Weekend Whipper: Scary Straddle Fall, But “Crown Jewels” Safe
The end of a climbing trip can be a glorious, chain-slapping time—but there's another side to this romanticism.
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Readers, please send your Weekend Whipper videos, information, and any lessons learned to Anthony Walsh, awalsh@outsideinc.com.
The end of a climbing trip can be a glorious, chain-slapping time. We’ve all read the “last day, best day” Instagram posts, and internalized the idea that you can try a muerte right up until it’s time to head home. But there’s another side to this romanticism. Climbing near your physical limit, for multiple days on, isn’t conducive to sending your hardest—it’s a recipe for a Weekend Whipper.
Such is the case for Ricardo Ribas, who, with two friends, spent a week sport climbing and deep-water soloing in Mallorca, Spain. “As a farewell climb, the group decided to visit Fraguel, a stunning cliff that has the best hard sport climbing on the island,” the filmer, Guilherme Delgado, told Climbing. Ribas was psyched to check out the classic Jungle Hop (7a+/5.12a), despite having climbed all day. “The energy tank was almost empty,” Delgado said. “After bailling out, Ribas noticed the rope caught behind his left foot and tried—in mid air—to solve the situation, but with no luck. The rope also played a little ‘nut cracker’ trick in the end, but thankfully no harm done to the crown jewels.”
Despite the yells of anguish, Delgado said Ribas escaped with only a few scratches and this video as a trip memento. May it serve as motivation as you train for the next one!
Happy Friday, and be safe out there this weekend.
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