Whipper
Encyclopedia
In rock climbing
, a whipper is an especially hard or dynamic fall where the rope is weighed by a significant load. A fall is considered hard when the climber falls beyond at least one piece of protection
, which in trad climbing would mean the last placed cam or nut
and in sport climbing
would be the last successfully clipped quickdraw
. The term 'whipper' comes from the whipping motion a climber will take if an unskilled belayer cuts the fall short, limiting the dynamic stretching nature of the rope and causing a pendulum effect (often into the wall). It has become ubiquitous, however, with a hard fall, regardless of whether the pendulum effect is achieved or not.
Whippers can be very dramatic falls, often for some distance. The distance of a whipper is determined by a number of factors, including rope stretch, any slack in the rope before the climber is ejected, and discrepancies in the relative weights between the climber
and the belayer.
When a whipper is particularly long and the load great, a belayer will be lifted from the ground, occasionally all the way up to the first piece of protection or bolt. Depending on how far up the route the climber has gone, the climber may fall far enough to meet the belayer at an even level or even pass the belayer on the way down. This effect is known as teabagging in the rock climbing community, and is most common when a climber is significantly heavier than their belayer, but can happen in various other circumstances as well.
Dynamic rope
is very well-suited to handle whippers, which can often be dramatically long and put a great deal of strain on a rope and equipment. Dynamic rope is rated by the UIAA to handle a specific number of whippers before being retired.
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
, a whipper is an especially hard or dynamic fall where the rope is weighed by a significant load. A fall is considered hard when the climber falls beyond at least one piece of protection
Protection (climbing)
To make climbing as safe as possible, most climbers use protection, a term used to describe the equipment used to prevent injury to themselves and others.-Types of climbing:...
, which in trad climbing would mean the last placed cam or nut
Nut (climbing)
In rock climbing, a nut is a metal wedge threaded on a wire, used for protection by wedging it into a crack in the rock. Quickdraws are clipped to the nut wire by the ascending climber and the rope threads through the quickdraw. Nuts come in a variety of sizes and styles, and several different...
and in sport climbing
Sport climbing
Sport climbing is a form of rock climbing that relies on permanent anchors fixed to the rock, and possibly bolts, for protection,...
would be the last successfully clipped quickdraw
Quickdraw
Quickdraws are used by rock climbers to connect the climbing rope to bolt anchors or other protection, while lead climbing...
. The term 'whipper' comes from the whipping motion a climber will take if an unskilled belayer cuts the fall short, limiting the dynamic stretching nature of the rope and causing a pendulum effect (often into the wall). It has become ubiquitous, however, with a hard fall, regardless of whether the pendulum effect is achieved or not.
Whippers can be very dramatic falls, often for some distance. The distance of a whipper is determined by a number of factors, including rope stretch, any slack in the rope before the climber is ejected, and discrepancies in the relative weights between the climber
Climber
Climber may refer to:*Climber, a participant in the activity of climbing*Climber, general name for a vine*Climber , a robot that goes upward or downward on a track*Climber , by Nintendo...
and the belayer.
When a whipper is particularly long and the load great, a belayer will be lifted from the ground, occasionally all the way up to the first piece of protection or bolt. Depending on how far up the route the climber has gone, the climber may fall far enough to meet the belayer at an even level or even pass the belayer on the way down. This effect is known as teabagging in the rock climbing community, and is most common when a climber is significantly heavier than their belayer, but can happen in various other circumstances as well.
Dynamic rope
Dynamic rope
A dynamic rope is a specially constructed, stretchable rope. This 'stretch' is what makes it 'dynamic', in contrast to a static rope that doesn't have any give when under load. By stretching under load, a dynamic rope will soften the impact of extreme stresses on it, such as falls, and lessens the...
is very well-suited to handle whippers, which can often be dramatically long and put a great deal of strain on a rope and equipment. Dynamic rope is rated by the UIAA to handle a specific number of whippers before being retired.