oyster dome accident

[Stavrogin]

STORY

Teen rescued at Oyster Dome

 

SERENA LEI, THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

 

A 16-year-old boy fell while rock climbing on Oyster Dome between Lily and Lizard lakes Sunday and was rescued by a Navy helicopter.

 

Keith Griffin, a Navy Search and Rescue medic, said the boy broke his pelvic bone and both legs, but was stable and taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

 

Search and rescue teams from the Navy and Skagit County responded about 1 p.m., Griffin said.

 

Griffin rappelled down to the boy and put him on a stretcher. The air crew then hoisted him up into the helicopter.

 

Officials said the boy was found at 1,800 feet, but did not know how far he fell.

 

 

anyone know any more about this?

[Bill_Simpkins]

This doesn't seem to be on Oyster Dome proper.

They are not between Lily and Lizard Lakes.

There is however some small cliffs at the northish end of Lily Lake. This is probably where is happened.

There are steep spots and one could probably tumble to the bottom. It can be really slick up there if the rock is even a little damp.

I hope he is doing ok.

[Stavrogin]

SKAGIT VALLEY HERALD

Man injured in rappelling accident at Oyster Dome

By MARTA MURVOSH Staff Writer

 

 

A man suffered broken bones Sunday after he fell while rappelling down a cliff face on Blanchard Mountain near a rock formation called the Oyster Dome.

 

The man's name was not released today by Skagit County sheriff's deputies. He was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle on Sunday afternoon, where he was treated for his injuries, which included at least one broken leg.

 

The exact location of the accident wasn't known. A caller to 911 told dispatchers that he heard the victim calling in the area of another rock formation called the Bat Caves, deputies said. The caves, along with Oyster Dome, can be accessed by a network of trails on the mountain at the Skagit-Whatcom county line.

 

Deputies said initial reports indicated the man who fell believed he had broken both thigh bones. But federal regulations, prohibiting release of certain medical information without a name, prevent Harborview from providing his medical condition.

 

While initial reports made to dispatchers indicated that the man may have fallen 500 feet, climbers with the Skagit Alpine Club say the rock climbs in that area vary in height. That means the man may not have fallen the entire cliff height.

 

The cause of the accident wasn't available this morning, deputies said.

 

Volunteers from Skagit County's Mountain Rescue, Explorer Search and Rescue, and the SAR horse group, which had been training in the area, responded along with a U.S. Navy helicopter.

[Bill_Simpkins]

Looks like the Herald was wrong as to the location between the two lakes.

Another rappelling accident.

Bummer

[catbirdseat]

Sounds like he was rappelling just for the heck of it. I can't help regarding rappelling as a sport to be just plain bizarre. To me it is a necessary evil and the scariest part of climbing.

[kenp]

I agree, rapping is my BIGGEST fear about climbing. I have enjoyed plenty of long free rappels in the day but once again just last week at Erie I had that uneasy feeling on zig-zag, just as I weighted the rope that either the anchor would fail or maybe I had rigged my ATC wrong. This subject might make a good topic to discuss...worst raps

[Blake]

I agree, rapping is my BIGGEST fear about climbing. I have enjoyed plenty of long free rappels in the day but once again just last week at Erie I had that uneasy feeling on zig-zag, just as I weighted the rope that either the anchor would fail or maybe I had rigged my ATC wrong. This subject might make a good topic to discuss...worst raps

 

How did you rap off of ZigZag? IF you go over to the Snag Buttress and rap straight down (following Snag Buttress Direct) I was bouncing to create enough rope stretch to touch the ground with a 60m rope. Do you know a better way down from that area?

[ashw_justin]

The rap anchors on top of the Oyster Dome and very tempting, but a 60 will not get you to the bottom in one shot. I wonder if that's what happened? Of course since it's just a news story he could have been doing any number of things besides just rapping.

[Sol]

How did you rap off of ZigZag? IF you go over to the Snag Buttress and rap straight down (following Snag Buttress Direct) I was bouncing to create enough rope stretch to touch the ground with a 60m rope. Do you know a better way down from that area?

 

there are a few ways:

 

1. if you bring a 70m rope you can rap from the third pitch of zz to the anchors on the slab above Frogs in Space and then one more rap to the ground. definetly the easiest and safest.

 

2. if you only have a 60, from the top of zz, make a diagonal rap to the rappellers right to snag ledge, then either make a diagonal rap to the rappellers left to the above mentioned anchors on top of frogs in space, then straight to the ground, or just make a short rap straight down from snag ledge and use the anchors for one of those other 11's to make it to the ground. safe, pretty easy.

 

3. if you don't mind soloing 7 ft of fourth class. you can just rap straight down from the zz anchors to a good stance on the slab, keep hold of one end of the rope, than downclimb to the FIS anchors. sketchy but fast.

 

we were out there yesterday and used option 3. it seems that alot of the bolting done at erie is'nt quite thought out. in a perfect world there should be a set of anchors about 7 feet up from the FIS anchors to facilitate descent from zz, i do beleive that in this location you would then be able to rap from the ground. while were perfecting the world lets move the FIS anchors about 2.5 feet closer to the lip so you can lower after leading of climbing FIS. just my 2 cents.

[Bill_Simpkins]

I agree, rapping is my BIGGEST fear about climbing. I have enjoyed plenty of long free rappels in the day but once again just last week at Erie I had that uneasy feeling on zig-zag, just as I weighted the rope that either the anchor would fail or maybe I had rigged my ATC wrong. This subject might make a good topic to discuss...worst raps

 

How did you rap off of ZigZag? IF you go over to the Snag Buttress and rap straight down (following Snag Buttress Direct) I was bouncing to create enough rope stretch to touch the ground with a 60m rope. Do you know a better way down from that area?

 

Rap from the top to the "teetering tree route". Rap from those bolts on that big ledge to the snag. Rap from the snag to the bolt above the first pitch, rap to the ground.

[BillA]

This is the scariest single piece I've ever rapped off of. I went first and it flexed so bad my partner unclipped. I was just happy to be alive considering the massive avalanche that had just ripped past us.