[Blunk]

Yesterday we were developing a new granite bouler and I pulled a 40-50 pound flake off onto my (fat) belly. No harm done, but it provided loads of laughs.

What's your broken hold horror story?

[dave]

pulled a shoe-sized hold of this roof in sardinia. just missed me face. also kicked a speaker-sized block off california arete, btu that was semi-intentional.

[Pantontino]

A sizeable chunk (portable tv) off top pitch of Public Enemy in Pembroke.

A keyboard sized block from a sds at Brimham once - thought I'd bust my coxis (sp?)

A ledge collapsed on me, but didn't take flight on Dun Mingulay in the Hebrides once.

An edge and a flake on Metal Mickey at Kilnsey, but I found them and glued them back on. Still couldn't do it though. :roll:

[Fingers of a Martyr]

i've snapped/(cracked) a few holds down the wall in my time. :wink:

[hongkongstuey]

a block the size of a small fridge is my best to date - from the top of Fantasia, Red Wall, Gogarth (that'll teach me to climb routes) - it nearly: a) brained my belayer, and b) chopped my ropes as it tumbled down the wall to the sea - with me not following too far behind (i was mantling onto said block when it decided it didn't want to be part of the cliff any more.......)

also snapped a little flake (5cm sq or so) off from about 5ft above the roof of Silly Arete once - executed a fantastic back somersault through the roof and made a resounding 'slap' as i hit the slab beneath - finishing about 2ft above my belayer. I was rocking onto the flake when it went so had both hands and one foot on it - hence the backward roll and somersault through the roof.

Mentle note to self - never put three points of contact on the same hold on a welsh E3.........

[SA Chris]

I pulled off a house brick sized hold at Stanage (yes Stanage). Was seconding a mate of mine on the direct start to High Neb Buttress ( his shoulder popped out halfway up too). I was puling away on it, so luckily I flew out backwards and it bounced off my shin on the way down.

[AndyR]

A breezeblock sized hold whilst seconding (luckily) Dragon in the avon gorge - looked solid as well - the rock just disintegrated and I went flying off backwards....

[dave]

P.S. i once snapped a hold at the edge woody.

what about famous holds that are loose/about to come off? the big three gotta be the undercut on the nose, the flake on green traverse and the big hold at the end of extended warfare.

[Carnage]

I've ripped a couple of big metolius jugs off the wall indoors before  (either too strong or too fat) and snapped off a few little edges on S Sandstone (not surprising really) but thats about it. Nothing special..........

[Sloper]

recently, er the good side pull flake at the start of gorilla warfare

qyue, who ate all the pies etc

[dave]

don't worry sloper, no-one ever used that one anyway!.

[Bonjoy]

Pulled a big sandstone sidepull off a roof opposite the Opera house in Syders, landed me on my ass in front of too many spectators. Came back some time later to try the same prob and pulled off another big hold, didn't come back after that :roll: .

[Fiend]

I trundled a brief-case sized block whilst soloing a VS in Goblin Combe....dunno whether it was a hold or not but I thought I best get rid of it in case I had a brain spasm and tried to use it for all 4 points of contact or something...

[Pantontino]

Why hasn't Scouse D been on yet. Surely he could write a book about all the holds he has sent to an early grave.

Mr Fantastic? More like Mr Spantastic these days!

[webbo]

i removed alarge block from the roof of special k at stoney by standing on it,which resulted in me being back at the start 30/40 ft lower down.

[Scouse D]

Why hasn't Scouse D been on yet. Surely he could write a book about all the holds he has sent to an early grave.

Mr Fantastic? More like Mr Spantastic these days!

Alright then Si I'll start my list...
Firstly i stood(lightly) on the crux foothold of Mr.Fantastic and it just fell off. The problem was too easy anyway.
 I also ripped the starting foothold off the sit start to Willy's Prow when Katz was trying to get the first ascent.
 I also pulled a tea tray sized plate of grit off the wall next to tiger at burbage south which winded me slightly(the grit scar has now healed)
 I ripped the good foothold which on some V5 at Griben Facet (there's a pic of Chris on it in the guide).
 At helsby i was dicking around on a small boulder problem where the crux involved hand jamming a small slot. The slot exploded under the force of my hand leaving absolutly no trace of a hold whatsoever, which was weird.
Can't remember any more specifics but I've certainly altered quite few problems in my time...I find it very hard to control my power.

