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Chockstone Forum - Accidents & Injuries

Report Accidents and Injuries

 Page 3 of 4. Messages 1 to 20 | 21 to 40 | 41 to 60 | 61 to 64
Author
Another Arapiles Accident

IdratherbeclimbingM9
8-Dec-2008
2:13:23 PM
On 8/12/2008 gordoste wrote:
>was it reaching up to the undercling? always struck me as potential fall spot

No. I already had the undercling with both hands! Just sloppy footwork & I managed to get the rope behind my leg too!
In hindsight if I had leant back more off the undercling there would have been more pressure on my feet, but I had bent my forearms too much without keeping my feet high enough, so had too upright a stance, and my weighted foot slipped off the smear as I stepped higher sideways to gain the jug.

(I reckon the crux of the climb is still higher up, being the smear-balance move back right to gain the dyke type sidecling/s).

westie
8-Dec-2008
2:22:30 PM
On 28/02/2003 mikl law wrote:
>It always seems odd
>that most of the death routes are below 20 though.

Out of morbid interest - what climbs have seen deaths at Araps over the years? I believe Missing Link and Birdman of Alcatraz have seen some drama. I seem to recall a bad fall up high on Syrinx about two years ago. Is the plaque on Plaque what I imagine?

IdratherbeclimbingM9
8-Dec-2008
2:58:13 PM
On 8/12/2008 patto wrote:
>Is that a single pitch grade 17? If so that climb scared me silly. I had a bad cold at the time and was in not top condition and the run out finish totally unerved me. On my more confident days I would have been fine but once the though of falling entered my head it wouldn't leave. Anyway I completed it fine but it took me a couple of weeks to get my confidence back. Top roping peroxide blond even had me scared!

It is a Gd 16 located just along from the hang glider ramp.
It would have been a tougher lead on nuts, hexes and stiff rubber back in '77, when 1st put up by K. Lindorff & co.

gordoste
8-Dec-2008
3:00:24 PM
plaque on Plaque is dedicated to Major Mitchell (1st whitey to get there) I think. There is a plaque below Syrinx commemorating the life of the guy who fell and died there a couple of years ago. My recollection from a previous thread is that he got off-route and fell to a ledge (quick search of the forum will tell you).

Pedro and Beatiful Possibilities -- 1 each, D Minor -- at least 2.

There's more than you think. There was a bad run a few years ago.

freesolo
8-Dec-2008
6:25:23 PM
The first time I led Missing Link, I was breathing hard till I got a good nut in after that initial travers. It's simply that with the other 17's at Araps, you don't expect that kind of traverse without some better gear.

The second time I led it, I managed to get more gear in on that initial traverse, a bit finicky, cause I knew the groundfall potential is pretty serious, as this guy found out.

I do have to say, not wearing a helmet is pretty f;;;;ng stupid. not that i'm glad or anything that he got hurt. but c'mon! I wore a helment when I free soloed Syrinx and other things there because even a small fall to a ledge is survivable if you don;t crack your skull.

I miss Araps so much, and wish I was allowed back into Oz so I could spend a few more months there. To everyone there, enjoy every minute!!!

westie
9-Dec-2008
2:42:39 PM
On 8/12/2008 freesolo wrote:

>The second time I led it, I managed to get more gear in on that initial
>traverse, a bit finicky, cause I knew the groundfall potential is pretty
>serious, as this guy found out.

I'm familiar with the climb. Does anyone have/know of a photo of the low traverse section
rolsen1
9-Dec-2008
3:07:17 PM
I know this is a very old thread but..

how does missing link compare to checkmate (which I've done), in regard to gear and exposure?
prb
9-Dec-2008
3:50:38 PM
On 8/12/08 freesolo wrote:

>not wearing a helmet is pretty f;;;;ng stupid. not that i'm glad or anything that he got hurt

Thanks for that advice.

OMG time flies! Looking back after some years, the main reason for my downfall was attitude. We'd
had a good trip and had shot up to ML on the last day for "only" a 17. I got off course, headed up but
not far enough R for the big wire, and pfaffed around with gear. I know exactly where I came off - a
good 10 metres up so I'm a very, very lucky boy. Should have taken a more careful, more analytical
look at the route beforehand but hindsight is a wonderful thing. I must say I'm glad I was unconcious
for a while as they say things were a bit messy...

The plaster came off 3 months later and that evening I went up to Morialta and self-belayed a couple
of 6's and 8's. It was a bit emotional, I'd missed being out there. My R hand didn't have the strength to
flip open the gate of a krab and coiling a rope one-armed is tricky! But the arm, ribs, etc. came good
over about a year and my composure for trad leading took maybe 18 months. I set myself to become
a better climber than pre-fall and this proved to be a useful psychological "tool". Of course I couldn't
have done this without the support of my climbing mates.

I waltzed up ML a couple of years ago quite happily. I've certainly been on far more dangerous routes
than that. Some of my old new routes in the Flinders, for example, were horror shows. But what M9
says is true:

>As I get older I am learning that one can never be too careful ...

