A fourth of July ascent, to see the fireworks from up high, went a bit haywire.
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Readers, please send your Weekend Whipper videos, information, and any lessons learned to Anthony Walsh, awalsh@outsideinc.com.
Scenic, isolated viewpoints are hard to beat, and there’s arguably no better spot in North Carolina for climbers than the iconic Looking Glass rock. At least that’s what Chris Zammit and Adam Fleming figured, some July fourths ago, when they set out late on a route nicknamed The World’s Hardest 5.8 (5.10a) to watch the fireworks from up high.
“I had already climbed this pitch, but Chris wanted to give it a go,” Fleming wrote to Climbing. “There’s a perfect 0.3 cam placement right before the crux move (a rockover onto a high foot), but that doesn’t make it any easier or less scary! Chris made two or three more attempts after this fall before we decided to bail on our gear anchor. I went back … the next morning to retrieve our gear.”
Fleming, who is an AMGA rock guide, shared some useful lessons he learned during this night ascent:
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