Weekend Whipper: Don’t Make Promises You Can’t Keep
“I was confident about the dyno, and I assured my belayer I wouldn’t miss the hold.”
The post Weekend Whipper: Don’t Make Promises You Can’t Keep appeared first on Climbing.
Readers, please send your Weekend Whipper videos, information, and any lessons learned to Anthony Walsh, awalsh@outsideinc.com.
Hold on a second: Before we crucify the belayer for this catch—or lack of one—let’s allow this week’s whippee to speak for himself.
Eland Jay was working the King of North (8a/5.13b), at the Bukit Jernih crag in Malaysia, and felt that he had dialed in the route’s steep opening sequence.
“I was confident about the dyno,” he told Climbing, “I catch it nine out of 10 times, and I assured my belayer I wouldn’t miss the hold.” The belayer, trusting Jay’s words, has an inordinate amount of slack out—his only goal to not short-rope the dyno.
Now, we believe the belayer could have had a bit less slack out and still given a great belay. But the safest solution, for climbs with dynamic sequences close to the ground, is to stick-clip a higher bolt—or two!
Happy Friday, and be safe out there this weekend.
The post Weekend Whipper: Don’t Make Promises You Can’t Keep appeared first on Climbing.