Weekend Whipper: Terrifying Cam-Popping Fall in Indian Creek

Max Donovan took this whipper on Blue Gramma (5.11b) out in the Creek last fall. As he explains below, he and his friends were new to trad and bit off a bit more than they could chew.

“Our crew has been climbing together for a long time, but we’ve only started stepping out into trad in the last year and are really just figuring it out together,” Max said. 

“After a couple days placing gear on easier routes we were feeling confident stepping out, but I wasn’t experienced enough to be setting solid placements on the fly, so both pieces were shallow in the crack and under-cammed. I was lucky to walk away with scrapes and we are all grateful that this was a learning experience and not a tragedy. Having this happen so early in our trad climbing careers has instilled a huge amount of respect in all of us for the dangers of the activity and the many benefits of helmet wearing. Since, we have been stepping out more deliberately. We talked about it, made a plan, and did go back to zip it up the next day.” 

He thanked his friends: “@owen_db_ with the video, @no_chain_shane with the catch, @5un_5hine_17 with the first aid kit.”

Happy Friday and climb safe this weekend!