37.4M
AK“huhhuh… nothing. I’m alive!”
I got lucky // 25.01.26
Not every good day ends on the summit.
Sometimes walking away is already more than enough.
A simple mistake.
One I’ve seen many times before.
This time it was mine.
+25m fall.
Two screws ripped.
I ended up far below my belayer.
The route was Sodoma (WI5).
A two-part climb, easier start, then a steep 15–20m headwall.
Everything felt good.
Flowing. Controlled. Confident.
Maybe too confident…
After protecting the crux, the climbing eased…
and I stopped placing gear.
One screw. Then nothing for several meters.
I was fully immersed by movement, good ice, rhythm…
Until I reached to place another.
A small mistake.
A bad placement.
And suddenly, nothing.
I was falling.
I’ve never taken a fall like that.
Feeling the screws rip… one after another… is something I won’t forget.
I was just hoping the lower ones would hold.
They did.
Physically, I was lucky.
A few bruises. Nothing more.
Mentally… different story.
The days after were heavy.
Shame. Guilt.
Putting my partners, and myself, in that situation.
Even thinking about climbing made me feel sick.
Heart racing. Close to panic.
Two days later I forced myself to lead again.
Not because I felt ready, but because I knew I had to start.
It wasn’t pretty but I i made it.
First Ice climbing session.
A rollercoaster but made through that one also.
But step by step, it came back.
It took nearly two months to feel “normal” again.
This taught me something important:
Sometimes the physical outcome doesn’t define the severity.
The mental impact can be far deeper, and much longer lasting.
Stay sharp.
Place the screw.
Prepare for the worst.
And never take the “easy part” lightly.
❤️🙏
#iceclimbing #fall #winterclimbing #whipper #mental
@aku_aspila
