I was climbing at the smokes bluffs in Squamish a few weekends ago. It was actually a fairly nice day for climbing since the annual Test of Metal bike race kept most climbers at bay from the crag we were at. However, as the afternoon got sunnier and the race wore down, more and more climbers started to show up and reinforced my reasoning for why I do not like climbing at the smokes bluffs more.
Michele was on a route called Flying Circus, a route for which someone had already had a fatal accident on this year. We were on a top rope so, there was little risk of having that occur again. However, while she was climbing on her first 5.10a ever, other climbers started throwing rappel ropes down from the top to set up climbs. It was a clusterfuck of stupidity.
There was one group who were leading and didn't even know how to place protection or set up the anchor at the top, another group that couldn't throw their rope off the top without getting it tangled half way down, and the straw on the camels back was a woman who threw her rope on my head while I was belaying Michele. The dangerous thing was not the fact that I had to maintain my concentration while having 5lbs of rope land on my head from 50ft up, but was the fact that the rope was now tangled in my belay. Thankfully, the woman next to me helped pull the rope off me for which I am eternally grateful. The climber who threw the rope in such an uncaring and dangerous manner, then rappelled down and proceeded to give a safety speech to a couple far more advanced than she was. "I wouldn't reccommend setting up a top rope on that route, there's be too much rope drag". Listening to this, and knowing that the route was perfectly fine to top rope on, I thought to myself that this woman didn't know what the hell she was talking about!
After returning from this day of climbing which, with the exception of the above, was actually a great day out. I started thinking about the fatality on Flying Circus earlier that month and my experience during my experience that day. Safety is always a huge concern in our sport of climbing. It is a claculated and risk balancing skill to be able to judge the safety of a situation and work with the tools we have. I thought to myself, why do we have accidents which cause fatalities and injuries and how can I make myself a better and safer climber from the mistakes of others.
I set out to do some research and noted a ton of accidents and some fatalities all in the popular Smokes Bluffs area. I was shocked as it was so early in the season. People taking 30ft falls, inverting, not wearing helmets, rappelling off the end of their rope because it wasn't centered properly and the list goes on. What surprised me more was the fact that the majority of these accidents were either newcomers to the sport or people who, although strong climbers, lacked the technical knowledge to be undertaking the climbs for which they took their perilous final falls.
As sad as it was, it made me realize that many of the accidents happened as a result of a lack in judgement or common sense. One fall, struck me particularly as a young man took a practice leader fall on a piece of gear without a helmet. His first piece of protection failed, he flipped inverted, hit his head and passed away shortly after. I don't know if a helmet could have saved his life. Maybe not, but I thought about how his fun and passion for the sport was quickly ended by taking a practice fall without any form of redundancies.
Redundancies are the hallmark of climbing. Put two pieces of protection in at the crux, not one. Bring an extral bail rope for long climbs, use three contact points for gear anchors so if one fails, you still have two points of contact. These are all things that one learns through experience of being with guides, teachers, and other experienced climbers. Everyone likes to believe that they have the pre-requisite experience to do a climb. Its a touchy thing to be criticized at a crag by people you don't know. This is all part of the learning process though. Some responses I've heard at crags range from "don't worry we know what we're doing" to simply "Fuck off mate!". I find it strange that people don't realize that we're all just looking out for one another. This awkwardness is further compounded when someone starts making safety reccommendations to you after they had just gone and chucked a rope on your head. Not only was this arrogant and rude but it also showed how little common sense this climber had.
Common sense is something that just can't be taught. Which is ashame, because if it could be, I could be a very rich man! It boggles my mind how some climbers have a complete lack of understanding of what is going on in their current environment. Is the route wet? Do I have the right gear? Is it windy? How many people are below me? Who is leading a route here? If the leader falls, will they hit me? Where am I standing?
Some of these questions seem odd and straighforward, especially the question about "where am I standing", however it is likely one of most important questions to understand while climbing. Are you on a cliff, a ledge, by a tree etc.. If I am belaying, will a fall from the climber pull me off of my safe perch or likewise if I drop some equipment, will it hit someone on the dead.
All of these observations can take place in a matter of seconds, and yet it is astounding as to the number of people who don't take the time to first assess where they are climbing and the risks that might be associated with that climbing location.
I may not have learned anything new from researching these accidents, however, it did make me far more accutely aware of my actions and choices and how they affect the people around me and furthermore, how the people around me can affect my level of risk that I am willing to take.
After having a rope chucked on my head, Michele and I packed it in for the day and went for a late lunch. The number of inexperienced people combined with the lack of judgement being exercised didn't make me feel comfortable and I didn't want to witness any accidents.
Lastly.....to everyone that reads this article. Don't be a statistic, wear a helmet when you're climbing!
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