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Biggest surprise on a route???


RuMR

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Heard that oh so familiar rattle of the diamond back rattler on snow creek wall as I reached up for a ledge. As I latched onto the ample hold, I felt something 'snap' at my hand. I let go and fell 25 feet onto a #2 camalot with a... grasshopper stuck between my fingers. Bastard! Scared the shit out of me!

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I will verify that Sobo does refuse climb at vantage. I've invited him several times and he always refuses and tries to make me go to some random place in Idaho with mumblings about falling and rocks. I've tried bribary and blackmail to no avail. He'd rather have me post his nude climbing pics than go to vantage.

 

Sobo is the reason I don't climb. Its all his fault b/c he won't go to vantage.

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I'm with Sobo. The first time I ever climbed at Vantage I knew nothing other than the approximate location of the parking lot. We got there, looked around, and decided the place was a choss-pile. After a bit of trundling we drove back to Idaho for good climbing. Minnehaha is almost Idaho too ;)

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After ~40 meter of soloing WI3 to a WI3+ step

 

Yeah... lets rope up here.

You dont have the rope?

I thought you had the rope!

Where's the rope?

...

Shit.

:lmao::lmao: :tup:

 

I dont know if Ivan feels the same way about that story... you should ask him ;)

nonsense, anything you can walk away from makes a good drinking story eventually :)

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Many, many years ago....

 

I was sitting talking to this girl next to me have a decent conversation about routes. She is standing. I am sitting. She wips out this plastic thingy and sticks it in her front zipper all in one stride while not missing a beat in our conversation. She starts peeing like one of the guys right in front me while still talking. She does not turn away.

 

My first experience with a lady j.

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While climbing NF of Chair in winter for the first time I was belaying my second from the top of the first pitch. This was right after Nelson and Potterfield's guidebook came out so there were a dozen parties on the face. One guy leading, about 100' above the 'schrund leans back on this tools and simply falls off the face, hits the slope and keeps sliding. About six climbers cued up walk over to him, pick him up and carry him out.

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On Big Four, the regular route from the East. In spring, drizzle and white out. You have to go past a restriction in the gulley then up and and it turns West. The white out got so thick couldn't tell where to go.

 

Decide to turn around I hear this noise that starts subtle but then increases to a deafening roar. But with the low visibility can't see a thing. What the heck? So I'm going back down and notice that my tracks have started a point avalanche. Oh NO! I'm stuck and have to down climb through the avy zone. Being a point avy there's still a bunch of snow on the sides and I have to traverse at one point through the snow that still hasn't slid.

 

If you've never prayed before, you start praying. Went back down through the restriction, totally avalanche scoured. The snow slid about 2000 ft all the way to the base, huge debris pile.

 

Back when I was young and dumb, and lucky. Before the internet and online avy reports.

 

The other worst incident was getting chased by a ma grizzly with two cubs at Mt Sir Donald. Set the Guinness World Record for putting my boots on.

 

 

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After ~40 meter of soloing WI3 to a WI3+ step

 

Yeah... lets rope up here.

You dont have the rope?

I thought you had the rope!

Where's the rope?

...

Shit.

This sounds like the start of the "Flyin' Ivan" story. Geoff and he are out now, but I suspect we'll get a recap of it when he gets back. :shock: Probably your 2nd biggest surprise watching Ivan fly unroped? Ivan tells that pretty good. Dude used up at least 2 maybe 3 lives right there.

 

 

Most recent of note:

 

Just got back from RR couple days back, some ladies first lead in RR crack right next to us...she gets up a bit and says "there's a snake in the crack here"...."Yeah? Whats it look like"? She describes a rattle snake, so several of us tell her. Then she proceeds to just climb out on the face and around that part of the crack and on up! :shock: He partner follows and sure as shit: rattler he said. Never rattled, nor did it other them. 74 degree day, shade.

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...some ladies first lead in RR crack right next to us...she gets up a bit and says "there's a snake in the crack here"...."Yeah? Whats it look like"? She describes a rattle snake, so several of us tell her. Then she proceeds to just climb out on the face and around that part of the crack and on up!
Good head on that woman. She's a keeper, fer sure. :tup:

Don't know whether or not I'd be that calm and dignified if presented with that scenario...

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Most recent of note:

 

Just got back from RR couple days back, some ladies first lead in RR crack right next to us...she gets up a bit and says "there's a snake in the crack here

 

Last week at RR as well, following on Group Therapy, getting through the fifth pitch when a little redish critter jumped out and startled me. It took off too quickly for me to identify. Looked like a fox but not exactly?

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Most recent of note:

 

Just got back from RR couple days back, some ladies first lead in RR crack right next to us...she gets up a bit and says "there's a snake in the crack here"...."Yeah? Whats it look like"? She describes a rattle snake, so several of us tell her. Then she proceeds to just climb out on the face and around that part of the crack and on up! :shock: He partner follows and sure as shit: rattler he said. Never rattled, nor did it other them. 74 degree day, shade.

 

We had almost the exact same encounter on the first pitch of Frogland in 1981. My girlfriend led that pitch, and I face climbed around and never saw the critter. A pair of friends behind us repeated the maneuver. I repeated the route for the first time just last spring and was pleased to find the crack unoccupied.

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descending from bonanza we decided to lower my friends dad because he's a non climber and was really sketched out, lowered him maybe 30 feet before coming to a massive core shot in the brand new half rope.

 

"hey martin, you think you could climb back up to us?"

"yeah... why?"

"come up here and we'll show you"

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my heart dropped into my stomach when the replacement for that rope got stuck last summer rapping the west ridge slot of Inspiration peak with mark as the sun was setting. Turned to him and said "dibs on the back spoon".

 

we managed to make it down with one rope though and avoided having to confront our homophobia face to face, or front to back as the case would have been.

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Here's some thread drift, but Keenan's post made me laugh and reminded me of this hilarious email I got from some friends who were living in a van in NZ and climbing. I had emailed them an article about some whales who beached themselves in NZ. I accused them of being so gross that whales were killing themselves. I got this in response (Damn this makes me miss Mike. RIP buddy):

 

Sorry about the Whales.

 

If you miss our smell so bad, I could express mail you some socks, or perhaps one of my two pairs of boxers. Just let me know so that I can give them a good wear before they are sent.

 

We are in Wanaka waiting for a good streatch of weather so that we can climb Aspiring. I'm super stoked and terrified @ the same time.

 

When we were discussing our emergency bivy plan a dispute arrose, that a third party deeds to settle. Because of your extensive education and obvious mastery of all things random, we have chosen you as our counselor.

 

Two guys in one bivy.

 

Ass to Ass, spoon, or dick to dick.

 

your prompt response will be greatly appreciated

 

Later,

 

mike

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my heart dropped into my stomach when the replacement for that rope got stuck last summer rapping the west ridge slot of Inspiration peak with mark as the sun was setting. Turned to him and said "dibs on the back spoon".

 

we managed to make it down with one rope though and avoided having to confront our homophobia face to face, or front to back as the case would have been.

 

Spooning is OK - just no fork.

 

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