UKC

Having a big but ultimately safe fall is one of the most exciting things you can do as a climber.

Over the years I've enjoyed memorable falls off:

The Rasp

Tales of Yankee Power

Big Zipper (cheedale)

Minotaur

Allthough these are safe routes, it still felt like a bit of airtime, unlike, for example, a slump off Left Wall.

What other classic lobs can you recommend for me to try?

The rules: the fall has got to be popular, safe and classic.  The N Face of the Courtes doesn't count.

Peeling from the last move of London Wall is traditional.

Cover Me in Chocolate and Feed Me to the Lesbians (E6 6c)

The last moves on Five Finger Exercise (E2 5c) hold great promise in this respect

Cemetery Gates worked for me,

and  PTO.

The Rasp fall - is that the one from near the alcove at the top where the Friend (or two), in the 'letter box' saves you from decking? 

The Rasp, as you proved, and The Scoop on Strone Ulladale (not a classic, I know), look pretty good. Disclaimer, I have not done or peeled off either

The name of 'Big Zipper' made me laugh - was it named for its lob potential??

Moon Walk (E4 6a)

Took the fall from near the top a long time ago. Didn't feel like climbing again that day. Saw a young lad take the same fall a couple of years ago, have a quick sandwich, then calmly tie back in and finish it off. I was very impressed!

With all those knee bars?

If I'm allowed some long falls onto a bolt, falling off New Dawn or Mescalito at Malham after the run-out is exciting. I squealed the first time. Similarly, I fell off mantelling the ledge at the top of The Ashes at Kilnsey when it was wet. That's a big lob too, not sure it's classic though, never seen anyone else manage it.

I did fall off The Dangler twice, likely the usual spot, but it wasn't a biggie.

Well Dunne Finish (8b) "FA. John Dunne 1988. On the first ascent there was no lower-off so JD established the tradition of the 'Hawaii 5-0' descent - just let go and take the lob onto the top bolt (50 refers to the 50ft fall this involved)."

Flying buttress direct Stanage?

Freeborn Man (E4 6a) probably lots of other DWS stuff

I think falling off The Scoop on Sron Ulladale would be quite serious, and not any fun at all, as it would almost certainly require prussiking to get back on the rock. In a very scary, exposed position (one of the most extreme in the British Isles).

Also?

Strawberries (E7 6b)

Strapadictomy (E5 6b)

Some big stuff on slate?

Various different versions of The Salmon (E7 6c)

Fat Slapper (E7 6c) iconic as in hard grit? Probably lots of safe in reality grit stuff. 

Wild Sheep (E2 5b) - a fall from the top overhanging bit not the less well protected groove!

Higgar TorBlock and Tackle (E6 6b)

Trout/Salmon Left-Hand (E6 6b) 

Two I’ve really enjoyed, climbing nicely to the top is almost disappointing. 

Ow and Barriers in Time (E6 6b) exciting! 

Has anyone ever taken the lob off Might and Main at Anstey's Cove? The runout is huge, but i've never heard of anyone dropping it because the climbing is meant to be easy. 

Out of curiosity, does anyone know the history behind that route? It seems illogical to have such a high first bolt with hard climbing at the start, and a massive runout that could easily have another bolt put in. 

Probably the biggest lob I've taken (not very big to be fair) is off Knightsbridge. Fiddle a #1 wire in realised it was deffo a #2 but then couldn't get the #1 out so pushed on. At the moment of realisation that I was definitely coming off couldn't help thinking I wish I had put a #2 in. Chilled on the ledge went back up and did exactly the same! 

Seen somebody drop the moves above the jug but below the top on The Ashes having skipped the last clip, his little belayer went miles.

I've also taken the ride on Big Zipper. A similar one is from the last move of Who's Line Is It Anyway. Doesn't have the sideways swing but I managed to get my leg behind the rope and half inverted...which was interesting!

Behemoth (E5 6b) on Central Buttress  Water-cum-Jolly gave me a massive ride.

Safe as a really long way up and nice and steep. Long as hanging on to place gear is brutal so climbing onwards always seemed the best option.

The Long Reach.

You will have plenty of time to appreciate the experience.

If you are partial to swinging while you plummet I can recommend falling off the end of the traverse on Pleasure Dome

Cheers, I'm off to do Behemoth tomorrow - I give myself a 50% chance!

It somehow slipped my mind that I've fallen off the last move of London Wall, and Strapadictomy.

