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Deaths on Rainier


pindude

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quote:

Originally posted by Skisports:

another thing to think about is that you don't have to have any knowledge about climbing to climb period. any two people can sign up and climb mount Rainier. same gose with hood or any other peak that brings attention

Dude, I'm all for having the guy or gal in green pleated shorts decide whether I'm tough and wise enough for the hill. Maybe we should go back to the days when the fat climbing ranger jumped up and down on your ice axe to see if the shaft was up to the standard of the Big "R".

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As it is now, the guys or gals in the green pleated shorts are determining where we can park our cars, camp overnight and where we can take a shit. That's reasonable in crowded areas, but determining if I'm fit enough to climb a mountain? Many of the park rangers would have a hard time getting to Muir. If we leave the application process to Mike and his crew, they'll be doing more paperwork than anything else.

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This....is...the CENTRAL SCRUTINIZER. It is my job to alert good citizents to those evil entities in our society who would attempt to interfere with our government's efforts to monitor our lives and to make life as we know it forever safer. Figger Eight objects to being evaluated by the fat guy in green, pleated shorts, supposedly because of the paperwork that would be generated. The fact is, Figger Eight is afraid that the climbing ranger will "figger" out that he doesn't know his ice axe from his tallywacker. [Razz]

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quote:

Originally posted by slothrop:

quote:

Originally posted by CleeshterFeeshter:

Retried in June 98 (same weekend RMI killed that dude on the slide on the DC).

How did RMI kill someone?

From "Accidents in North American Mountaineering 1999", pg 70:

 

"This accident occurred as a RMI guided team was descending from the summit. Two rope teams were clipped into the same fixed line (on the DC) when the avalanche occurred. The avalanche caught the first rope team, which pulled 2 of the anchors on the fixed line. The slide continued unarrested also pulling the 2nd rope team down the hill. Finally 1 anchor (a picket) held at the other end of the fixed line as a few climbers became entangled at the top of the cliffbands...

 

...1 climber & 1 guide were caught on the fixed line above the cliff. 3 clients & 1 guide clung to the top of the cliff, tangled in the rocks & ropes. 3 clients dangled below them on a cliff of ice & snow, while the solo client (Nestler) hung below a 2nd cliff band in a waterall of snowmelt. Nestler died as a result of this exposure...

 

...The location was extremely hazardous with 40-degree icy slopes, 20-foot vertical rock bands, exposure to avalance hang-fire and a 300-ft drop to the glacier below. The danger made it neccessary for rescuers to secure the exposed climbers with new ropes & reliable anchors. One of the distressed teams was pendulumed over a refrigerator-sized rock; the other clung to the cliff or dangled on a rope which was frayed to the inner strands and pulled tight over a sharp rock held by 1 picket...

 

...Some of the rescuers climbed to the accident site to assist with the raising evacuation while another team headed to the base of the cleaver to assist with the lowering of 1 climber. That climber, Patrick Nestler (29), had fallen substantially farther down the cliff than the others. The fastest evacuation was to lower him off the mountain rather than raise him back to the accident site. New anchors & ropes were set to assist Nestler. However no one had heard from him for over an hour....Nestler was quickly lowered, taken across the bergschrund & evacuated to the helicopter, where he was pronounced dead..."

 

The ANAM account & anaylysis is very lengthy -- more than can be easily posted here -- but well worth reading.

 

Sharon

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My buddy and I were on Liberty Ridge right behind the ill-fated climbing team. Just found a picture with me in the foreground and them in the background. I'll try and send it into the admin for posting.

 

[ 06-03-2002, 11:34 AM: Message edited by: Flat Lander ]

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quote:

Figger Eight objects to being evaluated by the fat guy in green, pleated shorts, supposedly because of the paperwork that would be generated. The fact is, Figger Eight is afraid that the climbing ranger will "figger" out that he doesn't know his ice axe from his tallywacker.

Oooh...let me put it this way: the only people who are qualified to determine if I'm fit to climb Mt. Rainier are Mike and his crew, not the rangers working the info desk in the visitor's center. If we burden the climbing rangers with the task of sifting through applications, they'd be spending more time behind a desk and less time on the mountain.

 

As for me knowing the difference between my ice axe and tallywhacker - ask your momma. She had good close-up of the one without the Grivel sticker on it the other night. [big Drink]

 

[ 06-03-2002, 01:32 PM: Message edited by: Figger Eight ]

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quote:

Originally posted by Flat Lander:

My buddy and I were on Liberty Ridge right behind the ill-fated climbing team. Just found a picture with me in the foreground and them in the background. I'll try and send it into the admin for posting.

Why post this? [hell no]

 

The families might want a copy, though.

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