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Chockstone Forum - General Discussion

General Climbing Discussion

 Page 3 of 3. Messages 1 to 20 | 21 to 40 | 41 to 52
Author
What's the scariest lead that you've ever done?
Olbert
19-Mar-2012
7:32:05 PM
Mine was when I lead Janicepts. It upped my crack climbing by about three grades and upped my trad leading by a couple of grades. I had never weighted gear before - asides from bomber anchors - let alone fallen!

So I started out climbing and things were going ok - I was placing good gear (by my judgement). Except I was getting more pumped and more scared (my whole trad mindset up till now had been I'm not scared because I'm not going to fall, not I'm not scared because my gear will hold). In my mind I kept telling myself that I would be alright and to just keep going - you have to keep in mind I had never actually tested my own gear placements before.

By the time I got to the small alcove at about two-thirds height I was horrendously pumped and scared shitless. The "your gonna die" dialogue was now running through my head. As I hadn't placed anything for a metre or so I decided to place another piece - it took me a good minute or two to get the placement right - all the while I was sweating.

Even once I got it in, my fear had not dissipated - I was so scared I was nauseous. There was no chance of me doing the crimpy end to the route so I made the decision to rest on the rope. It was the most heart stopping moment of my life!

Fortunately the piece held and I did not die. However I was fcuking knackered, mentally and physically. I spent the next half an hour feeling like I was going to throw up, just from the fear.

I, however, did not lower to the ground - at the time nobody else in my group was confident enough to get my gear back - I waited till I felt I could go on and then proceeded to aid my way to the finish.

Not only was it a great feeling to finish the route and retrieve my gear but I learnt a shitload from the experience and very glad I had it.

SteveC
19-Mar-2012
9:17:01 PM
On 23/04/2009 muki wrote:
>Once in Thailand I had organised to yank the rope three times to signal
>safe, due to high winds on the
>multi pitch we were doing, on the second pitch I was climbing at my physical
>limit, getting pumped.
>I had pulled rope twice to clip, only to have the wind blow the draw horizontal
>away from me and out of
>reach for clipping, getting even more pumped I had to drop the rope and
>shake out to recover.
>then on the final go, I managed to clip the draw at last, only to hear
>OFF BELAY waft up on the breeze.
>Only 30m to go I told myself....... go for the onsight !

You just can't beat the original!!

actually, for a period I climbed regularly with a deaf climber. It got so that I much prefer the 3 tugs system to ordering creme brulées over the wind on multi pitches. I never thought there was a real risk of pulling up slack and dropping it to be confused with 3 deliberate tugs. But there's no accounting for thailand sport bumblies!!

Wonderdog
20-Mar-2012
10:45:43 AM
Leading pitch 2 of Stroke The S-Bend at Shady Butress with Grogan... fragile, soapy holds with a nasty landing.

SteveC
20-Mar-2012
5:40:10 PM
Fuzzy Navel at Tarana. Not the scariest route at Tarana by any measure. But topping out with frizzy hair and lightening crackling all around ensured it was one for the ages!

benjenga
21-Mar-2012
6:57:54 AM
Telstar at ikara did it for me.
The guy I was climbing with had climbed it before so he suggested that I lead all pitchs. This was all fine untill after the Bombay chimney I got onto the head wall to be face with a hanging trad belay 30ms of the deck. I had never had to belay from a hanging belay before that day, let alone build my own trad anchour and trust my life to it.
So terrified and with no gear that would fit I place to nuts sideways and two number 2 cams under my feet and told dan to climb and please don't fall.
It was the first time that I really thought if I was going to die climbing it would be in the next 10mins.
simey
21-Mar-2012
9:50:21 AM
On 21/03/2012 benjenga wrote:
>Telstar at ikara did it for me.

