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Climbing Accident in Maple Canyon

Ned Plimpton · · Salt Lake City · Joined Jul 2008 · Points: 116
Scott McLeod wrote: We are all capable of mistakes, and we are all engaged in sport where mistakes come at great costs.
Very true.

And since we are all capable of making mistakes, what becomes paramount is how we handle our responsibility AFTER we make a mistake.
RAG · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2008 · Points: 0
Lynn Griese wrote: My husband just pointed out to me that I was being ambiguous with that statement. I was trying to be nice, since Guideline #1 is "don't be a jerk." I was also hoping that someone else would "out" the belayer, since I don't know his name and only have second-hand accounts of what happened. I know Paul. And I know that he is not OK right now. He will be OK, but right now he is not. I have been telling every climber I know about what happened to Paul and to spread the word about a climber on a 6 month road trip using an Eddy.
Ben Banks wrote:Anyone know anybody that lives in LA and has 5-6 months off from work to help Paul once he is able to leave the hospital? There is one guy I know of but I heard he's continuing the rest of a climbing trip...
Most of us have accidentally physically hurt someone in our lives, but being accidents and not intentional "attacks" we most likely felt like shit afterwards and offered whatever we could of ourselves to try and "right" the situation. In this case Paul will have nothing to do with the belayer and would prefer to never see him again.

I'm not trying to take a side on this but just to point out that your lynching would be more appropriate if this was not an accident. You appear to want the belayer to "pay" for what happened, and that he should quit the road trip to persuade you that he feels appropriately badly for the accident.

I know the belayer, and there really isn't anything else he can do to "right" this situation. Eight years ago he was lowered off the end of a rope by an inattentive belayer and suffered a compound ankle fracture. His ankle is a huge mass of scar tissue now and is a permanent limitation in his active life. His days of being a cycling dork pretty much ended, and the ankle causes pain whenever he uses it (walking, standing, climbing...). This is relevant here only because he has been on the other end of a serious belaying accident and has a very clear understanding of how Paul is feeling.

He feels like shit. He's taking responsibility for his actions and will do whatever he can in penance. If Paul called him up and asked for him to come to his house for assistance, he would do it. I imagine those of us without sin would come up with a variety of punishments for him, but I, for one, don't fit into that group.

It was an bad accident. We should try and learn from these things instead assembling lynching parties.
Healyje · · PDX · Joined Jan 2006 · Points: 422

I certainly wasn't trying to specifically get down on the belayer with my comments, simply giving a technical analysis of my perceptions of the info provided. "Inattentive" in this context is meant in as unjudgmental way as possible. These things happen, we should all strive to not let them happen to us.

Lynn G · · Salt Lake City, UT · Joined Jul 2008 · Points: 0
RAG wrote: He's taking responsibility for his actions and will do whatever he can in penance. If Paul called him up and asked for him to come to his house for assistance, he would do it.
Is continuing a six-month climbing trip penance? Besides, Paul shouldn't have to ask him for anything.

I don't know your friend, but I can honestly say that if I were in his shoes, I would be right at Paul's side, making it very clear that I was available for any help that he might need for the next year (at least) of recovery. We aren't talking about a broken ankle.

To me, that is taking responsibility for one's actions.
Scott McLeod · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2007 · Points: 359

Well said Rag...

thegreenalien · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2008 · Points: 0

Lynn,

I was involved in a slightly similar situation recently. My unsolicited advice is that people aren't necessarily going to react to the situation the way you or Paul want them to. Probably it is best to let the bitterness go and move on with more positive thinking. Place your energy somewhere else. This belayer probably does have guilt and feels like crap, but they might not have the strength inside them to deal with it. It takes a lot to admit a mistake and then to try to do something positive to those it has wronged. It is hard enough living with the guilt...for some burying it might be the only option. Or dealing with it without the one they caused so much pain.

I'm not saying you are wrong for anything written here and you have every right to be pissed off...just don't hold your breath waiting for some event that might never happen.

Trust me I've been waiting for mine for a long time and it probably will never happen the way I think myself and my family deserve. It caused me a lot of pain, anger, and resentment that has taken a lot of work to rid myself of. I'm still not there, I just think about it less and less. Negative energy is really harmful.

The other thing is that say this person comes back to help Paul...would he even want him around...would he somehow release him from penance at some point? Would he forgive him if XYZ were done? Will it be evident to either one when this point will come? Tough questions.

You should rent the documentary about wheelchair basketball...it has a story of differing circumstances but along the same lines as is the case here. Might be interesting for you and Paul to watch.

Lauren Fallsoffrocks · · A beach with climbing · Joined Mar 2006 · Points: 260

I'd like to thank Ron for posting the link to the Grigri video, since I'm just learning to use the device. I've climbed for many years, but have always used an ATC until recent trips to Rifle this summer convinced me that the Grigri was the way to go. I've been concerned in the past about belayers who are careless with their brake hand due to trust in an auto-locking device. This accident, and my own thank-God near-misses are just reminders that the consequences of being careless in climbing are significant and non of us should become lax in belaying.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Injuries and Accidents
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