malham (long story, as well as long fall). And just to reinforce the nagging fear about gear coming out, 50 feet to the deck after grear ripped on a route in Auchinstarry Quarry - removed by ambulance crew, the Croy Mines Rescue and a guy with a rowing boat...

In reply to Oogachooga:

About 80 m on Fiacaill Couloir. Powdery snow at the top gave way, broke a bone in my hand just below the knuckle

In reply to Oogachooga:


15 metres. Some sort of variation of Death Pirate at Neist on Skye. Pulled a badly placed peanut out and was held by a 0.5 camalot.
Landed just below the belay and got a bruise on my back where I landed on (and bent) my belay device. Considering the size of fall it goes to show that if a fall is relatively clean (no ledges/corners/etc. to hit on the way down), you can fall a long way and get off relatively lightly.

In reply to Sam Ash:

Hey, wasn't this thread meant to be about longest falls onto gear?

In reply to Gordon Stainforth:

It was a Torque Nut 3 that caught me

In reply to Oogachooga:

8 to 10 metres on Suspense, Lawrencefield. I didn't quite land in the stinking pool, but I did have to be lowered to it and scramble out. I bashed my head on the side where my helmet gave no real protection and spent a night in hospital. The top piece of gear was a no. 3 nut, but the other rope helped. The amazing thing is that my belayer barely felt it and the knots were easy to undo.

I still need to get a decent helmet with foam on the side.

In reply to Dave Cumberland:




Pete bounced off the deck and stopped a few metres off it. A lot of blood involved and a few T shirts thrown away afterwards ( also retired, a brand new Edelrid 8.5mm rope which held a 35m/1.5 factor fall around a sharp rock edge without apparent damage). Pete insisted he was OK and drove Ray P home before driving to A+E. Tough Guy.
The blank,lost stare on his face as he flashed past me mid fall was unforgettable and impossible for me to describe accurately in words.

MG used the first of his nine lives, age 15?, in a 45m fall off Castle Rock. Unfortunately, at this impressionable age , he thought he was now immortal, and out of his quota of nine (lives/chances) he is at least in double figures.

My own air time, includes falling the full length of Obsession at Malham aiding up before it was bolted.

Also fell 40m off Bowfell Buttress (seconding ! ) after a belaying misunderstanding.

Nick Colton fell probably over 50m onto my virtually hand placed peg on the Shroud left hand start on the Jorrasses. Again, over thirty years later, I still have a haunting memory of his headtorch beam arcing backwards and rapidly fading followed by sickening thuds, groans and straining of gear.

How about falls without gear?
I know at least three people who have survived 400m plummets down the Ben's Observatory Gully.

In reply to Oogachooga:

As already said I think the distance of a fall is but one aspect of the experience. Did Left Wall in the traditional style of the day (some use of slings for standing in)in 1964 I think. Got to the ledge and held onto a large flake to shout there to my second - flake failed - I fell and drilled out nuts failed (or cord broke)- I stopped at least half way down. I had the rope tied directly around my waist and the second was waist belaying.In the event it was a soft fall, lots of rope out. At the same period I pulled the first bolt on the second pitch of an aid route at Malham and was held by the belayer and that hurt far more - f f 2!

Longest lead fall Ive seen was at Etive, well over half a run out. Instructive- on low angle slab leader soon started summersaulting, flipped over quite soon in the fall.

In reply to Oogachooga:

One at Den Lane Qy many years ago was about 20ft with the rope tied direct onto the waist - did not feel a thing as the route was overhanging and my man lowered me to the stance in fine time. Did about 25ft off Man of Straw in White Ghyll, missing the ladge that would otherwise interrupt the fall - again not a scratch. However the piece de resistance (if thats an ok phrase) has to be about 40 ft from the top of Penamnen Groove on Carreg Alltrem when I went the wrong way to try and finish. I broke about 3 runners before one held. Despite the rate of descent I can still remember the feeling of the stuff giving way on the way down. I'd like to think it was a touch undergraded at E1.

I recall seeing a headtorch hurtling and bouncing down the Brenva Spur in the dark, with suitable accompaniment of screams. We never did find out what the result was.



