Weekend Whipper: Climber Dangles From Ice Dagger. Then It Snaps.
Readers, please send your Weekend Whipper videos, information, and any lessons learned to Anthony Walsh, awalsh@outsideinc.com.
On a brief trip to the Northeast, Canadian Rockies-based JC Dubeau checked out a steep mixed crag near New Hampshire’s Lower Baker Pond. Slander Crag’s routes are short but stout, and when Dubeau visited, the bolted Pocket Rocket (M9+) had just a skiff of ice at the lip of the crag.
Dubeau cruised through the lower section of the pitch, climbing powerfully between rattly tool placements and big, athletic hooks. At the lip of the roof he swung cautiously into the unconsolidated ice, hoping to find a secure stick. The ice wasn’t incredibly solid—nor thick—but with a good bolt just a bit behind him, Dubeau had the confidence to wrap both legs around the skinny dangler and hope for the best.
The ice held for an instant, but when he committed his weight to the poor thing it had nowhere to go but down. Thankfully everyone at the crag was tucked below the rocky overhang and no one was injured.
Dubeau sent Pocket Rocket on his next go, grateful to not have another icicle to navigate.
Happy Friday, and be safe out there this weekend.
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