Banshee (E2 5c)

The fall from the final mantle of banshee is wild

Prana (E3 5c)

Sure there is a line somewhere that state's, always being able to see, a chalky white mess on the wall left from the folks that never quite made it

Ah its Grand Alliance not Prana,

"Falls, generally of about 40ft are common, as is the tell-tale white patch, easily seen from a distance, which marks the final testing place of unsuccessful leaders"

Dave Wilcock, Extreme Rock

A friend once pumped out after the traverse at the top of Barbarella, at Trevallen, before the direct finish became the norm, having been too pumped to place anything along the 40ft traverse!

Falling off Ceramic at Cheedale is a bit of a wild ride, but ultimately safe onto good threads.

High Noon at Caley , friend fell touching the top holds in a large elegant arc thudding into the lower wall with his hip, his feet about 6" off the deck, somewhat bruised but otherwise ok.

Big Greeny at Almscliff

Wombat at Malham and probably loads of other pump fests on the Right Wing.

A friend I was belaying on Left Wall, having put in no runners since the big rest, got terminally pumped half way along the juggy left traverse and eventually had to just let go......

Isn't a massive lob from the huge run out on Ghost Train in Stennis Ford dear riguer?

Back in the 80s it was customary when attempting the top pitch of Zangorilla (Carreg Wastad) to place your gear, climb halfway through the roof for a look, decide to go back for a rest, realise you wouldn't make it, and fall off... not a big fall, but memorable enough given the position!

What an excellent thread. Strikes me that these stories are laced with bravado and (possibly in hindsight) understatement. My minute lobs have always been full of abject, unspeakable terror, before, during and long after the air-time. Special moments that define our relationship with the sport.

Don't know if it counts as classic, but I fell most of the way down Zeus in the Burbage quarries, back in the day. I had assumed from below that there would be some kind of hold at the top...

Going for the slap on the horizontal  break on Old Friends, my toes skimmed the floor .

I can also vouch for this being a good’un. I’d always meant to go back and finish it, but now I live the other end of the country it seems unlikely.

Multiple falls over two weekends from the last move on Strapadictomy (E5 6b) before I finally got it. (My second E4 lead!)

The slide down wings?

I remember someone posting a video years ago of a leader missing the Dyno. The slide down the slab seemed to take an age!

Edit, not the video in question but...  youtube.com/watch?v=gvy4hUFuJiY&

Two favorites of mine; one which someone else took;

As mentioned above, 'Tales' at High Tor. I watched a mate run it out all the way up to the thread 'cept he got 'Elvis leg', only grabbed one side of the in-situ sling which pulled through and [a big bloke] he took 'the monster' and disappeared into the trees below to the sound of snapping branches.

Mine; a foothold snapped on my attempt to repeat Flowers of Evil on North Stack Wall. Now the face routes there are not good places to fall from. It seemed a long time but would've been over in seconds really but due to where the belayer was standing [out from the cliff] my first three runners ripped and I tore two more out and snapped my favorite RP1. Thankfully a sideways No1 TCU I'd recently been given, half in behind a suspect flake held - though I did get my feet all wet in a puddle on rope stretch.

Two I've seen. A struggling climber ran out the top of Manzuko e1. Unnerved he squirmed in a 1 wire. Pumped he climbed on. Unnerved he climbed down thought he'd sit back on the wire. He hadn't clipped it.  Fell full length of crag only to swing gently into the cave at the bottom as ropes came right. No slam dunk. Lucky

The other a head first fall from the direct on left wall all the way to the bottom stopping a couple metres up. Must have been wires ripped a a leg twisted in ropes to invert. Looked horrendous. 

Sorry a third. Weaver. Tremadog. I was finishing vector. A young lad passed the dodgy lob bent ridden peg. Climbing furious fast racing time pumped and not placing gear got within feet of me in p3 groove a hold snapped. He screamed ...No gear and flew slow motion like Baumgartner backwards through space splinters of rock slow motion cpiralling from his hand. 30 ft down the rope came tight. He sighed in realisation of wires .....Argh Gear.  

all 3 looked classic in some way and horrendous. But exhilarating. 

Also not a classic, but I fell around 120ft on Echo Beach (E2 5b) in Wen Zawn, just after the crux and maybe 20 feet from the top...

A huge lump came off in my hand, I went flying, landing upside down just below my belayer. And somehow the rope had got stuck in a crack; my belayer went up and cut it either side before we could get off, which was exciting. Luckily we were using double ropes.

