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Readers, please send your Weekend Whipper videos, information, and any lessons learned to Anthony Walsh, awalsh@outsideinc.com.
We have a short and sweet one from Dawid Gondek this week, and it’s a reminder to stay vigilant while clipping high above your head.
“My mate, Mathias, was trying to send his long-term project, a classic 8a [5.13b] in Haute Savoie in France,” Gondek wrote to Climbing. Mathias had passed the crux from the ground—his first time in two years of projecting the route!—and was stretched out attempting to clip the fourth bolt. Like many classic limestone sport routes, the footholds are extremely polished, and Mathias’s extended reach caused his foot to slip off.
“He landed about a meter above the ground,” Gondek said. “[But] I don’t think he learned anything—he was back on the route two minutes later.”
Great effort, Mathias. But we’d suggest extending the fourth bolt’s quickdraw—or making another few moves before clipping it—to avoid repeating such a fall.
Happy Friday, and be safe out there this weekend.