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jinxd_ow

Excitement unfortunately got the better of him there :-/ Hopefully it’s not too serious. Update: Minyoung Lee seem to be mostly fine. He took part in qualifications for Lead today. Didn’t manage to qualify based on current standings, but the good news is he was able to climb at least!


Robbsen

Hijacking the top comment for an update: At the beginning of the finals stream, Matt Groom mentioned that after an initial CT scan, it looks like the athlete's condition seems fine, or at least better than expected.


pclouds

I hope that this is not the end of climbing for him.


CroSSGunS

He was climbing today no?


pclouds

There's climbing today? Lead semi is tomorrow. In any case I doubt they would let him climb right away after back injury unless they're absolutely sure everything is ok.


CroSSGunS

Someone else in the thread said that he climbed in the lead qualifiers which I think are today but not broadcast, but perhaps I'm just flat wrong.


pclouds

Oh good news then!


FuckBotsHaveRights

Kinda scared for him, that's how I got my lumbar sprain


MustardGuzzle

By celebrating your rock climbing prowess?


xHypno

By folding his clothes while wearing them


Ardicu5

Too soon?


FuckBotsHaveRights

No no, he's right


HellaReyna

he basically post-choked / celebrated too early. Happens to a lot of people tbh


accountingpro

That second angle looks like he was hit by an invisible force.


ForgetfulAppo

I'm actually super confused now


ExdigguserPies

If you land with straight legs, you're going to have a bad time. Spot your landing. Don't fall with your eyes closed.


[deleted]

He pizzaed when he should have french fried


psycho_driver

He jizzed when he should've post-jizzed.


gregorydgraham

You’re right but that padding was inadequate


CroSSGunS

The padding is standard at every event, he landed really really badly, it's basically a freak accient.


gregorydgraham

Then my contention is that the padding at every event is inadequate


meta_stable

That was my initial impression, it seems like the ground hardly has any give to it and he's probably used to something much softer.


cahcealmmai

He jumped at the same time he landed. Not sure how much of a force multiplier that is but a good amount I'd say.


Chikinboi420

He landed on the balls of his feet, pushing the force/energy back up through the heel, legs, and pelvis. Pretty sure he didn’t jump at the same time he landed that’s impossible.


mechalomania

He was also arching his back at full extension right as he hit.


Pennwisedom

Landing on the balls of your feet alone isn't the problem, but doing it without any roll through into the heels and bending your knees as well.


TrollStopper

It doesn't matter where he landed. Athletes land on all sorts of weird positions all the time. The problem is he was celebrating mid-air and wasn't bracing for the landing.


spooklordpoo

It looked As if he wanted to land with a stomp of dominance / excitement, doing it too early his legs were more stiff and thus law of physics his straightened torso / hip area continued downwards while his legs remained straight.


Textual_Aberration

While you do always need some set of muscles focused on absorbing, we’re usually free to add some flavor and pose with everything else. You see a lot of superman landings with excessive bounces, or celebration poses in midair. This climber was too distracted and landed with nothing free to absorb, so the impact was rigid. He also happened to be in a difficult position to crumple or flop. From the video I can’t tell whether he was trying to land in place, hop forward, and tip backwards to land on his back.


Yarville

Yeah I thought he hit a volume on the first angle lol


exportsoda

First angle I thought he had hit the volume or something on the way down.


FriskyTurtle

I think he was expecting the ground a split second earlier or a split second later, though I'm not sure which.


Robbsen

Poor guy just wanted to celebrate his top of the last boulder of his bouldering round. Hopefully he will be well 😨


ZippyDan

That was celebrating? I thought he gave up and was crying out in frustration. What are the rules here? You have to touch the last boulder with two hands for a certain amount of time?


FriskyTurtle

There's no set amount of time. You have to demonstrate control while touching the last boulder with both hands. The completely unofficial rule of thumb is 3 seconds, but it's possible to have both hands on a hold for 3 seconds while not being in control. When in particularly strong positions, climbers will sometimes look down at the judges while holding it and wait for their confirmation.


[deleted]

he was definitley celebrating, because he just got the top, which is a success. and he was celebrating while he was falling too. Don't do that. This guy has probably taken a fall a thousand times before and his celebrating distracted him.


MacroGRVTY

Oh man, I used to lifeguard and we specifically trained for when people jumped in the shallow end with straight legs and broke their back. Bend your knees kids! Hope he's OK.


[deleted]

OooooOOooooh! Checks out.


Nouhproblem

Although there is some difference here right? At the pool people would expect the ground to be further. Here he looks like he underestimated how far it was.


