Weekend Whipper: Greasing Out of the “Italian Separate Reality” (5.12 trad)

Readers, please send your Weekend Whipper videos, information, and any lessons learned to Anthony Walsh, awalsh@outsideinc.com.

Hey Euros, why travel all the way to Yosemite to feel the wrath of granite roof cracks? You’ve got plenty to choose from in Italy.

Corentin le Masne de Chermont had chosen one such splitter to do battle: the two-pitch Legoland (5.12) in Italy’s legendary Valle dell’Orco. Chermont described the crux second pitch as “the Italian version of Separate Reality,” referring to a famously photogenic 5.12a roof crack in Yosemite established in the 1970s.

Chermont said his belayer, Daniele, opted to belay as close to the roof as possible—skipping a bolted belay on the slab below—to hide from the sun on the hot summer day. This was a mistake in hindsight, as the force of Chermont’s whipper pulled Daniele off his feet and violently sideways, seriously bruising Daniele’s knees and needlessly lengthening Chermont’s fall… he “softly decked” onto the slab below.

Reflecting on the whipper, Chermont said: “Just because you are the belayer doesn’t mean you can’t get hurt. As you choose your belay, imagine what would happen to the belayer if the climber falls. Look out for the direction of pull, rocks you might slam into, or rocks that could be dislodged by the climber.” This preparation helps more than just the belayer, though. Think about the climber too! Does the chosen belay stance allow you to give a dynamic catch if necessary? Can you reel in slack quickly to prevent a decking? In this case, if they had chosen the lower belay stance, it also would have likely prevented Chermont from hitting the slab.

Pro tip: If you are in a situation where only one belay stance is available, and there is a risk of the belayer being pulled sideways/off their feet, consider using a fixed-point belay to mitigate some risk.

Happy Friday, and be safe out there this weekend.

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