Weekend Whipper: 60 Feet of Airtime on 5.14 R Trad
Readers, please send your Weekend Whipper videos, information, and any lessons learned to Anthony Walsh, awalsh@outsideinc.com.
Earlier this year, Mat Wright, a 25-year-old from the U.K., made the seventh ascent of Rhapsody (E11 7a/5.14c R) at Scotland’s Dumbarton Rock. When Dave MacLeod established the bold single pitch in 2006 it was one of the hardest trad routes in the world.
Rhapsody is every bit as hard and runout as it was in 2006, however the many repetitions—and widely watched whipper videos—lowered the mystique of the route somewhat. When Wright began working the route two years ago, he didn’t realize the massive fall potential off the crux (a V11 on its own) could result in injury.
After taking this whipper, he wrote: “It was this fall that made me realize that, even though there’s little risk of serious injury on this route, it’s definitely still far from safe. I was lucky to only bruise my arm.”
We probably could have told you that, Mat! Happy Friday, and be safe out there this weekend.
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