Another rockfall story...

[kevino]

Normally I wouldn’t care to share this type of story but nevertheless…

 

I always wear my helmet when I am climbing ice and mountains. However, I'm very inconsistent when it comes to wearing a helmet while cragging. Over the last couple weeks at work, I've seen some young men (read: my age) with head bleeds due to sports and possibly preventable injuries. This prompted my reaction of, "I should wear a helmet whenever I climb, ski, etc."

 

Well I'm sorry to say that when I went rock climbing yesterday I didn't bring a helmet! Fool! Anyway, at the end of great warm and sunny day of climbing, my buddy wanted to climb one more route. I belayed him while our other two friends were just relaxing. We climbed a sport climb arête thing just left of stem and seeds/bob's your uncle.

 

Originally I had been belaying beneath, the route, but opted to move over a column so I didn't have to crane my neck so much. About fifty to sixty feet up, my friend dislodged a rock the size of a grown man’s chest. I heard him yell, so I took up whatever slack there was and looked up. However I was surprised to see him still hanging onto the rock and the aforementioned rock plummeting toward me. Keeping my brake hand tight, I rolled to my right away from the rock, making sure to protect my neck and head. The rock crashed into the column I was sitting next to, about a foot away, where I had been originally belaying. About a football size chunk of rock hit my hip and the rest went careening down the ledges towards one of my friends on the trail. The impact of the falling rock left a dinner plate sized crater on the top of the pillar.

 

My friends on the trail were scared because they saw me disappear and the rock fall pretty close to where I had been sitting. After a few moments of stunned silence, we all regrouped. I was very fortunate that all I have is a sore/tender left hip with some bruising and that everyone else came out unscathed. A lot worse could have happened, should the rock have hit my back, leg or something along those lines. Long story short, wear helmets, pay attention and be safe. Thanks for listening to my sob story.

 

[olyclimber]

Glad you made it out relatively unscathed, and thanks for sharing your experience.

[G-spotter]

more proof that vantage is a choss pile!

[Dirtyleaf]

I almost got killed last year while trying a sit start through a roof at the M&M wall. Sport climbing.About 1,000lbs of rock. Half the size of a VW bug. The entire innards of the cave exploded out with a mere foot smear. Glad you're still alive! Even more proof that vantage is a choss hole.

[sobo]

another Vantage choss pile story...

 

Page 2, 9th post down from the top...

[Rad]

At Vantage you need a kevlar suit to go with your full visor motocross helmet.

 

New olympic sport: sport-o-choss. See helmetless climbers race the clock while clipping bolts in suspect rock as large and small blocks shear off under their feet and hands. Thrills abound.

[matt_warfield]

I am sorry for all of your experiences but I have climbed at Vantage for hundreds of days over 15 years and have never been threatened by rock fall. Stay away from the pillar tops, belay off to the side, avoid crowded areas, and check holds on suspect pillar walls like Sunshine Wall. You are still likely more vulnerable to people dislodging rocks from the top or access trails/ledges.

 

Helmets are good but Vantage gets a bad rep. Of course its not granite but is still much safer than most alpine climbs.

[G-spotter]

Vantage is the only sport area I know of where if you fall on a bolt it is likely to pull the whole chunk of rock it is placed in off the wall

[matt_warfield]

I know it has happened (e.g. Medicine Man at the Feathers) but is not as common as the rumor mill states. I have taken and belayed many falls and have never experienced it. Much depends on the experience of the route developer in placing bolts in solid rock and if one can't do that then don't put the route in.

[Dirtyleaf]

This isn't about route development or ethics. This is about suicidal sport climbing, holds flying off in all directions, and chest and VW bug sized pieces of choss almost killing us. I think the choss should stay put and un-choss itself.

[JosephH]

Never sit when belaying. I know of several career-ending rock fall injuries to sitting belayers.

[Drederek]

I had a similar experience 3 pitches up Freedom Rider, its amazing how fast those rocks come at you. I too got pegged on the left hip and was happy to lie in Icicle creek most of the next day. So you all be sure to add Liberty Bell to your list of choss piles

[andyf]

Years ago I had a reverse rockfall situation with a belayer. I was toproping the thin seam and face just left of Wildcat Crack (Tieton). My belayer was standing at the edge of one of the 10-15 foot columns that form the starting ledge at the base. I was sketching through a high crux when all of a sudden I heard a loud "WHOA!," followed by a bunch of crashing sounds.

