HippyTree | Second Chance

HippyTree | Second Chance follows HippyTree climber and tribesman Isamer Bilog back to Tramway in the San Jacinto Mountains above Palm Springs, where a late-day bouldering session in 2016 ended in a horrific fall and a remote rescue. With injuries that included broken ribs, brain swelling, and a head wound requiring more than 50 staples, Isamer spent years recovering—and now returns to the boulder that nearly took his life to recount what happened. More than a crash reel, this short film is a clear-eyed look at consequence, resilience, and the mental calculus that comes with highball bouldering in committing terrain. It’s worth watching for its honest reflection on risk and recovery, the raw emotion of revisiting a pivotal moment, and the stark beauty of Tramway’s stone and setting—an 11-minute reminder that every “second chance” in climbing is earned.

HippyTree · 11:26

In September of 2016, HippyTree climber and tribesman Isamer Bilog was bouldering at a spot called Tramway in the San Jacinto Mountains above Palm Springs. He experienced a horrific fall towards the end of the day and had to be air lifted from a remote location. Isamer broke multiple ribs along with brain swelling and received over 50 staples in his head. After years of recovery Isamer returned to Tramway to recount his experience and visit the boulder that almost killed him. Filmed + Edited by Ricky Lesser