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My very first ground fall. 12-May-2010 At 4:20:26 PM noclimberboys

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I think simey makes a good point here.

>When I am so pumped that I can't think straight, I use the few brain cells still receiving oxygen to >place more gear instead of rushing the next move and hoping for the best.

>The reality is that if you want to climb harder routes you need to learn to place gear in strenuous >situations and shake-out effectively. Taking a silly risk to get up some intermediate route is not going to help you in the long term to climb harder routes safely.

And MiklLaw also makes a good point.
>One other thing, it's not a gym; you shouldn't be falling off unexpectedly. Particularly not on crap >gear

Egosan's response...
>Really? Wow. In know I really shouldn't be flippant, but Mikl, how did you come to that conclusion?

>We have all seen Neil's ground fall video. Another fabulous example of what not to do. What >about you Mikl? What hard lessons are you going to share with us?

and
>No argument from me on that point Mikl. Trad close to the deck is a bad place to fall. I suspect >much of the thing that terrifies you is bleeding over from the world of sport climbing where >dogging up routes is a common practice.

Does anyone else get a hint of ego in Egosan's tone? The irony...

My personal opinion, is that taking ground falls shouldn't be considered a right of passage and something that every climber goes through. It's something to be avoided.

Reading between the lines, if you lead The Rack with difficulty and then took a ground fall from a grade 16 climb then maybe you should be concentrating on climbing grades below that and concentrate on learning to place *really* good gear in an situation that isn't taxing. Once you've mastered that then you might start testing your good gear placement abilities in more strenuous situations.

And on another note - What is your perception of your current ability? And what is the actual reality of your ability? Maybe you need to ask people you climb with? Are you dangerous, reckless or did you just have a lapse of focus? Or were you trying to impress some woman (trust me - flailing around on a climb and then taking a grounder on an intermediate route is not the way forward)? You need an honest friend to assess these and give you feedback... since Simey's and MiklLaw's (two very knowledgeable people) advice is not held in high regard.