What goes through your mind when....

[YoYo]

You take a lead fall ?

[slobmonster]

My mommy.

[DLottmann]

I bet you will get more responses to this topic if you post it on RC.com.

[YoYo]

Why would I want to post on some law firm's web page?

[DLottmann]

Sorry, rockclimbing.com.  They seem to like those types of threads over there...

[YoYo]

Ok ... I'm just trying to lighten up the board, tired of the opposing views on bolting " I can and will !" I'll chop if you do!" F this and F that !
Man, every one just chill...Life goes on and sometimes it is just OK not to be too serious about a lot of stuff that just doesn't make too much difference in the world. :-/
Let's get into better discussions about climbing, techniques tips and tricks, routes and trails. Life on the rocks...what ever... So what does go through your mind when you fall?

[DLottmann]

Alright, why not, things have been a bit to serious lately.  I've only taken a handful of minor leader falls.  I've been climbing trad 10 years and moved through the grades rather slowly for fear of falling on my gear and lack of a mentor.  The last couple seasons I have been able to climb with people that are much better than me and have gotten to take a couple falls.  The few I've taken I don't recall thinking anything more than "Oh shit!".

[drb1215]

What goes through your shorts when you take a lead fall?

[YoYo]

Pretty much the same thing that goes through DMAN's mind.

[haircity]

I took a 45' open-air winger on the J-Crack at Lumpy in 1983.

It was the last year before Fires came out and I was climbing in Lowe Hummingbirds (blue..remember?).

It was on the 1st pitch near the top. I had climbed through the cruxes and was on the last move sinking the jam into the "flare" that is the belay. I stretched-out too much and non-sticky shoes have 0 tolerance.

Over the edge...

1st thought: shit.

2nd thought: last piece? #5 Rock.

3rd thought: what was that pop?

4th thought: what was that OTHER pop?

...hanging-in-air-in-holy-shit-mode.

My next (3rd) piece was a solid #8 Choinard Stopper.

Sudden deceleration. I shook all over. My bud lowered me off.

He went up and pryed-loose the welded #8 (those of you who've met me know that I am no waif).

We went to Los Gringos in Estes for beers.

[15mmwench]

I took a 15 footer on Reppy's Crack in June 2000. Only significant leader fall I've ever taken. I was just above the pod crux, my (non-crack climbin') feet were screaming for mercy and my (non-crack climbin') forearms were about to give it to them. I slipped out of the crack and was off. My memory of the next several seconds is still crystal clear.

- "Thank bloody f**k" (thinking of my released feet)
- "I am totally fine with that big blue cam"
- "Wow! this is taking a long time"

(TAP. my left foot gently connects with the rock and instantly goes numb)

- "Oh s**t, that's not good"

Then I came to a stop several feet below the pod. Other than a fractured ankle bone I was totally fine. On top of the biggest TALUS slope in the north east I managed to fracture my TALUS bone. Needless to say the walk (read slide, crawl, grovel, hop) out was no fun but 10 weeks later the cast came off and I've since recovered.

[tradmanclimbz]

I bet you probobly hit the bottom of the pod? That would do it. I have taken many leader falls both on bolts and gear. Most of the time they are no big deal. Often the fall is way less of a deal than the fear  of falling that kept me from cranking the move smoothly.   Ocasional though what should be a routine 6 footer can turn into a near disaster or worse.  Once I popped off a  trad climb and thought no big deal that last cam is bomber. I didn't realy get into that slow motion wtf is going wrong and when am I going to stop and will i die mode until I was past the spot were I figured I would  stop. By the time I did stop I looked over at my belayer and it was clear why I fell so far.  My big fat beer belly pulled her about about 10 ft to the cliff and then about 8 ft up the cliff   All the longer gear rippers that I have taken have been slow motion life awareness afairs. Three   of them were upside down adventures. Time slows down in the same way that it does in vehicle crashes , fist fights,  gun fights etc.

[T_Moon]

Wow, Tradmanclimbz, you've been in gunfights!  Tells us about that!  

[tradmanclimbz]

  Never been in a gun fight although I have been shot in the leg once by the stupid neighbor kid. Even the accidental shooting was slowmotion. I competed on the  IPSC (international practicle shooting competition) combat pistol circut fot about 4 years.   Most of what we did was timed and your speed combined with your accuracy determined your score.  I often shot  timed stages of a match that would require that you draw your pistol on an audio signal that started the clock. Fire 2 shots each into 3 targets (six shots)  reload and engage the 3 targets with 2 shots each again for a total of 12 shots  and a reload as well as the initial quickdraw. My best time on that  stage which was known as an El presidente was about 4.5 seconds.  This did not  seem fast when doing it but to watch somone do the drill in 6 seconds was pretty impressive and I would be like "holy cow that guy was FAST" I have also had countless full contact martial arts encounters and they are all slow motion affairs. Interesting though to note that the fear that you have before stepping into the ring or out onto the floor (alley etc) allmost allways goes away as soon as the action starts. It is not allways that way in climbing.  I guess the climbing is just a bit more serious

[Admin Al]

i've taken a number of leader falls on gear and bolts over the years. the most recent was on Way In The Wilderness last winter. it was a 20 footer onto a screamer & 22cm ice screw. i've never had the slo-mos in a fall. there is a slowdown before, but once gravity takes over it's all 32 ft/s!

al