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near death experiences (well, falling..)


gremlin

26-Nov-2005
11:58:05 PM

My first 'near death' experiance was in a severe thunderstorm several years ago up near Lizard Point (about 1000m) on the QLD main range. Lightning was crashing down around us so close i (my mate fell asleep) could feel the shockwave it gave off but wouldn't hear the thunder from it. The thunder from other strikes would echo off the cliffs near us and last for almost a whole minute. Thin top soil and the high winds that shook the trees made me think that the 300m cliffs we were above were collapsing. The storm lasted about 4 hours of shear terror with me cringing each time there was a bright flash only to open one eye again with the thought "Oh shit! I'm alive!". The chap i was with was a christian who i'd managed to coax along by saying "You'll be much closer to god than you will be at church". He slept through the whole thing and to this day has no idea how close he came to meeting his maker.

The second was in a 3 car smash where an oncoming car crossed a white line, cleaned up the car in front of us and then smashed into the car we were in putting us into a spin. I remember watching the cars in front burst into pieces, me saying "Ahh f---!", a large thud, my father and i smashing our heads togeather and then spinning around a few times. After crawling out of what was left of the mangled wreck the adrenalin wore off and both my father and i had to sit down on the embankment till we stopped shaking. I didn't like travelling in cars for months afterward and avoided it as much as possible.

Another horrible experiance was with a freind and i soloing a granite slab on Mt Gilies, i reached a ledge that i could traverse off to get down after accepting the fact that i'd need a rope to get down the next much steeper section. My freind decided to continue on even after i had explained that we could get up but probably not down. He started moving up getting off 'route' and into steeper ground and i thought i can't watch this, pleaded for him to come down and continued downward. I got down a little further to where i could no longer see him and heard a heap of rocks tumbling down the slab. I closed my eyes expecting a sickening scream or a crunch or something but there was nothing. I raced/slid down to the base and ran around to where we had started expecting to find a mangled body while thinking "What am i going to tell his parents?!" only to find nothing... I looked up and found a petrified person 40m up, clinging to the rock for dear life. He looked down and said "I think i'll take your advice and come down now"

Personally i find watching other people almost come unstuck or seriously hurt themselves is much worse than when something similar happens to you. That dark fear that fills your chest as you watch it all happen in slow motion, the sickening thud, then wondering how the hell to you get this person to medical help. When its you its all happens really quick then the adrenalin kicks in, you feel pain, go into shock, blackout, or die...

drjolt

27-Nov-2005
2:07:44 AM

Funny, I don't recall being 'petrified' but whatever


Sabu

27-Nov-2005
11:40:08 AM

On 26/11/2005 prb wrote:
> Trouble is, it was a lights-out fall and I have amnesia
>starting from perhaps a minute before the event. That's interesting - maybe
>it takes about that long for the brain to biochemically encode a memory.

it's called the period of consolidation, where a memory has to undergo consolidation for 30 minutes until the memory can pass into Long Term memory from Short term Memory. it's based on the theory that the neurons need to adapt or change to allow the memory to be stored.
with people who have suffered from head trauma for watever reason, the consolidation is interupted and the memory lost. hence why in many of these cases wat you were doing before you had the near death experience is somewhat vague if not completely forgotten.


The good Dr

27-Nov-2005
9:06:30 PM

In Chamonix about 10 years ago, my first trip into the bigger hills with a group of people I had met recently. There were 3 S Africans and 2 Belgians and we were off to practise some ice climbing on the leading edge of the Boisson Glacier (I think that is what it is called). I had never been ice climbing before. We set ourselves up at the base, I put on the various bits of borrowed gear, like size 9 1/2 plastic boots on my size 7 feet, crampons blah, blah. One of the Belgians led the one pitch on under vertical ice and set up a belay. All of us were standing around at various locations on the morraine. I can't remember who called, but there was a rock fall from a couple of hundred metres above. It was only two rocks, but they were about the size of bar fridges. They were also moving very, very quickly. I was next to the glacier wall with lots of large rocks around and all I could think of was advice from a mountaineering friend 'move on the last bounce'. At this stage things did seem to slow down and I watched this boulder make a bee line for me. It landed about 10m away and at that stage I blacked out. The next thing I know I was like a spinning rag doll. I landed on my back, very disoriented, lay there for a few seconds. One of the party came over and I tried to get up and couldn't, only because they were standing on my jacket. I stood up, shaking wildly from the massive adrenaline dose, and the immediate decision was to get to a safer location, I grabbed an axe and promptly soloed the ice face to the Belgian guy belaying.

