Goto Chockstone Home

  Guide
  Gallery
  Tech Tips
  Articles
  Reviews
  Dictionary
  Links
  Forum
  Search
  About

      Sponsored By
      ROCK
   HARDWARE

  Shop
Chockstone Photography
Australian Landscape Photography by Michael Boniwell
Australian Landscape Prints





Chockstone Forum - Accidents & Injuries

Report Accidents and Injuries

Author
Top Roping Ankle Breakage
jakob
20-Mar-2017
3:28:39 PM
Was belaying my second up a climb in Joshua Tree recently when I heard a thump, thump thump scream. Peered over the edge and saw a girl on the end of a top rop which was anchored close to me, her ankle was completely busted, not compound, but badly fractured.

What happened? The party of 6 she was with set up a wondering slab (about 45degrees from left to right) without clipping bolts on the way as re-directs to protect against a pendulum. She blew it around half way and pendulumned and crocodile rolled about 8m across the slab, bouncing off and then swinging around and having her foot jam the slab.

How to stop this - if you are going to set up a top rope for a friend, beware of pendulums, protect against them by clipping gear/bolts in order to reduce the size of the pendulum. The second can unclip on the way up. If you have multiple in your party, you will be forced to lower or rappel each climber back down the route and get them to reclip each piece to protect the 3rd, 4th, etc.

Rescue - The girl was above a large ledge, the party was stunned. She couldn't be lowered on to the ledge as she was incapable of walking herself the 3m back across the undulating ledge to lower off again. I lowered my partner from the atc in guide mode (safely of course, having read of accidents where this has gone wrong). Then rigged an extended abseil on self belay with a prussik. I came down and connected her to my device with a couple lockers and another sling (modified rescue sling esque). I got her belayer to keep slack in the system as a backup but to stay on belay. Kept her between my legs facing out (as opposed to inwards if rescuing someone unconcious) and she used her good foot to stabilse herself as we came down, onto the ledge, over the ledge and back down to the ground. Off to hospital for her, hope she goes ok.

Recommend everyone read up on rescues! It could come in handy. Practice with a mate on the next rainy day, just back it up with a separate rope.
One Day Hero
20-Mar-2017
11:23:59 PM
On 20/03/2017 jakob wrote:
>Recommend everyone read up on rescues! It could come in handy. Practice
>with a mate on the next rainy day, just back it up with a separate rope.

Yeah, I dunno about practicing rescues on a granite slab on a rainy day. If someone's foot slips while your mate is "between your legs, facing out", it's gonna end in tears (and teabags).
Jayford4321
21-Mar-2017
9:35:16 AM
On 20/03/2017 One Day Hero wrote:
>On 20/03/2017 jakob wrote:
>>Recommend everyone read up on rescues! It could come in handy. Practice
>>with a mate on the next rainy day, just back it up with a separate rope.
>
>Yeah, I dunno about practicing rescues on a granite slab on a rainy day.
>If someone's foot slips while your mate is "between your legs, facing out",
>it's gonna end in tears (and teabags).

Dam str8 bout that.
Olbert
24-Mar-2017
12:47:13 AM
On 21/03/2017 gnaguts wrote:
>On 20/03/2017 One Day Hero wrote:
>>On 20/03/2017 jakob wrote:
>>>Recommend everyone read up on rescues! It could come in handy. Practice
>>>with a mate on the next rainy day, just back it up with a separate rope.
>>
>>Yeah, I dunno about practicing rescues on a granite slab on a rainy day.
>>If someone's foot slips while your mate is "between your legs, facing
>out",
>>it's gonna end in tears (and teabags).
>
>Dam str8 bout that.

I don't think straight has anything to do with it.

ChuckNorris
24-Mar-2017
1:33:40 AM

If you are climbing with a party of 6 on a wandering slab and think one rope is fine then buy more ropes.

If you can't afford it get a better job or try less hard to be popular.
jakob
30-Mar-2017
3:22:58 PM
On 20/03/2017
>Yeah, I dunno about practicing rescues on a granite slab on a rainy day.
>If someone's foot slips while your mate is "between your legs, facing out",
>it's gonna end in tears (and teabags).

That is a literal and incorrect interpretation of my recommendation. There are some good lessons to be learnt out there. Sharing should be supported otherwise it wont occur and this forum will just be full of news clippings of people hurting themselves followed by conjecture and speculation.

Does anyone want to contribute ways they have practiced doing rescues succesfully, or perhaps share a link to a good resource, or to some groups around australia who practice this stuff?

ajfclark
30-Mar-2017
6:51:28 PM
On 30/03/2017 jakob wrote:
> Does anyone want to contribute ways they have practiced doing rescues succesfully, or perhaps share a link to a good resource, or to some groups around australia who practice this stuff?

I'm a member of the Arapiles Rescue Group. The team do training sessions and exercises on a regular basis. We attend actual operations on a (thankfully) less frequent basis.

When I have time and we have enough other helper instructors, the VCC runs a Self Rescue courses for their members: http://vicclimb.org.au/courses/

The ACIA includes self rescue and rescue of seconds, from memory in the Multipitch Guide (MPG) level and leader rescue in Climbing Instructor (CI) level: http://www.acia.com.au/

If the scheduling of the courses above didn't suit or you wanted a more tailored course, you could also hire a guide for a day or two. Probably worth mentioning when you book that you want to do self rescue stuff rather than just go climbing.
jakob
3-Apr-2017
11:42:06 AM
I think escaping a belay and doing an abseil pluck off are two good starting points for people to practice.

Some good reading can be found here:

http://www.climbing.com/skills/save-yourself-a-guide-to-self-rescue/
http://www.chockstone.org/TechTips/LeaderRescue.htm

My favourite book is :

Climbing Self-Rescue: Improvising Solutions for Serious Situations, by Andy Tyson and Molly Loomis ($19.95; mountaineersbooks.org)

I first practiced escaping a belay in my garage by putting a 20kg weight on belay. Also practiced alot of rescue techniques on non-climbing weekends by using a tree in my back yard. Fix a line, practice ascending, knot bypasses, abseil pluckoffs, all that stuff. Some mountaineering clubs and associations also have access to indoor gyms where you can practice this stuff.

There are 8 messages in this topic.

 

Home | Guide | Gallery | Tech Tips | Articles | Reviews | Dictionary | Forum | Links | About | Search
Chockstone Photography | Landscape Photography Australia | Australian Landscape Photography | Landscape Photos Australia

Please read the full disclaimer before using any information contained on these pages.



Australian Panoramic | Australian Coast | Australian Mountains | Australian Countryside | Australian Waterfalls | Australian Lakes | Australian Cities | Australian Macro | Australian Wildlife
Landscape Photo | Landscape Photography | Landscape Photography Australia | Fine Art Photography | Wilderness Photography | Nature Photo | Australian Landscape Photo | Stock Photography Australia | Landscape Photos | Panoramic Photos | Panoramic Photography Australia | Australian Landscape Photography | High Country Mountain Huts | Mothers Day Gifts | Gifts for Mothers Day | Mothers Day Gift Ideas | Ideas for Mothers Day | Wedding Gift Ideas | Christmas Gift Ideas | Fathers Day Gifts | Gifts for Fathers Day | Fathers Day Gift Ideas | Ideas for Fathers Day | Landscape Prints | Landscape Poster | Limited Edition Prints | Panoramic Photo | Buy Posters | Poster Prints