Between a Rock and a Hard Place Key Points

a chockstone the size of a large bus tire

metaphor used for a comparison of large size to help emphasise scale to the reader as these are extremely large, but also to possibly start implying they can move as that's what a wheel does.

with a scraping quake

onomatopoeia is used to reveal the horrible noise that was made and signified his difficulty.

Instantly, I know this is trouble

Adverb used to signify a moment of suspense and make the moment of his realisation he was in difficulty more dramatic.

the chockstone...consumes the sky

personification to suggest it has a mind of its own and is almost doing this to him deliberately.

Fear shoots my hands over my head

Use of this verb shows the reactive action revealing the great peril he is in.

My only hope...

Internal thought to show and exaggerate his desperation

The next three seconds play out at a tenth of their normal speed.

Manipulation of time and hyperbole to show the horror he must have been experiencing.

refrigerator chockstone

metaphor to describe the size of the rock using household item we can all understand is big.

I come to another drop-off

Opens in the middle of the action to show he has been climbing for awhile prior to this and that this is almost routine.

This one is maybe eleven or twelve feet high, a foot higher and of a different geometry than the overhang I descended ten minutes ago

Anecdote and use of jargon to reveal he is both experienced and has been climbing for awhile today and a bit of a daredevil and moving very quickly.

the claustrophobic feel of a short tunnel

metaphoric language used to create the impression of what he was experiencing more vividly and also hint at trouble to come as being hemmed in is not a nice feeling.

Instead of the walls widening after the drop-off, or opening into a bowl at the bottom of the canyon, here the slot narrows to a consistent three feet across at the lip of the dropoff and continues at that width for fifty feet down the canyon

Use of factual language as well as alliteration and plosive to desribe the surroundings and height mixed with vivid description helps to build suspense and imply the dangerous environment and continue the theme of him being hemmed in by the rock, but also surrounded by peril.

Sometimes in narrow passages like this one, it's possible for me to stem my body across the slot

Use of this adverb and jargon suggests no matter how experienced you are you have to adapt as you can't always climb the same way, but also that he has various methods.

my feet and back pushing out in opposite directions against the walls. Controlling this counter pressure by switching my hands and feet on the opposing walls, I can move up or down the shoulder width crevice fairly easily as long as the friction contact stays solid between the walls and my hands, feet, and back.

Use of enumeration and complex sentence suggests there is a great deal you have to do while climbing almost simultaneously, but the use of the conditional language after the adverb that states it is not difficult suggests despite this you are still reliant on other factors.

This technique is known as stemming or chimneying;

technical language implying he is an experienced climber and knows what methods are called.

you can imagine using it to climb up the inside of a chimney

Shows he is aware his reader may not be as experienced a climber as him so needs clarification using easier explanations.

If I can step onto it

Use of this conditional word suggests it may be difficult just to get on to the rock and starts suggesting he is not fully in control of what he is doing.

I'll dangle off the chockstone

Use of this verb suggests he is not in complete control as it means to hang loose

Stemming across the canyon at the lip of the drop-off, with one foot and one hand on each of the walls, I traverse out to the chockstone

Turning point and move into the present tense to increase tension and speed and make it more dramatic as we can experience the action as he explains what he did step by step.

With my right foot, I kick at the boulder to test how stuck it is. It's jammed tightly enough to hold my weight.

Suggests he did not take enough care to see if the rock was strong enough and this was a crucial mistake.

I lower myself from the chimneying position and step onto the chockstone. It supports me but teeters slightly

Use of this verb suggests trouble ahead as it means unsteady or swaying.

As I dangle, I feel the stone respond to my adjusting grip

Repetition of this word throughout passage implies he is not in control and taking too many risks and this time it seems to be having an impact on his surroundings.

Instantly, I know this is trouble, and instinctively, I let go of the rotating boulder to land on the round rocks below

Listing of adverbs reveal how quickly he senses he is in trouble.

I can't move backward or I'll fall over a small ledge.

Inner thoughts of the writing as he explains the peril of his situation and why he is so helpless.

ensnares

Use of this word personifies the rock and makes it seem like the predator and him its prey.

The rock smashes my left hand

Use of this verb and personification and onomatopoeia reveals the violence he is hit with.

Time dilates, as if I'm dreaming, and my reactions decelerate.

Use of the commas and subordinate clause helps to slow down the passage and mirror what he is describing while also revealing the nightmarish feeling he has.

Then silence.

Minor sentence indicating the turning point from all the action to nothing to emphasise something bad has happened.