Climber:
Chris Webb Parsons

Injury: The Aussie strongman — best known in the states for being the only person to repeat Dai Koyamada’s super-problem, The Wheel of Life (V16), in the Grampians — tore his labrum while visiting the Western United States this winter. “I'm not sure why my shoulder dislocated,” he says. “I’ve had no problems with my shoulders in the past.”

Status: Back in Oz, Webb Parsons went under the knife, and now has four screws in his shoulder, according to his website, chriswebbparsons.com. “The Surgeon told me that I should be climbing in October, but no promises,” he said in an email. “My estimated Recovery time is 6-8 months.”

In the meantime: “I tried to get into road [biking], but my shoulder just isn’t up to it yet, so I'll have to wait another month or two for that,” he says. “So for now I’m just trying to eat healthy and keep fit by bush walking to find new climbing areas in Australia.”

Moral of the story: “I had no insurance, so it’s cost me about $15,000 so far. If I have any advice for climbers out there, it would be get insurance!”