Been there with a 24 foot monster on a beach house last year. Got about halfway up and the ladder started sliding sideways in the sand and I had to just ride it down and hope for the best. That sinking feeling when you know you're going for a ride and there's nothing you can do about it is the worst. Took me a solid week before my hands stopped shaking on tall stuff. Bringing your own straps on every bid now is just smart, better to look like the careful guy than the guy who ate it off a wall.