Weekend Whipper: Hooked Through the Ankle
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
Chad Watkins was almost through the crux of Big Top, a 5.12a gear route in the New River Gorge, West Virginia, when his foot popped.
He peeled off the wall, but to his surprise, came to an abrupt stop. He hung upside-down by his ankle.
At first, Watkins thought his shoe had caught on a carabiner of the quickdraw clipped to a nut below, until he discovered that the nose of the biner had
pierced through the skin of his ankle and around either his Achilles tendon or the bone. He never weighted the rope.
“Once it dawned on me that I was hanging from the Achilles, I was like, okay, that’s a very bizarre feeling,” he says in the video.
Watkins grabbed the draw, pulled himself up and unhooked his ankle so he could be lowered. A paramedic patched him up and he went to a hospital to have
the wound cleaned. Miraculously, he has no long-term damage from the accident, which occurred on June 29, and he is already climbing again.
Happy Friday and stay safe out there this weekend!