[TowerTalk] Sad day - W9ZUC tower accident

[Jim Brown]

On Thu,9/18/2014 9:46 AM, Doug Renwick wrote:
> One of my short lanyards had locking mechanisms on the hook.  What I found
> with experience is the locking mechanisms were more of a hazard than
> without.  I found them so difficult to unhook with one hand.
> My practice is to pay attention to your hooks to make sure you are locked in
> and always, always test your belt to make sure it is going to hold before
> you let your hands go.

Note what Doug is saying -- he DOES climb with safety gear. What he said 
about free climbing was for shock value (I hope). :)

None of us is Superman, we're all getting older, our bodies fail us. A 
few years ago, I was standing in my kitchen, felt faint, and collapsed 
onto the floor. K4XS has described a similar event when he was on a 
tower. He was hooked up, so he's alive to tell the tail, and I was too 
close to the floor to get hurt.

Free climbing is for fools.

73, Jim K9YC