Comments on: Close Call http://sonnietrotter.com/2009/04/14/close-call/ Professional Rock Climber, Amateur Photographer, Videographer, Writer, Guide, Speaker, Runner, Squamish Local, Nature Worshiper, Mountain Addict, Lydia Love Slave, Aspiring Carpenter, Soccer Enthusiast, Surfer Wannabe Wed, 16 May 2012 22:30:07 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Eric http://sonnietrotter.com/2009/04/14/close-call/comment-page-1/#comment-3853 Eric Thu, 23 Apr 2009 00:11:22 +0000 http://sonnietrotter.com/?p=1457#comment-3853 Did this happen in 2006? If not, could the rock have come from this? http://www.squamishclimbing.com/squamish_climbing_bb/viewtopic.php?t=2235 Did this happen in 2006? If not, could the rock have come from this?
http://www.squamishclimbing.com/squamish_climbing_bb/viewtopic.php?t=2235

]]> By: Paul B http://sonnietrotter.com/2009/04/14/close-call/comment-page-1/#comment-3839 Paul B Thu, 16 Apr 2009 22:03:01 +0000 http://sonnietrotter.com/?p=1457#comment-3839 Thought provoking post. My only comparable experience was out soloing a long mountain Severe last summer (5.6 or something? Don't really get yank grades). It was a pretty chilled day, with 4 other friends at various points on the route. On the fifth pitch my foot slipped. Maybe it was lichen, maybe it was slick rock, maybe a crystal broke, who knows. All I know is that I've never focused quite so intently on anything in my entire life as i focused on that next move. Not a situation I'd ever wish on anyone else, or even myself again for that matter, but that sensation of pure crystalline focus I will always remember and will take it to the grave. As you say, soloing isn't for everyone. The risks are great, but on a personal level the rewards can be immense. Cheers. Thought provoking post.

My only comparable experience was out soloing a long mountain Severe last summer (5.6 or something? Don’t really get yank grades). It was a pretty chilled day, with 4 other friends at various points on the route. On the fifth pitch my foot slipped. Maybe it was lichen, maybe it was slick rock, maybe a crystal broke, who knows. All I know is that I’ve never focused quite so intently on anything in my entire life as i focused on that next move. Not a situation I’d ever wish on anyone else, or even myself again for that matter, but that sensation of pure crystalline focus I will always remember and will take it to the grave. As you say, soloing isn’t for everyone. The risks are great, but on a personal level the rewards can be immense.

Cheers.

]]> By: sock hands http://sonnietrotter.com/2009/04/14/close-call/comment-page-1/#comment-3838 sock hands Thu, 16 Apr 2009 18:47:12 +0000 http://sonnietrotter.com/?p=1457#comment-3838 on the flip side, my friends and i used to mess around and slide down ravines after big snow storms... most of these were fairly short, but bottomed out totally flat in shale creekbeds. one day my friend just went running and jumped to slide the first 1/5th of a chute, intending to stop before the pitch kicked to vertical above the creek... only we didn't know that he intended to stop, and in fact, he wasn't able to. all we saw is the frantic final glance back at us, helpless, before momentum took him ripping over the edge and out of sight. as young kids, we couldn't fathom that a human could live after that fall. we assumed a corpse awaited us and there were no responses to our shouts as we tried to circumnavigate down to the creek bed. in the end, the mini avalanche that he kicked up ended up giving just enough snow padding to let him escape uninjured, but so rattled he wouldn't speak for a while. freak accidents victimize more than one... i'll never forget that silent last look of desperation... stone cold terrifying. on the flip side, my friends and i used to mess around and slide down ravines after big snow storms… most of these were fairly short, but bottomed out totally flat in shale creekbeds. one day my friend just went running and jumped to slide the first 1/5th of a chute, intending to stop before the pitch kicked to vertical above the creek… only we didn’t know that he intended to stop, and in fact, he wasn’t able to. all we saw is the frantic final glance back at us, helpless, before momentum took him ripping over the edge and out of sight. as young kids, we couldn’t fathom that a human could live after that fall. we assumed a corpse awaited us and there were no responses to our shouts as we tried to circumnavigate down to the creek bed.

in the end, the mini avalanche that he kicked up ended up giving just enough snow padding to let him escape uninjured, but so rattled he wouldn’t speak for a while.

freak accidents victimize more than one… i’ll never forget that silent last look of desperation… stone cold terrifying.

