Weekend Whipper: “Dude, This Rock Is Slick AF”
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If you needed a reminder that the climbs featured in the 50 Classic Climbs of North America are stout, look no further than this weekend’s whipper.
While heading up the first pitch of Regular Route (5.9/5c) on Fairview Dome in Tuolumne Meadows, Las Vegas-based climber Allen Warner was waging a personal battle in the friction department.
If you’ve climbed in Yosemite, you can likely relate. Glaciers carved the Yosemite Valley and polished the granite walls found there. In fact, two active glaciers remain amid the highest peaks of the national park—though they’ve been melting since 1872 and will likely be a geologic force of the past by the year 2050.
On the particular route Warner was on, a water streak had further smoothed out the rock. And as he adjusted his body positioning to get a cam in, he lost his purchase on the slick and slabby footholds.
Warner mainly attributes his whip to choosing the wrong line. The Regular Route is a tale of two cracks and Warner’s instinct was to climb the one on the right side. But the beta said otherwise: “A pic on Mountain Project showed the line starting on the left of two cracks and later traversing to the right side crack,” he explains. Though the right crack was steeper, it appeared to have “bigger holds and less polished rock,” according to Warner. Ultimately, he decided to go with the MP beta and headed up the left side.
After his fall, Warner says another party started on the right crack, like he had originally wanted to, and “cruised up with no issues.” The decision to follow your instinct or trust the beta isn’t always an easy one. “I should have trusted my gut,” Warner says.
The mechanics of the fall were also less than ideal. Probably due to his extended stance as he reached up to place protection, Warner’s body was off balance and his left hip dragged along the rock as he fell. Back on the ground, he initially thought he’d emerged more or less unscathed. His partner, Kevin Reuwer, finished leading the pitch, but by the time Warner had followed him up it, his left glute had become super swollen. “We rapped,” he says. “I went to Mammoth Lakes Hospital, where they wrapped the wound tightly with ice to stop internal bleeding and reduce swelling.”
Another weekend, another whipper. Glad this one just resulted in a gnarly contusion and nothing more. Happy Friday, and be careful on any slick AF rock you find yourself on this weekend.
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