Post by richb on Aug 21, 2017 14:36:39 GMT -7
I haven't been able to find much information from trusted sources on this topic. Yes, I know, it's best not to climb slabs, and if you must, then it's best not to fall. BUT... if you find yourself climbing a slab AND you fall from above your gear, how do you minimize the possibility of scraping body parts, rolling ankles, or slamming into the wall at the end of the whipper?
If the slab is bolted closely or there is plenty of supplemental pro in seams, flakes, pockets, etc., then the problem is trivial - you just fall and land with your feet against the rock. But if it's run out as anyone who has climbed at a traditional area on smooth granite slabs is all too familiar with, what do you do?
Do you try to run or shuffle your feet downward as you fall? Do you attempt to slide along on your shoe rubber? I remember Arno Ilgner mentioning the sliding technique in the Rock Warrior's Way - he described sliding on his shoes and patting the wall with his hands on the way down - sounds dubious to me.
And as for belaying strategy, do you want to give a soft catch just as you would on anything vertical or overhanging? Or do you want to take in slack and shorten the fall? On mountainproject, the late, great slab master John Strand advocated reeling in slack hand over hand on really long slab falls to reduce the risk of injury.
If the slab is bolted closely or there is plenty of supplemental pro in seams, flakes, pockets, etc., then the problem is trivial - you just fall and land with your feet against the rock. But if it's run out as anyone who has climbed at a traditional area on smooth granite slabs is all too familiar with, what do you do?
Do you try to run or shuffle your feet downward as you fall? Do you attempt to slide along on your shoe rubber? I remember Arno Ilgner mentioning the sliding technique in the Rock Warrior's Way - he described sliding on his shoes and patting the wall with his hands on the way down - sounds dubious to me.
And as for belaying strategy, do you want to give a soft catch just as you would on anything vertical or overhanging? Or do you want to take in slack and shorten the fall? On mountainproject, the late, great slab master John Strand advocated reeling in slack hand over hand on really long slab falls to reduce the risk of injury.
