Weekend Whipper: How’d That Happen?

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

It’s often easy to discern where a weekend whipper went wrong. A leg behind the rope, a broken hold, a poorly placed cam. But this week’s whipper, which involved an upside-downer while trying the bouldery crux of Los Cantamañanas (7a/5.11d), near Tenerife, Canary Islands, is a bit of a head-scratcher.

We think the inverted fall probably had to do with the climber’s right foot being ever so slightly jammed/cammed into an acute feature. The foot stayed attached to the wall for a split-second longer than the rest of the climber’s body, causing him to swing more backward than down when the rope came tight. A stronger core would have certainly helped this climber stay upright as well.

Nevertheless, stronger core and better foot beta aside, a helmet would have been a great call in this scenario. This whipper could have easily drawn blood.

Happy Friday, and be safe out there this weekend.

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