Whipper

I took my first whipper today.

There were two inches of fresh, slippery snow on the ground and the temperature was 32 degrees, but the wind was whipping around Sugarloaf which made it feel colder. Tony and I thought we'd give our new ice tools a run by dry tooling up a sport route. The route is easy enough in the summer, but winter conditions make it much tougher. We yo-yoed up and down, making it a little further each time. I had a run at the top section and made it past the last bolt when my tools lost their purchase. I fell about 15 feet and got caught with my head level to my waist, which bent me backwards a bit. "Falling," I whimpered, then I grunted as I came to a stop unharmed. The sensation was different than going down a roller coaster; none of that stomach in your throught queasiness while I waited for the rope to catch. Surprisingly I held on to both of my leasheless ice tools. Cool.

Thanks for the belay, Tony!