dberdinka Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 A month ago I hefted a 60 lb bag of aid gear onto my back and stumbled up to the Upper Town Wall all intent on climbing Steal Pole Bathtub. I scrambled up to a ledge maybe 30' off the ground and stood there looking at the start of the climb, a 15' tall left-facing, left-leaning corner system ending at a small roof where a diagonal crack continues up and left. The confidence I had felt that morning was quickly replaced with abundant self-doubt. "Boy, the rock looks shitty and I'm kinda tired, that second pitch looks sketch, what am I doing here by myself again? Uhhh...I'm scared" So with tale between my legs I wandered off to climb something more familiar, questioning my decision for the rest of the day. Fast forward to yesterday. A buddy and I hike up to the Upper Town Wall to do a little free climbing. A 2' x 3' x 6' block of rock is laying in the trail just below the wall. More, larger blocks are piled up near by. Scanning the wall, I realize the entire left facing corner (the start of Steal Pole Bathtub) has fallen out in a chunk at least 3 feet thick! The ledge at it's start is covered in knee deep blocks. This all happened prior to this weeks freeze. So I don't see any real mechanism for this other than "it's time had come". I shudder to think what might have happened had I started up that climb, weighing cams behind the now absent corner, or worse yet slamming a few pins in behind it. I would have been squished like a bug! Why didn't I climb it? Through years and years of climbing have I developed an innate sixth sense that guides me from danger, that prevents me from exposing myself to objective hazards I'm not consciously aware off? I DON'T THINK SO! I think I just got frigging lucky. Climbing IS Dangerous, there ain't no two ways about it. We can triple check our knots, dig avi-pits on every aspect, start climbing at 2AM, only climb granite, whatever. There will always be risks we can't predict, quantify or mitigate. The longer we stay at it the more likely rock fall's gonna kill us all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al_Pine Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 Scary story! I experienced the same thing though not as immediate as yours perhaps. Climbing the Curious Cube at Static Point I was amazed at the awesome sharp horizontal cracks and thin sharp flakes I was finding there. I was hoping that this wasn't all loose and ready to go since you just don't seem to find such nice crackage at Static. Came back the next year and noticed the giant white scar that was where I had climbed. Though mine was much more likely to be freeze thaw than yours, it did get me thinking. Also got me thinking was the fallen tree lying across the approach trail that had rap slings around its base. link The longer we stay at it the more likely rock fall's gonna kill us all. A true statement, but couldn't the same thing be said about driving, smoking and eating at McDonald's? My main purpose is replying to this post is so that I could link up our monkey avatars! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottP Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 I've always wondered how many people grabbed and pulled out on the mattress-sized flake that used to grace the post-crux moves of Princely Ambitions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junebug Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 Sheesh, I'm glad you are okay. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if there was an earthquake or something at the very moment I'm attached to the rock precariously on a ledge. That could happen! But you can't worry about that stuff too much, or all the things that COULD happen, you could die in your own living room during an earthquake! Remember there are no bold and old climbers, there are just old climbers. Not that you were being bold, but good job turning away from it when it didn't feel right! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelle Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 Junebug said: Sometimes I wonder what would happen if there was an earthquake or something at the very moment I'm attached to the rock precariously on a ledge. That could happen! I think a couple regular cc.comers were climbing at Index during the March 2001 quake. Pretty scary from what I recall. I was looking up at Shirley on the Lower Town wall last Sunday. Thought it'd be a fun practice pitch. Thought about the rockfall that Dr. Jay had last year while trying the pitch...then noticed another big block right at the base of the route that looked very recent. I said and just wandered around for the rest of the afternoon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b-rock Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 Junebug said: Sometimes I wonder what would happen if there was an earthquake or something at the very moment I'm attached to the rock precariously on a ledge. Check out ANAM a few years back, there was an earthquake-rock-climbing incident. I don't think anyone was hurt though? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rad Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 D, Glad you were spared. Pretty spooky Hween note. As an actuary, not to mention a climber, you should have a sense of quantifying risks better than any of the rest of us. In Belize I had a tarantula run across my bare foot while I was walking in tall grass. Course it didn't bite me, but we both were rather startled. One day our numbers will be called - who knows when? R Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpinfox Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 Al_Pine said:My main purpose is replying to this post is so that I could link up our monkey avatars! MONKEY AVATARS UNITE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dberdinka Posted October 31, 2003 Author Share Posted October 31, 2003 Al_Pine said: The longer we stay at it the more likely rock fall's gonna kill us all. A true statement, but couldn't the same thing be said about driving, smoking and eating at McDonald's? My main purpose is replying to this post is so that I could link up our monkey avatars! I've watched two people die climbing. I've yet to witness anyone burning up in flames on the road, keeling over with a smoke between their lips or choking on a QP. As much as I want to believe that climbing's as safe as anything else....It ain't! Monkey avatars rule!!!!!!! Hi Rad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrambler Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 I've had more opportunity to ponder about rock fall while belaying rather than climbing. I remember belaying on Sam n' Cams at Sam Hill in Leavenworth. The thought kept going through my head that the large rock flake (hollowing sounding) would break and fall on my feet to chop my toes off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sk Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 glad everyone is okay... The collums in eugene are falling down. There is a steel mesh thing holding up[ parts that were climbable in the 70's.