Great fall off the top of Lord...although I didn’t enjoy it much at the time. Moonwalk, again totally boxed, slid off the top slab... More recently Golden Mile , off the top, stripped Sams cams..inverted...thankfully the thread held. Similarly Barriers in Time...Heart of Stone has good potential.

On Cemetery Gates. Our first HVS, as a teenager. My mate, had tried it one June evening and couldn't quite get up to the ledge. So I lowered him down and pulled the rope through leaving the gear in overnight. We retreated to our tent by the Boulders. Siege tactics. 

Next morning, we went back up. Crapping ourselves but determined. I slowly made my way upwards, clipping his gear, and not really checking it on the way up. I spent about an hour on the pitch. I tried four times to get on the ledge and on the last attempt, all power went. I fell, and piece after piece pulled out. I ended up with my legs, a few feet above my mates head. He held me on a body belay. My flat hat, (we thought we were Brown & Whillans) with two ciggies in it, landed on the scree below. 

I had a large burn on my hand where I had grabbed the rope on the way down. We hitch hiked to Bangor hospital to get treatment and somebody got our gear and left it at the tent. 

There's a crap left hand pocket near the ledge, tends to stay wet. A future classic.

Sorry, but it's got a lower off now.

May I suggest, Zoolook (8a) - the classic method is to skip the clip just before the crux and take a lovely long and soft fall.

Mandela (8a+) - another one where skipping the clip (or 3 if you're Sam...) makes for an exciting, but ultimately safe fall

Belter of a fall from the top of Anger and Lust (E2 5c) at  Pass of Ballater

Wide cracks can be good for a fall as there's always the possibility of falling out backwards. 

Took a memorable lob from winking crack a few years back. Tips for success: leave the big cams at home, choose a damp day, and be generally a bit shit at offwidths.

Had time to look back over my shoulder on the way down and see my belayer reading a book. Encouraging. Extra flyer points for scattering slings, hats, chalk and anything else that's not well pinned down.

Yes, exactly the fall I did.  A long way isn't it ? In my case I rushed up since there was a big queue, not placing much gear. Then was too pumped for the last bit. I was unconcerned about falling and very calm as I fell. But didn't expect to go that far. Unlike PTO which terrified me. (Post Traumatic stress disOrder ?)

PTO, please turn over (head first, backwards).

Just recalled a big lob off Pool Wall, but it was my belayer who got the ride of his life. He was pulled from the ledge and lifted his legs to stay out of the pool. However it just meant that he got dunked in horizontally. He tried to lower me in to the water for reasons of parity, but i quickly got back on the the rock and flashed the rest of the route. Result.

I was poised on the crux of Troach, looked across to see, Kim Carrigan cartwheel and scream down most of pitch 1 of Midsummer Nights Dream, he seemed to fall for a long time, enough for someone to seize his belayer who was heading skywards which I think stopped the ground breaking his fall. The belayer Dougie Hall (for it was he) promptly tied on and had a try, impressive all round!

Did the big ride from the finishing holds of the left hand finish on Ressurection. Just nothing left for the final move, could have been a step ladder, I wasn't holding on,  and went 20m back past the cluster of gear at where the crack splits. Byeeeeeee……...

related question... what is the lowest grade trad route on which you can have a nice safe lob? Us poor bumblies miss out on such things by the constant presence of ledges and have to go indoors. I think the lowest so far on this thread is HVS. Can one go lower?

The problem with ledge shuffling is when you fall off you tend to hit the ledges. 

Sirplum seemed like one of the better places to take a decent fall

Trouble with VS, if its run out, then its an HVS!

Unprotected cruxes and run out pump fest routes arent expected at the lower grades. 

I'm sure there must be something on slate though that isnt painful ledge bouncing?

Or maybe a nice traverse?

so and friend and I, climbing well within our grade, jokingly speculated as to what would happen if you dropped the traverse on Dream  of White Horses  

one loose jug unexpectedly dislodging later, we found out!

My favourite!

I've caught the fall from the jugless top of the flake on Five Finger Exercise (E2 5c), no gear after the break, and was glad it wasn't me.

Not really a classic, as you're not meant to fall off this one, but I muffed the crux of Eroica (E4 6a). I was doing it as a big first pitch and there's a perfectly good wire after the old belay ledge (not a peanut shoved behind a peg stub, Misha!) - so it wasn't that big of a deal actually.

