Edgewood

To answer a few questions: The personal locator beacon was an ACR ResQLink: http://www.rei.com/product/815753/acr-electronics-resqlink-406-gps-personal-locator-beacon The pickets were hammered in the snow vertically (and vertically plumb) as deep as possible and clipped using the top hole with a draw and runner. In retrospect we both agreed that our placement method was pretty poor. When we have used pickets before they were placed deadman style but in this situation I think we got more into the place-and-go mentality of other types of climbing instead of making more secure and time intensive placements. The snow conditions in the couloir were pretty variable but they were generally pretty soft.

Hello, This is in regards to an accident on Mt Stuart on 2/16. My friend and I were airlifted off of the Ice Cliff Glacier at about 8100' We left most of our climbing gear where we were rescued but I suspect that the gear could be scattered anywhere on or below the route at this point, but it seemed like anything that wasn't super light came to a stop in the flatter areas or depressions of the fall line. This is a what we remember leaving: -60m Mammut rope 8.9mm -Black diamond harness (red + gray) -Ice Tools(4): 2x previous generation Charlet Moser - Quarks w/ wrist leashes & 2x Newer version Petzl Quark Ice Tools -Pickets(3): 2x 24" SMC & 1x 24" MSR -Ice Screws(5): 3x mid length Petzl Laser Sonic and 2x Black Diamond Turbo Express (22cm & 16cm) -Stopper Nuts: assorted mid size Black Diamod Nuts -Few single + double length slings w/ biners -ATC guide w/ locker -Purcell prussik, regular prussik -Mountainsmith 65L backpack (black, contains some items on this list) -Black Diamond 75L backpack (blue, empty and with no lid. There is a black watch attached to one of the shoulder straps) -Watch: Suunto GPS watch, black (ATTACHED TO SHOULDER STRAP OF BLUE BACKPACK) -Shovels(2): Backcountry access shovel (blade + extendable handle) & Black Diamond Transfer 7 shovel (green) -Avy Probes(2): Backcountry access probe & 300 cm aluminum Black Diamond Guide probe in red pouch -foam insulation from Black Diamond helmet -Headlamps(2): Black Diamond Storm & BD Spot -few water bottles -sunglasses (2), used space blankets (2) -Miscellaneous items in mesh BD harness bag: Garmin GPS (older model), Pantech cellphone, Julbo Sunglasses (in case), multitool, -Blue-Gray Feathered Friends Down Jacket. -1 Banged up Petzl Crampon -First Aid Kit That is all of the items we could think of at this time. If anyone sees any of the listed items on route or in the vicinity, please send me a message. Muchas muchas gracias to the gentleman from Seattle Mountain Rescue who slogged up Mountaineers Creek last week to recover the items we left at our camp. We deeply appreciate your kind and selfless act!

