willstrickland Posted January 10, 2002 Share Posted January 10, 2002 So after looking at the big-ass hole I punched through one of my leashes (placed the tool, got out of it to place a screw, moved it after getting out of the leash only to impale the leash) I started thinking: What is the dumbest thing you've done on a route?I'll start it off with a couple. Once, climbing in TN, I spotted a wasp nest just below the crux of the route I was climbing. I climbed up to it and seeing only a few wasps perched on it, decided to just climb over it and try not to disturb them. Beginning the crux sequence my waist was level with the nest. You can guess where I got stung. I proceeded to jump off screaming for a 10footer, seriously freaking out my belayer. Once, in band camp... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt.Caveman Posted January 10, 2002 Share Posted January 10, 2002 Chopped into my 9 mil edelweiss while toproping ice. Witness - Sisu Suomi heheheh. I said "hey lower me and really fast!". Held fine but definitely spooky since I had only one rope. Now I only TR with fat or 2 ropes. I think he was taking in while I was swinging and the 2 collided. It's obvious who would win between rope and axe You missed it Will you could have been there for that but you were toying around with you White Trash Cadillac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imorris Posted January 10, 2002 Share Posted January 10, 2002 Rappeling with an autoblock on a two-rope rappel up in the Melville Group, Selkirks. The weight of the rope basically stopped all downward progress, and I felt like a total idiot. To crown that event, our rappel rope stuck, and we ended up having to rig a pulley system to pull it down (don't try to get away w/o a ring on a two rope rappel, obviously, I say now). We ended up taking almost twice the time noted in the guide (but those times seem pretty amazing). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPS Posted January 10, 2002 Share Posted January 10, 2002 After rappeling to the base of a route I had just climbed, I saw a well known climber. I walked over to introduce myself and stuck my crampon in my knee and promptly fell flat on my face. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt.Caveman Posted January 10, 2002 Share Posted January 10, 2002 Man you must have been the coolest dude around that day Too bad it wasn't some hot chick huh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Posted January 10, 2002 Share Posted January 10, 2002 After 20+ years I pulled my stupidest stunt this fall. We were climbing one of the cracks at Octopus' Garden. We got geared up, I went off and watered the vegetation, came back, threw on the rack and took off. I put in a cam, moved up to some harder ground and heard the velcro on my harness make a surprising sound. In my haste to get on the rock I had neglected to buckle the harness, not just forgot to double it back through the buckle. While poised between moves I had to pull the harness back up and get the velcro reattached. As I moved up to a comfortable perch and got in another piece I almost started laughing at myself, envisioning a fall with me hanging upside trapeze-like with my knees clenched around my leg loops. Pretty embarrassing. Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPS Posted January 10, 2002 Share Posted January 10, 2002 Oh yeah, there were three other people including a hot chick there to witness it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_w Posted January 10, 2002 Share Posted January 10, 2002 3 of us hiked into cirque of the towers late in the day. Didn't get to camp till 9:30pm. The next morning 2 of us got up early and hiked across the valley to Pingora. It took about 1.5 hours till we got to the base. I looked up at the route and then remembered the other guy had the second rope. We checked the guide book and everything said either 2 ropes on rappell or 1 rope and Mid-5th class down climbing. We took a nap in the sun instead. Did get pingora 2 days later. Only one I can remember. I know I have done dumber stuff then this. Or maybe I just don't want to post it. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hakioawa Posted January 10, 2002 Share Posted January 10, 2002 First day climbing outside EVER. I decided it would be a good idea to lead a rather tough (I concluded 6 months later) 5.8 route at Vantage (mistake #1). Its on the far left hand side of Satans tower I think. I figured I'd watched a bunch of other people lead 5.10s so how hard could it be? I could TR most of the 5.9 routes at the gym. But just to be sure I should do it a t the end of a long day. So I was good and tired, er I mean practiced (mistake #2). The first three or four bolts were fine. But the last one (a good 30 feet off the deck) was in the middle of a blank slab. Not wanting to be too run out I decided to clip it as far above my head as possible, so there would be extra rope out (mistake #3). Somehow I managed to get a draw on but was way over my head. After two attempts to clip the rope I couldn't quite get the rope through the biner. By that time I was really pumped out, but wanting the "onsight" I refused to grab the draw (mistake #4). Then out of the blue I was falling. Quite surpriseing really. It had never occured to me that I could fall. A split second later I had come to a jerking stop, upside down