Johnny Dawes whipper on Offspring E5 6b looked quite exciting

vimeo.com/34812919

Here's a big lob off the Sloth.

yet to experience it for myself but I'm told it's a real doozy

Expecting to Fly (E4 6a)

My own biggest lob was on a Winter route. Tackling an icicle direct when I could have bridged up the groove on either side of it. At the top I thought 'I'll just get one final good stick in this.'

Whack. Crack. I did a dynamic inverted descent riding a postbox pillar of ice for 10m. 

I'd imagine that many leaders' first proper fall (not slump) is a metre or so above gear on the crux of Left Unconquerable. Or is it not that far? A classic, surely.

A long while back I took 'the' lob off Heartless Hare (with side runner about half way up).  I hit the deck on rope stretch and hobbled off.  My so called mate made me get on something else straight after lol.

Heartless Hare (E5 5c)

A bit of a trek for this one, bit shockleys ceiling at the gunks is 5.6 (for a given value of 5.6 :p ) and there are definitely placeas you could take a good  safe lob on that one. 

Great thread this.

Jon I've taken that lob off Five Finger Exercise. Probably the safest and comfiest fall I've taken. Might have been you belaying actually, or possibly Michael Garnett. 

My other memorable safe one was from near the top of Wee Doris trying to hold the wrong bit of one of the breaks. Took a while to get that bomber wire next to the pocket out. Felt quite a long way but safe. 

Think Dan (the op) would have to throw himself off those two but others might enjoy.

No mention of the King Wad (E6 6b) lob yet? That pic of Glenda Huxter airborne was the first thing that came to my mind.

Yes you grain h your face into the wall on top of the lip. Try to mantle and can't the flick n fly backwards and out off.   I've seen it happen. Looked horrendous.  

I once saw someone take the big fall from Rainbow of Recalcitrance - as he began to fall, his belayer started to sprint to the left to shorten the distance. Still a monster fall. He clamly got back on and completed the route.

Another fall which impressed me was the person who took the big fall at the top of Fitzcarroldo with the final wire gripped between his teeth, ready to place. Impressively, he didn't scream in terror and the wire was still between his teeth when he stopped.

Thanks All, some great stories and suggestions there.

I fell off Behemoth yesterday - it was wonderful to join the shared experience! A lovely clean fall,from ten cm away from the jugs. 

A few posters have told stories of near misses.  This is not what I am in the sport for! 
I get a lot out of climbing, but not enough to risk losing the use of my lower limbs.

If I wouldn't pull the ropes and head up again, then I'd curse my lack of judgment rather than praise my my luck.

Bad luck with Bahemouth Its hard! I've not returned for it. Due to spending too long milking the low ledge rest on my attempt it had started drizzling. Fortunately the steepness of the route kept the holds dry.

Unfortunately I pulled through the hard section into the corner above which was now damp. Pumped out of my mind I failed to place gear and fell off.

I don't think I'd have had a better experience if I'd succeeded.

Saw a guy take a 70 footer off top of Right Wall. He was annoyed and not remotely shaken.

As do the finishing moves of Billy Whizz (E2 5c).  Make sure you fall off the hard bit though.   

The dino of Adrenochrome (8a) leads to exciting falls... Opted for a 'drop in' off of Animal Magnetism (7a+) yesterday to get my head straight for DWS falls - sadly I forgot to tense my ass and so a fairly assertive sea water enema was my opener for the day! Conditions are beautiful at the moment for Lulworth DWS - get involved!

How about Darius (E3 5c) on the home made bolt by Chris Crags, c mid-1980s vintage? Just so sustained and you've still got that bit of confusing climbing to get through before the final short corner.

You could do worse than this: Longdrop Route (VS Route Direct Start) (VS 4b) To get the lob you need to *not* re-belay at the second corner (to make the most of the rope drag and rope stretch for extra airmiles.) If you would like to add a bit of excitement, don't put any gear in at the bottom of that tier. That way you have to climb 6m of slimy (but smooth, no ledges!) Beinn Eighe sandstone with the prospect of a bouncy 40m fall. Place the cam, traverse right and make a heroic but ultimately doomed attempt to pedal your way up the steeper slime at the top of the corner. With attentive belaying you will go about 6m, stopping just above the second tier deck (which is grassy, so could be worse.) Admittedly rather contrived, and it's a big walk in, but exciting and non-injurious. Does rely rather heavily on that cam, admittedly. 

