RJRiha

If I climb that thing again this year, I'll take a look, but I don't remember any edges that were sharp enough that concerned me. A fall at the crux move (pulling the lip) should deposit the climber straight down. Was the rope getting drug over the edge during a pendulum fall (that caused the damage to the core)? When I climbed it, I just didn't see a fall before the crux move as a concern, so I didn't recognize that as a problem. Maybe intimidating because you're stepping out over space, but actually making the move is quite easy. Getting over the lip, however, is not.

No. There is a trick to make the move to clear the small overlap. Once your second sees you make the move, it's unlikely that they would fall. I don't see where the fall would be dangerous, and don't remember anything that would cut a rope. I guess if they fell at the VERY beginning of the second pitch, it could be a swinging fall, but nobody is going to fall there. Why do you ask? Bad experience?

You're probably right about it REALLY being a 10a/b. The c/d rating is from the bolter. Supposedly the original proposed rating was 11a (quite a bit of difference between 10a and 11a). These are x38 grades at their finest. Have you done the route to the right of Tunnel of Love (can't remember the name). It's 10b in the book, but felt no harder than 5.9.

Are you referring to the 10c/d short roof route with the uber-closely spaced bolts? If so, it is called 'Hurricane'.

Here is what we climbed.

+1 for the low fifth class section at the top of the steep snow slope being the most solid. I remember the gear being a couple of hand sized cams and 2 of the biggest hexes are bomber. Nuts and tricams could supplement the rack....

I've seen the size of your hands. I'm not surprised in the least that you have trouble with the wide crack on Aries pitch 1. I would imagine that the perfect fists are offwidth to you.

Mammut ropes seem to be thicker than other brands. I'm not sure if this is just the way they handle, wear, or if they have a different way of measuring (I haven't measured a new one myself). I'm a big fan of Mammut ropes, but a 10mm seems to be similar to a 10.2 of other brands.

The grigri can be used with a 9.7. Read the manual that comes with it. It says something to the effect of 10-11mm optimal, 9.7mm acceptable.

I don't know how high up the first bolt is on that particular climb, but in my opinion, an additional 5 feet is enough to make a bold start downright frightening. It's amazing to walk around PP and see the line on the rock where the ground used to be. I personally don't want to see PP become an area where there is a bolt every 5 feet, but would like to see some of these death runouts tamed a little bit. IMO there are too many quality looking routes there that appear to have gone into obscurity because they are basically free solos on insecure, crumbling slab.

Unacceptable. I, too, have led ST a number of times, on-sighting on my first go. And on at least one occasion that I can vividly recall, I popped at the first bolt while trying to clip it and cratered onto my belayer (got up and finished it). Even though I fell a good ways, I still cannot condone retro-bolting a climb if that entails adding more bolts than were installed on the original climb. It's just not cricket. That's my tuppence. Is this a situation where erosion has significantly increased the distance to the first bolt and made the landing worse? I know there are climbs at Peshastin that are like that.

Are you insinuating that he was sport climbing? Static point is trad climbing.

How much energy the impact of the slab, the pulled gear etc took up, I don't know. I DO know that the piece that caught the climber was less than 10 feet above the belay. The climber ended up at least 20 feet below the belayer. Let's say 30 feet of rope was out. That puts the theoretical fall factor OVER 1. Obviously the impact lessened that SOME, but any fall where the climber falls below the belayer is going to hit hard. If the belayer didn't know how bad a high factor fall could be, yet took rope burn on both hands and stopped him, then she should be commended. If you don't know what you don't know, then how would you know that you are unprepared to handle a situation like that? Good thing this ended up like it did and all involved (and not) can learn from it.

Sorry. I think I used the term 'decked' when I talked to you at Index. I could have been more clear that it was the slab that was impacted and not the dirt. Regardless, it was a terrible accident.

