Too Much Slack

Dan Ralston, Seneca Rocks, West Virginia

Last year, while climbing at Seneca Rocks, my partner had just led the first pitch of a climb on the South End named Candy Corner (5.5). He couldn’t see me from his belay stance, and it was a windy, loud day. I had to work to pull out his first piece of gear, a nut that was wedged pretty well. I called for a little slack to maneuver a bit. Because my partner couldn't see or hear me very well, he fed out too much slack. Just then the flake I was standing on broke under my feet. I fell and decked on the rocks below the wall.

I landed on my back, and my head (covered with a helmet) slammed against a sharp rock. The back of the helmet got dented rather deeply. If it had been my skull hitting the rock instead of the helmet, it surely would have broken through the bone and probably caused serious damage. I might not be climbing or even walking today. I might not be alive to tell the story had it not been for the helmet.