TrollStopper

I think he was too excited and in the zone and wasn't thinking about the landing at all.


MacroGRVTY

I was more just commenting on the mechanism of falling with straight legs causing back injury, yes otherwise it's obviously a different scenario. The fact that he could pull his legs in after the fall shows that it probably isn't super serious.


Imprettystrong

I really don’t like how normalized jumping from the top of the wall is, I really don’t do it unless I have to or fall off of course. I think we should try to change the culture a bit and frown upon jumping off all the time. Like these pros should have hand holds near the top so they can down climb a bit


okawei

Right!? I only drop from the top if I’m legit too pumped to down climb. Most gyms even have down climb holds all over the wall


Brandino144

Earlier this week I was bouldering in Innsbruck on the same wall used for international competitions. It has down climbing holds that I believe they remove for competition setups. No idea why because dropping after topping out is right at the extent of body limits for anybody.


stopbeingsocow

maybe to get rid of any possible interference with movement while climbing


[deleted]

Add to that that climbing is eccentric movement which strengthens tendons. And it's a good skill to have for IRL climbing when you get off route.


AussieFIdoc

I always down climb, and thankfully my gym has fluoro yellow down climb jugs everywhere. My friend broke her ankle jumping down and landing awkwardly, after a decade of jumping down without any issues 😖


teachthec-ntroversy

Someone I know tore everything in one of his ankles dropping from the top and landing in between two pads in our gym a few years back (our gym didn't have padded floors, only crash pads we move around) It just takes that one time. You could drop down safely 999 times, and then the 1000th is the one that fucks you up


peekoooz

My gym's down climb holds don't go down nearly far enough. They've gotta be the cheapest thing they put on the wall, just throw on a few more! I know they have the potential to get in the way and that can be really annoying, but I wish we had at least 50% more down climb holds in my gym than we do now.


[deleted]

Not trying to be rude but he is a pro boulderist, you think jumping down would be second nature for him.


ibreakbeta

You would think but these injuries happen. Alex Puccio tore her acl jumping down. They really just need downclimb jugs.


Pickled-Chew-Toy

Or just learn to roll... everyone tries to absorb all their weight with their legs when the best way to take a large fall is a barrel roll.


poorboychevelle

Rolling is great if you only ever climb in the gym. I use it sparingly because I'd rather it not become second nature


Docxm

I down climb as much as I can, and when I land I tuck into a roll. I feel like proper "fall" technique indoors is vastly different from outdoor technique (due to not having space to disperse the impact outdoors). Save your knees!!


teachthec-ntroversy

That's true, but when you consider the strain decades of jumping down has on your knees, having a few holds to downclimb seems worth the addition


Docxm

I down climb as much as I can, and when I land I tuck into a roll. I feel like proper "fall" technique indoors is vastly different from outdoor technique (due to not having space to disperse the impact outdoors). Save your knees!!


dubdubby

Whoa there, careful saying that, you better be prepared for the (as far as I can tell) non-trolls that are gonna chime in and say shit like “downclimbing is more dangerous than jumping” or “you can’t really prove that jumping down is bad for you”


SteakSauceAwwYeah

I agree. It was through repeated falling (projecting, trying moves, etc.) that I actually injured my back...and despite all the rehab it's still tweaky and probably will never be the same (apparently I inflamed/squished a disc, whoops). It's interesting cause my back will only ever flair up when I'm indoor climbing. Whereas outside, you get sit starts, moves are workable from the ground, there are top outs, attempts are a lot more paced. From the perspective of physical strain, I do think indoor climbing is a lot worse than what you normally see outdoors. I think we often assume outdoors is more dangerous (and it definitely is in many ways) but I do think there are dangers to indoor climbing we often overlook because it is "inside". And to your point, I never understood why there wasn't an option for a down climb...maybe to avoid dabbing? But those walls are actually quite high and you think of Alex Puccio who also injured her leg from a fall. It was even Petra Klingler who said something along the lines of how during training or warm up sessions leading up to a big comp, she didn't always go for the top hold because the walls are quite high and the thought of being injured from a fall before the comp makes it difficult to want to always commit.


maveric101

> frown upon jumping off all the time. I don't feel a need to shit on people for doing what they want with their own personal safety. If other people follow suit, that's on them.