 

I looked down. No belayer in sight. The rope trailed limp past the ledge and disappeared below. After a few seconds of stillness, my belayer re-appeared from the bushes, yelling up "I still got ya." WTF? I thought he'd stepped off the ledge by mistake, but he said part of the ledge gave way beneath him without warning. Either way he took a surprise plunge.

[cascadesdj]

the rock fall pretty close to where I had been sitting.

Thanks for the story/lesson.

 

I never sit down while belaying--anywhere. When stuff comes down, you have to be able to move, and now. I've seen several rockfall situations, especially at Vantage, and always wear a helmet when climbing. Anywhere. Lots of people don't wear one at Nevermind wall at Exit 38, but a friend of mine was there when a small tree fell off of the top of the wall, spontaneously! I've also had a cascade of rocks come tumbling down at Write-off wall, from the woods above.

[cascadesdj]

Vantage is the only sport area I know of where if you fall on a bolt it is likely to pull the whole chunk of rock it is placed in off the wall

 

Come on, I've fallen at least 100 times at Vantage over 15 years and I weigh 200 pounds, and nary a bolt has pulled. Has this happened to you? I know a guy it happened to at Smith! Anyway, the "likely to pull the whole chunk of rock" statement is a crock. Maybe it's happened there once in the tens (or hundreds) of thousands of ascents over the years there.

[summitchaserCJB]

Wow I'm never gonna climb there.

[LostCamKenny]

... my friend dislodged a rock the size of a grown man’s chest...

 

i have been in a similar situation except the rock took out my belayer and threatened to pull me off the route i was on... scary!!!

[JoeR]

I'm glad you weren't seriously hurt. On a side note, what are the legal implications with person initiated rockfall? Say you pull a rock loose and kill/injure a touron?

[Dirtyleaf]

Life imprisonment in a federal penitentiary. AT LEAST.

[summitchaserCJB]

JoeR- probably at worst reckless endangerment if you could prove it was excessively dangerous.

[G-spotter]

Vantage is the only sport area I know of where if you fall on a bolt it is likely to pull the whole chunk of rock it is placed in off the wall

 

Come on, I've fallen at least 100 times at Vantage over 15 years and I weigh 200 pounds, and nary a bolt has pulled. Has this happened to you? I know a guy it happened to at Smith! Anyway, the "likely to pull the whole chunk of rock" statement is a crock. Maybe it's happened there once in the tens (or hundreds) of thousands of ascents over the years there.

 

Maybe if you weighed less you'd fall less

I've seen the pics. Frank Olding aka Rodchester (RIP) had it happen to him.

[markwebster]

Vantage rock fall is so random. You have people who never see it, and people like the OP, Sobo and myself who have been almost killed. Unfortunately, Vantage is the only place nearby you can go to find warm-ish dry climbing in the off season.

 

After the last rock fall I swore I would never go back, but I've been there twice since. It's possible that the crack climbs are slightly safer because you are reaching inside the columns rather than grabbing plates on the outside...george & martha, air guitar, etc. I shudder when I see people without helmets there, but it's a free country.

 

I've had friends take falls there on bolts and gear, and nothing pulled, I don't think that's too much of a problem.

 

You should most definitely not stand directly under a climber if you can avoid it. And be ready to jump away at all times. I never take my helmet off until I am safely on the trail.

 

[kevino]

Thanks guys. No more sitting belays.

 

And the only legal implications my friend had was to buy me beer for the night.

[eldiente]

Vantage isn't the only place with lose rock. Last weekend at J-Tree my partner pulled off a flake near the end of O'Kelleys Crack. The rock and him both went flying, the falling rock hit his knee before the rope caught him.(see pic for the end result) Dumb luck and slight movement of my head to the left kept this plate from chopping my head-off at the belay. I'm not sure if a helmet would have saved me, this rock was moving and I suspect it would have killed me and then my partner had it hit me.

 

A bit crazy as this route sees tons of traffic and the rock at J-Tree is normally the best around. I might be using my GriGri more often in the future...

[img:center]http://lh4.ggpht.com/_XNueStDVX8c/S32wLTBx6WI/AAAAAAAAJY4/K3UmCuS97j8/s640/P1010079.JPG[/img]

 

 

[111]

I am in full support of helmets always, but I really dont know if a helmet would have done you any good in this situation. If the big block had hit you, a helmet would have been flattened and your neck would likely be the injury. If the shattered pieces from it hitting the ledge hit you, they would have been going up, and thus the helmet would not be protecting anything unless it wrapped the back of your head. Just a thought.

 

Even still, Wear your helmet!