Rock Fall--What to do?

The thread on belaying, and then the yell of 'rope' and then all the answers of 'duck' got me thinking:

Unless I am wearing a helmet, and sometimes if I am wearing a helmet, I look up to avoid the rock.

Of course there are exceptions:

The leader is just over the belay, within, say, 25 feet.

What do you all think about this?

When climbing on ice a year or two ago I was looking up trying dodge some falling ice most of the lumps went straight past me except one lump which looked like it was going to miss me but then bounced of something and hit me smack in the face!!! Now I always get as close to the rock as I can and look into the rock so any rock/ice/gear hopefully bounces of my helmet and not my face.
www.adventuretraveller.co.uk The Adventure Sports Alternative Remove GAG to reply

Hmmm, my training has always been to have preplanned a place to duck and, if I hear rock, not to look up but to duck into the preplanned protective location.

There was one infamous time in a narrow gulley in the Tetons where 17 of us were on a training climb. The last person in line yelled rock and all of us who had the same training dove for our preplanned holes. A rock the size of a volswagen came through the gulley and missed everyone. Perhaps incorrrectly, I have always attirbuted this to our training to duck rather than look (oh yes and some luck I am sure - but it seems to me that one always needs to help out luck!!).

My impression has been that if you look up, there is a reasonable chance that it may hit you in the face. My nose is already ugly enough....

Cheers, just my training, I am curious as to the comments of others, and maybe I will revise.

: Unless I am wearing a helmet, and sometimes if I am wearing a helmet, I : look up to avoid the rock.

: Of course there are exceptions:

: The leader is just over the belay, within, say, 25 feet.

: What do you all think about this?

A climber on the E. Butt. of Middle Cathedral once got it full in the face that way. Fatally.

Who knows if a helmet would have made the difference in that case though.

Larry Scritchfield

A climbinbg instructor once said to the class I was in that we should tilt our head down and cover our neck with our hands (as close to the rock as possible).

I agree except that why not keep your head level and let the helmet protect your neck. Plus your neck might be better served being straight when hit to compress instead of bending your head over if the rock was heavy.

Regardless... Rocks always seem to bounce off the rock unless the crag/face is veritcal or overhanging from where the incoming rock fell. Get in close. Real close and it should fall beyond you.

Dave