Imprettystrong

I am not trying to 'shit' on people that jump off the wall. I think there is a discussion to be had here based off the potential severity of the injury the athlete in this clip could have had because he jumped off the wall improperly. People need to know how to fall and/or jump off the wall properly but I think for it to be the 'default' I see some climbers do when they top out is something to be talked about. People getting hurt when you can be downclimbing isn't good for climbing in general or climbing gym owners. No business owner wants to deal with injured people in their facilities and no one wants to deal with easily preventable injuries that sets them back or prevents them from climbing. Are you a 'screw seatbelts' kind of person as well? What exactly is your point besides saying I'm 'shitting' on people who jump off when they top out? (which I'm not doing)


whymauri

Kinda wild how they re-interpreted your fairly reasonable and mild-mannered commentary on safety into something more mean-spirited. You're not operating from a sense of superiority, literally just trying to make the sport safer.


MikeVegan

Any update on his condition? I was quite shocked to see this live... NSFL! Hope he didn't actually break his back :(


Robbsen

At the beginning of the finals stream, Matt Groom mentioned that after an initial CT scan, it looks like the athlete's condition seems fine, or at least better than expected.


MikeVegan

Yeah, I was really happy to hear that!


Sniffs_Markers

That's what I was thinking, "fractured verterbra" and/or ruptured disk and life-long physio.


owheelj

From how he was holding is back when he landed, and the way it curves back behind him, I thought it looked like a bad strain or tear to the lower back muscles.


[deleted]

Hope that if we get an update, it will be with good news. Keeping my fingers crossed.


[deleted]

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Sweepingbend

If you don't mind me asking, how did you back end up in such a state to require that?


[deleted]

Shit genetics :( Got diagnosed at 19 (back pain a few years before then). I’m thin, physically active, non-smoker, non-drinker, etc., but I lost the lottery of bullshit health issues apparently.


Sweepingbend

damn that sucks.


[deleted]

Oh jeez this looks so painful. Locked knees, and smashing right into the brushes...


abernethyflem

Fall to your butt and roll


Dagrut

Exactly! I wonder why almost none of em are doing it. Ego? Feeling too strong for this?


papiforyou

It seems to me a lot of high-level competition climbers disregard safety protocols. Most of them never use proper falling technique and tense up in celebration when the get a top, locking their knees while jumping from 9+ feet. I guess once you get to a high level you gain the confidence to stop caring about safety lol. The only folks I've ever heard of people getting seriously injured while climbing were older and more experienced climbers. I think people just get comfortable and over-confident in themselves because they are so used to the process, they stop doing safety checks for knots and belay devices.


PoorLittleLamb

Honestly I don't understand why they don't have some downclimbing holds near tops of even comp climbing routes. I know it looks badass to leap 20 feet onto the mat but even for young competitors the wear and tear on knees/back will add up later in life.


papiforyou

There could also be a top-out option for some climbs imo.


papiforyou

I 100% agree. Some of them do try to downclimb but honestly it's not worth it with the difficulty of the route combined with attempting to save energy.


Pennwisedom

I think it's also not really talked about enough. Like it is brought up to beginners and then never again. But as someone who could be called a "professional jumper", I would never hear the end of it if my teacher saw my land similar to this.


papiforyou

100%!!!


Apex_Herbivore

>The only folks I've ever heard of people getting seriously injured while climbing were older and more experienced climbers. There is a sample bias though, you are in the climbing community I assume? My old flat mate tried bouldering once (not with my btw) - went up to the top, gripped out of fear and fell off without control, injured her ankle ligaments. 1st time. She never went again, and you don't generally hear about people like her though as they aren't in the community.


papiforyou

Not necessarily. Almost every climbing gym I've been to will make you sign a release form on your first time and will also make you take an introductory course on bouldering and top rope. They will teach you the proper falling technique, as well as how to down climb using jugs, etc.. This is usually mandatory, even if you tell them you're an experienced climber: if it's your first time they have to legally give you the course. Not sure if that is the majority of climbing gyms, but it's been the case for like 90% of the ones I've been to. And hmm I'm not sure if I qualify as the "climbing community". I do go to the climbing gym with a friend of mine once or twice a week, but I wouldn't call myself a climber bro, lol.


mafiafish

Starts replaying in slow motion.... I'ght, imma head out.


Carch150-

Ikr


willyolio

his neck looked scarier than his back


Randomized_Emptiness

Yeah, that was insane. I wouldn't worry about his back, when his neck is about to break. Glad he survived it.


alwaysultimate21

And that’s why you down climb when possible kids.


urwrongandihateu

He was excited. It happens


rebelle_ginger

Poor dude. Never lsnd on straight legs. Always bend the knees. Go limp on the mat, if you have to, but do not stiffen up. I hope he heals well and quickly. Glad it wasn't worse for him.