with a full 3 feet of air between me and the deck. A 25 foot whipper! Not bad for your first day outside. Mistake #5 came next. Quite shaken up, I didn't want to be beaten. I didn't bother to untie and went right back up again. I got to the crux again, but took another route this time. I got to the same place (this time with a much tighter belay) and was really scared. I called down to my belayer that I was going to down climb. Evidently I wasn't too clear in my commands because he heard "falling" and proceeded to pull me off. So two leader falls in the first day climbing! That humbled me a bit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPS Posted January 10, 2002 Share Posted January 10, 2002 Hikerwa, I know the route of which you speak. My daughter climbed it, then thinking it not enough of a challenge she downclimbed it. She was eight at the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lambone Posted January 10, 2002 Share Posted January 10, 2002 Once I was helping teach newbies at a Ice climbing demo in Hyalite Canyon for the gear shop I worked at. It was my turn on the top rope and I proceeded to show everyone what a badass I was... Then, about half way up I knocked a basketball sized chunk of ice off right above my head. It came down right on my face and nocked me silly. I looked at my belayer all dizzy and decided to redeam myself and finish the route. A couple of moves later I hear, "Dude you must be bleeding bad!" I look down and sure enough there is already blood all over the place. I get lowered and thirty people gather around to witness the gaping hole in my cheak. Some instructor huh... I had my first experience with stitches later that night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt.Caveman Posted January 10, 2002 Share Posted January 10, 2002 Another time I was approaching up another ice climb on "easy terrain". I dinner plated a chunk into my upper forehead and bled on the ice. Where the fuck was my helmet ?- in my pack still. I have a similar Vantage story. What a fucking cherry I was hahahahha. Except I did pull on the bolts heheheheh. I still do too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avypoodle Posted January 10, 2002 Share Posted January 10, 2002 I made the stupid mistke of letting my guard down on a descent. I had let snow accumulate under my crampons and slipped above the last technical pitch (100ft.WI3) Took a long ride, complete with "this is it" thoughts in the head. Luckily I survived and was able to walk away. Youth. [ 01-10-2002: Message edited by: avypoodle ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpt.Caveman Posted January 10, 2002 Share Posted January 10, 2002 Oh yeah first time I climbed Snow Creek Wall I did not bring descent shoes. I figured ah what the heck I can walk down in my rock shoes. Tedious pain and needless time wasted. I unclipped from the anchors once at the top of Reptiles and Amphetamines too. Good thing I did not lean back eh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithKSchultz Posted January 10, 2002 Share Posted January 10, 2002 Oh. Are you suposed to wear descent shoes there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benman Posted January 10, 2002 Share Posted January 10, 2002 It's funny that you ask now because one of these moments actually happened yesterday. Two buddies and I climbed and skied Rainier wednesday (1/9/02) via Ingraham Direct. We skinned the entire way from our camp near Pan Point. Anyway, at around 13,500ft I decided to ditch the rope that I had carried but neglected to use. There was a narrow depression ahead of me that looked like a good place to spot. Josh had already crossed it and Jason pulled in as I was about to take off my pack. When I set my pack down the slope around us collapsed. At first I thought it was an avalanche having experienced a few in my past. Then I noticed walls on both sides and realized that we were falling in a crevasse. We only fell about 10ft but it was long enough to make me wonder if and when I would ever stop. The blocks from the snowbridge reformed and held us on a constriction but we could see the depthless blue to both sides. I popped off my skis and was able to climb out using two self arrest grips. Jason handed me our gear and climbed out using an ice axe. Josh could do little but watch as he was on the uphill side of our newfound crevasse that spanned a good portion of the slope. Jason and I eventually found a way around and we continued to the summit. The rope stayed in my pack because I was stubborn and upset. This was my 5th close call within 5 years (1st crevasse, 4 avalanche, numerous kayak). I'll have a trip report with photos including the crevasse on my website in a couple of weeks. I think it's a bit strange that of all the places to ditch my rope I chose a snowbridge that ended up collapsing. If there were ever a sign this had to be it. Too bad I was too peeved to notice it then. However, with a little time and oxygen I hope to learn from my mistake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forrest_m Posted January 10, 2002 Share Posted January 10, 2002 Here's one for the dumb-stupid rather than dangerous-stupid category. When daylward and I climbed the n. face of colonial, we drove up the night before, parked the car down at the campground and then got up real early to get an alpine start. We hiked a ways up the highway and started into the woods (about 20 minutes) when dan realized that he had forgotten the rope (!) in the car. I'm thinking "and you didn't notice that your pack seemed awfully light?" So he goes back to get it, while I hang out in the pitch black woods. Half an hour later, he's back, and we just started in again when dan turns to me with a guilty expression. Turns out he left his ice tool at the car; he set it down to open the car door and forgot to pick it up again. He turned around again and I went back to contemplating my navel. When he got back the second time, we had lost over an hour. Doh! I spent most of the day wondering if it had been some sort of omen... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted January 11, 2002 Share Posted January 11, 2002 once i made the 9 hour drive to smith rocks carrying 3 left shoes and no right shoes - an Ace a Vector and a Moccasym. Doh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marko Posted January 11, 2002 Share Posted January 11, 2002 Hey Forrest, this is off-thread, but how'd you like the Colonial climb? It looks like a fun sporting route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forrest_m Posted January 11, 2002 Share Posted January 11, 2002 Marko - it was cool, we put a pretty long trip report on the board, i'll bet you could find it with a short search in the north cascades section. Like everything in the cascades in winter, very conditions dependent. Dru - At the base of a climb in J-Tree, I once accidentally traded Aces with another climber. There was this big pile of gear, and I grabbed the wrong ones but didn't notice until we had hiked an hour to the next crag. He ended up with two rights, me with two lefts. We spent four days looking for each other before we finally ran into each other again and were able to trade back... [ 01-10-2002: Message edited by: forrest_m ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philfort Posted January 11, 2002 Share Posted January 11, 2002 When dbb and I climbed a route on the N Face of Kent (maybe, just a tad easier than N face of Colonial huh? ) , I also forgot the rope. Realized it about 20 minutes up the trail. Except, I didn't forget it in the car. I had forgotten it in Seattle. So we lost at least two and a half hours driving back to get it. Luckily, we had done an alpine start, but the climb didn't require one, and we made it to the summit area by sunset. Gregm forgot his ski boots once, on a 3 day ski trip in the Sawtooth wilderness near Lake Chelan. He realized it somewhere around stevens pass, but it was too late to go back and get them. I think he tried to find some rentals in wenatchee or something, but failed. So he just hiked around all weekend while we skied. Actually, there wasn't much snow considering it was July, we did a lot of hiking too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin_page Posted January 11, 2002 Share Posted January 11, 2002 Trusting the least experienced member of our climbing party to make a route finding decision. That was a mistake but there was blame to share all around. The aforementioned climber, Retrosaurus and I had summitted Rainier for the first time. We'd had a great trip up Liberty Ridge. From the top each of us searched a short distance in different directions looking for an obvious climbers path. Our inexperienced friend was to look along the crater rim in the direction that seemed most likely to lead to the Emmons. He'd stayed in the middle of the rope the whole climb and now had a chance to contribute to the climb by walking the furthest in search of the descent. I should have done it myself, my instincts told me that was where we'd find the route, but in our tired state we were'nt thorough enough. When we re-grouped he had'nt found anything, assuring us there was'nt any sign of previous climbers so we jumped into the only trail/trough we saw thinking that the DC "trail" was somewhere further right and promptly started, unknowingly, down towards Muir. If we'd only used our map and compass, damn. When we at last determined that the trough would not be leading us to the Emmons but to Paradise we were a little too tired to go back up so hauled ass down and got a room in the lodge for the night (thanks to somebodies cancellation). We got into the bar in time for beer and sandwiches but in the morning were faced with eating in the fine lodge restaurant dressed in stinking poly and boots, then bumming a ride back to our car. Back home everybody had a good laugh over our coming down the wrong side of the mountain. Alls well that ends well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean_Halling Posted January 11, 2002 Share Posted January 11, 2002 I went climbing with panther one time...nuff' said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean_Halling Posted January 11, 2002 Share Posted January 11, 2002 Oh yea.. worse still....I went climbing with the original Smoky McPot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panther Posted January 11, 2002 Share Posted January 11, 2002 Don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry. Don't make me Hulk out man! AND! Don't give me any shit about my daisy dukes either! I'm sensitive about that... [ 01-10-2002: Message edited by: panther ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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