Topic Author's Original Post - Dec 7, 2012 - 02:11pm PT
To be fair, I know not the backstory of this uncomfortable video, but damn it to heck if it doesn't smack of inexperience... 5.10 in a gym and 5.10 outside are different!
I once heard a former coach (Summit Party Nor Cal) tell his kids that if they get pumped they should grab a draw and rest or clip into it. He told them this in ISO at a regional championship... I definitely see why gyms get a bad rep and do my best not to have that behavior in mine...
Nothing wrong with grabbing a draw to facilitate a clip if you are jazzed and feel that a fall is not safe. I think one of the key factors here was not knowing how to clip under stress.
As soon as you see that elbow flared out and slightly bent you know he's going to take a flyer.
Straight arm that and or if he was a little bit more experienced he might have thought about down climbing back to his last piece and not taken the fall with all the extra rope to clip in his hand.
No shame in grabbing a draw now and then, but the belay gloves, that is embarrassing.
You knew something terrible was going to happen as soon as you saw those.
I've definitely grabbed my fair share of draws in my time, but even when I've been totally blown I've always been able to hang onto it and clip the rope, especially when it's only vert, which is what it looks like here.
I'm astonished that he couldn't get the rope clipped. Dude, clip the f*#king rope! What the hell was he doing up there? I love how you can see the bite in his hand while he's falling.
Let us know!