]]> By: family man http://sonnietrotter.com/2009/04/14/close-call/comment-page-1/#comment-3837 family man Thu, 16 Apr 2009 14:11:15 +0000 http://sonnietrotter.com/?p=1457#comment-3837 good writing man keep it up! a ways back i had a similar 'kind of' moment when soloing an ice route.. perfect conditions, perfect weather, perfectly strong, head and body cruising .. peaceful y'know, just unwinding my shit in a beautiful place heard a faint 'click' and (duoh) looked up just in time to collect a rock in the face, straight out of a clear blue sky ... booooooooooom both my feet popped but one slightly overdriven tool took the strain till the fog cleared and i could get my feet back on, blood was splashing all over the ice, me ... ghastly and all i could hear was this screaming which i eventually figured out was me. anyway climbed down real fast and ran for the roadend where i freaked out a bunch of tourists with my blood splattered face. clothes etc makes you wonder about the what ifs , what if the tool had popped, what if the rock had been bigger or like you say had a few relatives on the way .. anyhow apart from the mental damage i healed fine but it left a few big holes in my psyche soloings a beautiful game and the rewards are indescribable, of course its deadly serious and it can leave more questions then answers, but i know why i chose to solo and i'm happy with what i found there i have kids now and it maybe a very long time till i solo serious stuff again, maybe never, i have big mountains to climb with my children as they grow and would like to be there when they head out on the sharp end someday keep up the good writing sonnie, its a pleasure to hear your thoughts good writing man keep it up!

a ways back i had a similar ‘kind of’ moment when soloing an ice route.. perfect conditions, perfect weather, perfectly strong, head and body cruising .. peaceful y’know, just unwinding my shit in a beautiful place

heard a faint ‘click’ and (duoh) looked up just in time to collect a rock in the face, straight out of a clear blue sky … booooooooooom both my feet popped but one slightly overdriven tool took the strain till the fog cleared and i could get my feet back on, blood was splashing all over the ice, me … ghastly and all i could hear was this screaming which i eventually figured out was me.

anyway climbed down real fast and ran for the roadend where i freaked out a bunch of tourists with my blood splattered face. clothes etc

makes you wonder about the what ifs , what if the tool had popped, what if the rock had been bigger or like you say had a few relatives on the way .. anyhow apart from the mental damage i healed fine but it left a few big holes in my psyche

soloings a beautiful game and the rewards are indescribable, of course its deadly serious and it can leave more questions then answers, but i know why i chose to solo and i’m happy with what i found there

i have kids now and it maybe a very long time till i solo serious stuff again, maybe never, i have big mountains to climb with my children as they grow and would like to be there when they head out on the sharp end someday

keep up the good writing sonnie, its a pleasure to hear your thoughts

]]> By: tommy http://sonnietrotter.com/2009/04/14/close-call/comment-page-1/#comment-3835 tommy Thu, 16 Apr 2009 00:28:28 +0000 http://sonnietrotter.com/?p=1457#comment-3835 awesome post. the whole bit about the blood draining from your face reminds me of the common thread passing through all of our 'going for it' moments. that is, the though process during the two times i've almost died climbing were really similar to, say, for instance, the first time I asked someone out (while i was sober). of course, what's at stake is far different, but the way you kinda leave your body and watch it all happen from a distance is quite similar. this reminds of something i read on a message board last week (sorry for the long comment). but the post suggested climbing is just like any other hobby. he went so far as to compare it to world of warcraft. at the time i had several rebuttals churning through me, but i left it alone because it seemed the argument would boil down to a subjective interpretation of 'being'. but it strikes me that the major difference between any ol' hobby and climbing/love is the latter is almost entirely made up of 'going for it'. the whole thing. all the time. going for it. in games, if you don't win you just hit the reset button. but in climbing - like life in general - it doesn't really work that way. that's all :P tommy awesome post. the whole bit about the blood draining from your face reminds me of the common thread passing through all of our ‘going for it’ moments. that is, the though process during the two times i’ve almost died climbing were really similar to, say, for instance, the first time I asked someone out (while i was sober). of course, what’s at stake is far different, but the way you kinda leave your body and watch it all happen from a distance is quite similar. this reminds of something i read on a message board last week (sorry for the long comment). but the post suggested climbing is just like any other hobby. he went so far as to compare it to world of warcraft. at the time i had several rebuttals churning through me, but i left it alone because it seemed the argument would boil down to a subjective interpretation of ‘being’. but it strikes me that the major difference between any ol’ hobby and climbing/love is the latter is almost entirely made up of ‘going for it’. the whole thing. all the time. going for it. in games, if you don’t win you just hit the reset button. but in climbing – like life in general – it doesn’t really work that way.

