Long falls on Friction

[Phil K]

So here's my question; got in a few nice routes at Static Point last weekend. Online, and Offline (not quite as nice.) At some point you are 30+ feet above your last bolt. Obvioulsly, the idea is not to fall, and hey, it's only 5.8 or so. What do you do if you screw it up? Suck it up and slide, tumble and bounce, run downhill? Any ideas or suggestions, any good horror tales?

[larrythellama]

slide on your shoes and maintain balance.

[Drederek]

with a four point stance you'll slide a lot slower than you'd think and in my experience not very far at all. You may want to avoid tumbling.

[skyclimb]

A few years back, I was staying at the hostel in Squamish, climbing and traveling. I was climbing with anyone I could meet, which lead me to all sort of riff raff, and some interesting characters. Pretty much the only invitation I refused, was from these two guys who were slab climbing afficiandos.

Standing out in front of the hostel one rainy morning, they proceeded to tell me about their epic 60 footers from the day before. Obviously they had been on some heinous test piece, quite a few pitches off the deck, when the inevitable would happen. The sweat would build, the shoes would turn to goop, and the slide would commence.

They explain how at the critical point where the rubber finally gives, they would turn around, 6 pitches off the deck, and start running at the belayer. Right when the rope was about to yank, they would throw themselves out into the air, letting the rope stretch, and catch the fall.

Who knows if this was a tall tale or not, but they sure told a good story!

[spicoli11]

Wasn't that Silvester ??

[pope]

The typical slab-fall may be a long slide or tumble, but the other side of the coin is that the falling lead climber will generally fall at slower speeds, resulting in lower impact forces and, most importantly, opportunity for the competent belayer to react. The general rule of thumb on steep rock is that fall length will be more than double the run-out distance. Thus, the rock jock who is 25 feet out on his last nut will, at a minimum, fall 50+ feet. But on slabs, a skilled belayer will generally be able to take slack out of the system in that seemingly eternal time period between "Oh shit!" and when the rope actually comes tight.

 

How much rope? That depends on the angle of the slab and the alertness of the belayer, of course. But an equally important variable is the choice of belay technique. Do you want to be fumbling with a Gri-Gri when your buddy's life depends on your ability to suck 50 feet of slack out of the system in in a matter of seconds? Obviously not.

 

An example will illustrate my point. Once, while me and Dwayner descended a steep gully on Guye Peak, a third climber in our party (who had been medicating his trepidations with THC all morning during a winter ascent on the West Slope) decided to abandon his front points and attempt to heel his way down. He must have been 100 feet above us, but not so far away that I couldn't notice snow balling up in his crampooons (not to mention a nice 420 grin below his glazed eyes). At some point (from at least 80 feet above our belay), he began to fall. By the time he passed the belay he was really flying (although he continued to grin, oblivious to the danger and actually giggling when he suggested that we take up the slack).

 

Lucky for him, I had him on a body belay and so I was able to suck up the slack pretty fast. Instead of a 200-ft fall, he ended up only 40 feet below our belay, just above a cliff band. Basically, he owes his life to the fact that we were hip belaying off of a stout tree.

 

To this day, when belaying people dumb enough to venture onto bold slab climbs, I go with a hip belay. Not only can you rapidly take in rope, but the dynamic nature of this belay combined with slower falling rates keep the impact forces low. Basically, you can still trust those 35-year-old 1/4" button heads on lower angle climbs.

[sobo]

I have found that "crabbing" sideways works pretty well, and add the alert belayer. I learned this technique years ago at Stone Mountain, GA, on its huge granite dome. By "running" sideways on all fours, slapping your hands on the rock and letting your feet slide as you fall, you will descend at somewhat of an angle, allowing the belayer just a smidgen of extra time to reef in more slack, and you maintain some semblance of control over your fall. If the belayer is not anchored (as in at the 1st pitch), he/she can run away from you to help take up slack. You do NOT want to start tumbling. The slapping of the hands prevents road rash because your hands do not remain stationary wrt to the rock.

[mattp]

That's a novel idea. The reverse slapping crabwalk. 'Have to give it a try....

[matt_m]

So here's my question; got in a few nice routes at Static Point last weekend. Online, and Offline (not quite as nice.) At some point you are 30+ feet above your last bolt. Obvioulsly, the idea is not to fall, and hey, it's only 5.8 or so. What do you do if you screw it up? Suck it up and slide, tumble and bounce, run downhill? Any ideas or suggestions, any good horror tales?

 

I was wondering the same exact thing NUMEROUS times this past weekend at Squamish. Lets see how many times I scared the bejeezus out of my self...

Friday - Warmup day - Whoops - Traversed in on the wrong start - Guess the first pitch of the year at Squam will be 10d slab p3 of the Crossing - moved over to Whirlwind after that!

