The Best Climbing Crashpads, According to Climbers Who Aren’t Afraid to Take the Whip

My thumb wrapped around a small edge on Crimping Matters (V10), a 20-move series of granite crimps at Guanella Pass, just outside of Georgetown, Colorado. As I exited the cave, my elbows pointed skyward and I entered the upper crux: a cross to one more crimp. The landing’s 30-degree slope and jagged features made it difficult to spot, so the pad setup needed to protect me. I tried to pull through the last move but my hand opened. I was off. I slid down the seven pads we had placed on the slanted granite below.