I was climbing South Post on Creag Meagaidh, in conditions of rotten snow, when I rather foolishly decided to keep pushing it despite the dubious going, till I had almost a rope length run out. For purposes of decoration and self-delusion, I had placed a few ice-screws that were more or less pushed in with one hand. At this point I took wing, finishing up as far below my belayers as I had been above, having fortunately broken my fall by hitting a less steep rope with a breakable crust. The crust had acted like a shock absorber and despite being shaken, I was not really stirred.

I looked up a long way at the 2 frightened faces that shortly before had been well below me and said "I don't really fancy trying that again, does anybody else want a go?". Surprisingly there were no takers, this may have been partly influenced by the fact that 1 of the 2 belay pegs was now dangling on the rope.

My belayers subsequently awarded me points for double somersaults, pikes, rotations, artistic impression and smooth entry to the snow slope. Unfortunately the plastic cup on my thermos flask was broken in the plumet. I wrote to the manufacturers to complain, but they refused to replace it, seeming to think that this was above and beyond the reasonable wear and tear one could expect from a £5 thermos flask. Most unreasonably I thought.

In reply to Stone Idol:


Glad you were OK. Really didn't fancy coming off this one. Got half-way up the groove with no gear after the entry. There had been a peg for years; somebody had removed it the previous week. Couldn't see a decent gear placement (apparently, even then - 1974 - there was one).

Next minute the heavens opened. Deluge! Looking down, thought I was a goner. Thought I might as well minimise the damage/go out fighting. Started to reverse. It was like climbing down a stream. Couldn't believe I was still on. Got back to the entry to the groove (which I'd found quite hard). Thought, "I'll never reverse this." Carried on. Somehow ended up back on the belay ledge, unscathed.

My second looked at me and muttered, "You jammy bastard!"

Mick

In reply to Mick Ward:

Took a whipper off of the very top of the Resurrection (LH finish) to below half way; prompted by being pumped, but lengthened by a slightly distracted belayer. Don't know how far it was exactly, but it must be approaching 20m. I got back up there and finished the bloody thing, eternally grateful to Nick Bullock for the soft encouragement spoken from the top of RW, which steadied my rattling nerves!

Unfortunately I think the #4 nut which took the brunt of the fall stayed in there for a few years afterwards Sorry.

In reply to Oogachooga:

About 10cm, it was terrifying.

In reply to DDDD:

I think I saw that! Or at least someone else doing a very similar thing. Remember seeing a cartwheeling figure hurtling down to disappear out of sight followed by no sound. Raced over to find the plummeted standing and talking quite calmly about it - not the broken wreck we expected.

In reply to Oogachooga:

80 feet up on Krapps Last Tape at Avon, ended up about 5 feet above my belayer. One pulled, the next [poor] runner held.

PS don't fall off Krapps Last Tape.

In reply to Adam Long:
That was my mate Mark, i was holding his ropes that day. We always thought it must have been about 80ft as well. Its a big fall to walk away from! Funny now, not so at the time!!

In reply to Oogachooga:

i decked out on doors/windows of perception (the one in vivian) from above the bolt. pretty nasty; 8 weeks in hospital, 2 weeks in a coma. funny now though.

In reply to ejected:

There's a hex placement at the top of that groove that won't come out - it's a keyhole style placement. Might have been too low to be of use, not sure how much higher the peg on Supersonic is.

In reply to Bob:

Does the pipe on Pull my Daisy count as gear? If so then about 20m headfirst.

In reply to jezb1:

Reckon I held you on a 20ft plus fall at FCQ when you got off route on 4 Steps, you of course returned the favour on Looning the Tube!

In reply to Owen W-G:
Without emasculation? Lucky chap!

In reply to Oogachooga:

Fell a couple of times onto nuts, no more than 2 or 3 metres, but have also taken a serious 30ft plunge on Isis at Swanage. First nut popped, next one held. Came to a stop 5 feet off the ground but hit the wall at pace and broke several bones. Still, a ground fall would have been much more severe!

I read the thread.
Saw quotes of 20 m here, 25 m there, etc. (A pissing contest?)
Luxury!
You lot had it easy!!
Why when I were a wee lad, we used to have to get up at 3 in the morning, to get to the falling place on time, scramble up in our wellies, and fall a rope length for practise, till we got it right for doing it full blown later in the day, and all this just so the tosser next door wouldn't short change us when we asked him for an admission fee to see such extravagance...
Tell that to gear manufacturers today, and they won't believe you!