Weekend Whipper: Downeast Fall (Cannon Cliff Girdle Traverse)
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Alan Chu takes a spill while attempting the girdle traverse of Cannon Cliff, New Hampshire—possibly the biggest alpine objective on the east coast.
“[My climbing partner] Steve said it was only a 5.9,” says Chu, “so I went up the vegetated crack and placed a .3 X4 [cam] and backup nut before I began
the difficult slab.
“I suck at slab. Got to the end and it was blank. I tried to finger a shitty pocket, before I lost balance.”
Chu fell past three pieces of gear, around 30 feet, and “bummed my butt,” but received no injuries. He took the fall a second time (no video)—and
so did his partner Steve—before he sent it.
It turns out that the slab was 5.10 R, not 5.9.
Stay safe out there!