i did a search for this and nothing came up so i hope i'm not repeating a myth already talked about. i heard that in the late 1800's, a trio were climbing a mountain in the swiss alps. they were connected by a rope and then two of them fell over on one side of a steep face and amazingly enough, the other guy who didn't fell with them jumped over the other side and his jump and weight counter-weighted the two others' fall and saved them all. is this possible?

That sounds like a scene from an old movie staring Spencer Tracy and a young Robert Wagner. Can't remember the name of it.

It came back to me: it was simply called The Mountain.

quote:

Originally posted by dfez:
It came back to me: it was simply called The Mountain.

well yeah, but I read it in a Ripley's Believe it or Not book and I'm just asking if it's possible to counter-weight the fall of two mountaineers with the weight of just one.

It would just depend on the single climber's weight and strength. There are many techniques of belaying that can resist weights of the falling greater than the weight of the belayer. A rock outcropping isn't the same as a pulley and the friction of a rope wrapped over it also can support some of the weight as well as the belayer bracing himself against the rock to resist being pulled up and over. A strong, healthy person can generate multiple times his weight in force with his legs. I used to be able to leg press 700 pounds fairly easily which was 3 and 1/2 times my weight. It would really depend on the exact situation, but I don't see how it would be impossible.

I see... but he didn't use his legs against a rock to save his friends. he jumped over the other side of a rock cropping, the rope was caught on it, and his jump down saved his other two friend from falling to their deaths.

Like I said, a rock isn't the same as a pulley; he would have the rope pulled tightly over an edge coming up from his buddies and also over another edge going down to him. The rope would create a lot more drag that way compared to if it just could slide smoothly.