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Falling on gear success stories! (Where the rock didn't completely blow out)

Peter Franzen · · Phoenix, AZ · Joined Jan 2001 · Points: 3,730

I fell ~15ft on a 100% pumped-out & blind nut placement on the Sword pitch on the Grand Wall in Squamish. That was exciting, but it held just fine.

serock · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Mar 2007 · Points: 0

I broke a grey tcu and fell @ 15ft onto my orange

Chase Roskos · · Golden, CO · Joined Mar 2008 · Points: 90

I think this video belongs on this thread.

vimeo.com/24894498

edit to add: Looks like it already was in a link. But anyway... it's pretty damn remarkable.

slim · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2004 · Points: 1,103

first day out early this spring in eldo, first piece in was a #2 balnut. went past it, slipped and fell on it. it wasn't a very good placement and i figured i would crater into a snow bank below. it held, and i slowly opened my eyes and looked up at it. just then it slipped until 1/2 the ball was hanging out of the crack. i shit myself.

slim · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2004 · Points: 1,103
Peter Franzen wrote:I fell ~15ft on a 100% pumped-out & blind nut placement on the Sword pitch on the Grand Wall in Squamish. That was exciting, but it held just fine.
gotta love those squamish nut placements - kachunk!
NickMartel · · Tucson, Arizona · Joined Aug 2011 · Points: 1,332

My first lead fall (Trad or sport) was 8-10' onto an orange BD slung Hex. Maybe 1.5x2" or so. It held just fine. Fell onto it 4 or 5 more times trying this roof that was way past my skill level.

spn · · Sioux Falls,SD · Joined Apr 2010 · Points: 485

I was at my home crag in South Dakota and I was 12 feet above a purple link cam...it was wet...and muddy...and vegetation was all over...it was dark. My foot popped and I came to a gentle halt. I looked to my left and I was eye level with my belayer I put my feet on the ground and took a breath. you know, although complicated and may be not perfect link cams work some of the time.

Brian Hudson · · Jasper, TN · Joined Dec 2010 · Points: 95

About a year and a half ago I had just finished a single-pitch trad course, and, like a zealous new graduate, decided to bite off more than I could chew by doing my first real trad lead at my limit with a less experienced belayer. I also decided to link the first 2 pitches but didn't carry more gear, so I ended up running it out after I realized my mistake off the ground. Got to a tough spot about 15' above my last piece and fell while I was worrying about how badly I needed to not fall. I remember being distinctly aware of the sound of the wind rushing past my ears, right before I did my best to tuck and roll off the sloped P2 belay ledge. The rope wrapped around my right calf and tightened up as I bounced off the ledge. I remember seeing my shoe flying off into the wild blue yonder.

A sprained left foot/ankle, pulled calf muscle, 3 bruised ribs, a fractured elbow, and about 45' later, I looked up and saw my shiny new .75 C4 holding in its very first placement...

Rob Aumer · · Wheat Ridge, CO · Joined Dec 2010 · Points: 35

After barn-dooring onto a blind placement at my waist, it blew and sent me 15ft onto a purple C4. When I climbed back up to the piece, I found that is had shifted, and that only two lobes were in contact with the rock. Good thing C4s are super bomber even in shitty placements.

jhn payne · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2009 · Points: 46

Well after close to thirty years I've fell on gear a few times, first was after I just started leading and placed a stopper in a shallow crack, my partner questioned my placement but I stayed with my original placement reached for a jug which instantly blew and I was off, banged my little finger, rock nearly hit my partner and all were shaken but I got back on and led the pitch to the top, then found out I just put up a new route as the route I thought I was climbing was in another area! That fall was a defining moment in my climbing, for one I had fallen on gear I placed, second it held just fine and after a few beers I was ready for more. Partner fell on my brand new yellow Metilious TCU which had just come on the market, did its job in shallow sandstone we were psyched. There were others but all was fine, did get hurt on a sport route though, blowing the first clip.

