Weekend Whipper: Learning to Crawl (5.12c), Reimer’s Ranch, TX

Diana Gerson goes for a surprising ride on Learning to Crawl (5.12c), Reimer’s Ranch, Texas.

Many of us, early in our climbing careers, made the rookie mistake of falling with our leg behind the rope and having our world flipped upside down.

That’s not what happen’s here though.

Diana Gerson was climbing Learning to Crawl, a 5.12c in Texas at Reimer’s Ranch. “It was my redpoint run and everything felt great,” Gerson tells Rock and Ice. “I got to the last hard move (two terrible crimps to a big-ass jug), slapped to the wrong part of the jug, and was off.”

She explains, “I’m not totally sure why I flipped. My belayer thought he didn’t give me a soft enough catch but after viewing it a couple times it kind of looks like I was already flipping before there was anything he could do about it.”

As many of our armchair-cum-internet mountaineers are sure to point out, Gerson is without a brain bucket in this video. Luckily everything turns out fine, but it’s a reminder that—regardless of whatever guff you take from your less safety-conscious friends—wearing a helmet while sport climbing is definitely a good idea.

Happy Friday and climb safe this weekend!

Also watch Weekend Whipper: Whip of Shame, on Delicatessen (5.12a), RRG