The trick is to guard against complacency, but that's easier said than done. M9 took some air, simey
had moments of excitement the other week in the Gramps, I could certainly fall off something like ML
again. Danger in climbing is a good thing, and dealing well with the danger is even better. It upsets me
more to see people get hurt than getting hurt myself so however you climb and whatever methods you
use to stay safe, take 'em seriously as if your life depended on it.

langles
9-Dec-2008
4:59:20 PM
I found checkmate to be more of a "head" route than ML. In ML the gear is spartan but there, but on CM I recall progressing through the dull arete to that awkward stance and freaking a bit at not being able to find any gear I would consider capable of holding a descent fall, with the last decent piece probably at that little sentry box with the wobbly chockstone. I foolishly skipped a potential wire in the middle of the arete due to the awkward stance required to place it. Had to gather my nerves and seriously focus on punching through another few strenuous moves to gain the easier upper ground. Additionally, the exposure for ML I consider minimal compared to that of CM. They are both great routes, but i'd be up for repeating ML any day as compared to the emotional trauma i'd have to go through on CM. The guide description is spot on!
duglash
9-Dec-2008
11:32:18 PM
>And once you've exausted the 18s, you can move onto the well-protected, soft touch 19s like Quisling.

I never new what a quisling was
http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/Q/htmlQ/quizshowsca/quizshowsca.htm
till now

(nice one tim)

shiltz
10-Dec-2008
9:08:00 AM
It could also refer to Vidkun Quisling, he was put in charge of Norway by the German's during the second world war. The word "Quisling" now effectively means traitor in Norway.
prb
10-Dec-2008
12:20:06 PM
On 9/12/2008 rolsen1 wrote:
>how does missing link compare to checkmate (which I've done), in regard to gear and exposure?

Checkmate is more exposed which is probably a good thing because you won't hit the ground. If you
come off as you're clipping the big nut out R on ML I think you might deck because I'm not convinced
by any placements between the initial vertical seam and the nut.

Other interesting climbs around that grade are Open Road and XI (potential short grounders). Falling at
the top of The Confession or Howling Wolf would be painful (someone I know proved that on the latter).
Falling just short of the bolt on Preservative Added would be dodgy and there were moments on pitch
1 of Brolga when I didn't want to come off. All these are little tests of character for your average
climber and most people pass with flying colours. I failed!
rolsen1
10-Dec-2008
7:41:11 PM
thanks langles and prb!

I found CM pretty darn scary but thought XI was fine. Will probably give ML a go in my next few trips, maybe...

Sabu
11-Dec-2008
8:53:08 AM
Both CM and ML are on my hitlist for this summer... hmmm could be an interesting trip!
WM
11-Dec-2008
10:23:18 AM
On 10/12/2008 prb wrote:
>Other interesting climbs around that grade are Open Road and XI (potential
>short grounders).

XI presents ~8m groundfall potential - not what I'd call short
Paz
11-Dec-2008
10:54:26 AM
you may also want to be careful of the way the ground is around you. couple of weeks ago i fell off Hurts
and had a 5m groundfall cause i never paid enough attention to the ledge that rises up next to you on the
way to Kachoong...luckily i landed on my feet in a cat like ninga position,only suffering tendon damage -
nothing a hammock and pipe can't fix

IdratherbeclimbingM9
11-Dec-2008
11:01:46 AM
A fall does not need to be high to be dangerous.
One of my younger friends fell off a step ladder and ended up with a bolt to reconnect his femur as a result ...
gfdonc
11-Dec-2008
11:08:21 AM
On 11/12/2008 WM wrote:
>XI presents ~8m groundfall potential - not what I'd call short

Funny, when I did the route a while ago I can't recall being concerned about the groundfall. Isn't it more the case that you have a short fall back onto the ledge - but if you overbalance from there you have a longer tumble? And isn't there an RP placement to cover that?

anthonyk
11-Dec-2008
11:14:03 AM
On 11/12/2008 IdratherbeclimbingM9 wrote:
>A fall does not need to be high to be dangerous.
>One of my younger friends fell off a step ladder and ended up with a bolt
>to reconnect his femur as a result ...

strangely enough my dad stepped off a skateboard wrong and managed to break something around the ankle somewhere, going at slow speed on flat ground.
WM
11-Dec-2008
11:48:33 AM
there's at least 3 RPs in the start of XI from memory, I took lots of time putting as many in as I could find. the problem is none of them are trustworthy (its a lovely sound those flakes produce if you rap them with your knuckles...) and a fall from just past the RPs (about 4m above the little ledge) could easily strip them all and/or blow the little flake and you would definitely continue past the ledge another 4-5m to the ground. ..... imo

 Page 3 of 4. Messages 1 to 20 | 21 to 40 | 41 to 60 | 61 to 64
There are 64 messages in this topic.

 

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