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In this Weekend Whipper, Tara Miller is belaying on Keep Your Powder Dry (5.12b)—a steep, 75-foot line in Red Rocks, Nevada—when her climbing partner’s fall pulls her straight up into the roof.
“He fell. I flew,” she tells Climbing.
When Miller’s partner pumps out from a few feet above the fourth clip on the rightward traverse, Miller gets pulled about 12 feet up while the climber swings down and back toward her. Falling with outstretched feet, both climbers nearly perform a foot high-five in mid-air.
As the climber swings back, he lands via a soft slide on the ground. Meanwhile, Miller proceeds upwards and impacts the sandstone roof with her head. (Luckily, both climbers are wearing helmets).
Miller speculates that the massive whip was due to their weight difference, 150 lbs. vs. 98 lbs., plus the momentum of the fall. “I’ve never been pulled into the first clip before,” she says. “Time to buy an Ohm.”
An Ohm, indeed, may have saved Miller from being pulled into the first bolt. Designed for climbing partners with significant weight differences, the assisted braking device is placed through the rope at the first draw and adds friction in case of a fall. In lieu of an Ohm, she could also build a ground anchor next time.
Either way, we commend Miller for her totally unfazed reaction—and for keeping her hand on the brake strand through it all.
Happy Friday, and be safe out there this weekend.