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phlyfisher
Aug 27, 2002, 7:47 PM
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What is the biggest or scariest whipper you've ever taken?
Mine largest is probably 20-25 footer. I was trying to get a redpoint on a pumpy climb and skipped a clip and fell right before I sent the crux.
Climb on climba
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danl
Aug 27, 2002, 8:10 PM
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25' on to a blue alien. the lobes looked a little funny afterwards.
edit: Route: project X at the Gunks..the placement didn't get more text book
[ This Message was edited by: danl on 2002-08-27 14:02 ]
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rrrADAM
Aug 27, 2002, 8:17 PM
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Two 40+ footers...
1rst on 2nd Pitch of Kor Inglals on Castleton Tower on a yellow Allien.
2nd on Stoner's Boner at Mt Lemmon on a #9 BD Stopper placed sideways in patina.
Numerous smaller falls mainly on stoppers.
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espinosa
Aug 27, 2002, 8:58 PM
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30 footer on some old school slab route...just touched the ground with rope stretch.
close one.
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itsallvbtillyoufall
Aug 27, 2002, 9:07 PM
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When I messed up as a kid I go the whipper. About a 30 incher...
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newtocalgary
Aug 27, 2002, 9:38 PM
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on mount Yamniska i was about to clip a nut and had the rope in my mouth about to pull a bit more My ex GF thought i clipped and snugged the rope as i pulled up stripping me off the rock. This was pitch 5 of 9.
I took a 80foot plus screamer and when i arched back into the rock i tried to save the head and put hand out.
6 pieces pulled seeing the biggest piece i had in was a #1 hex (1986)
changed my climbing from 11's to 10's for years
Broken or sprained
4 fingers
thumb
wrist
elbow
shoulder
cheek
nose
left ankle
3 ribs
Ex couldnt lead and I had to lead 4 more pitches to escape and hike the 5 kms to the car
and folks thats why I can still call my self an old school climber
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camhead
Aug 27, 2002, 9:39 PM
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Biggest?
took about a thirty footer on a sport route. I had skipped the last clip, and was doing to high of a reach for the anchors, with lots of slack pulled out. Came within four feet of the ground, and I still have not gotten the frickin' redpoint of that route!
Scariest?
Only a 15-20 footer, but I pulled a piece, and was left hanging on a #3 stopper. Lew's stopper. Lew's very secure stopper.
[ This Message was edited by: camhead on 2002-08-27 21:21 ]
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iridesantacruz
Aug 28, 2002, 1:31 AM
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man newtocalgary has one hell of a story, man that sucks. But you got to exprience free fall for a little while without a plane but that had to of sucked..
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bluesky
Aug 28, 2002, 1:41 AM
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Funniest One (at least it was funny later): I'm pumped out of my gord staring at the anchors. My belayer asks if I'm at the anchors. I'm at the point where I can't let go with either hand, and reply yes but I can't clip and soon I doubt I'll be able to hang on. He hears 'yes blahburbleblah' and pays out slack and a few seconds later I pitch off for a clean 40 footer.
Scariest: When I was learning trad, I got on the wrong trad route about 6 letter grades harder than I've ever followed. Get three placements up and jam a yellow friend in a downward flaring crack just above me - don't ask why - I learned my lesson So when I pitch off and pull the piece and go for a 25 footer.
Runner up was my 25 foot sliding slab fall - ick.
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pelliott
Aug 28, 2002, 1:52 AM
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20 foot fall on a bolt, but the rope was behind my leg. I flipped upside down and hit my back and head on a ledge. I had blurry vision for a few hours and I was stupid for a few days afterward.
I forgot to mention. I did have my helmet on! Otherwise it would have been much worse.
[ This Message was edited by: pelliott on 2002-08-27 18:53 ]
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bluesky
Aug 28, 2002, 1:58 AM
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Hooray for helmets!
