Most Gripped Moment?

[pipedream]

gripped - (adj.) Intense anxiety accompanied by twitching muscles, rapid breathing and severe puckering of the anal sphincter typically elicited when unexpectedly way outside of your comfort zone.

We've all been there before. And at least for now, we've made it out alive and (mostly) intact. While we wait for more snow in the West, I ask what have been the moments you've been gripped the most and how did the outcome of them change you?

For me, the most gripped I've been in recent memory was halfway down a line from your classic PNW ridge. I'd cut right too soon and ended-up on top of a substantial drop that looked like nothing but trees in the landing with maybe a meadow below them. I was the last to drop, the rest of the crew had already exited and were waiting safely below. The radio in my chest pocket crackled, "Dude, you alright?" I said nothing. 30 seconds passed. "Hey, WHERE are you?!" I pulled my goggles up, took a deep breath and pushed in the talk button, "I'm a little cliffed-out at the moment." "Yeah, like where?" "I'm not sure." "Can you climb out of it?" "I'd rather not, but the landing's shit - it looks like nothing but trees." Silence. I took a deep breath, put the goggles down and exhaled. I pushed the talk button one last time, "Fuck it, DROPPING!" I don't remember the take-off. I don't remember the landing. All I remember is the wave of snow breaking over me as I slashed a turn into the sunshine of the meadow. I'd made it. I was alive. The crew saw the plume of powder go up and rode over to meet me. I was looking up at my line laughing like a maniac. I'd somehow dropped 20-25 feet and split the difference between the only pair of trees wide enough to make it through.

As the adrenaline rush subsided I came to terms with just how lucky I'd gotten. A few inches to the right or left and things would've gone very differently. And not just for me, but my whole crew. They might've been hauling my broken self out, probably until well after sunset. The experience changed the way I make decisions in questionable terrain. I stopped investigating whether or not something would "go" when I knew other, more conservative options nearby were just fine. If it does go, there's always another lap, another day, another time to hit it. But if it doesn't and you F up by pushing it too much, you might never get the chance to ride again.

[skiitsbetter]

when I heard your dad coming as I was finishing up banging your mom

[that dude who did that thing]

There was some puckering right before this:

[userA]

passed a 5.5mm kidney stone, like giving birth thru the schlong.
b

[kidwoo]

passed a 5.5mm kidney stone, like giving birth thru the schlong.
b

That's pretty gnarly. You got any pics?








Of the stone. Pics of the stone.

[pfluffenmeister]

i've had two "near-death" experiences in which the subjective flow of time slowed considerably.


one was a car accident (did a 540 across three empty lanes, hit the jersey barrier switch, did a 180 out and kept on driving (to the next exit)).

another was an extended tomahawk (6Xish head over heels) down a steep rocky chute.


in both instances i experienced a complete sense of calm and had "time" for an extended dialouge with myself.

conversations that would not have been able to occur fast enough to fit into the alotted objective time period.


the phenomenon of the subjective slowing of time seems to be common among those who experience what they consider to near death events.

it was pretty cool.

[neufox47]

When the chairlift broke off the cable. That sucked.

[nickwm21]

At a full out sprint through an acorn orchard in complete darkness being chased by a dog... with a 3/8 oz of shrooms in my belly.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using TGR Forums

[userA]

When the chairlift broke off the cable. That sucked.

that would be my serious grip, i am always so relieved when i get off the padded seat.
b

[pipedream]

that would be my serious grip, i am always so relieved when i get off the padded seat.
b

I'm less relieved when a rope is involved in the unloading process

[sfotex]

"I'm late"......

[Flyoverland Captive]

"I'm late"......

This.

or

"I know what you did; we need to talk..."

[SkiBall]

Almost sliding off Loveland Pass on my first CO ski trip in a spring blizzard.
So you have to lock the front tires in for it to be 4-wheel drive? Now you tell me, and how do I do that exactly?
Tap brakes, did 180 left into the mountain. 180 right=serious downhill.

[zartagen]

When me and my buddies got shot at when we were skiing. Time slowed down and I could watch the bullets fly by in slow motion. Apparently some idiots "saw a bear."

[MakersTeleMark]

3k plus or minus up high on Lone Pine Peak in the Sierra. At night during a traverse way off route. Unroped with boots, not climbing shoes. 5.8 terrain, the block blows out, sparks, certain death. I grab 2 crimpers in a millisecond, my feet dangling. Manage to pull it in skittering. 2 unexpected bivies later got out following a bighorn. No water for 3 days, eating my own lips.

