[TR] Bridge over the Willy- 70ft swing attempt 8/12/2006

[powderhound]

Climb: Bridge over the Willy-70ft swing attempt

 

Date of Climb: 8/12/2006

 

Trip Report:

Been talking about this with my buddy for over three years. This friday we finally got together and decided that we would make the attempt. The bridge is no longer used as a road and just transports water across the river. We built a four piece anchor in the middle and attached two static ropes to the equalized point. we then went over about 70 feet out. I pulled the ropes as tight as possible unclipped from the bridge and was just about to go when a boat came by. I just could not get the gumptiopn to go for it. My buddy decided that he would try by first rappeling down to decrease the angle and tighten the rope so there would be no drop. He came down ten feet and still could not do it. We packed up and went home. For another day when my balls get bigger.

 

Gear Notes:

A big set of nuts

 

Approach Notes:

out by the most used boat ramp on the willy

[olyclimber]

chicken

[Alpinfox]

PUSSY!

 

Don't use a static rope. Seriously. Use a dynamic. It will be safer and more comfortable. Also, build TWO good anchors and equalize the fuckers.

 

I used to do stupid shit like this a lot back in HIGH school.

 

I once had one anchor fail on me during a bridge jump.

[G-spotter]

YOU FUCKING YELLOW COWARD CHICKEN PUSSY WIMP WUSS LILY-LIVERED SHIT SACK!

 

you need some 5 year old kid to show you how to play on da swings?

[Alpinfox]

Supposedly Hansel did a 150' jump off the trestle at x38. That's 150 feet. No swing, just straight down.

 

Swear to god.

 

That's Osman-caliber craziness.

[u_wish_u_knew]

nice attempt, you'll get it next time

[powderhound]

I had a feeling you guys would raze me, just wondering why satan hasn't chimned in?

[billcoe]

Bryon, these pig-shit talkin armchair quarterbacks have no stones. It's all just background lip flappin.

 

Thanks for sharing.

 

Lookin at the pics and thinking of you looking at the drop made me smile. Good on ya for going for it, you'll get it next time, but you might think of 2 things: either have the anchor out to the side so you swing, or use a dynamic rope...or 2.

[John Frieh]

Bridges are for climbing Bryan!

 

[powderhound]

The anchor I did build had four seperate points with four seperate lockers all equalized and going to the two ropes. I didn't want to use a dynamic because I was worried it would be hard to get it taunt enough to swing out. One of the main things that stopped me from doing it was I forgot the life jacket. I think if I had one of those i might have done it.

[lI1|1!]

i saw this thing on TV once where these guys tried to do a mass big swing (~150') off some bridge in florida or someplace like that. what they were doing was illegal and they had a speed boat ready to whisk them away afterwards. the show was they video they shot of themselves and interviews afterwards. they were a bunch of redneck looking billybobs. they had a steel cable and then each of the seven or so of them had a strand of webbing to attached to the end of the cable. they thought they had their shit figured out but they didn't - they swagged the bunch of nylon runners to the cable but the nylon pulled through the swag when they were at about the bottom of the swing and they all came out and hit the water hard. no one died but a few got pretty fucked up and i think one was partially paralized.

 

i don't have a moral to this story other than figure your shit out, and don't think you can swag nylon runners to a steel cable.

[MtnBoy]

Story to consider.

 

This comes from the Deschutes SAR. It was a cold and rainy day at smith, and some of the dirt baggers were bored. One spoke up and indicated that it would be neat to take a huge wipper off of the train bridge over the Crooked River George. We'll he goes out there and set up and anchor in the middle and readies himself. The plan was to take the ride and jumar back up. Down he goes for the 150 ft ride and proceedes to break his ribs. In pain he hooks the jumars up to the rope to find it is too painful to climb up, so there he dangles. Luckily some passing motorists take pitty on the poor soul and calls the cops. The SAR ends up having to come out and winch his butt back up and carry him out.

[Dechristo]

It's a little known fact that the hash-oil-smoking dirtbag's ribs were weakened previously by violent coughing.

[Alpinfox]

 

I've seen that video, and I think someone DID die (or was paralyzed). The dumbshit who came up with the idea did something like, "well, this cable is rated to 5000lbs, and all of us together only weigh 1500lbs, so we'll be fine". Of course much higher forces are generated in a fall than the weight of the mass falling, so the cable broke.

