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So I'm on this multi-pitch 5.8. It's bolted very well. There are very few things that I would change about it, other than it's dirty. Don't get me wrong. I'm going to go back and clean it. Its just that its dangerous right now.

We had reached the top and were double rope repelling through Metolius rap hangers. My ropes were both 10.6mm (very fat).
As I kick off from the top. I have a habit of kicking out from the cliff as this is a slab route and I don't want to walk down the cliff. I get two rap stations down in one "go".
I go in direct to the next set of rap hangers. My partner starts his rappel. As he is about half way to me I hear the dreaded,"ROCK!!"
Now keep in mind we are on slab and I think," I'm going to die!", I'm tied into the rap hangers by my daisies and only have so much to move with.
Quick like a bunny (I particularly liked that one) I spied a bulge that I might take shelter under if I swung to the right!
I swung left and sucked in hard.

Then I heard it coming. It sounded like a volkswagon had learned to whistle! I closed my eyes and braced for what I knew would kill me. SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!
It went by.

My partner shouted to me,"Are you O.K.?"

"Yes!" I returned," It missed me! Come on down!"

He continued his walk to the station. When he arrived we set about our next set of duties. I pulled the rope and he threaded the rap hangers for our next decent.
Now pay close attention here. Circumstances played against us. I believe that each detail fell into place as to simultaineously cause us to come into harms way and to save us.
(1) We were on Rap Hangers-if we had been on rap rings I believe it would have taken enough friction out of the syem to aviod what happened next.
(2)We were using fat 10.6mm ropes. They are prone to increase drag.
(3) we were on slab. None of this would have happened if it was vertical or over hanging.
(4) My partner walking instead of kicking down on rappel.

As I am pulling the fat ropes through the hangers that are two pitches up there is an extreme amout of drag. It seems that to make the turns through the anchors the rope wants to bind. As we are also on slab the drag developed across the rock magnifies this effect. I am really having to pull to get the rope loose.
As the knot (doubled, triple fishermans) gets hung up in a crack. I have to pull the rope back a little and flip it out of the crack. I lean way back in my daisies to watch the knot. The rope starts coming faster and I strain against the daisies to watch for it.
I don't know if you have ever been rope whipped but let me tell you it sucks. Getting hit by a mass of rope like a "doubled, triple fishermans"
will change your mind about not watching the rope fall.
As I am leaned back. I see what I thought was the knot coming at me but it was moving way too fast!
"Oh,shit!" I yell and once more swing to my safety under the bulge.

My partner who was busy threading the hangers was completely unaware of what was about to hit him as he was concentrating on threading the 10.6mm fat rope through the muddled hangers that were cloged with two biners apiece. One for each of our respective daisies, four total.
The rock. About the size of a bowling ball was dead centered on the anchors. Bert, my partner, was to my left.
"Smack!" went the rock and I looked over expecting the worst.

It had only hit his hand making a small crescent of blood apear on his knuckle but it had to have stung like lightning strike.
Bert freaked out a little and started screaming at me about how the anchors,"Have too much crap in them!" H
He started to take some of the carabiners loose. I, realizing that the biners he was taking off belonged to me, grabbed his hands away from the anchors and told him in my soothingest voice to,"calm down". We were going to be alright and that he was safe. I took command of his duties of threading the anchors and soon we were safely on the ground.
My question to you is this. This is a a sport route put up by the director of the Southern Utah Climbers Coalition. Every route of his that I have been on, in other than the most visited crags, are dangerous choss piles. Nothing has been trundled, nothing cleaned. There are huge, loose plates that you have to climb through. Loose rocks on ledges. Everything that you don't want to encounter mid-route with people below you.
I even clipped a bolt on a fin on one of his routes and as I climbed past it saw that where the bolt was the rock was only about 4" thick.
I plan on going back to the 5.8 and cleaning it myself. Right now I wouldn't let anyone on it as it is dangerous. I'll clean it myself then take people up it.

Should I say something to this guy. He's done alot around here as far as bolting goes but alot of his routes are dangerous. I think they never should have been opened it their present state. Thats my opinion though. I have no authority.

i pulled a rope on leaning tower and it feel the full rope length and the cracked like a whip. when i get down to look at it the end was exploded. if that his some one it could have really hurt them. but luckly the wall is very over hanging, so nothing bad happened.

i would not worry about saying anything to this guy. just know when you get on one of his routes it is going to be chossy. but cleaning it would be cool of you.

Where was this?

I was at a local crag called "LimeKiln Caynon" It's in Arizona. From My balcony you can see three states. Utah, Nevada and Arizona.
Very interesting area that I live in. Most of the climbing is in what is called the Utah Hills. Which includes The most famous (but not the best, IMHO)

(1)The Virgin River Gorge. (It is 30 minutes up the road.)

(2)he Diamond (not the famous one in Colorado,also 30 min away)

(3)Welcolme Springs, an unbelievable area!(25 minutes away)

(4)Arrow Caynon (30 minute drive South) and last but not least Limekiln Caynon (Only 10 miles away!) you can actually see the headwall from here.

We are so lucky to live here 8)

Sounds like a neat area. my brother lives in Springdale, right outside Zion. I'll be spending some time there hopefully next spring and summer, maybe i'll come down and check out your neck of the woods. I've climbed at Snow Canyon a couple times, really liked it there. my question is, why do you post on this site? its not exactly local. are you trying to get advice w/o pissing off the locals who set the routes???

Ultra wrote:The truth is a Rock and under this rock many will be crushed. But if you fall upon this Rock you may be saved.

Very prophetic.

It seems that there is more of a coalesced climbing community in the East. There's not a sense of communion like what you find on sites from the East. I have climbed at the Red River Gorge and met some very cool people. Most of them are Road tripping in Rifle right now. Some will filter through and stay with me and my wife for a few days. If anyone you know is on a Road trip and needs a place to crash, clean up and get online. They can get in touch with us and we will put them up for a day or so. While I was climbing at Veyo pool in Utah I met a climber from Ohio named Yasmeen. She posts on this site. She pulls really hard. I saw her almost onsight a 12 b. She pulls hard!

I am Yasmeen's mother and I know you are having unpure thoughts about her. Cease and desist and pray for forgiveness.

On the other hand, I know a lot of Utards and they appear to have a very strong sense of community. In fact, they do a lot to protect access. Post your bitching here:
http://www.utahclimbers.com/phpBB2/

Climbing is inherently dangerous. Regardless of the amount of cleaning that is done to a route there is still the potential for rock fall and repeated freeze/thaw cycles will still occur. After all, this is rock climbing and it is in the great outdoors. It is ridiculous to blame the first ascentionist for forces of Nature. There is much more that I would like to say about this, but it is probably best that I keep my mouth shut, besides I need to leave for work soon...

Okay, one short story from a couple weeks ago... We recently climbed at an area ~10 miles south of Seneca called Nelson Rocks. It is home to one of West Virginia's longest routes "Millennium" a 9 pitch, 1000' 5.7.

While walking along the wall we witnessed a climber take a HUGE rope cutting fall from this climb. He bounced off of several ledges before crashing down onto a final ledge 100' up that probably saved his life. He broke several bones and had two head injuries that were bleeding badly. I ran for help while another climber ascended the route below the ledge to lower him to the ground. We later asked the injured climber what had happened. He kept calling himself "dumbshit" and said that he got off route and the climbing got much harder than he had expected. There was also a considerable amount of loose rock. Never once did I hear him blame the developers for his own actions (which sometimes have severe consequences).