The blackout was that experience when the brain does not have time to discuss with you the fact that it wants you to move very quickly. The boulder struck me in the lower legs as I was in mid air diving out of the way. The plastic boots took the full force, so I was nursing one hell bruised ankle. Everone watching thought I was going to die.

Afterwards, I felt lucky to be alive and invigorated, everything and every day was good. This feeling has stayed somewhat. I was able to get going in a couple of days and climbed 4 peaks in 5 days, including offering to be the sacrificial bunny on a very dodgy abseil in very warm, unstable snow conditions on a hill called Tour Ronde.

This all helped when I spudded in from about 6m earlier this year and smashed my helmet. But that is another story.

prb

27-Nov-2005
11:58:12 PM

Thanks Sabu. Perhaps my brain works differently to most. I normally have a good memory, and the events of that morning are crystal clear (Morfydd with Luke, waiting beneath ML for two guys to finish, photographing people on Scorpion Corner, starting up ML, calling to Luke I was reversing a move to look at a placement). Then nothing, not even dreams, about the next 8 or 10 hours til I "came to" lying in a bed at the Alfred to be greeted by Luke and Sharik. Certainly the next couple of weeks were weird but wonderful thanks to the opiates.

I might have been fiddling with that problematic piece for a minute or two, but certainly not 30. So I conclude I can get stuff into Long Term Memory quite quickly. But I'm glad I can't remember anything about the fall, that'd be real scary.


steph

29-Nov-2005
2:19:42 PM

I love falling (though I try not to make a habit of it), there's the initial fear, the internal screaming of "Oh crap I hope that holds" and then pure adrenalin and fun as your life is soully on the belayers shoulders. Closest I've come to a grounder tho was a 6m fall from clipping and slipping the third/fourth bolt outdoors. Ended up level with the belayer! Lotsa fun :)


kezza

30-Nov-2005
10:59:55 AM

My scariest fall was in Nowra on Everything But The Wasp (I think that was it) where one side of the slabby start was slimy from rain, and the middle was dry. Up the dry section as you do, and I get to the first bolt and realise I can't let go to clip, and I can't climb up or down for that matter. Trying to keep my cool I suck it up, hold on to this slippery pebble thing with my right hand as my left slowly makes it way to my harness for a draw... Nope that's not going to work!! Left hand baack on rock!!
Shuffling around trying to find a way out. Bad mistake. A screaming "eeep" comes next as I suddenly slime off the pebble and feet come unstuck.
Thinking, this is going to end in tears for sure with a not so flat landing awaiting my arrival! Then I feel Phil's arms around me like a bear hug and a wave of relief comes over me, but only briefly before he stumbles around down steps and falling backwards on his arse/back with me still in tow.
Lying there for a few moments, we rise from the ground, doing a once over making sure we aren't hurt. Justin then informs us that our heads were only cms from hitting conveniently placed pointy rocks in the ground..
Not a scratch! Phil had his glasses smash into his face resulting in a little cut inbetween his eyes. That was it.
5 minutes later, and I was back on the rock.. hesitating at each bolt as I clip the draws for the redpoint attempt!


Imaclawfan

25-Mar-2015
4:47:15 PM

Topic Date User
My ground fall in the Gramps Monday, 21 July 2003 At 9:53:45 AM nmonteith
Message
I had a near miss (of sorts) on the weekend. I was attempting a ground up new hard (24?) trad line in the Grampians. The rock was slick polished marble like the Bluffs @ Araps. Some of the holds were a little wet from previous days rain. I began the thin overhung line by traversing in a line of jugs above a deep chasm. Kent was belaying on a ledge opposite the chasm without an anchor. The start moves were easy and I got situated below a rooflet. A slot in the lip of the rooflet was the only obvious piece of gear. If i had a big hex it coudl have been thrown it in and be bomber. I didn't have one so James threw me up a large tricam. I had never used these pieces before but the wedge shape seemed fairly straighforward. I sunk it in the crack and coudl see it had not much surface area touching on one one side - but the other side was almost hidden - wedged deep in the slot. I placed a small offset wire below it as a shoddy backup. I grunted through the rooflet and tried to jam the horizonatal crack above. It was slick and awkward and my hands slid out and I fell back - thinking I would be fine as my wasit was just above the 'bomber' tricam. Of course the next thing i felt was the ground smashing into my side and i slid down the chasm and was stopped just short of hitting the ground for the second time at the base of the chasm. Kent had managed to pull me up with his bare hands even though both my bits of gear had popped out. There was a lot of blood all over my hands, rock and rack but after mopping it up I discovered it was only a few cuts on my hands. The major injuries were only a big scratch on my arm and left side and a bit of bruising. I got away with a 5m+ groung fall onto rock on my back with almost no injuries. Stupidly my helmet was in my pack. If i had fallen backwards more my head would be mushed over the rock i reckon. Lesson learnt. Don't trust a single bit of gear, don't use gear you are unfamilair with and wear a helmet if there is a possiblity of a lead fall.

