[T_B]

It’s not dead though is it?

Anecdotally a lot of climbers have had lower limb fractures, but do they have a worse time of it long term than those with chronic finger/shoulder/elbow/back/hip injuries?

I reckon I might have arthritis in my big toe and can see this being more of a problem than my (f*ct) ankle.

My Dad’s had 30 years of health problems having been a fit climber for years. There are so many other factors that come into play and may take you down the lycra route, once you’re 40+! But yes, best to avoid hitting the deck at speed. I really hope I can still hobble around the fells/crags 20 years from now.

[SA Chris]

Not to mention future deterioration. Even fairly benign sounding fractures through joint surfaces have a high risk of deteriorating over 10-15 years leaving you with a range of generally undesirable surgical options of mixed efficacy, and which often only buy you a few extra years anyway. An injury that looks like it's had a great outcome can still result in serious disability 20 years later, which still leaves you with a lot of disabled life left if you get injured at 25.

Really? That to look forward to then.

[Paul B]

It’s mad how these discussions so often polarise groundalls into dying and “getting away with it”. The potential outcomes are so varied and unpredictable. Even the classic “just breaking your ankle” ranges from 4 weeks in a moonboot with codeine pills to losing your foot.

+1

I was never a particularly bold climber but there have been times in the past (when I was a fair bit younger) where I remember rationalising what I was planning to do because when I was even younger I'd broken the odd bone, and whilst it was painful in the short term, long term it seemed fairly inconsequential.

Obviously I then took a slightly awkward fall from the top of an indoor bouldering wall and stamped on my own lower leg giving me the privilege of meeting my tib and fib in person (and performing the one time party trick of my RF touching my R knee). I've done a fair bit of damage to myself over the years (some of it my own fault, a lot of it not) and I was astounded by the difference in pain levels for a start.

Speaking to the experts who put me back together, and seeing people over the course of my rehab where their Ilizarov frames weren't working was sobering. The fracture clinic also had a fair number of people with amputations as a result of bad fractures. My wife's colleague was hit by a motorbike when she was out running at night (on the footpath I believe). She's worn a frame since (there was bone loss) and it just isn't repairing itself.

My leg may be back together now (and I'm really lucky it happened in Sheffield near to so many experts), and has long since stopped aching in the cold but it's not, and never will be the same. I can tense my calf muscle but if you then squeeze it, it rapidly returns to jelly. I also now seem to be struggling with shoulder issues which my physio thinks are linked.

It’s not dead though is it?

No.

[SA Chris]

Eric H's tribulations give me the horrors.

[colin8ll]

I remember rationalising what I was planning to do because when I was even younger I'd broken the odd bone, and whilst it was painful in the short term, long term it seemed fairly inconsequential.

I imagine a lot of climbers who solo short routes would feel the same, and this is why I think the polarization is valid. On the shorter routes you can trick yourself and climb in a the type of psychological bubble that can't be relied upon for longer solos where there is absolutely no doubt about the consequence of a mistake. The mental fortitude Honnold displayed when setting off up freerider has got to be worth more than some sport wad turning their brain off for a few minutes to run a ropeless lap on what would normally be a warm up for them.

[mrjonathanr]

Visiting a mate in Stoke hospital after a ground fall (lowered off the end of the rope when 25’ up) was fairly sobering. Long pins in his spine, colostomy bag.
Me- Big hospital this!
Him- Dunno, I was unconscious when they helicoptered me in.

Well worth avoiding.

[Potash]

With short solos you only need to gibber back down a short distance if it all feels like it is going wrong.

[remus]

One that always seemed pretty impressive to me is Matt Cousins' solo of Chimera at high rocks. Very insecure, sandy rock, very hard and saves the difficult stuff for right at the top where you definitely wouldn't want to fall off.

[remus]

Oh and lest we forget, Antoine le Menstrel's solo of Revelations in 1985 is pretty wild. The route wasn't as hard as it is today and you might not even die if you fell off, but for the time and the place it's pretty special.

[SA Chris]

With short solos you only need to gibber back down a short distance if it all feels like it is going wrong.

This. Or someone can drop you a rope.

[jwi]

With short solos you only need to gibber back down a short distance if it all feels like it is going wrong.

This is true for any reversible climbing. I have down climbed pretty far a few times.

When Jorge Diaz-Rullo climbed DD it looked like he could reverse down to jump-off-able heights at any moment. (He is a 9b climber on overhanging 7b terrain so that isn't very surprising)