UKC

In sport climbing, falls are expected, a typical part of the redpointing process, and often unlikely to be anything to write home about. Falling on trad though, that's an entirely different animal.

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Great read!

Brilliant article!

Have you framed the "True Grip" cam and hung it on the wall?

Falling off these routes is a rite of passage. 🙂 Although it takes determination to actually take the lob, rather than shouting "Take!"

I looked at Pleasure Dome every time I was in Pembroke for a decade, and every time I either saw or heard of someone having a nightmare on it. When I finally got up the courage to have a bash I was really nervous, and I spent ages "resting" at the end of the traverse, going up and down a bit, until I realised I was so pumped I was going to fall off anyway, so I went for it. Somehow it all came together, but I've never been so pumped. Full-blown hot-aches-esque pump and retching on the top.

I was going really well when I tried Stroll On, and I felt great on it, then suddenly I had nothing left on the headwall! 

Nice. 

We made a ticklist of recommended classic lobs a few years back.

https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/ticklists/classic_lobs-2759 

A great premise and a funny article, Kate.  As a paid up member of the Pleasure Dome flight club that one resonated with me.  I got sweaty palms just remembering being run out at the end of that traverse being unable to de-pump my arms and realising that gravity was going to win the day!  … maybe it was the knowledge that even if I survived the fall there was going to be some gripping shenanigans to get back to dry land (which indeed there was)

I’m with you on Strapiombante, Kate.  Only E1, but I have minimal confidence that it’s worth going back for!  For me it’s just too far, too slopey and too public!

I’ll save what it would take for a rematch with Billy Whizz…

The older saying in trad climbing is, “The leader never falls.” An updated piece of advice for climbing might be, “The leader never falls … without consideration.”

The glamorisation of falling off (especially trad climbing) is ill-advised and phrases such as, “If you ain't flying, you ain't trying!” are plain stupid in this context. But that phrase seems likely an Americanism which may be reasonably suited to the perfect cam placements of Yosemite and Indian Creek (and the bolts placed on the face climbing cruxes in these areas!) but less so to the cliffs of Gogarth and even many parts of Pembroke.

Yes, try hard, but it’s unwise to fall off too often and certainly daft to fall off without making a considered assessment. That’s the real art of climbing hard trad routes onsight.

That seems like a bit of a straw man argument. That falling off during sport climbing versus trad climbing - the "context" - requires a different mindset is pointed out at the very beginning of the essay.

Also very much enjoying the spelling of "glamorisation" whilst criticizing Americanisms...

Really enjoyed that, trad climbing invests so much into the very binary success or failure of the onsight but this can make climbing a bit miserable and stressful somtimes.  Some of my most memorable climbing experiences is stuff I've fallen off, pulled back on and battled to the top. Through the, sometimes myopic, lens of the logbooks these don't count, a wasted day, a big red cross, but they definitely should be experiences to be remembered one way or another! And it's good to reflect on that.

Excellent! Nothing like a big whipper for good pub banter.

Now that really is a clutching-at-straws straw man argument 🤣

Often my situation just before plopping off

That activity is definitely frowned upon.

Does one complete that ticklist by doing all the routes or falling off all the routes?

Top article Kate! Trad days are in my past now but brought it all back with a lovely vengeance. My first lovely mentor Geoff (this would be late 70's) was very much a "leader really shouldn't be falling off" kind of guy who always wore a helmet when no-one else did. But none of that stopped him taking his fair share of big lobs. Thankfully perhaps, I never really shook-off that early influence and trying to "not fly" was pretty much central to my days out. But of course that didn't always work out. Memorable ones: young and clueless on grit with head brushing the ground off Left Unconquerable. Later, taking a huge ride down most of Central Wall at Blue Scar. Then there was breaking a hold on the very run-out easy section towards the top of Black Magic @ Pentire Point - an unexpected big fall onto small wires that held. Couple of years later Alison wasn't so lucky - a very thought provoking roll of the dice for me. The list goes on...

As you say, every trad climber loves to trot-out their tales. And I couldn't help myself    

Great read. We've all been there. Funnily on that first photo of North West Passage, I was in an identical position to you on the traverse from Atlantis corner, with only a very rusty peg for pro. One moment I was telling my mate that it looked OK up to some more good pro, when without warning both my feet slipped off that sloping ledge and I was airborne. I ended up below a sizeable overhang and then smashed into Atlantis. One of my more impressive falls!

Great read! I agree that these are two different animals, though saying "safe" for bolts might be dangerous. Bolts should always be judged. I have a friend who broke a bolt while falling to reach the ground and brake his back as well :/

Fantastic list. The Pool Wall whip and The Rasp whip are both personal favourites! If you do the Pool Wall whip correctly (checking out from the top floor before the ledge), then your belayer gets a free bath.

