Bombarded Belayers

What's the craziest thing you've had fall on you while belaying?

I was sport climbing with a group of friends, and we didn't manage to get to the top of one route we were going for. Our one friend who came along only had his shoes, so he borrowed a harness, chalk bag, and a couple draws and headed up to finish off the route and clean it. The chalk bag had a retired locking biner as it's attachment piece, and we jokingly told him to lock the biner, otherwise "yer gunna die!" He sends the route, and when he's at the anchor reaches around behind himself to unclip his PAS. He lets it fall down between his legs, and when he hears it hit the rock thinks to himself "I don't remember my PAS being long enough to touch the rock lower than my feet..."
70 feet below him, with no warning and in fading light, I all of a sudden see this round, bright blue object in my vision. It was getting bigger, and I couldn't figure out what it was. And then it hit me. Fortunately just in the shoulder, and the chalk bag protected me from the biner, but it made for a good story. And I now always wear a helmet when belaying.

I know some of you guys have crazier and/or funnier stories than that. Let's hear them!

A snake.

Saw an iphone drop like 50 ft in the gym. Hit the pads about 1 ft from a woman who was sitting down, and bounced like 3 ft up. The lady who dropped it had no idea until she came down

csproul wrote:A snake.

My partner has dropped the entire rack that barely missed me. Also large boulders barely missing me. The best was when my partner was gardening and through a bit of foliage down; an updraft caught it and it just floated up and down past me for a good minute or two.

urine

I fell on my belayer, Thanks for the catch James (comic book, JT. Then you gave me your helment (right?)) so I could finish the climb.

Steve

Had a canyon frog dropped onto me from about 80 feet up pitch 3 of Mortal Combat in Zion NP. Partner yelled "Frog!"; I looked up, a bit confused, and watched as a small brown frog hit me in thigh. He hung out, seemed unperturbed by his sudden drop, and I left him at the belay ledge.

This route also has the remains of a big horn sheep on the first ledge, I'd hate to have been around when that thing fell.

R rated route, put a #0 tcu in back of a flake, psychological protection, fell, flake snaped, small flight and stop.
I'm fine, look down, my belayer is white as a sheet.

"What's the matter? Clean catch, thank you! "

Then he points to his right, the 10" flake is half buried in the ground a foot away from him...

A big ass flake on wigwam tower.

OK, so it didn't hit me but it was pretty damn close - a shopping cart. Back in the late 80's at Rock Rimmon! When it was really sketchy! Probably the last time I climbed there!

36V Hilti drill almost landed on my head, we named it "The Expensive Route".

Mark NH wrote:OK, so it didn't hit me but it was pretty damn close - a shopping cart. Back in the late 80's at Rock Rimmon! When it was really sketchy! Probably the last time I climbed there!

My partner.

His hat.

A piton hammer (glanced off the side of my head).

"Steve", the very human-friendly lizard who lives at my home crag. He fell at least 10 ft off a .10 and managed to live. Badass lizard free solos as hard as I climb sport

Mountain sheep "byproducts".

Fortunately, they're lightweight and rounded. I wasn't happy about it at the time but after reading some of these other items (hard, heavy, and/or pointy) it seems not quite so bad.

Funny-craziest: a lizard in the face, tossed down by my partner who was cool with lizards but terrified of snakes, as he screamed "DOES IT HAVE LEGS?? DOES IT HAVE LEGS?!?!"

Holy shit-craziest: my partner. Broke 5 vertebrae, a rib, and my skull. Thanks to my helmet, (barely) maintained consciousness and the belay.

Em Cos wrote: Holy shit-craziest: my partner. Broke 5 vertebrae, a rib, and my skull. Thanks to my helmet, (barely) maintained consciousness and the belay.

Mark NH wrote:OK, so it didn't hit me but it was pretty damn close - a shopping cart. Back in the late 80's at Rock Rimmon! When it was really sketchy! Probably the last time I climbed there!

...well Travis it looks like some things don't change!

On a popular 12-pitch Tuolumne route, a GoPro from ~5 pitches up ... or rather pieces of it.