In the light of the somber news of the passing of 12 year old Italian Rock Prodigy Tito Traversa, today I did a massive re-check of all my climbing gear. I know that all of my quickdraws are the sewn variety and that this one particular type of incident would not occur with my gear; but how many other times to we habitually and mindlessly tie in and get after it without REALLY a second thought.

Even though I’ve been climbing longer than Traversa had been alive, I still need to be reminded that no matter how fun and rewarding climbing is, it is also something that is to be taken extremely serious. After all, I have a legacy to leave beyond the hardest grade I’ve climbed.

God Bless the family of Tito Traversa and may they celebrate his life.

In closing, I pass along this video I remember seeing in passing a couple years ago describing what to look for to avoid this type of accident. Please pass the word on to all of your climbing partners.

~ Climb 4 Real ~