pindude Posted August 22, 2002 Share Posted August 22, 2002 quote: Originally posted by Thinker on "I'm PISSED" thread: I once saw a slide of a guy who'd run the shaft of his ice axe thru his abdomen, on the front side, left to right, entering high and exiting low. The medic who showed the slide said the guy did it glissading and walked into the ranger station for assistance that way. Talk about 'true grit'. I had a jpeg of this photo when it was circulating on the web a few years ago, but since lost it when a hard drive crashed. Anybody have it that wouldn't mind posting it? It would be perfect for cc.com, for many reasons. I have shown it to students as an example of "what can go wrong"--it's a good waker-upper to start discussions on risk. Photo is of an anonymous poor guy, no face shown, who appears to be laid out on an ER table with a regular 70+ cm mountaineering axe pierced through one side of abdomen, running just under the skin, and the spike sticking OUT of the skin on the other side of the abdomen--seemingly without any vital organs having been skewered. I've tried searching to no avail, although if no one has it readily, there are plenty others here on the board (particularly Trask, Dru) who are much better than I at rooting out e-info. --pindude Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_Wave_Dave Posted August 22, 2002 Share Posted August 22, 2002 Yes I remember this, I believe it was on the Kennedy Hot Springs trail at Glacier Peak. Even with the curiosity factor, however, I'm not sure I want to see the photo. Did he live? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pindude Posted August 22, 2002 Author Share Posted August 22, 2002 From what I remember the guy turned out OK. The photo looks more morbid than it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philfort Posted August 22, 2002 Share Posted August 22, 2002 I saw a guy with an ice axe through him in New Hampshire. It was down at the ranger station at the bottom of mt washington. There were a bunch of people standing around him, and I thought he looked a little out of it, and then someone told me he'd punctured himself with his axe. I saw the shaft going into his goretex jacket and disappearing! At some point, someone lifted his jacket, and you could see the shaft going in his left side, and out the right side. Really gruesome! But the guy was still walking around and stuff (in fact he had just walked down about 3000ft of Mt Washington in below zero temps). When the ambulance finally came, and they put him on a stretcher, they had trouble getting him out the door because of the axe sticking out of him! Apparently he turned out ok, it had just punctured muscle tissue, not his stomach. (I guess maybe he had a bit of a pot belly!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erden Posted August 22, 2002 Share Posted August 22, 2002 This is what you are looking for... I attempted South Buttress of Denali with Mike Pelchat in 1997. At the time, Mike was on the SAR team on Cannon Mountain in winters, and worked at the station on the summit of Mt. Washington in NH during the summers... Erden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lambone Posted August 22, 2002 Share Posted August 22, 2002 oooouuuuccchhhh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted August 22, 2002 Share Posted August 22, 2002 that's some belly piercing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pindude Posted August 22, 2002 Author Share Posted August 22, 2002 Right on, Erden, thanks. I knew cc.com would come through. I'd forgotten it was from a web site. Mt. Washington, hmm...obviously your man, philfort. Hard to see detail, but isn't that a Charlet Moser axe? Pretty wicked spike...I can see how it could happen. Hopefully the guy got over this okay and is still climbing. [ 08-22-2002, 08:30 AM: Message edited by: pindude ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeclimb9 Posted August 22, 2002 Share Posted August 22, 2002 the whole "body modification" thing is way over-rated, IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iain Posted August 22, 2002 Share Posted August 22, 2002 Dude's damn lucky! How many more glissading incidents are there going to be??? There's like 3 a year on Hood alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lambone Posted August 22, 2002 Share Posted August 22, 2002 I fell glissading on monday with a big fat Raindog pack on, didn't spear myself...but I think I had whiplash. Dale R told me a story about this guy he saw up at ICY BC walking around at the base without crampons. He slipped and put his ice tool deep into his knee. He said that inorder for them to get him out the guy had to pull the thing out on his own.No one there would do it for him. Sounds gnarly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philfort Posted August 22, 2002 Share Posted August 22, 2002 Wow, cool, I guess that is the guy I saw! Memories... And you can see how he might be difficult to fit through a narrow door Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iain Posted August 22, 2002 Share Posted August 22, 2002 They should make pants w/ climbing skin material attached so that self arrest is easier! Ice axe in knee = bad - many moving parts in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thinker Posted August 22, 2002 Share Posted August 22, 2002 quote: Originally posted by erden: This is what you are looking for... That's essentially the one I remember. The guy who had the slide was teaching a Wilderness First Aid course. He spent years doing SAR in the Presidential Range, may still be active. He also had some unique slides of the frozen bodies of 2 ice climbers who had topped out on a route they were climbing on the leeward side of Mt. Wash. At the top they were exposed to the legendary winds and froze solid within minutes. One guy was leaning against a rock, digging in his pack; the other was sprawled out, face down on the ground. Made for some interesting poses when they were put face-up on a litter. [ 08-22-2002, 09:33 AM: Message edited by: Thinker ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thelawgoddess Posted August 22, 2002 Share Posted August 22, 2002 quote: Originally posted by Lambone: oooouuuuccchhhh! climbing IS dangerous!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David_Parker Posted August 22, 2002 Share Posted August 22, 2002 I remember reading the story in AMC Magazine about the guy on Mt. Washington. LEARN FROM OTHERS MISTAKES... The doctors said if he had pulled it out himself he would have died, probably by bleeding to death, before reaching Pinkham notch!!! Good thing he left it in!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iain Posted August 22, 2002 Share Posted August 22, 2002 yeah good idea to leave puncture items intact in general unless hypothermia or other obvious risk is present. pulling that thing out of the knee could have caused very severe damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru Posted August 22, 2002 Share Posted August 22, 2002 Ya, and if you sneeze while holding your nostrils shut, it is possible to blow your brains out your ears! NO, really Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allthumbs Posted August 22, 2002 Share Posted August 22, 2002 That's the biggest crock of shit I've heard all day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek_the_Greek Posted August 23, 2002 Share Posted August 23, 2002 I HAVE heard that if it were possible to sneeze with your eyes open, your eyes would get blown out. I knew evolution had its good points... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icegirl Posted August 23, 2002 Share Posted August 23, 2002 I hear that your intercranial pressure can reach >70mm Hg when you sneeze. Normal is 5-15mm Hg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allthumbs Posted August 23, 2002 Share Posted August 23, 2002 I managed to swallow a bee once while yawning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrible_ted Posted August 23, 2002 Share Posted August 23, 2002 quote: Originally posted by trask: I managed to swallow a bee once while yawning. How do you know? Were you trying? I call bullshit! -t Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allthumbs Posted August 23, 2002 Share Posted August 23, 2002 No shit, true story. The person I was with said she saw it go in, and I can tell you for a fact it didn't come back out. I fuckin' near choked. It was one of those little yellow bastards, not a big bumble bee. I've also eaten a slug or two in my time...have you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkrueger Posted August 23, 2002 Share Posted August 23, 2002 quote: Originally posted by trask: The person I was with said she saw it go in, and I can tell you for a fact it didn't come back out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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