Day two - Not wanting to need more therapy I asked my buddy if Sparrow was a good cruise? "Oh yeah" he says, not bad. Riiight... Nothing like a funky mantle move 25' out from the belay BEFORE the first bolt. Did fine though - At the top I'm feeling more spunky so I look at the upper apron - Hmmm A Question Of Balence doesn't look ALL THAT BAD - from the ground. Needless to say I didn't get on A Question of Balance and , quivering mightily, clipped the first and only bolt on Bran Flakes as I soon discovered there WERE NO MORE BOLTS. Bailed right onto Balance (25' up and right) to clip its LAST BOLT then ran the remaining 40 feet or so to the chains SCARED OUT OF MY GOURD. Brought my partner up who hiked it smiling stating "Hey, this is FUN!"

FU man

 

Strangely - I still want to get my hard man slab status confirmed with these ticks (adding to Local Boys, Dream on To Unfinished but I bailed on the 11b because it hit 85 degrees when I got to it!)

White Lightning

Dancing in the Light

Magic Carpet Ride

 

How does one go about not looking like a motercycle crash victim on said routes?

[Sol]

my buddy jimbo has taken plenty of falls on slab. if he's <6 feet above the bolt he'll do the slide on all four technique. if he's >6 feet above the bolt (which more often than not he's 20 feet above)he turns around, runs down and sideways until the ropes tight, then uses the tension of the rope to control his run down to the end of the rope. its pretty sketchy, and you would think it doesn't work, but with my own eyes i have witnessed him turn horror falls into downhill sprints.

[specialed]

Run backwards FAST!!

[Dru]

deploy the hot air ballooon and just float up into the air

[chucK]

If you're in a convexity* (on steeper ground with a less steep section below you) the sliding on all fours (weight on feet, hands for balance) technique has a good chance of stopping your fall as you grind into the lower-angled part. Don't give up right away!

 

If you're on a concavity* (gets steeper below you) like the top of bulge, then all bets are off. I might try one of those sketchy running tactics, depending on how much rope is out.

 

Whatever you do, make sure the rope is never behind your feet. Getting flipped over on a slab is serious bad news.

 

* I could be mixing up these technical math-geek terms

[catbirdseat]

You did mix them up.

[matt_m]

my buddy jimbo has taken plenty of falls on slab. if he's <6 feet above the bolt he'll do the slide on all four technique. if he's >6 feet above the bolt (which more often than not he's 20 feet above)he turns around, runs down and sideways until the ropes tight, then uses the tension of the rope to control his run down to the end of the rope. its pretty sketchy, and you would think it doesn't work, but with my own eyes i have witnessed him turn horror falls into downhill sprints.

 

hmm - that doesn't seem like too bad an idea...

[Dru]

Who falls on slab anyways? Slab climbing is like ice climbing.

[Paco]

I've taken a few longish falls on slabs and they don't have to be too bad, but there are definitely a few things to keep in mind.

 

A typical fall on slab occurs when your feet start to slip. Sometimes you will slip a few feet and then stop. If you keep falling you can slid for about 10 ft on your toes and fingertips until things get too hot. I've almost burned my fingers sliding down a slab. Ouch! At this point you are still falling relatively slowly. Next comes the backwards run during which you pick up a lot more downward speed. About 15' of this and it's hard to keep up. This is when you really want the rope to start coming tight. Avoid tumbling at all costs. Trying to turn around and run is a good idea. Hopefully your belayer has taken in as much slack as possible at this point. Good belaying is a must for minimizing the road-rash of a long slab climb.

 

Lots of good points in the above posts.

 

Magic Carpet Ride is a project of mine for this summer. There's a photo of someone on it in the latest Climbing or Rock and Ice mag. I think he's on the .11a pitch. I haven't been on the route for two years. The last time I tried the route I couldn't get past the second pitch. I took a long zinger, then climbed a little further up the route. I basically ended up moving an existing bail biner up one more bolt. Awesome rock formation though.

 

I've often wondered if I could borrow a full leather motorcylce suit complete with slider pucks on the knees for hard slab climbing. That might take some of the edge off those long slab falls.

[matt_m]

I've taken a few longish falls on slabs and they don't have to be too bad, but there are definitely a few things to keep in mind.

 

A typical fall on slab occurs when your feet start to slip. Sometimes you will slip a few feet and then stop. If you keep falling you can slid for about 10 ft on your toes and fingertips until things get too hot. I've almost burned my fingers sliding down a slab. Ouch! At this point you are still falling relatively slowly. Next comes the backwards run during which you pick up a lot more downward speed. About 15' of this and it's hard to keep up. This is when you really want the rope to start coming tight. Avoid tumbling at all costs. Trying to turn around and run is a good idea. Hopefully your belayer has taken in as much slack as possible at this point. Good belaying is a must for minimizing the road-rash of a long slab climb.

 

Lots of good points in the above posts.