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 OHMYGOD THE SPLIT PILLAR JUST FELL OFF THE CHIEF!!!!! Apes are not monkeys and a Pan troglodytes is not a "monkey avatar". Apes do not have tails, monkeys and lemurs do. The dividing line between man and snaffle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric8 Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 ScottP said: I've always wondered how many people grabbed and pulled out on the mattress-sized flake that used to grace the post-crux moves of Princely Ambitions. isn't the skecthy flake on pa right at the crux or just before. Someone got a red tcu stuck in the flake this summer. Unless there are two stechy flakes. I pull on the flake i'm talking about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronco Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 dberdinka said: This all happened prior to this weeks freeze. So I don't see any real mechanism for this other than "it's time had come". Or - the torrential rainstorms that probably had a huge waterfall coming down the entire Upper Town wall a week ago created enough water rushing out of every crack and crevice that the immense force knocked the previoulsy loose blocks down - and created even more DEATH COOKIES in the process! I ain't scared Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottP Posted November 1, 2003 Share Posted November 1, 2003 ehmmic said: Junebug said: Sometimes I wonder what would happen if there was an earthquake or something at the very moment I'm attached to the rock precariously on a ledge. That could happen! I think a couple regular cc.comers were climbing at Index during the March 2001 quake. Pretty scary from what I recall. I was looking up at Shirley on the Lower Town wall last Sunday. Thought it'd be a fun practice pitch. Thought about the rockfall that Dr. Jay had last year while trying the pitch...then noticed another big block right at the base of the route that looked very recent. I said and just wandered around for the rest of the afternoon. My friend Rob was at the top of Davis Holland when the Nisqually earthquake happened. He said shit was coming down all over the place, but not a grain of sand came down onto them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EWolfe Posted November 1, 2003 Share Posted November 1, 2003 There's also the refrigerator size block on Wartley's Revenge that came down recently (with some help), that fell nicely into the belay stance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jefffski Posted November 1, 2003 Share Posted November 1, 2003 some years ago 2 climbers were on the petit dru in chamonix when they felt rumblings and the entire pillar moving. they had a cell, called for help and were plucked off by a chopper (like i said--cham). A couple of days later a block came down with enough force to register on the richter scale. not too long after a russian (valerie babanov--babanov.com) climbed a new route on the scarred face! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norsky Posted November 1, 2003 Share Posted November 1, 2003 What's the biggest rockfall when bouldering? A few pebbles as a microflake pulls off? Bird, back me up on this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norsky Posted November 1, 2003 Share Posted November 1, 2003 Muffy_The_Wanker_Sprayer said: glad everyone is okay... The collums in eugene are falling down. There is a steel mesh thing holding up[ parts that were climbable in the 70's.... The ones right by REI? I remember some there back about 6 years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jshamster Posted November 3, 2003 Share Posted November 3, 2003 Junebug said: Sheesh, I'm glad you are okay. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if there was an earthquake or something at the very moment I'm attached to the rock precariously on a ledge. That could happen! My brother-in-law & I were on Godzilla during the earthquake a couple of years ago. He was belaying me from the anchors, I was just below on a small ledge when it hit. Granite basically turned to the consistancy of Jello. Cracks expanding & contracting right before our eyes and the whole wall kinda waving & warbling. Massive rockfall ocurred to the right & left of us, but not on top of us. This is the most scared I have ever been, and we both pretty much thought we'd be seeing each other on the other side. The next day I drove out to Frenchman's Coulee to meet some friends. I seriously expected to see columns laying on their side, but all was intact. At least as intact as it usually is. As freaking scary as this event was, it never crossed my mind to stop climbing or anything. I mean, what are the chances it will happen again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted November 3, 2003 Share Posted November 3, 2003 Norsky said: What's the biggest rockfall when bouldering? A few pebbles as a microflake pulls off? Bird, back me up on this. In the film No Strings Attached you can gape in awe as Brian Goldstone pulls off a huge block and nearly kills Scott Milton who's spotting him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norsky Posted November 3, 2003 Share Posted November 3, 2003 Dru said: Norsky said: What's the biggest rockfall when bouldering? A few pebbles as a microflake pulls off? Bird, back me up on this. In the film No Strings Attached you can gape in awe as Brian Goldstone pulls off a huge block and nearly kills Scott Milton who's spotting him Take that all you alpine elitists! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary_Yngve Posted November 3, 2003 Share Posted November 3, 2003 eric8 said: ScottP said: I've always wondered how many people grabbed and pulled out on the mattress-sized flake that used to grace the post-crux moves of Princely Ambitions. isn't the skecthy flake on pa right at the crux or just before. Someone got a red tcu stuck in the flake this summer. Unless there are two stechy flakes. I pull on the flake i'm talking about. Eric, the flake that fell was after the traverse right, where I normally pop in a green alien on a double before traversing back left again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trundle Posted November 3, 2003 Share Posted November 3, 2003 I went for a run up Little Si yesterday and noticed a huge rockslide just past the climbing areas. I haven't been up there for a least a year or so, but this looked pretty fresh. Anybody know when this came down? It wasn't where anyone climbs, but it wasn't far away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Distel32 Posted November 3, 2003 Share Posted November 3, 2003 There are some big blocks that have come off during bouldering! When I was going out to goldbar a lot and climbing/cleaning we pulled off a few huge things. We cleaned up one problem and tried to get this flake off with a crowbar and it wouldn't move so we called it good. Climbed it the next day and it fell off while standing on it, about 24"x40"x3" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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