I took a big lob off the top pitch of Gogarth. 200ft above the sea is a hell of a place to take flight.

Fell off the crux move and ended below the traverse. Nut and cam held no bother.

Nearly as good as a  head-first somersault down Scafell East Buttress  

I've fallen off Wee Doris this year!  I had a spell of not trusting my gear, so got on this on a very humid day.  It cured it!

I've made a ticklist from the best suggestions

https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/set.php?id=2759

Dinosaur - safe and lands you back in line with the chimney/groove system you climb up to get to the crux, so you can do it all over again!

Resurrection when it gets hard and a bit run out at the end.

Tangerine Dream, St Govan’s - the crux is hard and fairly high up. Most Pembroke routes would fit the bill in fact.

Tales of Yankee Power is a great one as you say.

Off the finishing moves of Travesty on Clogwyn Ddu if you want a winter one. Fall into space onto good gear. 

Not that big, Strapadictomy. You’re just above gear and not that high up so limited rope stretch. 

Is the idea to tick the route or the lob?

Bit of a slab below he hard bit on Ceramic, wouldn’t fancy it...

I’m disappointed. Can’t have E4 for that! Seem to recall a decent wire more or less level with the ledge. But we digress. 

That’s a point, the run out to the girdle ledge on Right Wall. Especially if you stray into Lord by mistake! The yellow cam in the pocket is good and it’s a clean fall. Wouldn’t fancy falling off above the girdle ledge, it’s a bit too deep to miss easily and I like my ankles!

Im gravitationally challenged

Good to get some DWS involved, but you're barely in the air any time from the dyno on Adrenochrome. The top of Mark of the Beast on the other hand (not that i have personal experience of MotB, but I can offer Gates of Greyskull as a similar experience, bit of a pop high up)...

Stroll On (E3 6a) 

I couldn't commit to the last hard move on the headwall, got pumped, went for it and peeled off. Ended up below the roof 10m below.

Positron (E5 6a) headwall pitch

Was exhausted and was going up to the obvious cam slot before the traverse left to the roof. Elbows having sideways. Couldn't place cam. Ended up a metre or two higher than my belayer!!

Many people who think they have fallen from the top pitch of Gogarth have in fact fallen from the top pitch of Devotee (E2 5c). To reach the Gogarth groove you have to traverse across the Devotee groove and climb the second groove that you come to. I discovered this the second time I climbed Gogarth, having climbed the Devotee pitch by the skin of my teeth on the first occasion.

Me too!

Sometimes being the belayer is equally exciting, for all the wrong reasons.

Like when Mike fell off the last but one move on The Long Run at North Stack.

Two bits of gear ripped. He ended up about two foot from the bottom, I ended up about six feet above him!

Pembroke is obviously the sacred home of "plug two and punch it" (American for place two bomber runners and go for glory). The most memorable for me was greasing out the crux groove on Knock Yourself Out, Box Zawn. Need to go and finish that one someday!

An absolutely classic whipper on grit, of equal measure to LW, is Perfect Day at Gardoms. Could take that fall all day (for pleasure, and due to the crux moves too!)

My all time best whipper was one of my first big ones... Run Fast, Run Free at Gogarth, upper tier. First attempt at a non-grit E5. Was too pumped to place any more gear at 2/3rds height so thought I'd take the name as a hint. Fell off inches from the top, and took the ride down the best part of the crag, upside down, due to the rope going under my leg. Mega!

The Bludgeon on Shepherds saw some air time from me.  My Dad was belaying, he said I got larger very quickly and was hanging nicely above his head.  Directly above the pinnacle/flake is not the easiest line.

Yeah. Pretty much the only big fall I took last year was the one off Ceramic (E4 5c).

However, probably the most impressive one I've seen was a lass taking a 20metre+ lob on Fitzcarraldo (E5 6a) in the Leap, falling from the near vertical grass literally inches from the top.

My suggestion for the list is Tippler Direct (E3 6a). A hard reachy crux move above the safest fall this side of Quietus. Not exactly a 'big lob' but not a slump either. A route that's dnf and dogged a lot more than onsighted by the looks of it.

Talking of Fitzcarroldo, when the film was being shot in the Amazon basin a native Indian had been hired to cut down some trees. While he was doing this he was bitten on the foot by the world's deadliest snake. Realising that he only had 10 seconds to live he amputated his own foot with his chainsaw.