That’s a great article Kate, very entertaining and relatable!

I’m a bit depressed reading Dan’s list, because I took my ‘best’ ever leader fall on 5 Finger Exercise, and the next four on his list are all on my own to-do list, that I’ve been saving for years, to get the clean on-sight. As I’ve just turned 60, I’d better get on with it!!

I have always had a severe aversion to falling off, though I did take a bit of a monster on Pleasure Dome, I reckoned a small dyno would do it, called for slack and missed the hold. I ended up somewhere above a big sea-cave far below, barely in touch with the rock. I got it second go though 

Chris

Good article Kate, I enjoyed reading it and am pleased to find myself a member of a hitherto unknown secret club, and in the illustrious company of people like yourself who were clearly much better at 'trying hard' than I ever was!

I took the plummet off Pleasure Dome back in the 90s, long before guide books were even telling you to go right! The description merely says '... when the flakes end make a committing move rightwards to the top of a small ramp. Climb the steep wall above, moving left to reach a narrow ledge beneath an obvious groove...' So yes, it was pretty inevitable that I fell off when the holds ran out - not a huge one as I remember, probably because I was trying to go straight up above the gear! Then after a bit of contemplation the holds to the right revealed themselves 😏

To be fair, the current CC guide isn't a lot more helpful 🤔

Good memories - still trying to climb hard trad but at 66 starting to accept that I probably won't reach that level again 😢 

A very entertaining read! Thanks for writing it, I enjoyed it. I share completely what you said about how the big falls are more memorable than the big onsights.

My best whipper was also on the Cromlech, belayed by my one-and-only-opportunity-to-name-drop, Sean Villanueva O'Driscoll (for it was he). I had scratched up to the very near the top of Resurrection (E4 6a), and obviously Sean thought I was topping out, so there was a decent amount of slack out. Unfortunately I ran out of gas on the final moves stepping left (on the original finish), and fell. Almost the length of the crag, it turned out. Fortunately a good nut and a good Alien held me. Later that day Nico Favresse took an even longer fall off Nightmayer; so it was clearly a day for big falls.

Other big ones I remember were on/off Talons (E2 6a) and Nick'd (E2 5b), both on Gower. The former onto a slightly dubious fixed thread (which held, fortunately), and the latter into free space above a snarling sea, which required some prussicking to get out. Happy days.

I've not taken the flier on Pleasure Dome yet though. Must get back to Pembroke!

Great article and totally agree with the sentiment.

We need and ticklist! Or non-tick list.
 

Pleasure Dome - yeah, most people seem to fall off, I did and was very disappointed at the time. Repeated it clean years later and it still didn’t feel easy.

Strapiombante - another classic lobfest. One of my early E1 attempts. Attempt being the operative word. Did it clean 9 years later, found it fine and downclimbed taking the gear out. Did it again 9 years later (earlier this year) and it felt mildly desperate at the end of the day after lobbing off Strapadictomy a few times. I’ll probably lob off when I next do it in 9 years’ time, just to complete the cycle. Strapadictomy is a solid but safe lob btw, recommend it.

Stroll On I actually found ok and failed to lob. Will have to do it again to try to join the club.

Not some Vulcan but chances of successfully peeling off seem high.

Can’t possibly match your experience on True Grip but I did fall off the last hard move right at the top years ago. Getting on it right after hearing about your fall was somewhat sobering but the repeat went fine. Lost a totem earlier that day, so V12 were very happy. Should add a link to the video of your fall…

A few to add to the non-tick list…

Fear and Fascination - an apt name! Feet skittering, pump building, desperate flailing, will the sling hold? Apparently a bomber hex there somewhere but that’s no use if you last used a hex in winter years ago. Gravity takes hold for a graceful arc into space. Again. Still on the to do clean list… https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cw_L6bpNnFT/?igsh=cmVkdnFpbWp5ODhs

Dinosaur. Turned it into Pterodactyl. Main Cliff slopers that look like jugs but aren’t. Another one of the big and safe variety. Repeated years later and was glad of the real jugs arriving when they did.

Supersonic. That’s what you will be! Safe and fun if you get gear in the pocket. Safe enough and very exciting if you don’t, from what I’ve heard… Repeated years later, felt ok until it didn’t but hung on in there.

Right Wall. Not at the porthole but after the pocket. It’s fine unless you stray into Lord. Repeated a few years later and thought, what an idiot for going off route that time…

On that point, Autumn Gold. A little known E3 on Mowing Word. Obvious line, up and right after the crux. Obviously went up and left (why?). Way  left. Scrittly feet should have been a warning. Realising my mistake, put a nut in and started downclimbing when something snapped and the nut blew as well. Stopped by an upside down silver cam, now retired as it got a bit mashed but did its job and deserves a pension. Failed to kick Andy in the head but it was close. Easy after I checked the line.

