Weekend Whipper: The Third Degree (5.10b), Malibu Creek State Park, CA
This one'll knock your socks—er, hat—off.
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This one’s a bit scary to watch, as it’s easy to imagine the outcome being muuuuuch worse. Alex and his pals were climbing at Malibu Creek State Park, in California, and just happened to have the camera out to catch this particular moment.
Alex got on The Third Degree, a 5.10b that one Mountain Project poster describes as having a “sequency crux near the top.” (Another MP commenter notes, “There was a plastic figurine super hero stuck into this route at one point. Anybody know about that?” Um, cool. Anyone have any beta for this dude?)
Alex cruxes out near the top, several feet above the last bolt, and takes a pretty huge, backslapping fall—the impact of which literally knocks his beanie off the top of his un-helmeted head.
“Head?” his belayer asks, wondering if Alex absorbed the fall with his noggin. Alex responds, “No, no, no. Butt. Butt,” at which the dutiful, sophomoric videographer begins giggling.
We know we’re starting to sound like a broken record here, but for the love of all that is holy, put a friggin’ helmet on ya yahoos! The helmet police have spoken.
Happy Friday and climb safe this weekend!
Also watch Weekend Whipper: Daniel Woods’ Carabiner-Snapping Fall on First Round First Minute (5.15b)