“Climbing can be as safe or as dangerous as you make it”. We don’t know who first said this, but thanks Emily Harrington for bringing it back - we’re damn thankful! Safety is everyone’s responsibility in the climbing community, and it’s something we’re extremely passionate about at VL. We created Tale of Woah as a standing column in each edition of the mag as a way to help create a culture of safety in our sport, especially as our community grows at an unprecedented rate and Reddit forums run rampant.
In this edition, Aaron Lowndes of Melbourne Climbing School reminds us why using a prusik to back up your abseil is not a ‘personal decision’.
If you are not in the habit of using a prusik to back up your ATC or non-ABD device when abseiling - you should be.
I didn’t, for a very long time and like any good, “experienced” climber with an
