So, yeah. Putting lights up about 10 feet off the ground, and the ladder kicked out. WTF! I'm fine, get my wife to hold the foot of the ladder after I reset it, and go up to look at the damage. I did not pull the gutter down (good) but wrecked the string of lights. I was about to start the light repair when I find myself tumbling down the ladder AGAIN!

Erin said she had her foot on it, but it felt like the ground sank a bit under it or something - and given that we have had the last 3 days straight of rain, I'd believe that. I did not want to put the ladder against the gutter, under the gutter there is a 6 inch wide lip, which I had the ladder centered on. I think that the feet sank into the ground, and the top of the ladder slipped off the lip.

I have been using ladders for the literally 1/2 my life as a painter and then a contractor through highschool and college, and for house stuff since. I have never had a ladder kick out, in 15 years. Now I have been off one twice in 30 minutes.

The lights can wait till tomorrow. Its a good thing that I am sturdy.

Maybe tomorrow I should do the lights like I did last year - put on my climbing harness, tie myself off upstairs and repel down to where I want my lights. Clearly, it was safer then using a mundane ladder....


Zach

I bet your wife kicked out the ladder......how's you life insurance??

Do you have Erin as the beneficiary on any large life insurance policies?

Dont brake anything dude.

We picked up a guy (in his 80's) who was putting new lights on the house last Sunday. Fell about 6' off a ladder. He broke his collar bone. His wife said he wouldn't listen to her.

Cocktails AFTER you put them up is the normal rule....

My day today has been remarkably similar to a bad christmas comedy. Falling off the ladder was the icing to the cake. Day started with me waking up, looking outside, and seeing this honkin' big squirrel tearing apart my bird feeder, and me running outside in PJs with my full auto bb gun to try and get it.

The first time I went off the ladder, I tried to grab on the gutter to stop falling. The second time, I just held onto the ladder as it went down. The only thing that went through my head was "Seriously, what the f***!"

I started laughing at my self and the situation, we put the ladder away, and that was that. On the plus side, Erin is taking me out for Indian food. Points for survival! Gotta go!

Zach

One of my best friends is in a wheel chair because he fell off of a 8" ladder cleaning out his gutters about ten years ago.

Can you say "AFLAC"

I tooo am a Punjabaholic and the tandouri stuff rocks!! If you want to not break anything when falling off of anything like ladders and ski slopes ect... just get nice and juiced up on something and you'll be loose when the sudden fall hits ya.

Anything above 35ft. is considered terminal velocity and then your playing with Hades.

Mmmh. Dinner was good! Also got some more lights to put up tomorrow.

I think I am going to just rapel off the side of the house like last year. Easier then moving the ladder around, faster, and a lot more fun.

Zach

I feel for ya Bro... I didn't fall off, but real close.. I hate heights, even 8'...
I felt like Chevy Chase in Christmas Vacation today.... Front of the house is lookin a little like Vegas...

last year... i took a day to use some AWESOME clear silicon adhesive to put these clips up on our house since we have no gutters and staples dont work well with stucko...

waited for it to dry a few days after taking a day to stick em all up...

now this year it will take all of 15 minutes to put all the lights up. took 10 to take em all down last year...

This wouldnt help your ladder situation, however, it would decrease your probability of certain death at your current fall-per-time-elevated rate...

What are those called, and where did you get them? I have some parts of my house that I want to light that I don't have any means of sticking lights to. Those might just be the ticket!

Zach