Climb if you will, but remember that courage and strength are nought
without prudence and that a momentary negligence may destroy the
happiness of a lifetime. Do nothing in haste; look well to each step;
and from the beginning think what may be the end.'
Edward Whymper
There are no statistics on how many climbers set off up a climb, either
indoors or out, and forget to tie their knot properly in to their
harness.
Lynn Hill is perhaps the most famous climber to do this when climbing at
the Styx Wall at Buoux, France in 1989. On clipping her rope in to the
anchors at the end of a route, she lent back to lower, the rope pulled
out of her harness and she fell 70ft. She crashed through a tree and
landed between two boulders. She was lucky, she suffered only a broken
ankle, dislocated arm and a host of bumps, cuts, and bruises.
Other climbers have not been so lucky. Several climbers have died when
they have forgotten to tie their knot properly, many others have
sustained serious injuries.
Personally I can remember a climber at Malham Cove (35ft fall, two
broken ankles), one at the Owens River Gorge (65ft fall, multiple
breaks) - one fell off then hit the ground, the other clipped the
anchors sat back and then hit the ground. This year I saw a memorial to a
climber who died at a crag in France, after they forgot to tie in
properly and fell off.
In the last few months we have heard of five climbers in the UK who have
forgotten to tie their knot properly in to their harness.
ALWAYS CHECK YOUR KNOT BEFORE YOU CLIMB AND CHECK YOUR PARTNERS KNOT BEFORE THEY START TO CLIMB.
http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=58088
Check Your Knot ... More Accidents