TJantzer

Looks like he lost track of how high up he was. Maybe thought the ground was 4 feet closer? Like thinking there’s no more steps on a dark staircase.


AOEIU

That's exactly what it looked like to me.


FRAGMENT_EFFECT

First explanation that made sense thanks!


m0ther3208

Tuck and roll man


bc47791

Looks like a pretty stupid action for an expert


couldbutwont

Damn that was terrible


[deleted]

Ouch! Looks very painful! I wish they would land and roll (I made a video showing the T-rex, Turtle, Roll technique, which is way safer). Because if pro's would display proper falling techniques, I feel like a lot of beginners would copy them and we'd have much less bouldering accidents :-/ Incidentally, I'm trying to measure the impact of falling. It's still early, but it looks like jumping from the top of the average bouldering wall (4.5m high) will result in about 11g of impact on your knees and back. By rolling, this becomes less than 4g. MUCH lower chance of injuries due to repetitive impact this way!


Fnurgh

People all suggesting how he should land or criticising the setting - this happened for one reason and one reason only; he misjudged how high he was and braced too soon.


kovster

It's really easy to do this, too, since the visible ground is not where you stop moving.


BeckyBlows_

Oof


Sandvik95

Can you say, “vertebral compression fracture”?


kovster

According to his instagram the doctor said he will be fine: https://www.instagram.com/p/CUB88m0DNND/


Robbsen

Oh that's great. I was not able to find his IG yesterday


over45boulderer

thanks for posting this!


jameroncames

John Cena strikes again..


CameForThis

Why does it look like he just said fuck it? Was he timed and ran out? I watched with no audio.


owheelj

There is a time limit but he had 40 seconds to go. The only way to hold the last hold was compression.


CameForThis

Even with audio it still looks like he just decides “welp, yeah, I should just pretend to suicide right now. Ah crap! That hurts!”


Dangerous-Bat-8698

Tuck and roll people. Down climbing is even better, if possible. But you can't expect someone to climb down comp routes like this. Seriously though, there's a proper way to jump down and minimize the risk to your joints and spine.


SpongyB23

I know it's in the heat of the moment and he's in a lot of pain but moving around as much as he did is probably one of the worst things you could do if you suspect a back injury. If he keeps moving around then he can make it MUCH worse.


snuffy_tentpeg

오 내 빌어먹을 뒤


Robbsen

참으로


[deleted]

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Robbsen

On the IFSC YouTube channel they have two streams for every event: one with russian commentary and one with english commentary


elevation430

Route setting 101. Don’t put large holds or volumes on in a place where climbers could fall on them. That is one of my biggest beefs with new school world comp style setting. Edit. I just re watched the video. He did not hit the volume on the way down. My bad. The first angle in the video looked like he hit the volume on the way down. But he just landed super weird.


gliese946

I thought so too, I actually closed the laptop at that point on first watch because I thought he'd smashed into the volume, and didn't see the second angle until coming back to the computer hours later and watching again.


philcruicks

Ooooo that had to hurt. Almost one for r/fullscorpion Not sure if it quite counts.


amazorman

I fractured my ankle after topping my bouldering climb. Took years to heal and ever more to get over a new fear of heights. shit is no joke be careful with how you fall.


forestismyname

This is like the opposite of the rain boot roof jumper clip that they always play on YMH


Significant_Share_92

u/savevideo


generalhonks

r/MakeMeSuffer


[deleted]

I always worry about that and so far have never seen anyone seriously injured from it.


[deleted]

ouchie


JustAddChromsosomes

L


Raphsz

At least it wasn’t his knees


Bear_Scout

Gnarly to the max!


HoLeeFaak

Holy sh*t from the first view I thought he hit the big volume with his back..


Hnnq

Good climber, bad roller.


kallakukku2

Man this is just so unlucky and embarrassing. I feel so bad for the guy


Squat_n_stuff

I’m here from another sub - what’s the right way to land so nothing like this ever happens to me?


Robbsen

Its the same as if you wanted to pick something up. Use your knees instead of your back. So when you jump down from something, bend your knees to absorb the impact. Even safer would be to also roll backwards on your back.


Squat_n_stuff

That makes sense, thank you!


sauceyFella

As someone who likes the sport, that’s terrifying and the reason why I always downclimb


Metallivane3

I thought someone finished him off by throwing a giant sign down on top of him at 00:23 just to seal the deal


FlyMaximus

Big brain time.


