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

Tried out wearing a gopro and got this fall on video:

youtube.com/watch?v=Yx0QEAR…

My buddy, Bruce, and I were climbing the south face of Boulder's Matron. He'd led straight up on the second pitch, missing the traverse (can't remember now where it went, but I think right). He'd clipped an old bong that was sunk in mud in the crack as the first piece off the belay. Above that, he placed a small Campbell SaddleWedge (it was awhile ago), wedging it half-in and half-out of the crack, then a couple more things that were even more dubious. His top piece, when he discovered he'd climbed into trouble, was a #2 or so Friend that he told me later was hanging by two tipped-out cams. He popped, the Friend and the piece below that gave, and he just kept coming at me sitting there on a ledge. He whistled past me, then stopped, out of my sight. The SaddleWedge had held.

He was able to climb back up to the ledge, unhurt. We rapped off and another buddy and I returned the next day to retrieve the nut. Had to pound the hell out of it to remove it.

If you "zipper" 6 pieces that you thought were "good"...they were either not good pieces, slung too short, and/or the lower piece was not set to keep the rope from pulling the rest of them outward. Six well placed pieces of gear do not just pull out.

my first real fall onto gear (apart from a few small falls on hexes) i took a 20 foot fall off the roof of illusion dweller on a camalot 0, held perfectly. more recently i took two 10' falls onto a .75, again on desert granite. after the first fall it was tipped out on one side but still working passively. replaced it and tried again, after the second fall it was still in good form. it's nice to fall on gear, to remind you that it's there for a reason

I led this insane crack in the splatte. You know you get into that rhythm, lock for lock, jam and jam, in that total zone of movement. Thrushing for each new move that you don't want to stop.

So, I did that and I popped off, zing...

But, I stopped. So I'm looking down, my last piece is still pretty far down. What the??

A #5 stopper on my harness snags the crack, and didn't rip off.

trad is so...rad

While aiding, The only placement I could come up with was the truly shitty cam in the picture below... After that, I stepped on the second step of the etrier and placed a shitty nut that survived the brutal bounce testing, so I eased onto the nut... I completely committed to the top nut, stepped up two rungs of the aider, and POP! Only thing was, I was still connected to the shitty cam with my daisy chain. Took a pretty decent (~2-3ft) static fall onto the cam. That one fall, as small as it was, went a long ways to boosting my confidence in well-placed and well-set rock pro!

Alex Washburne wrote:While aiding, The only placement I could come up with was the truly shitty cam in the picture below... After that, I stepped on the second step of the etrier and placed a shitty nut that survived the brutal bounce testing, so I eased onto the nut... I completely committed to the top nut, stepped up two rungs of the aider, and POP! Only thing was, I was still connected to the shitty cam with my daisy chain. Took a pretty decent (~2-3ft) static fall onto the cam. That one fall, as small as it was, went a long ways to boosting my confidence in well-placed and well-set rock pro!

Buff Johnson wrote:I led this insane crack in the splatte. You know you get into that rhythm, lock for lock, jam and jam, in that total zone of movement. Thrushing for each new move that you don't want to stop. So, I did that and I popped off, zing... But, I stopped. So I'm looking down, my last piece is still pretty far down. What the?? A #5 stopper on my harness snags the crack, and didn't rip off. trad is so...rad

"i think someone oiled them"
lol

After I led Candy Land in S. Tahoe, my partner decided he wanted to go for a lead on the pre-placed gear. This is what I learned:

1) Those jumbo knob tieoffs are as bomber as they look
2) The 000 C3 held 4-5 successive whingers from a 200lbs climber, from
10 feet above the piece. My confidence in small gear has since more
than doubled.

Many falls on a lot of pieces. The ones that standbout in my mind are taking a 25' on first pitch of Nut Cracker in Yose with one brassy nut for pro. Held me from decking. Also remember taking a whipper after going up a book to a roof where I placed a wired tricam. Traversed out and up on face when a foot blew sending me pendulum into book. Piece held perfect.

I failed to grab 2 extra number 3's from my partner for a flare-ing fist crack on camp 4 wall. I was out of gear and 6 feet above my last piece with a ledge below me before I realized. I ended placing a .4 C4 as far as I would reach in the crack on the left side of a chockstone. When I pulled on it, I could see the chalkstone flex. I placed a #1 C4 on the other side of the chalkstone as a chalk (fully uncammed) and equalized the two. Took a 12 footer on that sketchy contraption and it fell. Most scared I've ever been on lead but now my confidence in gear is unreal!

I was climbing a hard (for me) route in Gallatin Canyon last year where the crux was pulling a bulge. The crack beneath the bulge was wider than a 3,but a 4 wouldn't fit. I managed to get the 3 placed well enough and proceeded to fall on it 3 times before finally figuring out the move. No big deal, but every time I fell the 3 would rotate slightly so that the outer lobes came out of the crack and only 2 lobes were catching. It inspired confidence... and led me to add a 3.5 to the rack.

Shelton Hatfield wrote:"i think someone oiled them" lol

Biggest whip ever was a 35+ footer on last pitch of Recompense Cathedral Ledge, North Conway twenty some-odd-years ago. Hot sweaty summer day. Fell on an old pin backed-up by a small nut - ripped both. Stopped by a BD #2 Camelot! Still have the old pin. Thank you. Try not to do that anymore. :)

30 footer on Mrs. Robinson at the dacks 2 days ago. Pass the crux on the easy ground - some rotten rock and microwave size block came off in my hands, oh shit moment#1, falling and hearing my green alien pop - oh shit moment #2, finally stoping after long time in the air about 3' above the ground oh shit moment #3.
No injuries - just some minor scratches and my belayers burned skin ( time to get belay gloves buddy)

Climbed again the next day - but really trying not to do that again.

fell on intruder in zion, ut. A piece popped (not the rock) and i believe it was a .3 that became tipped out caught me. thought I fucked up my back, it was a weird fall.

climbed Black is Brown in Yosemite. The route definitely was harder than a .8 halfway up. Placed an awful #4 nut about a foot above an even worse .5. I just couldn't make the move and fell. Ended up falling about 15 feet and bouncing off a ledge, then rolling to my shoulder. Everything held!!! My friend ended up finishing the route and when he got to the nut, it was about 2/3 of the way out of the crack. I have a new love for small stopper placements.

My trad falls on rock have been unexceptional, but fundamentally reassuring every time. Biggest one was about ten feet above a .5 Camalot. Everything went the way it is supposed to. I also once fell fifteen feet above a 13cm ice screw. Then went back up and did the same thing again-- yeesh (then I got the message and retreated for the day). Even ice (and ice gear) is bomber if it's in the right condition, apparently.

^--- those 00's can hold some intresting things A few weeks back I put one in a shallow crack, slightly flaring (on aid) where only one and half the second lobe were in I cant believe that thing held but I had a #6 mastercam below.