Mt. Rainier Cell phone coverage

[Dan_Miller]

From today's: NPS Morning Ranger Report.

 

A bit more on the rescue last week of the couple from Quebec. Whatever cell phone provider they have, is the one You want to have. Again alls well that ends well!

Mount Rainier National Park (WA)

Climbers Rescued From Crevasse On Mount Rainier

 

On Tuesday, April 27th, park climbing rangers, assisted by guides from International Mountain Guides and Alpine Ascents International, successfully rescued two climbers who had fallen into a crevasse during whiteout conditions on Mount Rainier. The two fell a distance of approximately 75 feet just below Camp Muir (elevation 9,700 feet). The initial report of the accident was received by a 911 operator when one of the climbers called out by cell phone from the bottom of the crevasse on Monday afternoon. They were unable to provide a location and early indications were that one of the two climbers was badly injured. Rangers began making their way to Camp Muir to stage for early morning search operations. Weather conditions on the mountain were adverse, with sustained 70 mph winds gusting up to 90 mph and temperatures down to 23 degrees (the wind chill was a degree below zero). A helicopter was placed on standby for morning operations. Early on Tuesday morning, one of the climbers made contact with the park on her cell phone. Questioning by park officials provided critical information that lead to identifying their location in the area just below Camp Muir. The rangers were directed to this area, where they were able to locate and extract the two climbers using high angle rescue gear. Both climbers, who were from the province of Quebec, Canada, suffered from relatively minor injuries and hypothermia. As they had fallen into the crevasse with their packs on, the two were able to set their tent up, get into their sleeping bags, and even heat up soup. However, the intensity of the storm required them to continually shovel snow off their tent throughout the night to prevent the tent from collapsing. An MD 530 helicopter was used to fly the climbers down from the mountain, where they were transported to the local hospital and subsequently released. Ranger Glenn Kessler was IC on this operation. [submitted by Chuck Young, Chief Ranger]

 

[needtoclimb]

I am glad they got out okay, would love to hear the first hand story of heating soup in the bottom of a crevasse. That has got to be a first.

 

On the flip side, why do people insist on climbing during winter storm warnings? The Tuesday storm was well predicted, NWAC and NOAA both stated huge snows/winds/avy danger. I cancelled a Shuksan ski ascent due to conditions, and went for a simple day hike instead.

 

I would like here from more people who have climbed during these conditions, had epics, and hear their thought process on why. Is it failure to read weather reports, the "can't happen to me" attitude, or a pure lack of understanding what climbing a mountain involves?

 

Anyone been rescued wish to give a decent story, stating how you were rescued, why, and where the conditions that caused you to be rescued? (as I read all the rescues over the last few years, it seems like 80% are from bad judgement. A few are true accidents, projectiles coming off mountain or freak storms, but most seem so preventable.)

 

I would see this more as a learning experience for all reading the posts, then a spray "you are so dumb" type of post. So if someone is willing to state their rescue, please no spray, just legitimate questions so we can learn how to avoid those situations.

Edited May 4, 2010 by needtoclimb

[MJaso]

That's interesting, Was this on the Muir snowfield on the standard way up to camp? or did they deviate off the "normal" route?

 

Needtoclimb, have you read any of the Accidents in North American Mountaieering? Get resource for learning by others mistakes.

[Bronco]

Could one assume the fact that the climbers were visiting from Quebec played into their decision making process? Was there a lack of experience in big storms predicted on big mountains? Possibly a case of too much experience creating a false sense of security that they could simply descend if the weather was too bad?

 

It would be interesting to know the details of their conversation with the climbing rangers durring their registration.

[TyneRock]

While they may have been out-of-town climbers not wanting to waste their travel window (I have no idea), you should know that Quebec's mountain winters are notoriously brutal. 70 mph winds and 0 F? Meh. Of course, the Laurentians (or wherever they go winter climbing) don't have the altitude, crevasse danger, disorienting whiteouts, and terrain of Rainier. Who knows what they were thinking, going up there. But they were incredibly lucky to be able to reach help, use their gear, stay out of the elements, and have experienced, skilled rescuers available to guide them down.

 

Back to the cell phone coverage, though. Seriously, what's up with that? I live in Seattle, have AT&T and an iPhone, and my service cuts out at Ashford. I don't think I could even make a 911 call. I'm very conscious of that when I'm up there.

 

Anyone else have similar cell coverage? Or better?

[CascadeClimber]

Cell phones calls to 911 are handled differently than calls to order pizza, in terms of routing through towers on which your provider has no roaming privileges.

 

There is a big glide crack that has formed below Muir at the end of the last few summers. In August it's been big enough to fall into, but it would be disconcerting if it was open now. I talked to a ranger last weekend who was involved in the incident but didn't think to ask him exactly where they fell.

[AlpineK]

White outs on the Muir snowfield can be bad. It's a wide snow slope. Travel off the correct bearing for long enough and chances of running into crevasses escalate.

[TyneRock]

I planned a Muir trip on Sunday and turned back @7200 feet because the visibility was so poor. Could hear voices of folks wandering around, but it was rare to actually see anyone more than 10m away. Spent most of trip down alternating glances at my foot placement and the GPS screen.

 

Figured as much about the 911 calls when the phone says "no service." But I've never had the guts (or cause) to test it out. Still. Cell coverage in a crevasse at 9,700 feet.

 

I'd love to know more about that glide crack if anyone has any reports. This is the first I've heard of it.

[medicsandy]

Went to Muir last summer and had cellphone coverage all the way. We use Verizon.

[JoshK]

Where is there a 75 foot deep crevasse just below Camp Muir? Did they wander off on to one of the glaciers on their way down? I've seen cracks on the Muir Snowfield occasionally in late summer, but have never seen anything of that size remotely near the standard route.

[TMO]

I heard that they wandered off the Muir snowfield and onto the Cowlitz Glacier somewhere around Anvil Rock. Lots-a big daddys over there!

[OlympicMtnBoy]

Wonder if it also could have been one of those "well, the weather sucks, we'll have to bail on the climb, let's just hike up to Muir for some exercise while we're here". I'm guilty of that thinking myself on occasion of bad weather, choosing to go out anyways on a "low risk" training hike when weather cancels the main plan.

speculating in a vacuum>

 

[CascadeClimber]

I've never added it up, but I bet more people have died between Paradise and Muir than everywhere else on the mountain combined. Nav is straightforward when vis is good, but it turns into the Bermuda Triangle in a whiteout- so very easy to get lost and/or into a very bad place.

[sobo]

CC-

I bet we could figger that out pretty quickly, given the stats the NPS keeps on that sorta thing.

I'd be interested in knowing, and I think that you might not be too far off...