|
I've broken bones (every limb at least once), torn ligaments (ACL 3x), been cut (forehead 26 stitches), and had some close calls (stuck on a bergschrund in the Olympic Mountains, no rope, 2 days from our pickup, no safe way to get down). But, for me, the scariest moment came when I was rock climbing with my brother in Bavaria.
He was leading the first pitch on 5.8 sandstone. We were using cams and chocks for protection. About 40 feet up, his feet slipped and he came falling down. All of his protection pulled, and he hit the ground right next to me, on his back. He sat up, looked at me in horror, and found he couldn't breathe. He started turning really red, before he finally got his wind back and took in a huge gulp of air.
We waited about an hour, and then tried the pitch again, this time being more careful on placing protection. We made it, that time, with no incident.
Holy crap, that still scares me to this day.
|