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daggerx
Aug 28, 2002, 2:02 AM
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about a 60+'s-er. In col. I was very lucky and did not break anything. But in the past wile highball bouldering it was not uncommon for me to take a 30+er.
DaggerX
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daggerx
Aug 28, 2002, 2:07 AM
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The scearest was about 10 years ago when I first started climbing. It was one of my first leads. I was cocky and skipped the first bolt and right befour the secound on I took a dive to the ground. I hit with so much force I kind of bounced up and rolled on over the hill. I broke a couple of ribs,and got beat up perty bad. I loved it, it just made me want to climb more then ever.
DaggerX
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spacemonkey
Aug 28, 2002, 2:08 AM
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I took my first lead fall today actually. I was about half way up the Manchester Bridge in Richmond, Virginia. Fell a total of probably 15 feet, but I had traveresed about some six or eight feet to the left of my last bolt, adding a good deal of swing to my fall. All in all, it wasn't that bad; I barely had time to curse
But man.... what a rush! I can't imagine what a 40 footer, or even an 80 footer must be like.
Peace!
Brian
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john1987
Aug 28, 2002, 2:09 AM
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I agree with blue sky. Helemets good internal head injuries bad.
John
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the_elk
Aug 28, 2002, 2:21 AM
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Scariest whipper I ever had:
I was leading an "exciting" little climb at Mt. Arapiles. The climb was called Aardvark. The first moves are described as bouldery.
It starts from a bit of a cave a couple of meters off the ground. As you stand on the rock in the cave the lip of the cave is at about belly button height I suppose, and the moves out are quite interesting, but you place gear as high as you can and trust you'll get up.. after I got up over the lip and placed another piece of gear I began to feel the pump, went for a move and ended up having a fall of a couple of meters, and while that isn't really very scary, the fact that if I hadn't have twisted myself sideways I would've belted my head against the lip of the cave and surely knocked myself out. As it was I almost felt like I could taste the rock as I flew into the cave.
After that I sat for a few minutes, composing myself, and then had another go and finished the climb... Lovely.
Cheers
Elk
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bouldertoad
Aug 28, 2002, 3:56 AM
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I took about a 25 footer on a sport climb in Wv. I was trying to onsight a 10d adn was at the anchors but extremely pumped. This area is known to have some runouts to the anchors so rather than try and clip I started to downclimb to a stance to rest a little bit. As I was down climbing my hands opened up and I took a good fall just missing a ledge halfway up the route. My belayer who is now my wife had some slack in her brake hand at the time and had a pretty bad rope burn so we were done for the day. Got the route next try though......
Maybe I am wrong but climbing helmets do not offer much protection on swinging falls into therock. They are more designed to help with falling rock.
[ This Message was edited by: bouldertoad on 2002-08-28 10:09 ]
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blindslap
Aug 28, 2002, 4:10 AM
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6 foot sliding fall through an offwidth, onto a super super i mean super tipped out cam. Miraculously it held. If it hadn't i would have taken a thirty footer, onto a ledge, then down some more.
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climbingcowboy
Aug 28, 2002, 6:39 AM
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I took a 25' on my own route Boltwaster 5.6, I was reaching for the anchor and my handhold broke fell into a really wide chimney it Sucked.
I took another 30' onto a number 4 bd nut at Bishops Peak, and it held I love that little nut it saved me from a bad fall. it scared the sh*t out o fme when I looked up and saw what caught me.
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cragchica
Aug 28, 2002, 7:01 AM
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I have yet to take a fall that could be considered a 'whipper' (knock on wood). My biggest lead fall was on a sport climb where I was just a few feet above my last bolt... the fall was quite anti-climactic.
