Ambulance at RS sat night.

[Silk]

You don't need any cleaning draws either, just take the damn swing it's perfectly safe if you know what you are doing... .

I guess that's part of the issue...big "if"

I recently heard about someone that smashed their belayer into the boulder (on Ro) because they forgot to unclip the belay end of the rope when cleaned bolt #1 and took the swing. Experienced guy, ,maybe just tired at the end of the day and not "vigilant" enough according to third hand sources(?). Maybe it was even this accident(???)


Last time my partner told me the swing was "way" safe (not Ro, another crag) I ended up going way far into the trees...I was ready for it--having done my own mental math that said it would be closer than I'd like====and got pretty scratched up still, but it could have been really bad. So sometimes even with the "best" assurance from an experienced partner you're best off with a leaver//fifi//bouldering up to #1 depending. OMMV....

...the other factor on a swing is the coordination between lead and belay on the "landing"...have seen this sequence botched several times, and been put down pretty hard myself once or twice from someone that was in (my opinion) too big a hurry

[rhunt]

With a stick-clip you should never need to take the swing, figure out how to use a stick clip to clean the first draw.

As an old crusty climber and someone who gets more and more cynical with each weekend idiot and accident report; if you can't figure out how to safely clean a route, sport or trad, you should not be climbing and if you get hurt in the process I got very little sympathy for you. Why should any one person or group of people spend any money or time adding fixed gear to a climb just to protect idiots from themselves?

The pandemic of accident at the Red will eventually runs its course and hopefully access won't suffer too much when it over.

[dustonian]

That's because they are less people doing BASE jumping.

Specifically: there are less UNPREPARED people BASE jumping. This is precisely the problem in the Red: too many people at the crag that are not adequately prepared to climb/belay safely on their own.

This is most likely because of a required certification procedure for skydiving (along with the very obvious objective risks), a regimented series of training dives, an analog for which is completely lacking in rock climbing... unfortunately. It's still trial-by-fire out there for most people, with scary and frequent consequences here in perhaps the country's most popular area for new climbers.

[captain static]

In response to neuroshock's suggestion, an excerpt from Beth Rodden's Petzl blog - http://www.petzl.com/en/outdoor/news-2/ ... ery-part-4
-

One of the first cracks I climbed on my Yosemite quest was Central Pillar of Frenzy on Middle Cathedral. It was a Saturday, so my partner and I were rushing to beat the crowds. Surprisingly, when we arrived at 9 a.m., we were the first party. I took the first lead and found incredible climbing on polished granite, but just below the first anchors, my foot unexpectedly popped and I fell, flipping upside down in the corner and hit my head. It was without a doubt the worst lead fall I’ve ever taken. At first all I wanted to do was flip right side up. I didn’t really notice anything in particular that was hurt right off the bat, but I lowered to the ground only to find a bloody shoulder and elbow. ‘Crap, again! I wrenched my shoulder again!’ I thought. I was embarrassed, scared, and just wanted to get back to the car. We packed up and regrouped. After a bit of food we went on to crag somewhere else, but I was pretty shaken up.

A few days later I noticed that I couldn't concentrate on things properly and I felt a bit dizzy and nauseous. I started researching and thought I might have a concussion. I didn't think I hit my head that hard, but I don't really remember the fall, just that I had a lump on the front and back of my head. I called up my friend and ER doctor Noah Kauffman, and he thought the same thing. And so, 16 years after I started climbing, I learned a very valuable lesson on helmets.

[Clevis Hitch]

pull the bolts...

[KD]

Hi Clevis! I knew you would say that

[Toad]

Strip the first bolt, or blow up the boulder.

[jenbongo]

I recently heard about someone that smashed their belayer into the boulder (on Ro) because they forgot to unclip the belay end of the rope when cleaned bolt #1 and took the swing. Experienced guy, ,maybe just tired at the end of the day and not "vigilant" enough according to third hand sources(?). Maybe it was even this accident(???)

So sometimes even with the "best" assurance from an experienced partner you're best off with a leaver//fifi//bouldering up to #1 depending.

That's what I heard about "this accident" - that it was the belayer whose face got smashed. But I only heard this through many hands, who also concluded that it was at the Zoo, because people at RS didn't know about it. So, we still don't know what happened here.

And does nobody top-rope anymore to clean? There is no big swing involved, if you clean it on the way up, and usually this is an option.

[Andrew]

Toproping isn't even climbing, so... no.

[tbwilsonky]

clearly you aren't aware of how we attain "lofty summits" in this "risky sport" as we "surmount steep obstacle[s]" with our "hands and feet".

http://climbing.about.com/od/letsgoclim ... imbing.htm

try again.