Everyday Miracles
“I’m not sure I can do this.”
Scrabbling desperately, he fumbles a quickdraw onto the bolt.
“I think I’m coming off.”
Weight all on hands, nothing for feet. He needs to get the rope into the quickdraw, but he can’t get a hand free. He’s tiring fast.
“I’m gonna fall off!”
He’s a big lad and he’s a fair way above the last bolt. He sounds more than a little stressed.
“I’M COMING OFF!!”
And suddenly, I am flying up to meet him.
Loud laughter from all present. “Steve? You owe your belayer a pint, mate!”
At the end of the meet, amid all the thanks for the beer/food/climbing and see-you-Wednesday, he grins. “Cheers for saving my life.”
Funny, this sport of ours. We make regular attempts to get killed and our belayers perform ordinary, everyday miracles in stopping us dying. And we very rarely think anything of it.
(Score so far:
Winter Routes (survived): 3
Sport Routes (seconded): 34
Sport Routes (led): 5
Trad Routes (seconded): 44.5
Trad Routes (led): 7.5
Trad routes (solo: 1)