I did however take quite a fall a couple weeks ago while bouldering. I was bouldering for some photos on a not-too-tough, but somewhat highball problem in the desert near my house. I had done the problem so many times for the sake of the camera that I guess I was getting complacent... one moment I felt totally secure and was about to top out and the next - total freefall. It was exhilerating until I realized that I was actually going to hit the ground. It was a 12 footer onto a rock (no pad)
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bluesky
Aug 28, 2002, 7:27 AM
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Cragchica: Ouch Scathed, unscathed? I've missed my pad before on that type-o fall, bruised heels. -Jesse
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fishypete
Aug 28, 2002, 8:13 AM
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Scariest:
6 ft fall, onto 1 foot ledge, creating 4 inch hole in side of leg with 2 inches of bone sticking out....
This was 4 pitches up a spire in Arizona. Retreating was not fun with the now very floppy leg wiggling around, grinding the bones into each other and lots of nice sensitive tissue.
And that was just the warm up for 1 year of work before I could walk without assistance.
But I did get a nice helicopter ride!
Yours in loathing ledges,
Fishy.
[ This Message was edited by: fishypete on 2002-08-28 01:14 ]
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cragchica
Aug 28, 2002, 5:13 PM
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bluesky,
At first I was just thrilled to have landed on my feet (and not my back, head or other vital part). However the shape of the rock was not exacty - 'ergonomic'. My foot hurt pretty frickin' bad for the next few days... I fell early in the morning and by that evening, I wasn't even able to walk to my bike to get home from work. I was very happy to know that I didn't break it, though it still hurts a bit now (over 2 weeks later).
Suffice it to say, I'm not going bouldering without a pad not matter how easy I think the problem is (that one, btw, I found out later, was V1).
-Andria
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carnaged
Aug 28, 2002, 5:23 PM
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Route: Lonely Boy (5.10d) At the Lonely Boy Crag
My Fall: Clipping the crux move and suddenly, WHAM! I'm 35 feet below the crx move, and my belayer went head first into the rock, and I wound up with a bruise on my knee the size of a hockey puck.
My belayer was just fine, no head injuries
Kat
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jumaringjeff
Aug 28, 2002, 6:13 PM
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Jesus Christ fishypete, I cringe just reading your post!! OUCH...
-jj
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spank_spank
Aug 28, 2002, 6:28 PM
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Ask Manboy about his whipper. Or should I say Decker.
I took a 40 footer from vertical to slab in Potrero. I think I crap my pants a little bit to.
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woodse
Aug 28, 2002, 6:38 PM
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Longest yet was a 30 footer. Mixed sport-trad lead in Moab, badly placed #1 camalot pulled, an old rusty piton caught me...2 feet from the ground! Damn I love flying!
woodsE
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rrrADAM
Aug 28, 2002, 6:48 PM
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Ask manboy...
You mean the one where Sonny Trotter dropped him ???
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atg200
Aug 28, 2002, 6:54 PM
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Mine was rope soloing an aid route on Devils Tower. Tried to do an A3 hammerless. I blew a camhook, and then blew a bunch of RPs and bronze offsets and went past a few other camhook placements before a #4 Bronze Offset caught me. I remember watching all the gear flying down the rope at me after I stopped. It was about a 40 footer, and my clove hitch system worked flawlessly.
My eyes were bugging out of my head while I prussiked back up to the offset(didn't want to use ascenders, and i didn't know about the gri-gri ascender yet). I placed a nest of about 5 and promptly bailed off. Spent the rest of the day shaking and drinking whiskey - nothing like having your first solo fall be your worst fall yet.
I also fell 35 feet and hit the ground in the Needles in South Dakota when a hold broke and I hadn't reached the first gear placement yet. That one hurt like a mother, but I walked away from it.
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zippera5
Aug 28, 2002, 7:18 PM
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40+ footer on something interresting in the Gunks. One piece pulled and the second held. luckilly! They were both kind of shitally placed. I had placed the 2 pieces and than caught an easy stretch of the climb. Than i got to a crux and i did not have any gear on me that could fit in! I tried with everything but could go no further. What happened next is still kind of a mystery to me. i've gotten most of my info. on the fall from others that were at the crag on that fateful day.