Watching my then gf rag doll 900' off of her first turn down the Holy Cross Coloiur.
Another certain death. 23 hours getting out of that one.

Standing in the elevator with my Mother on Stage 4 going up to the ICU barely lucid not even knowing who I was. The next year.

Same room that I was born in, holding my Dad's hand in the same room as above with my Mom, as he died in my hands.

Watching a friend fall in a crevass in Cham, when I was too young to have any gear besides a rope. That was fun.

Multiple lighting strikes. Even fishing where it arcs from my reel to my inner rist. Yet alone above treeline.

Running from the cops. Jail.

Being picked up 40 feet from the wind and being slammed down.

Skiing down a huge no safezone line at the top of East Vail through a dogleg cliff zone with no viz to my partner as I'm screaming "watch me", winds blowing on a monster day.

Starring down the nose of my Landlord after not paying rent for 4 months 3 times over.

Not eating for 3 months straight other than water and what I could get from the garbage.

400' up an ice route when my feet kicked out and my last screw was 50' below me.

Almost grounding out on a route in WV pumping out and my belayer was saved (and me) my grabbing her rear loop.

90 ft' whip on a lobe on a blue alien.

A3.

Sitting at the junction between Philly and Pitt for 2 days in the snow hopping trains trying to get back to Mass. Hallucinated and was out for at least a day till some guy was walking his dog dug me out of the freak snowstorm and dragged me down the tracks for a couple hours and bought me a cup of coffee. I was blue and dead, and when I "woke up" was gripped by many things.

Coming down the pass from TRide in a whiteout and my headlight fuse blows. Holy Shit.

Puckered in a complete no vis situation stopped in 50 mph winds over my hood with a trailer and a sled in a complete white out while a rouge semi half goes over the cliff trying to miss me from 10'. That was an 18 hour extraction of my sphincter and her big rig while I chained it up dug her out and spent hours guiding her with me (again with no lights) on my cb down to the highway closure around some really no fall zones with 0 vis just by heart. She parked in front of my house and couldn't stop shaking enough to even make the small push to Gypsum. I didn't stop shaking for at least 8 hours. No fall zone in 0 vis for a long time. Still gives me the creeps.

Driving down I70 at 3 in the morning in a pickup with my friend's entire crop that they were already on to while he's smoking a blunt to chill during the transport.

There are actually many more puckers. I'll just start with those to give inspiration. Professionally, I can't even count. Personally, I prefer not to.

[whyturn]

Out of bounds at revelstoke and got down to the river only to be closed out by rocks. Spent the night outside unable to get a fire going. Remembered some talk about vapor barriers and used trail mix bag on the hand I lost my mitten shell to save fingers
Survived outside overnight until a train stopped after hearing my safety whistle. BC SAR longlined me out in the morning. My body temp was 84 when I was rescued.
Gained a new perspective on that one

[LeeLau]

This involvement 1:44 in



and this on the wrong way no-go icy choked couloir

[~mikey b]

helicopter rotor strike into tree branches

pilot claimed he was "trimming trees"

I almost shat

[raisingarizona13]

I was in Vegas doing blow with this hooker in a taxi cab, she was giving me a handy and I reached under her skirt and stuck my thumb up her butt, dang I got gripped, kung fu GiJoe like.

[AmmergauerTele]

Doing this a couple hundred times at night. Doesn't matter how many times I've done it.....it still sucks. Just watching this on the comforts of my couch is making my hands sweat

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CvncJwC...%3DCvncJwCxxV0

[MakersTeleMark]

Doing this a couple hundred times at night. Doesn't matter how many times I've done it.....it still sucks. Just watching this on the comforts of my couch is making my hands sweat

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CvncJwC...%3DCvncJwCxxV0

Holy fuck. If I had any hairs left, that is pucker. Congrat sir. FKNA, Nice Job!

[~mikey b]

holy shitballs Batman!

hook catch?

[MakersTeleMark]

Yeah, F18 hook catch, obviously, in 20mph winds blind. Poster is one bad muthafucka.

And I don't even want to know what that night mission was about.

This is your particular tax dollars. Pucker that:

[~mikey b]

.indeed.

[~mikey b]

http://youtu.be/4Ki8Ji4HQVU

http://youtu.be/uTVj_ZSwxGE