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[kenreville]

So what's you're most memorable fall while leading? For me that's a tough one as there have been many that are longer than what most climbers consider comfortable.
One memorable one was on The Arete on Cathedral. My belayer was zenning out watching the hoards of guided climbers (in particular a group of hot chickies) while sporting a giant speed loop. I had climbed above the crux bolt (5ft below my feet) and was crimping my ass off when I popped. I fell below the rest overlap- about 30ft. As I was falling, I had enough time to think to myself "how come this is happening?"

Joe Lentini was guiding that day and actually took a picture of me mid-flight.

Let's here it boys. Whatta ya got? I know I've got several more memorable whippers.

[kenreville]

Another one was on The Missing Link. After struggling on the 2nd overlap, I had essentially finished the climb. Problem was, I had a warpig (pump) in my forearms. I grabbed the enormous bucket to top off and simply couldn't hold on.

I almost hit my belayer (Ajax Greene), who was at the bolt anchor belay of Thin Air (after the traverse).

That puppy was at least 40ft.

[pappy]

Right after I’d moved back to GA, still a pup, I went to Tallulah Gorge for the first time. Tallulah is diamond hard quartzite, I love tri-cams but I don’t even bother there, won’t grip, same with cams if it’s a parallel placement and you don’t get it deep. Anyway, Curtis Glass puts me on Flying Frog, which he calls a nice 5.8, ‘cause for a while there sandbagging Corbett was the national f$%king pastime. Actually it’s a Gottlieb classic and one of the best pitches in the South and a consensus 10c. A full, sustained rope length with a 30’ layback corner at the top that everyone has fallen out of at some point, though I didn’t know any of this then.

By the time I get to the corner I’m fried. I try every stemming, cheating thing I can think of, but it’s a layback, so finally I plug a Friend blind because I’m too flamed to pull in and look to see if it’s any good and then I take off for the top. And a couple of moves from the top the muscles just give up and I’m off.

And I’m falling, and falling, and falling. I hate the ones where you’re in the air long enough to analyze everything and I just know that Friend has blown. This is bad, since the next piece is an RP in a parallel seam 10' below that that won’t hold a loud fart, and it occurs to me that this has the potential to approach triple digits. And then I stop. Friend held, but the guy who Curtis has belaying me is only climbing for the third time ever and had left a giant loop of slack in the rope. It was better than 50’ and I was ecstatic, cause I was still alive.

And since you mentioned him, a funny Ajax story. We climbed together a good bit when we were both in Breckenridge in the mid-80s and he was always telling me the ‘right way’ to do things, like you should be able to stand at the bottom of any climb and choose a dozen pieces, 16 tops, and that’s all you should take. Whatever, Ajax. We go into Cynical Pinnacle to do the Center Route and I’m taping up because that South Platte granite has teeth, and he’s giving me a ration because you shouldn’t have to tape if you have good technique. Whatever, Ajax. Even with the tape my hands got chewed up pretty good, because maybe my technique wasn’t the best, but he didn’t tape at all, and his hands were f%^king handburger for the next three weeks. People screamed when they saw us, zombie hands raised from the dead.

[strandman]

Shit- for this thread, i feel like hennie youngman ( an old comic)  I got a million of them;

Unwanted Guests  f/a  whitehorse.. we shared drilling,, free, onsite etc.. i did 2 and Karl did 1.. pull the rope and off i go.. got all the way to Future Shock and the hand popped.. big swing 40' plus pissed it would hae been a 12B f/a onsite, lead no falls SHIT

[sneoh]

Ajax is opinionated for sure.  I climbed quite a bit with him at The Gunks '95 and '96.  I did the right thing by always insisting that I bring my rack.  I told him he can bring whatever he wanted but when I led, I led with my rack.