In my usual stupid condition i was not wearing a helmet either. I wound up cracking my skull and my 3rd vertibrea. I also left the living for a moment on the air-lift to the hospital. All this and i still diden't make the accidents in N.American book that comes out yearly.
This fall was a little over 3 years ago and still affects my life in varying ways. I have learned to wear a helmet from it! You can check it out on the gunks web site also, under leader falls.
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wigglestick
Aug 28, 2002, 7:33 PM
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I have been pretty lucky and haven't had too many major whippers while trad climbing or aid climbing. I have taken a few 20-25 footers but nothing to get excited about.
I fell while trying to make the third clip on a sport route and the only thing that stopped me from hitting the ground is catching the rope going from the belayer to the first bolt between my legs. Ouch.
I sprained my ankle pretty bad falling 5 feet on a boulder problem in Joes Valley.
While hiking to an area called Hoot Bluff in Iowa there was a log which spanned across a loose gulley. This log had held me and hundreds of other people thousands of time before but it broke while I was in the middle and sent me for a 50' cartwheeling tumble culminating in a dead stop against a tree with my back pack strangling me and all my friends laughing at me.
[ This Message was edited by: wigglestick on 2002-08-28 12:35 ]
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rockjock04
Aug 28, 2002, 9:34 PM
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Do top rope falls count?
but seriously, I love the rush. It used to be that everytime we got to go climbing, we did this thing on top rope. I discovered this . As I got about half way up the 25' foot face, I told my belayer to stop taking the slack in the rope. So when I got near the top I told him to lock it off tight. Then I just let go. It maybe was only 10 feet but it was scary. Now I cant wait to lead climb
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rocknalaska
Aug 29, 2002, 5:27 PM
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Outside the biggest whipper I've taken was at the enchanted tower in new mexico about 45ft. Not really scary though, all I hit was air.
Scariest outside was a thirty footer down a slab in vedawoo, Wy. I hadn't even gotten to the first pro. Ended up bruising both heels pretty bad, but that's all.
Inside took a twenty foot flip after a hold spun and headfirsted into the wall, got knocked unconscious for a few minutes. Also got dropped inside from about twenty feet(another hold spun and I was clipping), straight onto my back. Couldn't breath for several minutes, almost blacked out because I couldn't breathe.
Most injurious was bouldering on the 45 degree wall in Heuco. I fell from the dyno, foot went between two pads and landed on the edge of a big rock and Cracked. I thought it was just bruised really bad and went on to send later. On the walk out I realized it was pretty bad, but I didn't think it was broken. When I woke up the next morning, my foot looked like a melon. Went to the Doctor, they x-rayed and found that I had broken it in seven places on two bones.
That's the best I have.
Todd
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sheppe
Aug 29, 2002, 6:36 PM
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I've not had any huge whippers (I mustn't be climbing hard enough ), but I had a pretty painful one. I was leading Lil' Prana (a 10c) on the Heli-Pad at the Lonely Boy crags, in Kelowna BC, and I slipped while getting over the crux. As I fell, I got rotated and dropped about 15 ft. On the way down I hit, butt-first, an outjutting of stone. I kept on climbing for the rest of the day, but I couldn't move my leg too well. My butt cheak hurt for the next three days.
It kinda pales in comparison to some of these other injuries tho.
-Sheppe
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wonder1978
Aug 30, 2002, 12:14 AM
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Scariest: I wanted to take a rest on a no2 friend placed in broken rock, as I weighted it down, the rock moved and the piece slid out, I plummeted down 15 feet towards my next pro: a sling around a bush as big as my index. As I was dangling at the end of the rope I could see the roots slowly ripping out. That bush was my only other pro. The fall would have led me 50 below the anchor and on a ledge that would have most probably killed me. I bailed out and never set foot on that route again.
cheers
Steve
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climbercam
Aug 30, 2002, 12:52 AM
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20-35-50+
I had a 15-20 footer on natural pro in Joshua Tree much like Pelliot's in that I inadvertently got the rope caught behind my leg which flipped me on the way down. A little rope stretch but more importantly, my helmet saved me from severe brain damage and a long hospital stay. Bad rope burn and bruising, couldn't climb for weeks.