Not surprised to read that. Telstar is terrifying no matter what your level of experience.
Gluey
26-Mar-2012
10:39:21 AM
Down at the Colo River last saturday. Getting down there nice 'n early to beat the heat we decide to warm up no Bushy Corner (14). No worries, piece of piss. Start climbing and the first moves were much beyond a 14. I thought that's alright, not an uncommon thing. Pushing through with cold fingers and clipping 2nd n 3rd bolt fine. Chilling on the ledge and contemplating the next few moves and directions, looking up and not being able to find the next bolt, I think "surely, it's just over that ledge, I just can't see it". Going up to the bushy ledge (3metres run out) I start to think "Chill Will, there's just not that many ascents, it's probs under all this leaf litter". To no avail. Looking up, there is another ledge, again thinking it's just out of site. Again, nothing. "f*** this s***, 5 meter run out is not cool on a warm up". There is a decent crack and I only have a set of wires on me (as it's a sport route), so I desperately try and set one. Of course I can't get one in there. Point of no return. Down climbing would be just as risky as getting to the next bolt. Pushing through I end up getting to the bolt. Looking down, I finally take not of how far it was run out. 7-8 metres with 2 ledges in between. Making it up to a rap ledge I get up there and take a good old rest on some rusty old bash ins.

Trying to work out what the heck happened we looked through all the guides. Essentially, what I ended up doing was climbing up Bushy Corner, going over the rotten old stump which used to be the belay tree, then continue climbing up Senior Sits Club, which states it needs a small cam and continued on through.

I'm sure most of you guys would have been alright with all that but myself being a pussy, it left me quite rattled.

IdratherbeclimbingM9
19-Feb-2018
9:11:49 AM
Although there are undoubtedly other Chocky threads I could have posted this on, I thought I'd resurrect this oldie but a goodie, with a new twist of light from a different source...

SKILLS: Playing with Fear, an interesting read; cross linked from the current UKC article by Sally Lisle.

E. Wells
19-Feb-2018
4:47:13 PM
I love the Galong Creek post. The sketchiest climbs are usually bushwalks. That has been my experience , kicking footers into powdery shale dust , alot of knees, and stomach , and handfulls of grass pulled just at the acceptable level. 'Hiking shortcuts' are how I became interested in not dying so often via ropes and harness etc.. but I still find myself out there often enough in some grade 10 (the hardest) situation because I dont want to walk back the way I came!

E. Wells
19-Feb-2018
4:51:22 PM
In short Im basically Alex Honnold.
Saxon Johns free solo'd 'Aint no Sunshine'.....pfff
, try a grade 2, 20m stomach shimmy traverse in deep red powpow.

JimmyS
19-Feb-2018
6:08:45 PM
Pebble Mill E5/6b at Burbage.

The start is a precarious layback above very point rocks, which my belayer looked hopeless against if I was to swing off! Then the first gear was two .1 at the halfway point in a horizontal. I thought this was alright, I then preceded to mantle past them and kick them out! (They were shallow placements!).
Stuck in a position of irreversible climbing I couldn’t get the gear back in.

I was then confronted with the crux, which was a balance step and press to a mega jug and a .75 cam placement. But shit, my knees were not really helping... I was basically frozen to my stance... it was either stick the crux, or fall and break my legs (at least..). My belayer asked if I wanted to call for a top rope, but I didn’t think I could really wait in my small little stance for that long! So I took 5 breathes, stepped high and pressed.. and managed to latch the jug, I’ve never placed a cam and clip it as quick as that!

Absolutely terrifying!!
Jayford4321
20-Feb-2018
9:32:12 AM
On 11-Apr-2009 Eduardo Slabofvic wrote:
>All of the ones when Hero was belaying me.

2 thingz.
1. Woz this B4 or after ur armchairs wouldn’t support youse anymore ,
an 2. were U using a skinny rope @ tha time?

My scariest woz when my stacked #0 RPs blew (a wire busted) after holding a couple of slumpy falls B4 that.
Every1 should have at least 1 Olympic moment in there life.

On 21-Mar-2012 my frend simey wrote:
>On 21/03/2012 benjenga wrote:
>>Telstar at ikara did it for me.
>
>Not surprised to read that. Telstar is terrifying no matter what your level of experience.
>
Anotha 2 thingz.
1. An Ur Xperience on it woz?
an 2. Howd it compare 2 tha gerbil route , umm Kaching , tha most dangerouser route in tha world when U didit?

 Page 3 of 3. Messages 1 to 20 | 21 to 40 | 41 to 52
There are 52 messages in this topic.

 

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