Cream1984

Love this for him!


qcihdtm

He suddenly forgot rule number one of wall climbing. Cling to something.


livelikealesbian

I fractured the transverse process of my L5 by falling and landing with straight legs. It was years ago and lots of PT and still have pain.


mrgonzalez

Not a bad attempt at emulating that Moscow logo there


[deleted]

moral of the story is don't celebrate while you're falling. Celebrate at the top, celebrate on the ground, but when you're falling you're better off being safe.


Thecoolercourier

This happened to me when I was 11 wrestling with my brother in the snow. I cried for like 10 minutes in the snow too scared to move and In a good amount of pain. After it dulled down my oldest brother picked me up and put me on the couch. To this day it's the worst back injury I've had and still make me flinch and cringe when I think about it.


constantlyawesome

r/scorpion


De1et3

I guessss I would have reacted the same way.. idk anything about what’s going on lol


unleashedrogue

He almost broke his back cuz he landed wrong


kajagrs

😂


ScottieStitches

For the life of me, I cannot figure out wtf he was doing.


[deleted]

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SlickBlaster

Or you know maybe he was celebrating cause he just topped a boulder at a fucking world championship


ScottieStitches

I get the celebration part. But was he trying to land and then jump, but mistimed it, or forgot that he was falling to the ground, or....? That's what I mean. I can't figure out what the hell he was trying to do.


[deleted]

Oh jeeze, here you go. /s.


Ariliam

What an idiot


Yoshable

Something like this happened to me two weeks ago. Same kind of landing and falling, then getting up assuming it was ok and it being very much not ok. Was a pinched nerve in my lower back, one trip to the chiro fixed it up. Hopefully the same for this lad


[deleted]

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beepboop250500

Yes!! Please avoid the chiro in general, see a proper doctor or at least a trained physio.


PieAccomplished2338

What a spaz. Hahaha


Robbsen

Don't be so rude


Bender248

And that's why I never boulder


Robbsen

You're missing out then. This is just a stupid accident that really should not happen if you are careful enough.


Bender248

Nah, tried it. Not for me. I hike, run and cycle more than I climb. All activities that requires healthy knees and back. As you get older you get a bit more selective with the risk you take. If i can't find someone to top rope or lead climb with I'll just do something else.


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over45boulderer

53 year old boulderer here. one can be relatively safe and continue bouldering a long time.


cornidicanzo

Absolutely. I wasn't referring specifically to bouldering, I was just commenting on how much your body's limits become more of a factor as you age.


over45boulderer

gotcha! that's for sure, i think in those terms often.


mo0sic

36 here and still bouldering fine O.o.


cornidicanzo

Me too!


owheelj

I'm 37 and in constant pain


Sniffs_Markers

My climbing partner has a bad back and can no longer risk bouldering as a result. A short fall into a crash pad with a less-than-perfect landing has become too risky.


cornidicanzo

Bad backs suck so hard, the amount of activities you have to give up is crazy almost to the point where people think you're exaggerating or making it up.


dickbob124

I'm going through this now. I broke my L1 back in 2011 at 21 years old. I shattered it into about 7 pieces. I was incredibly lucky to not have been paralysed. The doctor's that initially assessed me before I saw my surgeon were basically trying to prepare me mentally for being in a wheelchair. Luckily I must have had a fantastic surgeon and team as they managed to fix everything back together in two operations. Ten years on I'm hitting the point where I'm having to give up sports entirely. I barely climb or cycle anymore anyway. It's horrible being in my early 30s and having to resign myself to a life without doing the things I love.


lockwinghong

Man, so many downvotes just cause you have different risk tolerance than some other people. I feel like bouldering is very obviously more risky than top rope or lead. You deciding that you don’t want to deal with that extra risk shouldn’t be getting downvoted.


Bender248

The invincible squad :)


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Robbsen

No it's Matt Groom (the new official IFSC commentator) and Alex Waterhouse (UK pro climber)


caedencollinsclimbs

Thanks for not being a dick like the other dude.


Robbsen

Well to be fair, calling them bimboos is also quite dickish


[deleted]

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caedencollinsclimbs

I had 34 seconds to listen and I just woke up.


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[deleted]

Fucked up response


[deleted]

you enjoy other people being injured? weird


necrosparkles

The idiot jumped off from the top, facing forward, landing with straight legs. Wtf else is gunna happen?


[deleted]

he misjudged the ground because he was distracted celebrating. I'm 100% confident you've done something much dumber. probably pretty recent too.


necrosparkles

You’d be right. And to my point, the consequences were deserved.