Watch Gritstone Whipper That Cuts Rope, Climber Decks
A whipper leads to a sliced rope in the U.K.
Michele Caminati from Italy was climbing at Curbar Edge in U.K. when he fell and his rope cut on the sharp rock. He was on a testpiece called Elder Statesman. According to UK Climbing, he sent the route the day before and returned for a photo shoot on the wild line. The route is graded HXS 7a, which means it’s difficult, run out and dangerous.
Caminati fell from the crux and during his fall the rope was cut rubbing on a corner. He hit the ground and broke his wrist and foot. He landed on his belayer and gave his belayer a concussion. Everyone is recovering. The Edale Mountain Rescue Team were quick to the accident and rescued the climbers.
It was first climbed by Steve McClure (watch first ascent) and repeated by Steve Dunning before a foothold broke. Then James Pearson proved it was still possible with a send. One thing to take away: always wear your helmet on notoriously dangerous routes. That applies to many lines in Canada. It is uncommon for ropes to cut on sharp rock, but not unheard of.
Cut Rope, Ground Fall
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