 

Magic Carpet Ride is a project of mine for this summer. There's a photo of someone on it in the latest Climbing or Rock and Ice mag. I think he's on the .11a pitch. I haven't been on the route for two years. The last time I tried the route I couldn't get past the second pitch. I took a long zinger, then climbed a little further up the route. I basically ended up moving an existing bail biner up one more bolt. Awesome rock formation though.

 

I've often wondered if I could borrow a full leather motorcylce suit complete with slider pucks on the knees for hard slab climbing. That might take some of the edge off those long slab falls.

 

Saw that pic as well! Got me inspired! Is he wearing Sportiva CLIFFS?!? That would be pretty cool. Yep - Only done local boys over there but looked at Carpet Ride too.

 

Dancing in the Light is Tops on my list.

[jshamster]

Hey frosty, you're givin' away my secrets!

 

Seriously though, the running downhill does work. I find it is key to go down & sideways if possible in order to get tension in the cord as soon as possible.

Doesn't always work if there is no sideways.

 

Slabs are oh so much more fun if you know you can fall without the cheese grater effect.

 

I will be back in the B'ham and Snohomish area Monday or Tuesday, so if anyone is looking to go play on slabs at Squamish, D'town (with bicycle), or Static give me a shout.

I have the entire month of May work free!!

 

Jimbo

[MisterMo]

Seriously though, the running downhill does work. I find it is key to go down & sideways if possible in order to get tension in the cord as soon as possible.

 

I once apon a time watched Bruce Carson fall on a traversy thing on Sunset Slab at Peshastin. He tried the running thing, then tripped. I will never forget the loud THWACK sound his (helmeted) head made hitting the rock.......and I was clear over by Dinosaur Tower. Before, since, and ever on and after I've been a 'sit on my ass & slide' kinda guy.......

[mattp]

... if anyone is looking to go play on slabs at Squamish, D'town (with bicycle), ...

 

Jimbo

 

The bicycle will not be needed after next week.

[jshamster]

 

The bicycle will not be needed after next week.

 

Most excellent!!

 

Is the forest service doin' the fixin', or locals?

[Ed_Seedhouse]

I haven't taken any really long slab falls, but up to 10 or 15 feet I found it worked best to actually use my hands to attempt to push myself faster downwards. This has the effect of keeping me on my boot soles. Rather lose rubber than skin. The worst thing you can do is try to hold on - I learned that the hard way.

 

I held Greg Foweraker one day as he fell seven or eight times trying to get up to the first bolt on the third pitch of Dream On. As I recall he did use the running technique, but I didn't get a great view as I was concentrating on pulling rope in to shorten the fall. That bolt is twenty feet up past a 10d move so the falls were fairly lengthy. On one fall I pulled in enough rope to be able to touch his extended hand when he stopped.

 

This was all a long time ago. We were climbing in E.B.'s and the techniques that worked with those might not be as good with modern rubber.

 

These days I use the technique of finding some other sucker to lead.

 

Fifteen years ago I lead my teenage nephews up "Bannana Peel" and it felt casual to all of us. Last year my twenty-something niece lead me up it and I was terrified for most of the climb, and mighty impressed with the runouts.

 

I guess being 60 will do that to you, unless you're Fred Becky of course.

[David Trippett]

I took a 50+ footer on White Lightning climbing off route at the crux....when I peeled, I somehow managed to do a crouching, standing glissade forward down the rock using a hand as a rudder.....well, I ended up with 2nd degree friction burns on the palm of my right hand after the whole thing... I still have a score to settle with that climb...but next time Ill take fingerless gloves. As for running down the rock....i guess its possible, I've seen it done on shorter falls, but if you trip up..... have some pictures in you pocket so that they can i.d. you at the hospital.

[matt_m]

I held Greg Foweraker one day as he fell seven or eight times trying to get up to the first bolt on the third pitch of Dream On. As I recall he did use the running technique, but I didn't get a great view as I was concentrating on pulling rope in to shorten the fall. That bolt is twenty feet up past a 10d move so the falls were fairly lengthy. On one fall I pulled in enough rope to be able to touch his extended hand when he stopped.

 

This was all a long time ago. We were climbing in E.B.'s and the techniques that worked with those might not be as good with modern rubber.

 

These days I use the technique of finding some other sucker to lead.

I guess being 60 will do that to you, unless you're Fred Becky of course.

 

Nothing's changed on that 10d move - I did it a year and a half ago and was jsut as terrified - made the move first try but right before the bolt (1/4 in too!) my feet started to go! Slid about 3 inches before I was able to grab onto "something" not sure what it was but I made the pitch onsight and swore I'd never do it again - FWIW my partner reported the old 1/4in are now healthy 3/8" SS so I may have to wander up there again to do the full Dream Symphony (or Dream On - anyone here done Dream On?)