Ep 106 - Solo Ground Fall - Chris Gardner

the Sharp End Podcast

May of 2023, Chris set out to rope solo Virgin Wool (5.8 C2) in Arches National Park. The description of the first pitch read: "5.7 - sporty - no pro.” To Chris, it looked harder than a 5.7 from the ground, and he noticed a seam that he thought he could aid up, so he decided to try and aid climb the route. It didn’t go as planned and he ripped out two cams and fell 10 feet to the ground, landing on his heels before tumbling backwards. After a lot of self reflection (and therapy), Chris learned a bit about the psychology of climbing solo, and a bit more about risk management. Tune in this episode to hear more. This podcast is produced by Ashley Saupe. This podcast is sponsored by Rocky Talkie, ZOLEO and AmazFit. → Use code SHARPEND to waive the activation fee on ZOLEO → Get 15% off the T-Rex 3 watch at www.amazfit.com/sharpend → 10% off LIVSN clothes with code TSE10 (limited to 30 uses) → 10% off Rocky Talkie radios at RockyTalkie.com/SharpEnd → 15% off Swoop garments with code SHARPEND → 20% off First Aid contents at MyMedic.com with code SHARPEND20 Instagram: the_sharp_end_podcast YouTube: @thesharpendpodcast Become a Patron: patreon.com/thesharpendpodcast Visit my website: www.thesharpendpodcast.com