Anybody ever fallen on a Big Bro?

I just got #4 Big Bro to extend my pro range above the #6 C4. Have any of you ever taken a whipper on one of these things? Do they work? How dicey are they? I'm sure better than nothing but looking at it, I've got to wonder.

when i climbed crack of fear the first time, my partner took a pretty massive whipper onto a #3 (blue). he had just pulled out of the undercling section and reached down to add a runner to a cam. when he unclipped the rope from the cam's biner (to reclip it into the sling) and his foot slipped. pretty exciting.

when he cast off on the pitch, he had said something like 'i would rather gouge my eye out with a rusty spoon than fall on a bigbro'.....

You just spent $100 on a piece of gear and you're asking if it really works? Of course it works. If placed correctly. Read the instructions.

I have taken five to ten lead falls on a big bro. They have held everytime. That said, I feel the smaller ones are more stable and confidence inspiring. My advice would be to get a #3 and practice with it where you have your large cam above you and can leave the bro as a backup to the cam. When you're in the #4 range you probably are chimneying and won't fall on it anyway. The rock type will also dictate stability. They are absolutely money on desert splitters.

I don't know if this is redundant, but here you go:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTEVXl7g9kg

You haven't heard "bomber" since the advent of commercially available SLCDS more than 25 years ago?

Have you climbed in the last 25 years?

i think people are being kind of hard on dave. big bros are kind of different, and like anything else, take a bit of time to get comfortable with. one way to get up to speed on them would be to take them for a hike, find some random cracks at ground level, put them in, hang on them, etc. after a while you will get to where you have more confidence in them.

on a side note, it would kind of suck to whip on one and have it blow out. it would come hurtling down the rope like a (half) pair of numchucks being thrown at you. might be a good reason to wear a helmet...

I didn't know Craig Luebben well at all, but I did run into him in vedauwoo and saw him using all sorts of different big bro's, some that were equivilent to the size of a #2 camalot. So I had to ask him, "You ever fallen on one of those?" He replied "nope, used them a lot for a foot or hand hold, but I've never fallen on one."
I was shocked, but then again Craig was the Man... R.I.P.

Monty wrote:I didn't know Craig Luebben well at all, but I did run into him in vedauwoo and saw him using all sorts of different big bro's, some that were equivilent to the size of a #2 camalot. So I had to ask him, "You ever fallen on one of those?" He replied "nope, used them a lot for a foot or hand hold, but I've never fallen on one." I was shocked, but then again Craig was the Man... R.I.P.

Luebben invented the big bro...and he never fell on one. That's awesome. :)

For what it's worth . . . when placing a Big Bro, I usually focus on 2 things:
1) Try and find a perfectly parallel position in the crack. Of course this is not always possible, but really improves placement security.

2) Pay careful attention to the exact angle of the possible load direction. If the force of the fall is not aligned very closely with the angle of the sling, a rotational force is exerted on the Big Bro. This can dislodge it. A Big Bro can only tolerate a very small amount of rotational force.

Following these 2 general guidelines seems to work very well for bomber placements.

Dave D'Epagnier wrote: Not about new protection advances. Tell me what bomber protection advances have been made since the SLCD? BigBros and maybe slider nuts? All other forms of pro that are available today preceded the cam unless you want to count minor tweaks to stopper shapes, cam stems, etc. If BigBros are "money" and "bomber" and it's coming from people that have actually fallen on them, then that's what I wanted to hear. Thanks.

Ha! I thought you meant that in the last 25+ years you hadn't heard anyone comment that they'd made a "bomber" gear placement. I should read twice, post once.

THAT would be truly remarkable. I'm pretty sure I feel the need to say it just about every time I place a good nut.

I've never placed a big bro, much less fallen on one, so I know nothing about them.

Dave D'Epagnier wrote: Gee thanks. The instructions aren't worth jack and of course wouldn't give me the answer I'm looking for anyway. I guess I'll just get out there and try it. Anybody else with actual experience?

Hey man, I don't mean to be an @$$ but I really hope you practice placing it on the ground a ton of times in different situations before you place it on route. I personally do not think that people should purchase gear they have no training in, whether it be from a certified institution, or a friend who's been climbing for many years. Purchasing gear that you have no knowledge of how to properly use becomes extremely dangerous for you and your partner.

coryred797 wrote:I personally do not think that people should purchase gear they have no training in, whether it be from a certified institution, or a friend who's been climbing for 20 years. Purchasing gear that you have no knowledge of how to properly use becomes extremely dangerous for you and your partner.

In this case I disagree. I bought a big bro out of curiosity and have placed it many times on route, but never once been trained or practice placed it on the ground. Basically all you need is a bit of common sence... It only gets dangerous if you start off by placing it as your only piece for a few feet in a dicey situation.
So buy it, bring it along, start using it on comfortable terrian with a solid piece of pro directly under it and you'll be fine... And for the record I've never taken a fall on it, but after a bunch of backed up placements and tugs on it I've grown to trust it as any other bomber gear if I've found a good placement for it.

I placed one on Grand Giraffe (didn't bring a #5 C4 + I'm a scaredy-cat)
slipped at the crux and fell with less than 20' of rope out. It held.

Also: If you can find a small protuberance that fits inside the tube end, you can ensure that the placement can't torque out during a fall.