My longest whip is pretty mild by comparison, maybe right at 30 feet.  Going for some .11 onsight at The New.  Got past the crux.  Pretty pumped but the run to the anchors is .10.  Problem was it was sporty bolted.  Gave it a good fight but came off about 4 feet from the anchors.  Saw two draws of mine go by on the way down.  Enough time for me to wonder if I was ever going to stop.  Then a very gentle deceleration on a brand new rope a friend had brought specially for the trip.  She was pissed I whipped before she did on that rope!

[lucky luke]

Eighten feet or so, in the middle of a diedral, my knees hit the rock. I knew. It was not the day. I was on my second ascent of Lido in quebec, a 5.10, and I just want to make it. Route finding mistake, want to the left, skip the piton (hep! no bolt), and was trying to came back to the crack. As soon as I know that there is no choice I jump. going to the right to hold some thing with my hand, I didn't had the strength, my hand slip and I just had time to jump...on a rock number four in a kind of half inch flake...and still here to talk about it. I keep my nuts to remember.

Themost funny is when I climbed with that guy who told me that he want to follow a 5.10 climber. so, I made a good belay and climb a route, Frankeinstein. the name is horrible, but I didn't choose it. as I was closed to the top, I put a first nuts, not very good. So, I placed and other a little bit higher. As I do the move, I kicked the higher pro out of the crack. The people around, resting on ther buts after a climb, just jump on there feet. And I felt, falling on my second pro...the bad one. I resume and climb to the top. half and hours later, the guy at the b ottom was still walking back and forth because they were stress by my fall.

Oh! the guy who want to climb with a 5.10 trad climber nev er climbed with me again> 

[SA]

Possibly a year after I started climbing, I attempted leading Turdland, at the Gunks. Willie Crowther, my mentor had me on a body belay, and eventually could see I was going to come off--my arms being pumped. I took a 30 footer.

On the 1st ascent of Intimidation, I came off at the very top of the awkward, slanting crack, on the 4th pitch.
My belayer, Bruce Beck caught me just as my toes hit the belay ledge. I was lucky there wasn't one more foot of slack!

I wasn't so lucky 8 years ago, when I took a nasty fall on the RNWF of Half Dome. Broke multiple bones in my foot etc.

My " finest" whipper was in 1971, while soloing the Prow in Yosemite. Zippered the entire A4 pitch, just before reaching the belay ledge--- 100 feet or more. John Dill, ( later to become head of YOSAR), Bridwell, and others were taking turns watching my progress, in the valley, looking thru a spotting scope, and they said that I completely went out of the field of view.

I'm too brittle to take any more falls, so I must be careful this season.

[strandman]

good one Steve,,,, maybe Dill was hoping    I learned a lot from that guy.

[strandman]

Here's one that i caught;

After doing california Girls on Cathedral as an f/a i talked Tc into linking Ventilator-Western Lady and finish up Cali Girls in one pitch. Just don't fall off the last move !  Oh well, he did and down, down, down... skipping and sliding and then WHACK against the rock,, chalkbag first. An enormous cloud erupted but he was OK

It wasn't a very long lower to the ledge   

[kenreville]

There's an Ed Webster 5.10 route on Humphreys. I forget the name.
I was bouldering one day at the bottom when this guy approached me and asked if I would climb with him. As it turned out, he was looking for someone to lead for him.
I remember getting past an overhanging section and up into unknown (off route) area. Protection waaaay below me.
I'm starting to sweat, sewing machine leg is coming on......
Gotta go. Gotta go. Gotta go.
So I go.
Hold breaks and I'm flying.
By far the longest fall I've ever experienced.
I figure 60-70ft.
Not a scratch on me afterwards.
After catching my breath, and kinda pissed (I really hate falling), I told my belayer I'm going back up to get that bitch.
Apparently, he was pretty shook up. He only wanted one thing. To go down.
So we went down.
Can't say I've ever gone back up there.