[powderhound]

Hence why I don't regret not taking the leap. Maybe whenI plan the thing out better, and spend some more time designing the anchor and rope set up. I think having a full body harness would help as well.

[DirtyHarry]

Why would you post a TR about something you didn't do?

 

Hey everyone, I didn't climb Thermogenesis this past weekend, check it out!

[Alpinfox]

You could toss a haul bag full or rocks (~160lbs or whatever you weigh) first as a test, but then you have to get it back up. PITA.

 

When my bridge jumping anchor failed it was after a dozen jumps or so and was due to the webbing rubbing back and forth across the concrete beams that we had slung. Fortunately we had two anchors. Make sure your anchors don't rub on things and there are no sharp edges.

 

A dynamic climbing rope will hold a big swinging fall like that just fine with relatively low loads. I never felt the need for a chest harness.

 

I wish I could do this with you guys.

 

 

[powderhound]

You could toss a haul bag full or rocks (~160lbs or whatever you weigh) first as a test, but then you have to get it back up. PITA.

 

I wish I could do this with you guys.

 

We attached a backpack to it but the back pack only weighed maybe thirty lbs, so it was not a sufficent test. To make things further problematic we only had one jumar so we were going to have to prusik and jumar up the rope which would have been really slow and dumb.

 

To dirty man, peps post about attempts all the time, plus it was kinda fun and something fun to share and chat about. Figured I would at least get some good ideas on how to make it work next time. Plus how can I miss out on a chance for you spray, I just enjoy it so much, just makes my morning, afternoon, and night.

Edited August 16, 2006 by powderhound

[Alpinfox]

 

We actually had ours rigged so we could just rap down to the ground after the jump, but I guess that won't work in your case unless you wanna get wet.

[DirtyHarry]

You're still a pussy.

[iain]

The real risk here is a potential swim in the Willamette.

[powderhound]

The real risk here is a potential swim in the Willamette.

 

I have lived on the willy for 15 years, swiming in it every summer, and never gotten a rash, infection or sick from it. this is not to say that I won't have some crazy cancer or kids with three eyes later but for the time being I have yet to see any bad reactions.

[iain]

well you are considering jumping off a bridge attached to a piece of nylon so perhaps that could be exhibit A for brain damage...

 

have fun and don't get on kgw.

[hemp22]

powder - i did something very similar to this a few years ago. Definitely go with the 2 dynamic ropes instead of static. You don't need to move so far to the side of the bridge to get the ropes 100% taught, but you should feel the weight of the rope pulling on you back towards the anchor. Once you jump, the weight of the 2 climbing ropes between you and the anchor will be enough to start your arching, lateral movement before you get to the point where the rope is stretched [Edit: I did this on 2 full 50-meter ropes, so there was more weight than you'll probably get from only 70'] .

I had a chest harness on when I did it, but it probably wasn't necessary.

 

Also, i'm not sure what your plan is for getting down - for us, we had a 3rd rope attached high on the banks of the river that we'd raise up after the swinging slowed down, so the jumper could grab it & pull himself to the bank.

 

I do have some photos of this somewhere, but this was before I ever owned a digital camera, so I'd have to find them & scan them.

Edited August 16, 2006 by hemp22

[Raindawg]

Been talking about this with my buddy for over three years.

 

 

This friday we finally got together and decided that we would make the attempt.

The bridge is no longer used as a road and just transports water across the river.

We built a four piece anchor in the middle and attached two static ropes to the equalized point. we then went over about 70 feet out, hung upside down, and smiled at the camera.

I pulled the ropes as tight as possible unclipped from the bridge and was just about to go when a boat came by.

I just could not get the gumption to go for it, despite the cheering crowds.

My buddy decided that he would try by first rappeling down to decrease the angle and tighten the rope so there would be no drop.

He came down ten feet and still could not do it.

We packed up and went home.

 

For another day when my balls get bigger.

 

AND THE BEE-MONKEY SAYS:

"Hey Sport! You write a little report like that, you can expect a little ribbin' from the hornets in this hive! Bedduh luck next time!"

 

SASSY PARTY BABE SAYS:

"I like-ta schwing! wid Bridge-Bjumpers!