Video of fall can be found here

http://www.mrppp.com.au/nhb/movies/neil_tower_fall.mpg

DEAR NEIL ....this video had my brain and eyes bulging 10 years ago .... and its haunted me a few times since when Ive ' played ' it in my mind ...

Its one hell of a cautionary tale for new trad climbers ...

Any chance of re-imbedding it .... PLEASE ....... MAAAAAAAATE ...


IdratherbeclimbingM9

25-Mar-2015
7:37:48 PM

On 25/03/2015 Imanecromancyfan (well done maaaate, I will relinquish that title to you based on your consistent recent reecord!), wrote:
... a quote when he could have given a link, that contains a lot more information about that incident.

(& yes, I agree with Hexisafan that the links to the vid in that thread are broken).

> its haunted me a few times since when Ive ' played ' it in my mind ...
>Its one hell of a cautionary tale for new trad climbers ...

My memories of it (without re-reading the linked thread), tend to place it in the basket of it being predominantly a stuff up in gear placement (I vaguely recall something about him saying that he just threw the piece in and kept climbing?), and it would be interesting to hear nm's take on it now after the intervening years with his further experience gained along the way.


salty crag

25-Mar-2015
9:19:37 PM

Near death experience. Had a few climbing, not me but grabbed a buddy's harness as he stepped over the edge to rapp down totally forgetting we were set to dual rapp and i was yet to clip in. Had a grounder at Araps last year climbing seemingly in control when my belayer informed me that I was at the crux and if I fell it would be a grounder - promptly fell, it hurt but no injuries. Had a couple of times when surfing heavy shit been held under so long you lose the urge to fight for breath and everything slows down, loss of peripheral vision (small tunnel of light only) and everything feels calm and serene. Little voice in the head has informed me each time that I'm in deep shit but been lucky.


ajfclark

26-Mar-2015
7:59:42 AM

On 25/03/2015 Imaclawfan wrote:
>Topic Date User
>My ground fall in the Gramps Monday, 21 July 2003 At 9:53:45 AM nmonteith
>
>Message
>I had a near miss (of sorts) on the weekend. I was attempting a ground
>up new hard (24?) trad line in the Grampians. The rock was slick polished
>marble like the Bluffs @ Araps. Some of the holds were a little wet from
>previous days rain. I began the thin overhung line by traversing in a line
>of jugs above a deep chasm. Kent was belaying on a ledge opposite the chasm
>without an anchor. The start moves were easy and I got situated below a
>rooflet. A slot in the lip of the rooflet was the only obvious piece of
>gear. If i had a big hex it coudl have been thrown it in and be bomber.
>I didn't have one so James threw me up a large tricam. I had never used
>these pieces before but the wedge shape seemed fairly straighforward. I
>sunk it in the crack and coudl see it had not much surface area touching
>on one one side - but the other side was almost hidden - wedged deep in
>the slot. I placed a small offset wire below it as a shoddy backup. I grunted
>through the rooflet and tried to jam the horizonatal crack above. It was
>slick and awkward and my hands slid out and I fell back - thinking I would
>be fine as my wasit was just above the 'bomber' tricam. Of course the next
>thing i felt was the ground smashing into my side and i slid down the chasm
>and was stopped just short of hitting the ground for the second time at
>the base of the chasm. Kent had managed to pull me up with his bare hands
>even though both my bits of gear had popped out. There was a lot of blood
>all over my hands, rock and rack but after mopping it up I discovered it
>was only a few cuts on my hands. The major injuries were only a big scratch
>on my arm and left side and a bit of bruising. I got away with a 5m+ groung
>fall onto rock on my back with almost no injuries. Stupidly my helmet was
>in my pack. If i had fallen backwards more my head would be mushed over
>the rock i reckon. Lesson learnt. Don't trust a single bit of gear, don't
>use gear you are unfamilair with and wear a helmet if there is a possiblity of a lead fall.
>
>Video of fall can be found here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8NqgeN8qUs


Imaclawfan

26-Mar-2015
2:04:57 PM

There are 32 messages in this topic.