octavius

No other circumstances... unless you consider the chance the guy was distracted by cute coeds... that is always a risk in these gyms. As to names, I'm not interested in outing the guy (it wasn't Adrian). I think it was just a mistake. I'm more interested in the psychology of trusting new climbing partners again.

Anybody ever been outright dropped to the deck by their belay partner while being lowered after a climb? I had a disturbing experience while gym climbing last week. I was climbing at one of the Seattle indoor rock gyms, with a guy that I wound up with because we are both members of a group that trains together twice weekly at said gym... my usual friends were not available that night, but this guy seemed pretty competent... he is a good climber anyway (and a climb leader with a local club), and it's pretty common for members of this group to rotate through the other members as climbing partners. Anyway, I did a route, and was at the top ready to be lowered. The gym uses all GriGris for top rope climbing. The route was about 30 feet high. After being lowered a few feet I felt a sudden increase in acceleration which I thought was just an issue with the belayer opening the GriGri too far... and that he'd notice and let it close. Next thing I know, I'm freefalling (as if the rope broke) at full speed/acceleration, and I deck out… f*cking hard, on the gym's gravel floor. I'm in instant daze as my brain tries to process what just happened, and I realize that I'm trying to get up, but I can't. A couple of gym staffers are with me in a matter of seconds, performing the MOFA style 7 steps, and I hear somebody say "call 911". I hear the guy that was belaying me say "oh man... I left the handle open too long". My daze fades a bit and I realize I'm laying in gravel, on my back, on my bulky chalk bag and harness, and I just want to get up... my mind thinking the bulky bag is what is causing the pain in my lower back. But I can't get up, and the staffers are telling me not to move, and holding my head and neck straight. They say they've called 911 and I should just relax. I'm getting very hot from the adrenaline pumping through my system. My mind is racing... what the f*ck just happened? Climbing is risky... this was an accident that can happen... part of the sport…; but it wasn't due to anything I did... I was just fricken dropped while being lowered! ...by somebody that apparently wasn't paying attention! Am I hurt? I have 3 outdoor climbs coming up in the next 2 weeks... can I still do them? I’m feeling an odd combination of fear, anger, and loss… I had been looking forward to these upcomming outdoor climbs for over a month. The fire department EMTs arrive, more checking, pulse, BP, can I feel my feet, etc. They strap me into a backboard and transport me to an ER. Today, 7 days later, I'm recovering. Small chip in a vertebrae, pretty stiff back and neck for a few days that is getting better, and a new awareness afound picking my climbing & belay partners… even in a gym. A number of people saw parts of this accident, but nobody saw the entire thing. My belayer said the fall was 12 feet, though if he wasn't paying attention I'm not sure how he even knows. My neighbor happened to see much of it... the before and after anyway... and said there was very little time between when I was at the top of the route, and when he heard the impact and looked over again. I found a couple of days later that the left cheek of my new climbing pants had 4 holes in them... from the gravel at the base of the route. That gravel is round-ish. I'm more than a bit curious what kind of force is required for round gravel to put holes in climbing pants. The physical wounds are heeling. The mental part is different though. I'm thinking I will never climb now with somebody I don't know, and trust, 100%... even in a gym. Perhaps this is knowledge that most experienced climbers already have (I’ve only been in the sport for a year)... maybe this is just a reaction to something that was pretty scary. You can't really know another person 100%; you can't know when they might have a brain fart... Oh, and GriGris (even when setup correctly) require more competence than I realized to operate, on the lowering portion anyway. I'm really curious to hear other stories out there, and how they compare or relate. How long did it take to learn to trust any new climbing partners afterwards? Regards, Octavius

Thanks for the tips so far. I'll probably try getting more onto my waist harness, and making use of the gear loop on the extra back sling on the shoulder harness. I'm sure part of the problem is that I'm new enough to this that I'm carrying more than I need on the routes, but for me its part of learning what I use/need and what I don't. Octavius

I'm new to trad leading, and am looking for people's tips on racking their gear. I've got one of those Metolius shoulder racks and have a collection of gear (BD cams, DMM nuts, rockcentrics) and slings. The main issue I'm fighting is how much harder climbing is with all this crap swinging all over the place as I make moves. I have the shoulder rack as tight as it can be while still fitting over my head. The main culprit seems to be the cams getting caught under small stuff (rocks, holds, etc) as I move up, and the rack obstructing my view. One of my instructors advocated putting the entire rack just on the waist harness, but not sure that fits my style. What do you all do? Thanks, Octavius

I wouldn't say its always as bad as it was this Sunday, I got caught in that same traffic, and I didn't see that many rigs with skis or boards on top... was wondering if there was an accident somewhere. I've been doing Hgwy 2 for years and never saw it that bad. If there are new lights in Sultan, that might be part of the issue.