Falling from the lip of The Sloth (HVS 5a) with only the slung chockstone was pretty memorable and pretty safe just remember to brace your legs on impact.

Dom you,e much to strong to fall of that. I didn’t dare with a couple of dodgy RP above thread. That was about 30+ years ago though.

Yep. I thought the ropes had snapped. OK ext go.

 Nice story about the snake, but

- none of the world’s deadliest venomous snakes by any measure are found in the Americas.

- the terciopelo and bushmaster vipers could certainly ruin your week or month,but would be most unlikely to kill you with medical attention, and unlikely even without.

- bites to the lower limbs are less dangerous than bites elsewhere to the body.

- quite a lot of snake bites are warnings and don’t actually inject venom.

- no snake venom anywhere can kill you in ten seconds.

but viper venom can destroy tissue, so he could have lost the foot if it was a really bad bite. I guess that way he got a better tale to tell his kids.

I like this, i like it alot. It means i can go back and on sight Gogarth haha.

The story comes from Werner Herzog's film My Best Friend, an account of his relationship with Klaus Kinsky and a fascinating run through the making of his films. If you have a complaint, make it to Herzog.

I wouldn't put it past Herzog to elaborate a little on a story...

Back on track... haven't taken the lobs yet but Skinhead Moonstomp and Dreams n Screams are high on my list of routes to (probably) fall off this autumn. Deffo classic NW lobs I'm told

Firstly Dan, well done on creating such a wondrous thread - it's made me recollect countless whippers.

Now that I'm done with the Lost Rock article this would seem like quite a good project to get on with, as I reckon there's an article in this too (Classic Lobs as opposed to Classic Climbs perhaps?). That said, I'm not sure how many people I'd find willing to partake in the photoshoot...

I've certainly taken a good few of the lobs mentioned: Behemoth, London Wall (start, not end though),  and Strapadictomy just to name a few. I managed to avoid it on Tales of Yankee Power, Moonwalk, and Five Finger Exercise (although only just!).

If there were to be one crag where I think almost every route has a classic lob it's the Cromlech, as the top of Cenotaph Corner, Left Wall, Resurrection, Right Wall and Lord are all classic places to let go (I should know, I've let go on two of them!). Can't think of another single crag with such a high density of droppers?!?

There's probably a shed-load more I could add to the mix, but one in particular springs to mind: Alien (E6 6b) at Main Cliff Gogarth. For years this was renowned for having barely a handful of onsights, seemingly spitting off all the great and good that attempted it. In recent years it's definitely had a good few, but I certainly wasn't one of them! Rather strangely it's actually quite innocuous until about two thirds height, when a weird move throws you (and apparently everyone else) off. It's a great, safe, and well protected fight though and a very reasonable proposition at E6...

I got pumped stupid until I sorted out the crux moves on Vice is Nice (E2 5b) and then peeled off on the final easy bit within a few feet of the top. Went quite a way until the friend 3.5 stopped me.

The non-climbing tourists watching from the top of Clean Hand Blues Band (E2 5b) must have had a peach of a view being only about 20' away (at the start, more like 60' at the end ).

Gogarth Main Cliff must be a strong contender for the second spot in the ‘most lobs’ crag.

Serpentine

Pleasure dome

Ghost Train

Cock block

I'm not sure what constitutes a classic fall but I expect a couple of the routes in my list of most memorable are notorious for spitting people off:

Luckiest - I think this is the one where I was closest to dying. I did most of my early climbing on the slate (it was local and suited someone who couldn't afford a decent rack) and after a year or two I had survived a couple of E3s so fancied a go at something harder. A new guide was out and it listed Poetry Pink as E4 and "low in the grade". What I didn't realise was that although the old grade had not survived the new edition the description had so low in the grade referred to it being E5. After a couple of short lobs at the second bolt I found myself high in the groove, about to top out but I just couldn't get my foot up for the final easyish moves. Back in the late 80's the Rainbow slab was very popular and as my legs cycled furiously I remember looking down at my runner and onward to a sea of now silent faces looking up. Inevitably I peeled off and stripped all bar one of my runners in the top crack, later inspection revealed I was saved by a barely in rock 2. A few years later the fall cropped up on this forum when my belayer (we'd lost touch) posted out of the blue on a thread about "closest you've come to seeing someone dying" or something thread.

