micah humphrey Posted May 7, 2009 Posted May 7, 2009 Does anybody know what happened to the guy who took a 40 foot fall after trying to solo some route at Vantage? My friend Emily relayed this story to me after climbing there this past weekend. Apparently she was belaying her friend up a climb when some guy started soloing a route directly next to the route they were doing. He got 40 feet up or so and came crashing back down landing a couple feet away from Emily. She told me it looked as if he had broken both ankles and that he was in pretty bad shape and had to carry him out of the canyon. Wish I had more details but I was kind of in shock that she had witnessed something like this. Just wondering if anyone else was there when this happened or has any more information about the soloist or how he is doing. Quote
BirdDog Posted May 7, 2009 Posted May 7, 2009 I was there Sat. & Sun., left about 3PM sunday; never heard anything about it. Hope he's OK. Quote
DRep Posted May 7, 2009 Posted May 7, 2009 Great, I can't wait to have another third person analysis of an accident from someone who's over the hill and thinks they know everything. No really I hope the climber's OK. Quote
alpinemorg Posted May 7, 2009 Posted May 7, 2009 Great, I can't wait to have another third person analysis of an accident from someone who's over the hill and thinks they know everything. No really I hope the climber's OK. Uh-oh, I think somebody's pissed to be up and at work so early! Agree with DREP though, hopefully we all remember that dip-shit accidents can happen to each of us before the fangs come out! Flame on. Quote
shaoleung Posted May 7, 2009 Posted May 7, 2009 Ahhh... the free soloists... some time in the 80s it seems like it became the cool thing to do. The likes of Dan Osman and Michael Reardon pushing the extreme limit. I hope the guy is OK, but let's face it, when you push your limits or let your guard down, you're going to fall. I'd rather take mine with a rope. Quote
G-spotter Posted May 8, 2009 Posted May 8, 2009 Ahhh... the free soloists... some time in the 80s it seems like it became the cool thing to do. Look up the name Paul Preuss. Quote
shaoleung Posted May 8, 2009 Posted May 8, 2009 Given the equipment they used in the 1910s and 20s, it may have been safer to climb without all the gear. His 6 theorums (as posted on wiki) are pretty solid. In any case... another fallen climber. Quote
dberdinka Posted May 8, 2009 Posted May 8, 2009 (edited) Look up the name Paul Preuss. The last line of the wiki entry is awesome considering the fundamentalism of his 6 tenants "He died of a thousand foot fall in October 1913 while making a solo attempt of the north face of the Mandlwand." It seems that everyone does a bit of soloing at some point. It's fortunate that only infrequently do people fall off. Hope he has a speedy and full recovery. Ankle breaks can be a real bitch to heal properly. Edited May 8, 2009 by dberdinka Quote
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