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Posted

I went out to Index today with my girlfriend with the plan to climb the GM route. I led the first couple of pitches last week without a problem. I'm leading the first pitch fat dumb and happy, and reach the fixed piton just above the rap bolts. I clipped the piton and start to move past it. Just as my waist reached the piton, my foot slipped and I took about a 10 foot slider down the slab.

 

I try to grab onto the rock with my left hand and opened up three flappers right along the finger nail. Needless to say, I wasn't able to complete the route now that my left hand was torn up, so I left a leave-it locking beaner on the piton and lowered off.

 

Now for the whole point of this story. The beaner is one that I dropped a while back. I painted it red and have used it as a gear beaner. No visible damage to it, but I wouldn't trust it to take a big lead fall on. So if you clean this red beaner off the route, either toss it or know that it shouldn't be used for lead.

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Posted

Thanks for the warning, and sorry about your hand.

 

So how do you fall 10 feet when your harness is right at the pro? Were you getting the penalty slack treatment?

Posted

Ok, shall I edit it to 'biner? Nah, I'll leave it. Everyone is entitled to one spelling mistake.

 

As for 10 feet; a lot of rope stretch and a belayer who was giving me quit a bit of slack. She caught me though, and I told her to keep me loose as last time I flew up this section and wanted the slack so I wouldn't get hung up. I just have to remember "when falling, do not grab at the rock."

Posted

How high did you drop it from? I've heard that some Yos dirtbags sent some biners they found at the base of ElCap to BD for stress tesing and they performed as well as new caribiners. Presumably these were dropped from above, not just left on the ground for someone to find.

Posted

Wow,

 

That pin sucks. It is at least as old as the FA of Heart of the Country, although it may be as old as GM. I know that Randy beat the shit out of it on the FA of Heart, but that was 26 years ago. There was some talk of replacing it with a bolt, which I feel is totally justified in this case, a old pin with a death fall potential.

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