Gnarly Bail(s) caught on tape

[gnarnaphobe]

A scary fall i took a few weeks ago... I guess nina predicted I was gonna peel so she clicked her digi cam to video mode...

I think if there's anything that can be learned from this its that placing high gear take more energy and time, it makes you think that you'll be protected longer by placing higher but you're more exposed when you have an armload of slack trying to clip over your head then if you would have placed at your waist...

I'd also like to welcome any constructive criticism anyone has to avoid comming so close to deckin in the future.

-luke

[NateDoggOG]

What climb is it?
What I have been told in terms of clipping, is place your gear where it fits best (sometimes not easy when you're pumped and need a panic piece) and clip from a stable position. If you can get a piece in up over your head, but you are in a comfortable stance, then by all means go for it.
If you have to clip at waist height to reduce the length of a potential fall, then that's okay too.

[Lurch]

I think it's Partners in Crime right Luke? One thing you can do buddy, grab the cam if you really think your gonna bail and it's a bad situation. Sometimes a take is better than a whip.

Mike

[J Mace]

SM's delight ?

[rolfr]

To answer your real question, yes that was a shitty belay. Falling that far from the crux on Partners In Crime with a piece at your feet is just "Bad" Belaying, it ain't sport climbing, suck in the slack!

[gnarnaphobe]

But when i was falling all the slack was in my hand...

[t-bone]

It's definitely Partners in Crime...you are certainly not the first to take a ride from the crux.

Rolf is correct, a more attentive belayer could have pulled in an arm of slack. Not much else you could have done other than place the piece a bit lower.

I'm glad the belayer enjoyed your fall so much ("that was awesome")!?

I know they aren't cool, and I went years w/o wearing one myself, but a helmet is a pretty good idea if you are leading at your limit. Modern helmets are super-light and you can't even notice them...you don't want to mess around with brain injury.

[psi4ce]

Crime of the Century is way outta my league as a lead climb.

So, I'm just talking through my hat.

But, the beta I've noticed (from watching the "Crime Show" of course--after all, there is a bench right there now) is to "place at the waist" and clip there too. The main benefit is supposed to be that you get to use the gear placement area for a pinky-stack and move up to the next pinky-stack before the gear goes in below.

[avit]

Nice one, glad you didn't deck. Did you get up and finish it?

I did a similar move on Fatty Bolger, although it was higher up. It's a bit thin in the middle, last piece was a few metres below my feet. Reached way too high for the next clip, pulled up 2 armloads of slack, and whoosh...

Yeah, the belayer can help if he's watching you closely... especially when you're clipping like that, belayer should be on the trigger to take back the slack.

[t-bone]

psi4ce: the climb is 'Partners in Crime' 11a, not 'Crime of the Century' - it's located about 20m to right of the benches at the base of Penny Lane.

[psi4ce]

psi4ce: the climb is 'Partners in Crime' 11a, not 'Crime of the Century'

My bad.

Still, free beta.

[squamish climber]

Luke,

I would second (third?) what Rolf and t-bone said, a more attentive belay and a helmet. When you take a whipper like that you don't want to end up upside down without a helmet. It might also be a good idea to let your belayer know if you feeling a bit pumped and you're at the crux. That notches up the serious factor and gets everyone paying attention.

Glad you're okay.

PS: I embedded the video, it is easy to do. You click on on the youtube button (it's the furthest one on the right on the top edit bar. Let me know if you don't see that button or don't have it. That creates the bb code for youtube like this :[youtube][/youtube]. Then between the brackets you insert the id string which is the part after the v= in the url.

[gnarnaphobe]

Nice one, glad you didn't deck. Did you get up and finish it?

Yea I finished it with a 2 rests, my first 5.11 from the ground up.

... if that piece pulled you could be dead right now ... 2 pieces between you and the ground anytime you can ...

[/quote]
I actually fell on a blue TCU and a wire I put a foot above it which, in my favor, equalized(long quick draw) on loading, and I had plugged in 2 pieces below that.

@squamish climber: thanks for the embeding,

As for informing your belayer that your pumped I wasnt even feelin THAT pumped yet, had I just clipped the cam before my foot peeled I could have avoided the situation all together...

I tried my 2nd 5.11 lead the other night, the sword, my foot blew out stepping out to the face crack and went for another whipper

Thanks for the feedback guys, pay day is comming up and I WILL be getting a helmet, If any one else has a close call video here seems like a good spot to share.

-luke

[jipstyle]

To answer your real question, yes that was a shitty belay. Falling that far from the crux on Partners In Crime with a piece at your feet is just "Bad" Belaying, it ain't sport climbing, suck in the slack!

I'm glad that i'm not the only one who thought that. A belayer needs to do more than just hold the rope!

[psi4ce]

Partners in Crime is 11a?

I thought it was 10d...