This picture came from 2016, September 10th.
It was the route that I am so familler with. I had climbed this route 4 times without falling prior to this fall... actually this happend because I tried something new... on the move I usually goto left, I had tried right...
Anyway, this is the blog of the day...
https://allnevery.blogspot.com/2016/09/blog-post_88.html
This is the condition...
1)The route was the one I am familiar with.
2)the crux is in the beginning
3)the belayer was new
4)the belayer was testing the device for his first time
5)the rock condition was not good(a famous guide were falling at 5.10b witchi is just one grade above this clilmb)
In retrospect, I should have worn the helmet, but then, I was totally unaware of my risk since I had developed my habit of not wearing my helmet in free climbing, not ice climbing nor the alpine climbing, since unexpected falling ice or fallen rock is the part of the game in those climbing... but free climbing, usually those risk are considered eliminated.
I was tying up the knot with a new guy since this climb was not starting from my idea, it was the climb I was asked to come, so I had to go, and if I had to go, I needed a belayer... so this was a sort of "hasty climb". This was one risk.
So I had to lead climb at the first thing in the morning, since it is the climber's ritual that who invited the climb has to climb and sort of "entertain" the other.
I had known this belayer from my climbing mentor's climb, and he had told me he climb up to 5.12, which takes about few years for anyone to climb that grade, unless you are super talented... then, by now, you are already famous... so I trusted him. Later I was told from my mentor, " I told you I don't like him".
Sadly, by this accident I was told so many other climbers that he had developed bad reputation so no one like to tie him up since his belay is so bad... anyway, I did not know. Also I trusted him because I met him in my mentor's climbing party.
What I would say to myself 4 years ago?
I am now getting back with my knee injury and muscle tore injury of the same legs... my cut in the head was 7 stitches and compare to my leg injury, the head injury was light influence to my climbing activities... leg injury has much more severe impact on climbing, since you can not climb at all with leg injury.
On the contrary, I was climbing the next day after this head injury.
I would say, this head injury made me less trusting my belayer. I don't trust most of them, including veterans.
Usually in japan, experienced climber means someone from alpine climbing but those climber had never fallen first of all, also had never "caught a fall" usually.
So they are not at all used to... this young man who did not catches me back then is a good belayer now, but I think my climbing mentor still thinks that casual fall is no no... but in free climbing(not alpine climbing nor just cragging) , climbers are falling 90 percent of the time, since challenging somewhere he can not climb, is the whole story of the game, so falling is a part of the game...
It is true that you should not fall with a belayer who are new to you, and you are unsure about each other's skills. But the definition of free climbing includes frequent fall, whereas in alpine climbing, fall means death... in the free climbing, nice thing is, falling does not mean death at all, it is a everyday business.
So I now, I am very scared of falling, especially with new belayer, I am entitled to freak out, of course... I am entitled to, I was almost killed. Give me a break.
I only need trustworthy belayer who does not drop me on the ground and that is not at all asking too much. On the contrary, it is sort of minimum request.
I never let my climber fall on the ground, never. That is the norm and I am only asking what I offer to the other people back...