[tommytwotone]

kicked a brick sized foothold off the bridge in Darley Park in Derby over summer, also snapped phallus - shaped hold at Wirksworth trying to dyno off it. Should have paid more attention to the creaking noises...

[luckyjez]

Pulled an A4 folder sized block of a problem just north of Bude (Northcott Mouth?) that went straight through my mat (kinda pointy). Also ripped a 10cm squared jug off Promised Land on Lundy. Had both hands off it. Stopped head first about 10foot above a v.v. poor landing. The wire that saved me fell out the next day on Paul Innes as he moved past it. Pulled a monitor sized (not a tft one either) block off above the belay on the Cow whilst following the top pitch.Landed right on the belay ledge. Nice.

[Pantontino]

I know exactly the block you are talking about on The Cow. I remember tip toeing past it, willing it to stay in place.

On the top pitch of Nexus there is a very large block that you have to climb onto and over - I couldn't work out why it didn't just fall away, there didn't seem to be anything holding it in place. It wouldn't be pretty if it went whilst you were on it. :shock:

[Nigel]

Pulled a hold off Walk On the Wild Side at Stennis, P'broke. Luckily I was seconding, and the boulderer's fingers on my other hand saved me from a nasty swing back into the corner. Behind this hold was the only good gear my mate got!

Pulled quite a few small wedged bits out of the start of Pippikin at Tree Mud Rock. Along with a lot of spider's webs, grass, brambles, and a piece of rust/peg. Not a popular route!

Completely dismantled the footblock beneath WTF! at Woodwell and glued it back together, but that was on purpose.

Can't manage anything sizeable so far...

[T.H.]

When I first started climbing back in 01, I did some route (the shame of it) at some "second rate southwest crag".  Thought I'd do some of that bridging crap you here so much about.  Put my foot on a hold which rapidly descended attached to a fridge size lump of rock.  Luckily the start of the route was overhanging and my belayer managed to get under it before getting squished.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, route climbing is just wrong.

[cofe]

snapped a trout-sized foothold of flying finish at o'er road back in summer. that's it i think (stop me if i'm worng).

other famous holds......the flake hold on the trackside boulder was bowing something chronic at the weekend..............

[Nigel]

snapped a trout-sized foothold of flying finish...

   Adult Rainbow trout sized to be exact.

The pinch on Beauty of Being Numb moves, but that doesn't matter because you don't need it anyway.

[dave]

i also kicked off a knob of butter sized foothold off crystal a roche abbey, but that not very big really. also elbowed off a bottle top sized peice of rock mid-dyno there too.

[cofe]

i like where this is going...

[Falling Down]

I pulled off the starting jug/crimp on Megatron Turbo at Stoney about ten years ago & then glued it back on I think Fatboy Slimfast then pulled it off again or that could just be idle slander.... Some of the glued on bits are are still in place

[Teaboy]

Whilst top roping what might one day be a new route at Craig Pen Gogarth I pulled a ledge sized ledge off the bottom and with it clutched to my stomach I swung backwards onto a boulder below. I've not been back to try the route again.

[webbo]

just remembered another.i bust a big lump of the top of close encounters in northunberland.i had my hands on the top of the crag and turned round to tell my mate what a great route it was,when the break i was stood on broke.i got to tell him the above while looking in to his eyes,although upside down.

[luckyjez]

Also remembered another. Pulled a finger jug off below the first bolt on 'Might and Main' (the right arete of 'empire of the sun' wall at Anstys).Rolled down the scree slope through a v thorny bush and cut me head. Richie P checked i wasn't dead before heading back to  the car to fetch his fags (priorities eh?)

[Fiend]

Damn, I forgot, I've got a pretty class one...

Copy'n'pasted from the NZ climbing site http://www.mojozone.co.nz ...

Yesterday morning I knocked a large "plate" ledge off just above the second bolt on Twisting By The Pool 19 ** on the RH Sin City wall at Duntroon. The ledge, about 2' long and 6" wide just snapped off when I was rocking over onto it which was quite a surprise. The 2nd bolt threaded with a home-made cord gizmo held, but when my girl abseiled down she found it was loose and seemed to be held in place by woodlice... The route is probably a little harder (20 maybe) but personally I'd be quite wary of these soft limestone routes on detachable holds with spaced wobbly bolts  

Note to self: Do not grab the other rope whilst hurtling through space. Friction burns on 3 fingers are not fun.


Was a bloody shock I tell you  :shock:

[SA Chris]

Not personally involved, but a mate was. I'm glad I wasn't the person standing in bottom left hand corner.