I had a freaky 35 footer on the egg wall in Little Cottonwood Canyon Utah, lost my balance right below the bolt and stopped BELOW my belayer. Freaked him out more than me. I finished it and his girlfriend voted us both off the island for being idiots.
I had a 50+ foot slider on a misdirected 5.11 variation to Grand Funk Railroad on Stone Mountain, NC. Ripped my hands & soles pretty good, stopping just 15 from the ground. A friend bandaged up my hands and I finished that one too - 600' of friction
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junkie
Aug 30, 2002, 4:44 PM
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25-30 meter winger off a run-out-to-hell 12c slab in Australia. Fell right past my belayer (hanging belay). Unscathed but shaking quite violently afterwards.
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dovaka
Aug 31, 2002, 3:22 AM
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i took about a 30 footer when i was younger my belayer who i will never climb with again wasnt paying attention for about 2 seconds on a 60' top rope and the rope went right threw his figure 8 i landed on a slab of rock and shattered my wrist and now have 3 pins in it so it sucked at the time but i bet you couldnt break it again now
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rocknpowda
Sep 13, 2002, 10:21 PM
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Prestidigitator (10a), Snow Canyon State Park, Southern Utah:
I was leading the second pitch, the crux fingercrack, and realized I only had one piece that would fit the crack well. I placed it, moved up a little, placed an old TCU (before they put any traction on the lobes) in a flare and pulled out the one I knew fit well to place it a little higher. Of course the shoe goo patching the hole in my shoe didn't friction as well as sticky rubber and next thing I knew I was off. I wasn't scared at first because the tcu was at my feet, then I felt a tug as the rope tightened up on that piece but then I kept right on going. I flipped upside down and was plummeting head first "superman" style toward the ground. I had an amazing amount of clarity and could pick out the exact spot my game would end. It was grassy but had sandstone boulders strewn about. Then as I was about to hit I jerked to a stop about twenty feet off the ground. The fall had factor of two because the only gear I had in pulled and I went right by my belayer and he caught me on his harness-I was dumb and hadn't even clipped the rope through the anchor he was tied to. All in all I went about 45 feet. I only had one little scrape, but my belayer had grooves burned deep into his hands and couldn't climb for a while. Thanks again Tyler for catching me on that one!
[ This Message was edited by: rocknpowda on 2002-09-13 15:49 ]
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unirock
Sep 13, 2002, 10:38 PM
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My worse whipper was a 25 foot fall at Cedar Rock, North Carolina. Lot of run-outs in NC. I was 15 feet to the right of a #1 TCU and fell reaching for a jug. Luckily the TCU held or I'd have fallen 50+ feet. I sprained my ankle pretty bad nonetheless. That was 12 years ago.
All's well now.
-Uni
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whipper
Sep 13, 2002, 10:41 PM
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I took a 50+ footer onto a number 1 tcu (blue Trango) in the desert sand stone of Red Rocks. My next piece was a good 20 ft below that. After I got back up to the piece I saw that it had tracked about 6 inches before catching. It broke the spring on the cam but caught me. Oh what a great day.
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antimatter
Sep 16, 2002, 7:31 PM
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20' on Sundance at Suicide.
My partner didn't want to lead the pitch so (of course) I took the lead but I had not checked out the topo for the pitch. I made the traverse past the last bolt and wrongly thought I was supposed to climb up the dihedral instead of to the right. I got a #1 nut slotted in sideways at the base of the dihedral. After climbing up and getting totally pumped, I realized I was off route. I figured, "no problem, I've got that #1 to fall straight onto." Unfortunately, when I looked down, I saw it had popped out and slid right down to the bolt. I was too pumped to down climb and told my belayer that I was about to whip and then whipped. Actually, it was more of a slide on the slab. I banged the back of my foot somehow but it was only momentarily sore. After a minute I went right back to it, made the crux move, got on-route and then stupidly slipped and fell again. At that point we decided it was a good time to bail.