I was one of the two climbers involved in this accident. I feel compelled to write about my experience because I've found that reading about other's accidents is invaluable to the posterity of climber's safety and because I wanted to get a little cathartic and go beyond what the soundbite media blurbs have presented. And, not to be a sensationalist a la mass media, it is a miracle we are still alive, and both of us alive enough to be cleared for discharge from the hospital today. My friend and I were climbing the Ice Cliff Glacier route on Mt Stuart. We are both experienced climbers, but most of our technical climbing has been on alpine rock as opposed to steeper ice routes, and this route, in my mind, was sort of the next level in that venue for us. We starting climbing from our camp at around 1:00 in the morning. All of the steeper ice steps went smoothly and we were near the top of the route at a little after daybreak. By around 8:00 AM I was trying to climb over the cornice that guards the final salvation from the north side. We knew this part of the climb might pose a problem from reading through other people's trip reports, but from our belay about 40' below the cornice it looked manageable. We had a short discussion before I climbed the last 40' up to it that I would set up a belay and bring my friend up before we tackled the cornice or I would just lead through it if it looked easy enough. I opted for he latter because I was stupid, stubborn, and impatient to get on the sunny side of the ridge. I was up off the deck, mantling with one hand on a step of ice and hacking away at the overhang unable to get any purchase on the mushy southside. The step of weak ice I was mantling on collapsed and I slid down from the top of the couloir, ripping my picket. This was the first time I have ever fallen and pulled the protection with me and before I knew I was sliding into my partner at an incredible speed. The picket anchor he was on failed (fairly soft snow in the majority of the couloir) as well as his desperate attempts to back it up with a self arrest. Faster and faster we were thrown down the couloir. I remember falling head first down the majority of it, powerless to do anything but endure the violent turbulence as I got pulled into the vacuum of my death and the drop off the ice cliff proper. In those moments I went through the experience that I am sure all climbers dread more than anything, but worse I was also inflicting this on such a remarkable and loved person as my climbing partner. I can't quite remember what happened but just as the speed seemed to apex the next thing I knew I had come to a stop in the snow. We had someone come to a stop on a flatter slope above and to the climber's left of the ice cliff glacier. Screaming gibberish and pumped full of adrenaline I assessed the situation after we decelerated to the zero. My friend had also come to a stop within a few feet of me, half-conscious and moaning, climbing helmet gone, his face bloodied up, some of it staining the snow, and one eye swollen shut. I seemed to be okay but when I tried to move I realized my leg was pretty badly broken. I quickly took off my backpack, and to my despair, opened it to find everything gone (I had a shovel in there that was sticking out of the pullstring cinched-top that must have caught on something, ripped it open and sent everything off into the ultimate ice cliff garage sale). Self rescue wasn't a remote possibility given our condition and position on the mountain and what seemed like our only chance of survival, my personal locator beacon, was somewhere unknown and totally out of reach. We had survived the fall but the chances of surviving the exposure with our injuries before anyone had an idea of where we were seemed worse than the chances of successfully navigating an asteroid field. But this was the second miracle: among the few items of gear debris within eyeshot of us was my blue emergency first aid kit about 50' down the slope from us, not far above another drop-off which had my PLB in it. At this point my partner was able to get up and stagger around a bit but was dazed and confused and didn't know where we were. "We're on the Ice Cliff Glacier" I said. Desperate to make sure the small blue package down the hill was indeed my first aid kit, I asked him to try to retrieve it, saying it was necessary for our survival. Utter despair turned into beautiful hope when he was able to return with the PLB and we fired it off without hesitation. Between the hours that the accident happened and the helicopter rescued us my partner had gained full awarness and was able to walk around and retrieve his backpack which had a spare sleeping bag, space blanket etc. I couldn't move at all without feeling excuriacting pain, but eventually forced myself off the snow and onto my pack and got waddled into the sleeping bag and space blanket. A few hours after the we sent the emergency signal, my friend was able to get through to 911 (another miracle given the topragraphy, but has Verizon so, you know) and we were able to get confirmation that a SAR team was being assembled and we could confirm our location and situation. But of course I had my internal doubts: would they be able to find us? would they be able to get the helo close enough? Fortunately it was a clear blue day with almost no wind. At around 1:30 we heard the unmistakable sound of the rescue helicopter echoing off the canyon walls. My heart broke a few times as it made a few distant passes too far to the north to see us, but eventually they spotted us and flew into the narrow canyon. Survival. They deployed a rescuer on a cable down to us as the helicopter hovered above. He harnessed my friend first they were beemed up. Survival. He come back down to me, said they couldn't get a litter down for my broken leg becaue the nature of the snow slope and would have to just pull me up. He put the body harness on me and up we went, me hollering at the top of the my lungs as I was pulled into the vacuum of life. King County Sheriff Dept was impeccable in the risky rescue operation so I owe my life to them as well as my friend who provided the means to contact them.

OR Men's Maestro Down Belay Jacket Size: Small Color: Orange Purchased last winter and has barely been worn except for a few times around the house. I am located in central Seattle. Asking $250

Dropped a Leavenworth Rock Guide circa the approach trail to Snow Creek Wall on 4/28. eddymcfarlin[AT]gmail.com Phone: Seven Zero Seven Two One Seven Two Seven Eight One