Weekend Whipper: Climbers vs. Trees

Top five whippers that involve climbers flying into trees. Have a whipper of your own? Let us know! E-mail the link or video file to Rock and Ice online
editor at hcarpenter@bigstonepub.com.

Weekend Whipper: Man vs. Tree

“This could potentially be a really bad screw-up.”

Weekend Whipper: Nearly Skewered

Aaron Doull whips on Warmenpumpen (23 5.11c/d) in the Blue Mountains of Australia and falls around 30 feet into the tree canopy and
“a nice sharp stick.”

“The stick passed perfectly between my leg and my junk,” says Doull. “It was like magic!

Doull walked away with only a “very tiny scratch” and a hole through his pants, which he still has.

“If the stick went one centimeter in any other direction it would have gone through my leg or through something else,” he says. “I rested a bit but that
was enough climbing that day. Didn’t have the psych to attempt it again.”

Weekend Whipper: Tree Landing

Pine doesn’t taste as good as it smells.

Megan McIntyre’s left foot blew unexpectedly when she was climbing 51 Scoops (5.12c) at Maple Canyon, Utah. Despite a good belay, the runout between bolts
three and four sent McIntyre in for a pine tree landing. Luckily, McIntyre escaped with only bruises and scrapes and she plans to give the route another
go.

Weekend Whipper: Double Impact

This climber is at the anchors of Luscious (5.11a) in Malibu Creek, California, but there’s a slight problem … he can’t make the clip. Instead of backing
down, however, he decides to climb higher. But eventually, the relentless pump wins, and at this point the fall has grown into a MASSIVE whipper with
two potential impacts waiting below.

Weekend Whipper: Hooked on Climbing

Watch out for tree branches!—Stu Smith pumps out and whips near the top of a project he bolted in northern B.C., Canada. Before the rope catches
him, he’s spiked by a branch on his way down. “I landed on a dry branch, which formed a perfect hook on its end,” he writes in the video description.
“The hook sliced through my pants and hooked into my right butt cheek bringing me to a stop [and] leaving a hefty gash. “It’s a hilarious memory but
I would have much rather cut that branch off before whipping.”

Trees: 5, climbers: 0.

Happy Friday and stay safe this weekend!