Rad
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Posts posted by Rad
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That's the spirit!
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To all the volunteers and professionals who work hard to rescue climbers: THANK YOU!
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We arrived on the scene of an accident at the Gun Show today shortly after first responders. Some poor guy fell 35 feet and had multiple lower limb fractures. We offered help to the first responding team, but they had things well in hand. After about 90 minutes volunteer SAR arrived with a team of helpers and supplies. An hour after that the chopper hauled the subject out and presumably flew him off to Harborview. I hope he makes a full recovery.
I didn't ask the Sheriff's office deputy or the shell-shocked non-injured climbers how the accident happened. It just didn't seem like the right thing to do. The Sheriff's office lead said last year they brought a chopper in to pull out a woman who broke her hip. She was getting ready to lower off Endless Bliss and leaned back, but her partner had taken her off belay and she decked.
Freeway noise is substantial at the Gun Show. Please make a very clear plan with your partner BEFORE either one of you leaves the ground. And don't change it. This is one spot where a radio might be helpful. Or heck, pull out your cell phone and call your belayer - I've done it - reception is good and mis-communication can have terrible consequences.
STOP BEFORE YOU WEIGHT THE ROPE TO RAP/LOWER, CHECK TWICE, AND BE SAFE!
Even a short fall to the deck can mess you up.
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Shitty TR, though the pics and prose didn't stink.
Did you tell the ranger that 'tobacco' is now legal in WA and that O has promised not to prosecute white males with double-bagged stashes as long as they don't text and drive?
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Well, you have to wait until they dig out the road before you can be cured of those demons.
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The article Mike posted answers Gene's and my questions about when you would want to use this fixed anchor point and why:
In the event of a long leader fall it eliminates risks of the belayer slamming into the wall at the belay, which might cause them to let go of their brake hand and drop the leader further or completely.
"Summary
Belaying a leader off a fixed point is a valid and useful technique that should be included in a guide’s “bag of tricks”. For guides, it may offer an effective way to safeguard the leader in situations where there is any doubt about a belayer’s ability to reliably or comfortably hold a hard fall. And it may protect the belayer in situations where catching a hard fall may cause injury. The technique should be taught in AMGA’s rock and alpine programs."
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The idea that ATCs have a 'dynamic advantage' over, say, a gri doesn't really apply in the modern world unless you've got a sheer face with no protrusions so that fall length doesn't matter much. It usually does, though. A lot.
Obviously, you don't want the leader to hit the ground or a large ledge, but slippage with an ATC is not likely to be more than 1-3 feet, unless it's a huge fall and your hand is sucked through the device. And if that distance makes the difference between hitting the ledge/deck or not then the leader needs to be prepared for that possibility or not lead the pitch.
Second, there is a big difference in the impact forces generated by static vs dynamic belay devices. The main thing to be concerned about is the highest piece of gear below the leader, which may be the anchor if no gear has been placed. A good basic explanation of the physics involved is here
Auto locking belay devices DO cause significantly higher forces on the top piece of protection, so if you're climbing a trad route with small or questionable gear this may mean the difference between having that piece hold or having it fail:
See R&I article on static vs dynamic belays
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They say several times that this is only intended for situations where you have a bomb-proof anchor point. So is the goal to make sure the forces are absorbed by the anchor and not by the belayer in the event of a possible long fall? I agree with you that this looks like it has potential to place high loads on the fixed anchor point.
Generally, the more dynamic the system is the lower the forces on all components, including the anchor point or points, the protection points en route, and the climber on the other end.
Things that increase dynamics and reduce these loads include:
1 - Using a dynamic climbing rope.
2 - Having a belay device that allows some rope slippage in the event of a fall (e.g. ATC or similar device or a munter hitch or this Italian hitch shown).
3 - Belaying off your harness from a stance where your body can absorb some of the energy. This may hurt in the event of a long fall, but it will definitely reduce loads on the anchor. See below for more on this.
4 - Use the rope as part of the anchor instead of a static material like dyneema.