Just looked up the route name- Aries

[Admin Al]

buncha great stories... I gots nothin' to compare.

my big whipper was on Way In The Wilderness about 10 years ago. we got a late start and got there at about 10am. altho it was only about 20 degrees ambient, that place is a little convection oven. it was cloudy when we got there, but the sun came out just as I started climbing and immediately the ice started melting. I got up about 40' to the pillar on the right just below the pin. I got up and placed one of my leashless tools on the ice just left of the pin, took off a draw and was reaching to clip it and the whole pillar I was standing on collapsed. I had a 23cm screw in bomber ice about 10' below me with a screamer on it. somehow I didn't clip anything with my crampons, the screamer ripped and I was hanging there in space with my left tool up next to the pin and my partner looking completely spooked by my 20' + fall  on ice. I ended climbing back up to the screw and replacing the draw and thinking "My God, this shit actually WORKS!". I had him send up one of his tools and then I went back up to get my tool. I lowered off the pin & was done for the day. I really don't want to fall on ice...

[kenreville]

It is a little oven there isn't it Al?
I went up to climb Way in the Wilderness with Stevie Damboise.
We got to the base and Stevie started up. Meanwhile, chunks of ice keep dropping from above- that sweeping dead vertical left side.
I notice that there's actually a little alcove I can get under. I squeeze in and continue belaying.
Suddenly CRASH.
A chunk of ice the size of a van hits precisely where I was JUST standing. Chards of ice splinter everywhere.
As I peer out from the alcove up at Stevie, he's already downclimbing like a banshee.
We hightailed it outta there. I've never gone back.

[tradmanclimbz]

About 1999 mid december one of those years when ice started late I tricked myself into rock climbing because it was supposed to be 40 and sunny. Snagged some poor sod (total stranger) from the gym and badgered him into going and haveing a look at something up on Mt Horrid.  It was sunny, windy and 20f. We ran up the spire/ Finger Rock and then thrashed up the talus to Perrigan Dihedral. I had it in my mind to do the 2nd ascent of the route that isa and I had put up the summer before.  I was over dressed and stuffed into my rock shoes with socks  and too tight a fit. Couldn't feel my feet, fingers too cold and bundeled up too much to move well. I worked my way up about 50ft to the crux where thing kind of gets thin. I had my right foot in a iced up crack but the the hands are super thin.  Got a shallow #0 purple TCU in and then a #3 micro stopper in a parralel sided crack took a tiny slip and the micro nut popped followed by the TCU, somehow I went upside down and yanked a #6 stopper out of a flared crack and then is was smooth sailing for awhile untill the bomber #13 stopper caught me about 10ft off the deck. I was too jazzed to even climb back up and get my draw off the #13 stopper. I just lowered the last 10 ft looked at the gear sale that had collected at my tie in point and called it a day. Never went back.....

[strandman]

Ken- you fell 70' at the Hump.. holly shit.... i like more air.
i ahve told this before but..

f/a Rellin' in the fears.. Albany slabs '81  .. I just start climbing,, no cleaning, no rap, just off we go.. i get maybe 10' fromt he top and start to freak.. i can't even see the last gear.. downclimb and sketch off.. bouncing and skipping WAY down

TC reeled in the rope , hand over hand and i only went 70',, maybe... it would have been a 100' crater for sure

Quick lower,, beer and off to Cannon to do the f/a of Slip o Fools.. THEN we did some drinkin'..

post  i lead it later that year,, the basic line is now Fool's For A day  10b  7 bolts.. whatever

[strandman]

i said i got a million of these-

Veedawoo '83-- he line we are looking at looks like an ass.. hence bob Scarpelli's name 'Squat" it's 5' crack out a 10' roof.

i go up, maybe having done some 5.10 wide.. maybe  i get up into the shit  ..hand stacks,, foot cams etc and off !! but not really, my right foot is still in.. get it free and fall off, not a bigg but upside down and very confused

" It shit you out """

No shit   12b done in '83 and jusr flashed last year  30 years !!!!!!!!!!