How Not To Fall When Lead Climbing

Sport climbing at Table Mountain in Sonora California

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• joel
• sport
• climbing
• lead
• rock
• fall

[OkeyPlus]

Wow, a lot if ignorant comments here. Where do you get off telling this guy that he shouldn't be leading at all?

1. Going off-route when you're pumped is bad - then you're just pumped and off-route.

2. The belay was tight, but not responsible for the inversion.

3. He didn't come off the rock very well. He kept his right foot on too long.

4. He pivots around his right foot as he falls, as if it catches on something.

5. No helmet is OK sometimes if you know what you're doing.

[joeltornatore]

@OkeyPlus Thanks. You're right on all points.

[MXRider217]

I hope you didnt sustain any head injuries.. thought of investing in a helmet?

[joeltornatore]

@MXRider217 yep, i always wear a helmet now. I smacked my back on the wall, but no injuries. Thanks!

[joeltornatore]

I think this route was a 10a.

[joeltornatore]

@hatedrivesus sorry, but I was tied in correctly.

i listened to your guitar videos. they're really good!

[tdawgmoneymoney7]

@OkeyPlus Great analysis!

I would caution on 5 though. Helmets save lives, and prevent a ton of unnecessary pain. Overhung sport and TR I can understand no helmet, same with climbs WELL within your limits and abilities (or really hot out!). But crags are getting crowded, rocks break, people drop gear. I have a buddy who got hit by a dropped biner while eating a sandwich before starting a climb. His brain bucket was clipped to his pack, which he was sitting on. Shit happens, but a helmet helps.

[Devilen73]

I love that you have a healthy enough ego to actually show this video. Well done on that count. Keep on climbing! :-)

[crazyhigh2244]

no bad comment bt that just looked sore ouch.

[cehuu]

@czarny181 yeah .. i guess ur right

looked at it a few times it seems that he pushed himself to the right with that right leg... while the really tight rope/ no jump was pulling him to the left

w/e i dunno.. too much stuff went wrong.. poor fellow :(

[czarny181]

@cehuu the problem was the right leg. that's why he turned aroun

For sure if he had belayed softer (jumping, let rope through the belay device) there wouldnt be that kind of thing, but you just see a part of the rock. So you dont know how the wall is like in the lower part of the wall.

but all in all it was the leg :)

just go in the gym and pratcice all kind of falls,

invest couple of days in that..

big falls, falls when traversing, etc.

its important for the belayer to know how to belay

[cehuu]

@OkeyPlus @joeltornatore besides what okey mentioned i have a couple of questions ( just started leading.. trying to figure more stuff out to prevent such a disaster )

1.did you push yourself off the wall really hard ( can't really tell )

2.did the belayer jump as you came off the wall ?

maybe all this could have been avoided with a good jump from the belayer...even though you did kept/pivot your right foot (after all that's the right way to catch a lead fall )

[Northernblades]

@snocket being 4-5 feet off rout is not a big deal, but when your only 1 foot over the anchor. the 5 foot off rout, can whip you pretty badly. that along with catching your belay line on the way through. along with a belayer not giving a soft catch.

will pretty much lead to this result more often than not. IMHO.

if he were 10 feet higher, and just as far off rout, and his belayer "soft caught him"

it would have been moot.He could have easily moved left 4 feet, before he fell.