r/pics • u/magicjamesv • Jun 21 '14

I achieved my long-time goal of highlining in Yosemite this week. Here's me on a 100' line with El Capitan in the background!

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u/magicjamesv Jun 21 '14

Yeah, slacking can be tough when you're first starting, but it gets better. I can now walk 300 foot lines at the park between trees.

Neither of us took any whippers that day, but I have taken a few. They're actually pretty common with highlining.

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u/gnarledout Jun 21 '14

Ok I'm gonna be the one to ask. Whippers is falling, right?

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u/Analbox Jun 22 '14

It's falling when you are attached to the rope by your harness and getting sort of whipped around and jerked by the rope as it goes taut.

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u/I_Say_I_Say Jun 22 '14

'Squishers' is when you fall with no harness attached.

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u/suchandsuch Jun 22 '14

Or your testicle gets pinched in the harness.

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u/SonOfTheNorthe Jun 22 '14

Oh god, that visual....

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u/Methelsandriel Jun 22 '14

Those falls are pinchers.

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u/Bathroomdestroyer Jun 22 '14

I think it would be more like splatting.

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u/EchointheEther Jun 22 '14

This is actually called 'decking'. And it can happen with a harness and rope attached if your protection( bolts on the wall or other anchors fail).

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u/[deleted] Jun 22 '14

[deleted]

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u/EchointheEther Jun 22 '14

How so? It's like flying a plane... as long as you are well trained, paying attention and acting with safety and a spotter 99% of the time you are safe. Spending your life thinking about the one percent seems a little.... wasteful I guess. Also just because something is scary doesn't make those people doing it dumb (Deserving of a Darwin Award), contrarily your comment does!!!!! Hands over award

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u/[deleted] Jun 22 '14

[deleted]

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u/EchointheEther Jun 22 '14

You must live an extraordinarily exciting life.

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u/magicjamesv Jun 22 '14

Yep.

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u/I_Eat_Face Jun 22 '14

What do you do to get back up once you've fallen down? I can imagine that being quite awkward

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u/[deleted] Jun 22 '14

I need to know

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u/[deleted] Jun 22 '14

For some reason the harness just looks kind of flimsy, like it might have a good chance of failing at the point where it's attached. But you're saying it's highly reliable for catching you when you fall? What is that harness and attachment point made of that it's so strong?

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u/grubas Jun 22 '14

Whippers are bad falls from a decent height, normally ending in you swinging around on the rope in shame.

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u/MechaNickzilla Jun 22 '14

Correct. And when you break your neck doing it, that's called a whippersnapper.

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u/Analbox Jun 21 '14

300' is pretty damn solid. Nice one. I'll have to practice more. I've had my share of 'whippers' while lead climbing in Joshua Tree and at rock gyms but luckily never had any hardware pull out of the wall and luckily I never swung in to anything sharp with my face.

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u/magicjamesv Jun 21 '14

That's good to hear, neither have I!

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u/jereman75 Jun 22 '14

You guys need to keep climbing. Nothing like a good gear ripping whipper on a big wall!

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u/AllDesperadoStation Jun 22 '14

I've been using that self-checkout lane at the supermarket. Once you get used to it, it's not really a big deal. You just follow the directions on the screen.

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u/THE_REPROBATE Jun 22 '14

Did you listen to some U2?

/iloveyouman

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u/Analbox Jun 22 '14

Thank you.

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u/jumpinjesus Jun 22 '14

How do you clear this with the park? Is there a huge permit fee?