I wonder who's got that REI Oval now?
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sparky
Sep 16, 2002, 8:20 PM
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my first trad whip was freaky, i only fel about 6 feet tops but i was 200 feet up and i had never put weight on a piece o gear that high up, let alone fall on one, that number one hex held though, but i dlon't think i have the pants anymore, they got a little soggy
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lilred
Sep 16, 2002, 9:41 PM
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...I took a whipper in Rifle Canyon about a week ago, and DAMN was I lucky.
It was on an absolutely HORRID route, ("Bumblebee")... I was warming up, and having a terible day....got to the anchors, my foot blew, and I missed the deck by TWO FEET...
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ccartier
Oct 3, 2009, 7:28 AM
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My biggest/scariest whipper happened today and i now have 7 staples in my head to prove it.
I was attempting to lead a very run out 10d. I got to the crux move at the roof and got the clip right before attempting to pull the roof. This was reassuring seeing how the last bolt was a good 15' below me. I got up over the roof and my feet were at the bolt. Now the way I was oriented made it so that I could not see the draw. Moments later I detached from the wall, expecting to have a pleasant, short fall to right below the roof. But instead I see the draw sliding down my rope and next thing I know im hanging 25' below gushing blood from the back of my head. The climb was in a corner so halfway through my fall, I hit the left side of the corner with my head before the rope caught me.
Few lessons learned today....
ALWAYS wear a helmet. I own a nice helmet and the one day i forget it I fall and split my head open.
Don't use other peoples gear without properly inspecting it first. Now I'm not saying that the gear was the total cause of the fall, I placed the draw with the gate facing the wrong way, allowing the bolt to open it... BUT the action on the bolt end of the draw was a little loose after inspecting it afterward. I feel that if i had used my draws, that have a stiffer gate action, this may have been avoided.
Someone was watching out for me today and Im just glad im able to type this post tonight.
Remember helmets are cool
-Chris
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gmggg
Oct 3, 2009, 12:08 PM
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ccartier wrote: My biggest/scariest whipper happened today and i now have 7 staples in my head to prove it. I was attempting to lead a very run out 10d. I got to the crux move at the roof and got the clip right before attempting to pull the roof. This was reassuring seeing how the last bolt was a good 15' below me. I got up over the roof and my feet were at the bolt. Now the way I was oriented made it so that I could not see the draw. Moments later I detached from the wall, expecting to have a pleasant, short fall to right below the roof. But instead I see the draw sliding down my rope and next thing I know im hanging 25' below gushing blood from the back of my head. The climb was in a corner so halfway through my fall, I hit the left side of the corner with my head before the rope caught me. Few lessons learned today.... ALWAYS wear a helmet. I own a nice helmet and the one day i forget it I fall and split my head open. Don't use other peoples gear without properly inspecting it first. Now I'm not saying that the gear was the total cause of the fall, I placed the draw with the gate facing the wrong way, allowing the bolt to open it... BUT the action on the bolt end of the draw was a little loose after inspecting it afterward. I feel that if i had used my draws, that have a stiffer gate action, this may have been avoided. Someone was watching out for me today and Im just glad im able to type this post tonight. Remember helmets are cool -Chris
Glad you're OK!
You might want to get checked for concussion though. You are replying to a 7 year old thread.
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socalclimber
Oct 3, 2009, 12:35 PM
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Well, my biggest was around 40 feet while aid climbing. It was a nice upside down, head first gear ripping screamer. Managed to break my ankle in the fall (not badly) and self rescue back to the base.
Loads of fun...
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j_ung
Oct 3, 2009, 3:09 PM
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I've a couple 30-35 footers, but they were both clean as a whistle. All my other falls have stopped shy of 20-25 feet. I guess I'm doing something right... 
