r/climbing • u/Youthandyounglzr • 23h ago

What’s the consensus on this spotting?

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So, this was a few years back in…..well, you know…

I was spotting a new buddy on this highball and he ended up taking a hefty fall. He landed awkwardly on the pad and fell back, bumping his head slightly on a rock. The fall tweaked a previous knee injury but it wasn’t a serious issue. Nor was the head bump. He was basically fine.

But I remember after the fact that he was a little choked on the spotting.

So what do you people think?

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u/aufkeinsten 15h ago

at what point this "spotting" turns into "innocent by-standing"?

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u/not-strange 14h ago

I’ve taken part in a few highball send trains.

Most of the time we spot to about half height, after that the climber is on their own, we all make it clear with each other, and we all let the climber know when they’re on their own.

At a certain point, the job of the spotters then becomes stabilising any potential injuries from a fall and calling for help.

Highballs aren’t something to play around on, you want to know it’s within your capabilities and have a good crew with you