Belayer was anchored to the chains at the top of p1. I'm not sure the method. The climber was caught before the ground, but the climber hit the slab on the way down. How the accident happened is conjecture on my part, but I'd bet anything that the belayer saw something that she was completely unprepared for. Most climbers get trained catching easy sport falls, but have no clue how much force can be generated in higher factor falls. If I'm right that she was completely unprepared for it, then she is my hero.

He didn't ground out, he hit a ledge and two pieces blew. The story was that the top piece started to hold the climber before it blew (belayer said this). My theory is this: Climber falls in upper corner and starts to come tight on top piece and belayer starts getting yanked up. Gear rips out and both climber AND belayer start falling. Belayer is somewhat stunned by multiple gear failure and is NOT PREPARED for the high fall factor that is coming after the climber bounces off the slab. The rope comes tight, the climber is now 15-20 feet below the belayer, and the rope starts running. Belayer realizes this and grabs rope with both hands and stops the fall.

Look at http://www.mountainproject.com/images/87/35/105838735_large_3088a1.jpg. For those not familiar with the climb, the belay is at the top of the slabby terrain, just to the side of the broken terrain directly below the climber in the picture. The climber's first two pieces off of the belay (the ones that held) were in that broken looking terrain. There was a chalk explosion from the climber that covered the blank looking slab on the right of this picture. The climbers fall was described as impacting this slab, and continuing over the edge. Considering the second piece (the one that held) was about 10 feet above the belay (many people saw the location of this piece), a considerable amount of rope would need to be out for the climber to end up hanging over the edge PAST that slab (the burns COULD explain that, but I doubt it). The chalk explosion was way out on the slab to the right. Coupled with the quantity of rope necessary to put him over the edge and the belayer's recollection of where the leader was, it points to him being up in the corner. Plus, why would the leader have 2 micro cams on extended runners in the broken terrain with a good, handsized piece at his knees?

And people that don't have "gear to 8 inches".

$$$ I may have to check out this crack next time I'm in the area. How's the setup for a TR? Biggest pro I have is #5 BD. Walk around and there is a 2 bolt anchor. It's a bit difficult to find at first, so it helps if there is someone on the ground at the base to yell up at you. Just look for the most exposed portion on the top of the formation, and that's where the anchor is. I didn't try climbing it though, I had a right knee injury, and realized when looking up at the thing, that I would have to do levitation moves with my right knee in the crack. I couldn't help but go check it out...it looks quite tempting from the road.

Did you try shoving your leg as far as in the crack as possible, then pull your foot out, forcing your thigh to expand in the crack? If the knee was only good for balance, more thigh in the crack should do the trick. Then let go of the stack and use your abs to hold you up. I've never done Carnival, but I've played around with wide cracks and the levitation technique really does work!

I don't believe that 30% of perfect looking placements would fail. MAYBE with their 00 TCUs, but no way with good hand sized pieces. That would mean that 9% of falls with 2 perfect looking placements would rip 2 cams. That is what I saw on Friday, but those cams showed damage on 2 out of 3 lobes which would indicate a less than perfect placement. I have never personally witnessed a cam pop as the climber, belayer, or part of a group of climbers. I'm somewhat of a chicken on gear though, so I'm not constantly falling on cams, and I place often.

This is columnar basalt. Look it up on wikipedia for an explanation of the shape of the columns. Why it is wavy at the top, I don't know.

I don't know where he hit the slab, so I can't quantify that number. I'd GUESS the total fall distance was around 60 feet.

I have the full story, but will only discuss the actual accident because it has value for other climbers. Climber was on p2 of Roger's Corner. He had two apparently good pieces in the broken section right above the p2 belay. He was high in the corner, not far from the exit move with 2 microcams in the steep portion of the corner. He peeled off and came tight on the top microcam which slowed him down, but ripped out. The next micro ripped also, he impacted the slab, and continued down until his belayer caught him on his second piece. Both micros were BD C3s (green and yellow). Both showed extensive damage on 2 opposing lobes, but the 3rd lobe looked almost new.

Oh man...I don't think I will ever get the sound of him decking out of my head. I think he will be ok, he was fully conscious through the whole thing.