One hand amputated--which belay device to use?

bearbreeder wrote: escaping the belay comes to mind ... or if that person is planning to lead certain pitches ... hauling my phat azz upp.. being able to prussik up to me if i slip and take a nap ... etc ...

Also think of it this way: Your buddy gets his hand squished by falling rock, yeah, he might not be able to do those things.

However, folks like myself have been climbing with one hand for as long as I've been climbing, and doing day-to-day things with one hand since the day I was born. So what comes naturally to you with two hands comes naturally to me with one. A person who loses their limb will, over time, adapt.

If I grew a hand tomorrow, I would be a way shitter belayer with two hands than one until I got used to it. Then I'd be free to pick my harness wedgies whenever. Yup, that's about the only time I wish I had two hands - wedgie plucking.

bearbreeder wrote: and use my iphone to call SAR ;) then were good for a run up the chief next time yr in squamish

I'm more of an android person :)

Jake D. wrote: "First Rule of Holes: if you find yourself stuck in one, stop digging.”

Now I could say some really funny shit in response to that! But I won't because of the pages of crying that would ensue.
I am in no hole.

Momoface wrote: I'm more of an android person :)

My buddy has a computerized prosthetic leg, he's more of a cyborg person.

Red wrote: Now I could say some really funny shit in response to that! But I won't because of the pages of crying that would ensue. I am in no hole.

Funny to us, because you have in fact dug yourself quite a nice one. Probably best to accept that you crossed the line and get on with life. Seriously.

bearbreeder wrote:i personally would have concerns about being lead belayed by someone with one hand ... but like anything else i really dont want to be dropped ... belay me safely with good technique and not short rope me, thats all i want to know i have concerns about 2 handed people as well ... but i suspect that 2 hands are an advantage everything else being equal ... of course id rather be belayed by a one handed person safely than a 2 handed person that doesnt know what they are doing

I agree totally with what is quoted above.

Aric Datesman wrote: Funny to us, because you have in fact dug yourself quite a nice one.

Thanks for sharing your opinion. I disagree.

Aric Datesman wrote:Probably best to get on with life. Seriously.

Likewise to you and Jake D.

If you're going to quote me, at least do it properly. What I actually said was:

Aric Datesman wrote:Probably best to accept that you crossed the line and get on with life. Seriously.

My bad, I was giving you to much credit. If you insist, yes, you too crossed the line.

Red wrote:My bad, I was giving you to much credit. If you insist, yes, you too crossed the line.

Um, mind explaining that a bit further? I'm curious what line you believe I crossed and in what manner.

Aric Datesman wrote: Um, mind explaining that a bit further? I'm curious what line you believe I crossed and in what manner.

Via pogo stick.

And one of those fancy ones with CO2 boost to boot. Sorry for calling Brian a ginger, Mo. :-(

Red wrote: Are you kidding me? Tell me one thing that was insensitive in my questions or comments.

"Who would really wants a one handed person belaying them? Not I.
I'm really sorry to hear she had to have an arm amputated! That's a huge bummer! Any chance of her getting a prosthetic?
Good luck to her!"

Show me the part where you

Red wrote: ...explained that that was my first thought and that since I have learned a lot more.

...?

Regardless of your intent, maybe the fact that multiple other participants in the thread reacted the same way as I should tell you that the way you phrased that may not have conveyed whatever you were trying to.

Aric Datesman wrote:And one of those fancy ones with CO2 boost to boot. Sorry for calling Brian a ginger, Mo. :-(

But he is!

I would much rather be belayed by Mo who definitely knows what she is doing than half the doufuses from a gym background who take their hand off the break while pulling in slack. So, I'll take the disabled person with their shit together any day over lots of dweebs. I've seen this happen so many times that it makes me cringe. Plus, if you try to mention it they just become so defensive. Usually I move off to some other nearby cliff so that if the leader craters due to the belayer's error in releasing the break, I don't have to spend the rest of the day helping rescue a broken body or seeing the person go into a body bag, and then have nightmares about what I saw. I know what it's like to be dropped by a belayer..it happened twice to me. One was 25 feet and I landed on a ledge after doing two complete cartwheels while falling. I thought I was going to die. Luckily I had on a helmet, which cliped part of the rock and split. I never climbed with that guy afterwards.

I know I'll get some flak for this comment (because I'm an old has-been trad guy who couldn't pull off an .11 if I tried), but people who were climbing in the 70's when I started, knew how to properly belay because a leader wouldn't climb with them otherwise. The newbie either learned quickly and correctly or never went climbing with anyone after word got around. Plus, back then the climbing community was so small (example: University of MD 1973 had 30,000 undergrads, and a total of 8-10 climbers on the whole campus,and I knew all of them because we showed up at the University Hiking club to meet and plan trips and all the students who climbed showed up on Wednesdays at the student union)that any incompetent climber was dead meat as far as finding a partner was concerned. There was a more serious tone (while having fun) usually because gear was very basic: no chalk (I use it); no cams, no sticky rubber, belaying with a Stich plate or Figure 8, fat heavy 11mm ropes. All this lack of stuff just seemed to focus climbers on being safer. Not to say we didn't take risks...hell that was what attracted me to climbing...excitment and testing oneself.

Climbing gyms are a great resource and a fun environment...sometimes too much fun. How the f*ck can someone be dropped at a gym? Yet it happens more frequently than it should because the gym environment fosters a more casual attitude...especially for new climbers. Loud music, 'look-at-me' climbers putting on a show for the hottie guy or gal, people spewing about getting up a gym .12..BFD.

I'm all for having fun, but I don't want some numb nut near me unless I'm at a ballgame or doing something where somebody's screw up won't cost me or a friend a trip to the hospital

At popular crags you've got dogs, boom boxes, climbers drinking beer while belaying (that does not give me any confidence whatsoever) and generally not paying attention to their leader. When I belay some one...that is my sole focus, not some hottie on the next climb, etc.

Mo, you certainly do inspire me with how you don't let a disability keep you down. More power to you. We can all learn from you about overcoming adversity.

Now, flame away on my old fashion thoughts, as I'm getting out the flame suit now.

No need for the flame suit, Tradster; you're spot on. :-)

Abram Herman wrote: Show me the part where you ...

page two, sixteenth post down.

Red wrote: page two, sixteenth post down.

I thought you were referring to your first post, my bad.

Momoface wrote: If I grew a hand tomorrow,

That would be the coolest thing since the invention of peanut butter!

Keep sended Momo!

Momoface wrote: It's '96', '69' makes me blush. Also, Misty Murphy called me biner69 when she was feeling particularly hormonal.

Are you serious? I swear, I always thought it was '69.' Must be some kind of selective Freudian dyslexia on my part.

I didn't realize who you were on this site and that you were already posting in the thread.

Jay