Just Klingon. I didn’t. Nor the second time, years later. Finally unticked the non-tick after another couple of years. Must be called the Space Face because that’s where you end up.

Oh and Arms Race at Avon, multiple times across many years, though I’ve done it clean a couple of times as well. Like testing your fitness at the wall but better!

Highly recommend all of the above!

Must be some other good ones I’ve forgotten (not to mention all the common or garden ones). The leader who never falls is the leader who never has fun…

Good list. Since you had sport routes there, surely New Dawn deserves pride of place?

Did Dan take 'the lob'? 

Great article! Here are my own "favourite" experiences with falling off:

1. Attempted Kipling Groove (HVS 5a) as an earnest history-conscious 18 year old. Spat on the peg as a nod to Pete Greenwood. Came out onto the face, looked at the traverse, thought "it can't go that way" and tried to go upwards. A few minutes later my belayer was quite surprised to see me back at the level of the belay niche. We bailed out and I didn't dare go back and finish it properly for another 10 years or so.

2. Fell off the top of Mitchell's Wall (HVS 5b), landed on Chris and broke his glasses. Two weeks later, fell off the top of Cow Udder (E1 5a), landed on Chris and broke his new glasses. We all need a heroic spotter like Chris.

3. Fell off Grip (E2 5b) Long John's Slab (E3 5c) and Moon Walk (E4 6a) all on the same day. Took the classic safe but massive lob off the top of MW, slithered gracefully off the crux of LJS a few times without incident, but bounced nastily a few times on the way down Grip. Although I escaped without injury, that was the day I realised I should probably reign it in a bit and I haven't tried anything as bold as Grip since.

I led Strapiombante (E1 5b) after taking one fall that ended perhaps a milimeter off the deck. Looking at grades you climb elswhere, it makes me proud (soft E2 5b is my best). I live in Sheffield and I'm tall ... Perhaps becoming a bit of a grit-with-long-reach specialist

Thanks for sharing!

Wasn’t it popularised in Ron Fawcett’s book back in the 80s?

Really? On routes like Strapiombante? 

It sounds like the author of the article was very good at making considered assessments to me. 

Brilliant Article Kate on a under publicised topic.  

I took this exact same fall on my first attempt at Resurrection. Got to the rest, good gear in, step across to the final flakes on the finish, partner had some rope out as I was surely just about to pull over the top... Nope! 

Pumped, nervous, and sweating off the holds, I peeled away to see the rope forming many loopy arcs down to the last gear, coming to a stop seemingly minutes later 3/4 of the way down the Cromlech. My biggest and best fall, I will carry it with pride.

Brilliant article Kate!

I took the classic lob off resurrection before the rest after trying it, rather optimistically, as my first e4. I got the break totally pumped, didn't gave the juice to get my feet up and watched in horror as my fingers slowly peeled off. In retrospect it was a way more rewarding experience than my first successful e4 a day later.  Having to do the top traverse run out when knowing you have blown the onsight and getting back into the pull hard mindset was a real mental battle. Mind you I feel for you falling right at the end, a real heartbreaker!

I'm definitely from the "leader shall not fall" school, but somehow managed to fall almost the full height of  Hollow Caves Bay in Pembroke - best part of 20m into space. School book physics will tell you that it takes 2 seconds to fall 20m (one elephant, two elephants…) and you’re doing 40mph by the time you stop. Certainly the longest fall I’ve ever had, and not one I hope to repeat any time soon!

https://rockaroundtheworld.co.uk/2020/08/02/deep-throat-and-a-monster-whipp...

Certainly "flying" but I hadn't even been "trying"!

Cheers, Dom 

I had an 80-foot fall off Krapp's Last Tape (E3 5b) at Avon, leading, with zero injuries. I ripped some gear. I had actually gone off route. I gave voice all the way down to alert my second and others nearby on Main Wall reported a doppler effect!

All impressive achievements, I put it to you

You really are reading in to one phrase a bit too much.

Fab article! I am familiar with the whip off Strapiombante! Nice to hear about a woman taking lobs at these grades, I don’t tend to see women whipping except at the elite level. I will proudly continue to log all my dogs…

But what have you fallen off at the lower grades?

Since I’ve not led anything harder than VS for many years I’m averse to falling off as there’s usually a ledge to whack against at these grades. 

"Demented rabbit" got a snort out of me. 

I've always thought ukc should take the curse-d red text off the "Dog". Also perhaps a different classification for with rests vs with falls. VERY different experiences.

I only lead VS so may not have much authority on the matter.