Two experienced climbers are at the crag, they've climbed together for close to a year now. The first climber is working their way up the route, gets to a spot that causes them to come off the rock.
In a split second, the climber is on the ground, unconcious, with possible back and neck injuries.
At the spot where they came off the wall, the end of the rope is there with just the initial figure eight.
Its always good practice to double check your knots and belay set up. That being said, everyone is resposible for there own knot, they should double check.
I was on a climb being lowered and the climber next to me fell. I was the first on on the scene. Took hold of the climber's head and stabilized it as he came to. Remained there with him until the rescue squad showed up. The belayer was really upset due to the fact that they didn't check the climber's knot.
I always check my belayer and show them my knot and point out that I'm double backed on my harness. When I'm belaying, I'll notice them tying their knot or will check it as I show them that I've got my locker locked.
I can't imagine trying to blame anyone else if I didn't tie my own knot right. But it's good form to double check your climber's knot if you're belaying. And don't start handing gear to someone who's in the middle of tying their knot!
still, to place blame, i'd have to say that both were involved in the events that lead up to the accident. the first and biggest mistake was not tying in, maybe because like kato said, they started to tie in and somebody distracted them with their shoes or other gear. the individual then neglected to finish the job. what if that individual was in a different party all together. should we involve them in the blame game as well?
the other party made a big mistake too by not checking the knot or the climber to make sure they were ready. it likewise makes sense that the climber didn't check the belayer, also a mistake. likely born out of over-confidence and general apathy at the routine. or maybe one had an attitude about being questioned and caused the other to remain quiet with their safety concerns... building a false trust.
so both made mistakes, but i would hesitate to blame either one of them for the accident. human errors are the things that get us.
i would likely argue that both had been taught or at least read about the standard of over redundancy in checking the system before you climb. i simply try to ask "how's your knot?" before the person starts climbing, and watch to see if they actually check it. If they don't look down and just say "fine"... i likely won't climb with them much anymore.
[size=75]i may be weak, but i have bad technique[/size]
It really doesn't matter except that there are 2 guys beating themselves up over this, one saying "How could this have possibly happened, how could I have not tied my knot?" and the other saying "I certainly could have prevented this just by double checking the knot!"
They're both friends of mine and I climb with them often. I've spoken to both of them and emphasis that it's a lesson learned, one that we can all take something from. Neither are looking to place blame on the other, both are placing it upon themselves. Bottom line that I've been saying to them both is that the climbers safety is the responsibility of both, not one or the other.
Thanks for the input. It sort of validates my thinking.