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amigosandiego
Oct 3, 2009, 3:14 PM
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Hello all and good morning. Just curious. Are we adding in our rope stretch to these numbers? Reminds me of the calculations of surf...California 10ft is considered 3ft Hawaiian.
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onarunning
Oct 3, 2009, 6:21 PM
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Yesterday I was top roping in the gym, doing a little stemming action on two corners. One of my feet slipped and I hit my eyebrow on a hold.
It hurt a lot.
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rhythm164
Oct 4, 2009, 7:23 AM
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20 footer that put me 8 inches or so off the ground
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peg_leg1
Oct 4, 2009, 1:13 PM
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About 12 years ago I took a 35 footer and decked after my last piece failed. It was in the Needles of South Dakota. I had 8 stitches in my eyebrow, broke my helmet, rope burn down my arm (serious enough to need bandaging) and multiple scrapes. Throughout the fall, all I thought was "this is it"
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clc
Oct 4, 2009, 3:52 PM
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maybe in Hawaii they measure the back of the wave and cali the face is considered from trough to crest.
Double over-head is big enough and easier to judge.
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cfnubbler
Oct 4, 2009, 4:37 PM
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amigosandiego wrote: Hello all and good morning. Just curious. Are we adding in our rope stretch to these numbers? Reminds me of the calculations of surf...California 10ft is considered 3ft Hawaiian.
LOL. I guarantee there are some "optimistic" estimates of fall lengths in this thread. My rule of thumb is to divide the reported length of a fall in half. I'd bet the farm that in most cases in this thread, this method would result in a more accurate figure...
Not all, but most.
-Nubbler
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TJGoSurf
Oct 5, 2009, 6:04 PM
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That is correct. I've hit some 25-30' at Pipeline. It was an amazing day, didn't even care about the fine I got.
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bandycoot
Oct 5, 2009, 6:46 PM
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I got the nickname "Rocket Man" from a friend when I took a 70' headfirst fall (essentially all air). I blew a clip, combined with some belayer error...
Shortly thereafter, the friend who nicknamed me "Rocket Man" earned the nickname "Tumble Weed" when she slipped before the anchors of Sundance at Suicide and rolled about 100' almost back to her belayer. Ouch...
Josh
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amigosandiego
Oct 5, 2009, 6:48 PM
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Hello all- as I do enjoy reading all of this fun stuff on many of the forums. I have a question regarding this topic. I already know the answer for myself but was wondering is a 25ft fall really 50ft since you were out 25ft from your last pro? Also, what catagorizes a whipper? To some folks 25ft is a fall on a crash pad and not much more. Not poking just curious.
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TJGoSurf
Oct 5, 2009, 6:50 PM
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Well a whipper is determined by the speed you fall. Once you figure out the distance, length of rope, and some other fun numbers once you hit 30mph it is considered a whipper. Anything less and you should quit whining. But there are also subclasses to the whipper which is far too complicated to explain on a message board
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cracklover
Oct 5, 2009, 7:39 PM
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Biggest: 35+ footer sport climbing. No big deal.
Scariest: 10 footer, 15 feet off the deck, on an FA, falling on micro gear in a loose flake. But the biggest reason I was scared was the big flake I pulled off (which caused me to fall), chunks of which hit me and my belayer.
Ah, the joys of desert climbing!
GO
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TJGoSurf
Oct 5, 2009, 8:12 PM
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Way to ruin the gag. I would find it funny people writing in chalk on the rock trying to see if they got a whipper.
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hafilax
Oct 5, 2009, 8:16 PM
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A real whipper should be breaking the sound barrier.
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shimanilami
Oct 5, 2009, 8:16 PM
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Biggest? I've taken 40 footers with no worries. Falls on steeps are no big deal.
Scariest? 10' up and 10' left of the last bolt on a 10b TM slab climb. Cartwheeling. Shredded knees. I was scared when I made the move, scared when I realized my balance was lost, and scared as I fell. Fricking sucked!
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