Aaron Olson · · Seattle, WA · Joined Apr 2011 · Points: 5

This was a fall I belayed for, but my buddy Dave and I were climbing the Vampire at Tahquitz in socal, and he was on the crux on the top of the bat crack pitch. He had placed a metolious "blue" tcu and climbed up about 10' to the bolt just below the finish. He was pumping out and only had enough energy to 1) clip the bolt, or 2) go for the glory and make the move. He chose #2 and ended up botching the move! He took probably a 35' whipper and disappeared from my view behind a ledge. With not much ability to move I couldn't take in as much slack as I would have liked but, he ended up not even close to the ledge which was a HUGE relief. Moral of the story, those cams are strong! If placed well...

Brandon Adams · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Oct 2010 · Points: 3,053

I was climbing what I thought to be an easy pitch, and was running it out a little bit. About fifteen feet above my last piece, my huge jug handhold ripped out of the wall and I fell 35-40 feet. It was an old school #1.5 forged friend that caught me, and in Smith Rock tuff of all things. We were two pitches up and I stopped my fall right next to my belayer. After quick damage control we just looked at each other and laughed. Oh the joys of climbing. I got right back onto the pitch and we climbed several more to finish the climb.

D Stevenson · · Escalange, UT · Joined Dec 2010 · Points: 25

I was leading my first multi-pitch Trad route in Sedona and had a BD #5 Nut tucked under a roof with a double length runner and fell twice trying to pull the roof, both times stopping eye level with the sketchy #4 C4 I placed 10ish feet below the roof. My follower cleaned it and said it came out with ZERO effort pulling 90 degrees from the fall direction.

Also, just about every time I place a tricam I feel good about it. One time my partner was mad that I got one stuck, and I remember having to dig it out for what felt like 10 minutes while a freak lightning/rainstorm moved in on us...

Ken Duncan · · Ft Collins, CO · Joined Jul 2004 · Points: 5,719

First fall on a #2 Lowe Ball was a 10 footer on Indian Creek sandstone. Held no prob.

Benjamin Chapman · · Small Town, USA · Joined Jan 2007 · Points: 18,818

Sorry to disappoint, but good small gear does often BLOW. I had a partner deck from 30 ft up. We spent 4 hrs in High Desert Hospital getting him poked, prodded, X-rayed and fully assessed before he walked out with a few bumps and bruises. He sketched while transitioning from a layback to thin face. All 6 pieces ZIPPERED, but what impact each piece held before failing kept him upright, so he landed on his feet and tumbled. The gear that failed, in excellent Joshua Tree Quartz Monzonite, were three medium to small BD stoppers, two BD C3 cams, and a small Metolius Master cam. Upward pull on the lower pieces and the leaning nature of the thin crack on the lot contributed to the dismal failure of six pieces of protection. The leader was an experienced trad crack climber. HEY SHIT HAPPENS!!

Justin Tomlinson · · Monrovia, CA · Joined Apr 2010 · Points: 270

Context, Ben Chap, context. You have officially gone off topic.

Anyhow, what route did your friend zipper six pieces from in Jtree?

Ryan Huetter · · Mammoth Lakes, CA · Joined Apr 2006 · Points: 395
Zeke6 · · Akron, Ohio · Joined Feb 2011 · Points: 80

Placed a #1 master cam in a small roof so it was already facing where the weight of the fall would. I was tired but pushed up, kept moving a bit more for a good next hold. Went in for a thin hands jam couldn't hold fell 20 feet on it and held perfectly!

Rafael Rovirosa · · Salt Lake, UT · Joined Jun 2011 · Points: 20

2 stories:

1. I was on mountainproject.com/v/excus… on my 3rd day at Indian Creek ever. I placed all my 1s and had to go about 10 feet to the upper part where you can get a .75 in. I put the .75 pulled up the rope to clip and my foot slipped. I ended up falling about 30 feet. I guess this doesn't quite fit into this forum since a #1 is a huge piece of gear. Even though the rock is soft the gear was huge.

2. My friend was climbing mountainproject.com/v/spock… and he made it to the jug at the top. He was pumped and fell on the mantle about 20 feet onto a 00 metolius with a high-pitched scream and everything. It held but he made me finish the climb. Even though the gear was small, quartzite is as hard as rock gets.

Miguel75 · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Aug 2010 · Points: 0

Ben Chapman - Glad you guys walked away from the fall. Apologies if this is a dumb question but was the first piece set for an upwards pull?

Edited for clarity.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

Trad Climbing
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