04/05/2024

Bulls eye Becca

Summary of information reported by those at the scene: At least 3 experienced members of the club had climbed the route without issue. The route was one tier up from the bottom of the quarry. On ascending, the climber shouted down to warn the belayer and those below of rockfall. A large rock the size of a beach ball fell and hit the ground next to the belayer. The rock ricocheted from the ground and hit the belayed on the right side of their trunk. The rock rolled off the tier and to the bottom level of the quarry. Climbers shouted to warn those below. No one was injured on the bottom tier. The climber on the route was brought to a safe position and the belayer was released from the belay. People attended to the injured belayer by making them as comfortable as possible. The emergency services (and mountain rescue) were called and the injured person was taken to hospital where they required medical intervention.

19/08/2023

The Angel's Girdle

We were near the end P2 of the The Angel's Girdle route at Wintour's Leap when the incident occurred. The route is given VS and both of us are very comfortable on multipitches at this grade and above and have been trad climbing for 6+ years. The route is a long traverse of the North Wall at the crag. Near the end of the pitch the leader had climbed up onto the E1 traverse that goes above the VS and then back down to the belay, as the guidebook description regarding a sapling was found to be confusing. I was following this higher section when a large (big microwave-sized) block I was holding onto broke off. The next gear protecting me on the traverse was reasonably far away and I fell sideways around 6 metres. The rock I fell past is quite slabby and protruding and it was not a clean fall - my foot must have clipped a ledge and began to swell significantly and I could not put weight on it. I felt like I was going to pass out and hobbled along the rest of the pitch and was backroped to the belay, leaving a piece of gear in, and we abseiled from the tree at the end of P2 and commenced the journey out from the crag (mostly via me being carried).