Great shot

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Great shot- but this is an example of where 'spotting' becomes ridiculous. I mean, what's the point of having two people end up at Sheffield Infirmary?

Spotting at this height could be lifesaving - the job is to make sure they land on their feet, not their head and to push them away from any boulder.

I agree with the last comenter the spotting here is very important- the spotter will be able to push them away from the boulder behind the spotter and help the climber land feet first. The spotter is not meant to catch the climber but guide then away from the worst bits and on to the mat

Fair enough, but in that case more mats and perhaps a helmet? It's a heck of a height, and sprained ankles and wrists are calling.

Great shot. I fell off once going for that jug (out of control, not good), and while my spotter got a little bit hurt, I was fine. It's all about what happens after you land...the outstretched arms are useless, but having a spotter is not.

Nice photo - the colours sum up what's fantastic about winter grit :-)

In response to bradscorner I spotted my mate when he fell from the very same hold in the picture and managed to guide him between the two boulders which frame the landing onto the mat. It would have been ugly without a spot.

@Duck Egg - yep, cheers (see above)! Missing a good burly spot for the highballs this winter...

Points taken folks, and I've also just noticed what I think are more mats (in shadow?) beyond the boulder... which means I can only say great shot, great spot! Should have worn a helmet though...

Great photo and nice climb. I guess not all people who post here enjoy the thrill of risking it and going for it.
You reap what you sow

There are no more mats in the photo. There's one Wilcountry pad and another Moon, thats it and it was easily enough.
Both the climber, and the spotter are very experienced and I trust both their judgements implicitly.
Furthermore, there's no need to bring up helmets in the comments, or elsewhere. Simply put, they're a matter of choice just like highballing itself.
Thanks for the comments on the photo, I'm very glad that people have enjoyed it. Comments and constructive criticism are always welcome.

How did you fall off the finish?

Good picture of a classic. Yellow t-shirts are always a win for photos.

Would I be right in believing the original grade was 'old school', no spotters, no helmets, lots of scope for fractures etc!

I saw this and it reminded me of this thread... could anybody tell me what the spotter actually does in this film? http://www.epictv.com/media/podcast/careless-torque-epictv-short-film-festival-2013/226363

why don't you start a thread instead of cluttering up the photo comments?

I may do- but I'm perfectly entitled to put it on here, since this is where the original thread started.

This isn't a thread, its the photo comments, which come with the handy feature where the user can turn them off. Please post your incessant drivel about spotters in the forums or preferably not at all!

The comment was about your photo- others started the thread, I did not. I think it's relevant, the more I read and see about spotters the more danger I see. No need to become rude about it.

and its taken you a year to come to this conclusion and then post a video link here? Climbing has inherent risks, accept it and move on.

Yes, risks for both climber and spotter. Accept it and, er..? My point exactly. Thank you.