Weekend Whipper: Another One Bites the Deck
Unlock this article and more benefits with 40% off.
Already have an Outside Account? Sign in
40% Off Outside+.
$4.99/month $2.99/month*
Get the one subscription to fuel all your adventures.
- Map your next adventure with our premium GPS apps: Gaia GPS Premium and Trailforks Pro.
- Read unlimited digital content from 15+ brands, including Outside Magazine, Triathlete, Ski, Trail Runner, and VeloNews.
- Watch 600+ hours of endurance challenges, cycling and skiing action, and travel documentaries.
- Learn from the pros with expert-led online courses.
*Outside memberships are billed annually. Print subscriptions available to U.S. residents only. You may cancel your membership at anytime, but no refunds will be issued for payments already made. Upon cancellation, you will have access to your membership through the end of your paid year. More Details
When a hold breaks on Virtuous Pagans (5.11a) at Dante’s Wall, Red Rock, Nevada, this climber hits the deck.
If you watch closely, the belayer lets go of the brake-strand to feed out slack above the belay device. He returns to the brake-strand, loosely, but when
the climber falls, the belayer grabs the rope above the belay device—while his left hand holds a death-grip on the device’s release lever.
With rope whizzing out, the climber decks from around 15 feet. Fortunately, he wasn’t injured. The belayer, on the other hand, must have had some good
rope burn by the looks of it.
Even with an assisted braking belay device (read: NOT auto-locking), the brake hand should never leave the rope.
Happy Friday and stay safe out there!