Weekend Whipper: Sweatpants in Public
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Ben Griffin peels off from the finish of Sweatpants in Public (5.13c) in Cascade Canyon, Colorado, and pile drives head first into the cliff.
“Well, this is the worst fall I have ever taken,” he tells Rock and Ice. “I decided to skip the last bolt, which I did many times in practicing
the route, but the rope got stuck around my leg and knee pad and was unable to release the rope.
“It really sucked.”
Griffin was going for the second ascent of the route, established by Erik Durgin in July 2014. He needed seven staples to close his head wound, and “all
the muscles in my back were pretty f*#&ed up,” he says.
“I hesitated sharing this, but I did finally send the route this summer. On a positive note, when I sent the route, I walked it by headlamp, in the rain,
and [used] a wet jug to clip the anchors.
“It’s my hardest route to date.”
Happy Friday and please wear a helmet this weekend!