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Clove Hitch Fail

Original Post
Stan Pitcher · · SLC, UT · Joined Oct 2002 · Points: 210

I made several mistakes at the top of a climb as I prepared to belay my partner and took a huge fall as a result. Posting this in the hope that no others will do the same!

Mistake 1: At top of climb (big ledge), I did not clip the chains.
Mistake 2: I clove hitched to a non-locking biner (tripled shoulder-length sling with neutrinos).
Mistake 3: I didn't cinch the clove hitch tight.
Mistake 4: I hadn't backed up the clove hitch. I always do this before going off belay/belaying but had got in bad habit of sometimes not doing it until I'd adjusted the length.

Then I stepped to the ledge edge below and left of the chains (where I would be able to see my partner climbing) and happy with the length, I leaned back a little and instantly went flying!

Luckily, I didn't get hurt too bad and I did have a helmet on. I don't remember hitting my head but my helmet had cracks inside.

Somehow the un-tightened clove hitch had opened the gate and the biner had come off the tripled sling. The biner was still on the rope.

Be safe out there!

Weighted loose clove hitch can open gate!

Nick Votto · · CO, CT, IT · Joined Jul 2008 · Points: 320

Holy crap, glad you're ok!! Yea it seems like all those mistakes added up, can't imagine the feeling you had when you weighted it and leaned over the ledge!

Trevor · · Cottonwood Heights, UT · Joined Jul 2006 · Points: 180

Hey Stan- glad to hear you reporting this and I'm not reading about this happening to you..!

Tyler Phillips · · Cottonwood Heights, UT · Joined Jun 2014 · Points: 3,195

That does not look like a properly "tied" clove hitch. I am imagining sliding that half of the hitch down to the other half and it doesn't look right. Glad you're ok.

Buff Johnson · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Dec 2005 · Points: 1,145

Shit. That was lucky as hell.
Submit that one to the alpine near miss reports.

Mike Cara · · Hendersonville, NC · Joined Jul 2014 · Points: 21

Looks like the gate is "camming" better than the gri gri II in another post.

In all seriousness, glad you're here to tell us about it.

Mike C · · Co · Joined Jan 2006 · Points: 1,046

Somehow the un-tightened clove hitch had opened the gate......

Andy P. · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Apr 2013 · Points: 190

If more climbers had the guts to post their mishaps on the internet with as much detail as you - there would be fewer accidents. Thanks for posting, who knows, you might have saved future-me's ass!

Joan Lee · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2014 · Points: 140

Thank you for sharing and the analysis.

Bob Pinckney · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Feb 2014 · Points: 10

This is why I do not use clove hitches. I use figure eights only

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

"I hadn't backed up the clove hitch." "I always do this before going off belay."
Obviously, you don't ALWAYS back up the clove hitch or this unfortunate situation wouldn't have occurred. Glad you're okay and lived to share. Do be more diligent, please.

Kedron Silsbee · · El Paso · Joined Aug 2013 · Points: 0
Benjamin Chapman wrote:"I hadn't backed up the clove hitch." "I always do this before going off belay." Obviously, you don't ALWAYS back up the clove hitch or this unfortunate situation wouldn't have occurred. Glad you're okay and lived to share. Do be more diligent, please.
He was still on belay when the accident occurred. Thank you OP for posting. I agree with Andy P that stories like this are well worth reading.
Jeff Scheuerell · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jan 2007 · Points: 2,298

Glad your ok.

The whole scenario is a bit confusing.

Biggest mistake I see is blaming the clove hitch for a slew of other mistakes.

Joan Lee · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2014 · Points: 140

I use clove hitch when I come up to the station but back it up with my PAS and always with a locker. I like having 2 points at the station for redundancy.

FrankPS · · Atascadero, CA · Joined Nov 2009 · Points: 276
Joan Lee wrote:I use clove hitch when I come up to the station but back it up with my PAS and always with a locker. I like having 2 points at the station for redundancy.
Somehow, I believe you. Even though the PAS is completely unnecessary if you're cloved to a locker.
jmeizis · · Colorado Springs, CO · Joined Jul 2008 · Points: 230

If you don't tie your clove hitch to a locker you're gonna have a bad time!

tooTALLtim · · Vanlife · Joined Apr 2007 · Points: 1,786

Stan,

it takes a lot of balls to tell the community of a personal fuck up. Much respect to you, and thank you for sharing so we can learn from the near-misses of others!

Paul Hunnicutt · · Boulder, CO · Joined Sep 2006 · Points: 325

Thanks for posting! I have probably done the same thing in a rush also. I won't anymore.

Joan Lee · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2014 · Points: 140
Paul Hunnicutt wrote:Thanks for posting! I have probably done the same thing in a rush also. I won't anymore.
I would never do it. It would not cross my mind to put a piece, extend it with a long sling and a non locking biner and clove hitch my rope into it . Its very odd why someone would do that. Besides the station with chains was apparently just there. Very strange.
Joan Lee · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jun 2014 · Points: 140
FrankPS wrote: Somehow, I believe you. Even though the PAS is completely unnecessary if you're cloved to a locker.
I clip PAS first and use a clove hitch with a locker for redundancy. I am a firm believer in 2 points of contact at the station both for the leader and all the rest of the party at the station. Also, having a PAS with a particular color clipped into a master point is helpful so you don't accidentally unclip yourself or get unclipped . When starting a pitch my routine is to unclip PAS last while I am already on belay and have my first piece clipped off the deck.
Dave Alie · · Golden, CO · Joined Feb 2010 · Points: 75
tooTALLtim wrote:Stan, it takes a lot of balls to tell the community of a personal fuck up. Much respect to you, and thank you for sharing so we can learn from the near-misses of others!
This is exactly how I feel. Good luck throughout whatever recovery procedure might follow.
Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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