Closest to the ground, Marjorie Razorblade - Not a lot to say, I'd had my first experience of a free bar the night before and wasn't feeling myself. E2 should have been well within my capabilities but I'm not great at cracks, I got past the dog leg and pumped out at about the same time I kicked my last runner out. Ended up below my belayer about a foot off the deck.

Longest, Tremelo - Belayed by Killer (although he was yet to acquire this nickname) I took a routine lob from the top but ended up a looong way down. The person who I whizzed past on Space Race still mentions it when I see him at the crag even though he's been climbing 50 odd years and has seen it all.

Most upsetting, Lord of Flies - Left hand slapping up the top ramp, 6 feet from glory, arms just could not 'do their stuff'. I heard (second hand) that one pro climber described falling off in a similar place "the worst day of his life", I felt the same. My cry of anguish was heard on the Mot.

Agreed, although it's arguably the grease that is the greatest factor (or maybe I'm just being unrealistic and should just put it down to my ability and/or inability).

I managed to onsight Positron, Hunger, Sebastopol, and Ordinary Route - all of which were in pretty good conditions (i.e. late in the day, good breeze etc...).  Dinosaur I fell off four times, Mammoth once, and Citadel once - all in utterly gopping condition. The Citadel one was the most ridiculous, as I'd got my hands on the finishing holds of P1 before somehow sliming off.

Alien I put down to ability: I had a moment of doubt about the gear (despite it being good) and that cost me my sanity and therefore my sense of reason on the next few (hard) moves.

I'm not sure whether I'm proud or disgusted to say that I've fallen off all four of those.

Hardly anyone seems to onsight Marjorie Razorblade!

I happened to be at Dunkeld again last year and to does still look tough, also pleased to see it's now E3

Zoolook with the skipped clip is an amazing fall.

Basically any route on Taipan Wall.

Right Wall going up to the girdle ledge as someone else said. Avoided the one from the top of Resurrection by the skin of my teeth.

Yankee Power was a massive whipper and I hadn't even got to the hard bit yet...

Another vote for Pleasuredome...just read the headwall wrong having done the crux!

Cool thread!  And bringing back some haunting memories...

The terrifying, memorable, but seemingly safe?!

Gaia (E8 6c) on the flash... have enough people fallen off this to deem it safe!? https://www.instagram.com/p/BSYDC9-A2Bz/

The safe, long and fun: 

The Master's Edge (E7 6c): still on the ground up siege above the shot holes so haven't gone for the full ride, yet.

Offspring (E5 6b): spent what felt like a lifetime trying to find the jug at the top.  Fully extended right hand slapping around until the left hand gave up holding onto the groove.  Took the ride.  There were multiple chalk prints millimetres from success.

Strapadictomy (E5 6b): on the flash go I placed the runner out right and then kicked it out, and just missed the deck onto the cams out left.  Not advised, but it should have been a bit more fun than it was.

État de Choc (7a): I managed not to fall off this one, but was oh so close to a couple of moves higher than in this video.  I'm not giving any beta away, but it looks easier than it is! From 2:08  youtube.com/watch?v=YyJTSV3eI-s&

The ridiculous (and lucky) that don't fulfil the rules:

Southwest Ridge (D+ 5c): went the wrong way after the Lepiney crack. Climbed myself into an offwidth cul-de-sac with no gear, one move from the summit blocks and ended up back at the bottom of the Lepiney Crack.  I'm not the only one to have failed, or backed off on this... go hard left when you get to the bolt, the guidebook is vague at best. https://www.instagram.com/p/BWwljasgjQW/

Ulysses' Bow (E6 6b) bottled it, hit the floor, escaped relatively un-injured, save for kneeing myself in the chin https://www.instagram.com/p/-JXshTL4qo/

I came within an inch if both of those!

Seems I might as well resurrect this old video of me taking the lob off moonwalk, since its been mentioned a few times. A great degree of enthusiasm and inexperience (what on earth was I doing with all that gear on my harness?!). Funny video nonetheless... even made it onto the weekend whipper! Classic lob indeed

youtube.com/watch?v=tj2ql4C4Sm0&

Thanks for sharing that, its quality.

Here's my fall off London Wall, its clear for quite a while that things aren't going well.  My stomach was painfully knotted from fear for hours after.

youtube.com/watch?v=dafPJENa6sY&

Quality. I got away with LW the first time. It was the second time, with bags of confidence, on the back of an Indian Creek trip, that got me. Total shit show.