sling uncliping from biner

[JackY]

 

I witnessed a very close call on a bolted climb. The sling on a draw uncliped from the biner attached to the bolt hanger and the climber hit the deck/was caught by the rope at the same time, just a sore back and some bruises but very close to much worse. This was on a friction climb and I think that what happened was the rope dragged the end of the draw that it was clipped to above the bolt, the biner on the bolt was oriented with the spine horizontal and the gate up, and the sling was pulled up the biner and was around the gate. When the climber fell he pulled the sling off the biner. Also it was at the fourth bolt that this event occurred! It was run-out above this bolt and he had pulled up some rope to clip the fifth when he fell. It's easier to see what happed at the bolt if you grab the nearest draw and work it out. Has anyone seen this happen? Any ideas for preventing it?

 

 

 

 

[catbirdseat]

About all I can offer is that one should watch the draw on the bolt just clipped as you climb past it to make sure the draw hangs down properly. If it does not, give a flick of the rope until it does. The other thing is to not clip way above one's head, although usually this is a safe thing to do by the time the fourth bolt is reached. In the above case it was run out between the third and fourth bolt.

[Terminal_Gravity]

Rarely, but I have seen and heard about similar things happening. One should be aware of the posibility. Some thoughts are, longer sling, sewn threw sling (with small holes at the ends), ovals 'biners can be the worst for this.

 

If for some reason, the particular bolt is problomatic, Through in a quick slider knot (simple loop) or even a clove hitch at the krab on the bolt. or even use a locker.

 

Really, the best thing is to make sure the biner is wear you want it and don't just assume things are going to stay the sme as you move past. Think about were the rope will lie when you are higher.

[mdidriksen]

I witnessed a similar event and I've never been able to figure out quite how it happened. The leader peeled about fifty feet off the deck and pulled two pieces (both nuts I believe). At this point, he was upside down with his back to the cliff. Just in time, the third piece engaged just enough to flip him back around so that he was going to land on all fours, at which point it unclipped itself from the pro. As if this wasn't a big enough withdrawal from the luck bank, the guy managed to land on the only three foot square piece of dirt in the area, surrounding by sharp rocks. He was still pretty messed up. Looked like a tib/fib fracture and maybe other issues, but we never heard any more news. Oh yeah, and the party waiting for the climb consisted of a doctor and an emt, one of whom was wearing scrubs!

 

Anyway, his piece was attached with a sewn runner, which detached from the piece but remained clipped to the rope, but only after enough tenion existed to slow the guy down.

 

I guess one possibility is that the runner wasn't clipped to the piece properly and was caught between the gate and the nose of the biner, eventually pulling free when enough force was put on it.

 

[fern]

gate flutter maybe

[lummox]

that shit can happen with those fucked up wedge drive bolts sticking up high off the hanger.

[slothrop]

Was the rope running to the same side as the gate of the hanger-end biner? That's the only way I can imagine the gate ending up facing up. I think lummox is suggesting that the bolt end could have opened the biner as it rotated upward. I orient the biners on my draws the same direction so that the gate won't turn upwards when I climb past it (clip away from your body, move away from the bolt).

 

I just saw a Petzl pamphlet that shows a draw unclipping itself from the bolt end. The scenario in this case is that the draw was backclipped, then the rope moved to the other side, bringing the sling against the gate of the bolt biner.

[Norsky]

I love those Petzl animation directions! They are second only to their pictures.

[Dr_Flash_Amazing]

 

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