that’s all :P

tommy

]]> By: Claire http://sonnietrotter.com/2009/04/14/close-call/comment-page-1/#comment-3834 Claire Wed, 15 Apr 2009 17:14:31 +0000 http://sonnietrotter.com/?p=1457#comment-3834 I was watching the film 'The 80s: Birth of the Extreme' a couple of months ago (worth a watch if only for the lycra!) and Jimmy Jewel is soloing some amazing stuff in north wales. he just made it look amazing, so pure, so in control, kind of peaceful. i was so drawn in and said wow i wanna do that some day. then at the end they reveal he died soloing one day when he was climbing in trainers in the rain. no ones invincible! but is it worth the risk for those feelings? I was watching the film ‘The 80s: Birth of the Extreme’ a couple of months ago (worth a watch if only for the lycra!) and Jimmy Jewel is soloing some amazing stuff in north wales. he just made it look amazing, so pure, so in control, kind of peaceful. i was so drawn in and said wow i wanna do that some day. then at the end they reveal he died soloing one day when he was climbing in trainers in the rain. no ones invincible! but is it worth the risk for those feelings?

]]> By: Paul http://sonnietrotter.com/2009/04/14/close-call/comment-page-1/#comment-3833 Paul Wed, 15 Apr 2009 16:19:43 +0000 http://sonnietrotter.com/?p=1457#comment-3833 Another great post Sonnie! Another great post Sonnie!

]]> By: Danny http://sonnietrotter.com/2009/04/14/close-call/comment-page-1/#comment-3832 Danny Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:58:10 +0000 http://sonnietrotter.com/?p=1457#comment-3832 Sounds like Yam... first time on it I thought school kids were throwing rocks off the top in the handfuls Sounds like Yam… first time on it I thought school kids were throwing rocks off the top in the handfuls

]]> By: ktmt http://sonnietrotter.com/2009/04/14/close-call/comment-page-1/#comment-3830 ktmt Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:31:48 +0000 http://sonnietrotter.com/?p=1457#comment-3830 We humans always want to make sense of things, to put our narrow misses, close calls, crossed paths, moments just in or out of reach into a framework, to find the meaning, the explanation, the truth. But "it was just life being life - completely random and perfectly unexplainable" is among the best answers I've seen. We humans always want to make sense of things, to put our narrow misses, close calls, crossed paths, moments just in or out of reach into a framework, to find the meaning, the explanation, the truth. But “it was just life being life – completely random and perfectly unexplainable” is among the best answers I’ve seen.

]]> By: Matt http://sonnietrotter.com/2009/04/14/close-call/comment-page-1/#comment-3828 Matt Wed, 15 Apr 2009 08:25:57 +0000 http://sonnietrotter.com/?p=1457#comment-3828 I love Exasperator, a great line that taught me that I didn't know squat about finger locks or what 5.10 should feel like. I think experiences like the one you had put the rest of life into perspective, and I feel sorry for those people who don't have them, or ignore them when they do. The reflection you put into the experience says a great deal about the kind of person you are - kudos! Either that or it says your cable is out. I love Exasperator, a great line that taught me that I didn’t know squat about finger locks or what 5.10 should feel like. I think experiences like the one you had put the rest of life into perspective, and I feel sorry for those people who don’t have them, or ignore them when they do. The reflection you put into the experience says a great deal about the kind of person you are – kudos!
Either that or it says your cable is out.

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