If you have marginal pieces, and your goal is to minimize the chance of total anchor failure in the event of a leader fall, and you know the leader will have at least one solid piece in before falling (i.e. won't produce a downward pull on the anchor) then you might even consider lowering down below the anchor and belaying off your harness. Then when the leader falls they will pull the belayer back up to the anchor. Lifting the belayer in this way (like when Beth catches Tommy or Daila catches Chris) will absorb a significant amount of energy before the anchor is loaded at all. Equalizing the anchor pieces will also reduce the forces on each one by half depending on angles.
More experienced folks can chime in with ideas of correct errors I've made here.
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Chad,
You're right that the interwebs are full of tall tales and bs, but this site has some regular long-time contributors who are solid folks that post useful info. Climb with some, read their reports and suggestions, climb their routes, and you can get a sense of how to interpret their comments and TRs. Soloing is a very personal experience. One person's solo is another's lifetime project, so there is no formula. At the end of the day, each of us must find our own path and take responsibility for our own actions.
see you at SBP!
Rad
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Terrible indeed. RIP Chris. Your love for Darrington will live on in many who follow in the footsteps of your routes. Condolences to your family.
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Awesome adventure. And nice write-up.
Congrats.
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SPOT has uses and limitations like any other tool. There are many situations where you will want to communicate complex, non-standard messages and have 2-way communication, which no SPOT or PLB will do.
I'll refrain from linking the Climber 9-1-1 NWMJ article that talks about accidents and signaling devices. You can find it with google if you want it.
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Perhaps the best training for the mountains is scrambling and climbing in the mountains. There are many situations where options for protection are sparse and/or placing protection to pitch-out 4th class terrain is impractical because it slows you down so much.
People who want to transition to the mountains might consider scrambling non-technical peaks. Climbing is about more than ratings. Just ask the folks who have done the Index traverse, climbed Jberg by any route, or climbed the Nooksack tower. Buy the Beckey guides and the scramble book and have fun along the way!
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Love this story. Reminds me of traveling. Many of the best experiences emerged from shared adventures that sprang from chance encounters with wonderful strangers.
Two thumbs up!
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Maybe post some photos in the lost and found forum?
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Is that chain in the lower left? I guessing someone replaced the old 1/4" bolts and tat for the bypass rap?
By hand. And it's the Original Route, not the "bypass route."
Thanks Kurt. We're lucky to have you caring for NW classics. Is the site up and ready so we can contribute $?
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Based on our experience last year around this time, I expect you'll encounter multiple large snowfields on the upper and middle portions of the descent. We didn't find water on the route but planned for that and were fine.
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I suspect access and preservation are tightly linked. Increased access, via roads and trails, raises the use, visibility, and perceived value of natural resources. This in turn motivates people to protect these and maintain good access to them. I expect that decreased access will have the opposite affect.
Add to that the fact that there is a complex mess of passes to navigate to be able to park at the trailhead without getting fined, and the message is pretty clear: stay home on your couch. The experiment has been going on for several years now, and I'm not optimistic about the outcomes. The WA Trails Association, WA climbers coalition, and other grass routes efforts are laudable, but we need action on a higher level too.
That said, establishment of the Wild Sky Wilderness is an encouraging recent milestone.
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Maybe we need a community trimming party to improve the "trail", a bit like Colin and company did for the Slesse crossover descent, which is now a breeze.
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Nice TR!
I had a similarly sketchy experience getting past that moat. Thankfully, we ended up below a more solid and reasonable piece of rock than you did. Good job avoiding the chop!
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NYTimes article on the people who brought forward Snowden's story and leaks.
But what's not getting said is that Google, Facebook, MSFT, ATT, and others are watching you just as carefully, and while they may not detain you at the airport, they will insinuate themselves into your lives to sell you more stuff.
Privacy is dead, unless you live off the grid in the bushes. It's a brave new world out there. Don't forget to look over your shoulder.
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Very cool. Every time I read a Jberg TR I am reminded why this mountain is NOT on my list!
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You can climb at WA pass as the road isn't closed until Rainy Pass. Lots of great alpine rock routes there.
Washington Climber Weather Forecast Weather Matrix
in Climber's Board
Posted
Great. Looks like the alpine.
Maybe another page for rock climbers w Ltown, Dtown, North Bend, Index, Erie, New Halem, WA Pass, Smiff, Trout?