Weekend Whipper: Flubbing the Clip in San Diego

“I pulled up a bunch of slack to put through the draw and my middle finger missed the carabiner and then boom.”

This Weekend Whipper comes from Austin Blair, who took a nice, healthy-sized fall Escapade, a 5.11a in Mission Gorge, San Diego.

Of the crag he was at, Blari told Rock and Ice, “The granite is extremely slippery.

At 5 foot 8 inches, Blair isn’t the shortest guy around, but neither is he the tallest, and the next bolt was a bit of a stretch. “The hold that you clip the draw from is a far reach,” he said, and quite “powerful.”

Blair managed to get the draw onto the hanger, but developed a bit of Elvis leg as he got ready to clip it. He said, “I pulled up a bunch of slack to put through the draw and my middle finger missed the carabiner and then boom”—his left foot popped off and he went for a big ol’ ride.

After his Whipper, Blair lowered to the ground, recomposed himself, and gave it another burn. He sent. Nice work Blair!

Happy Friday and climb safe this weekend!