Sickly Yosemite accident

[billcoe]

What kind of crazy stuff is this fall in Yos where our bros abandoned a body to go climb...I thought we helped our brother climbers. Always. The post about itself has started quite the shit storm of protest.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 2, 2010 by billcoe

[ivan]

if they were rugby players they'd have eaten dude themselves 'fore they made the ascent

[Fairweather]

Absolutely sickening. A dark glimpse into the OCD it seems far too many climbers possess. No excuse for this.

 

 

[dberdinka]

WTF is up with those bears in Yosemite? Not enough berries or something?

[mountainsloth]

is yosemite the new everest? leave the bodies in pursuit of the summit?

 

Douche Bags!

[Sherri]

Looks like the supertopo thread has been deleted from that forum due to family request.

[jfs1978]

might be worth it to do the same here...

 

None of us were there. One of the climbers has semi-defended himself on the taco. No purpose served in slamming them here w/o full knowledge of the incident or the conditions or the party's mental state after finding the body.

 

It just serves no purpose...

 

Tragic no matter what occurred afterwards.

[billcoe]

Agreed edited and gristly quote is gone

[bstach]

For those of us just joining this thread....what happened?

[MarkMcJizzy]

For those of us just joining this thread....what happened?

 

Link

[rob]

Can I sum it up?

 

Climber falls and tragically dies. Other climbers find his body (in a tree??), take photographic evidence, and then finish their climb. After their climb they call SAR to pick up the body. In the meantime, a bear has eaten the body. People are pissed because they didn't cancel their climb and go get SAR immediately to clean up the body.

 

Did I get it all?

[keenwesh]

I think they didn't call SAR after their climb, or if they did it was way after they had finished the descent.

that's what I got from the supertaco thread...

either way pretty fucked up.

[rob]

Hmm, can somebody explain to me why it's so fucked up? Can I get some details? Did they have a cell phone with reception and decided not to call? Or did they not have reception and you think they should have cancelled the climb and hiked out immediately?

 

Not trying to be dicky dicky, just trying to understand.

[genepires]

Hey Rob, does this question really need a answer?

 

I think it is reasonable to expect that anyone would call the authorities immediately when finding a body. There are a few good excuses for not doing this but going for a recreation climb is not one of them.

 

The fact that any wild creature might start consuming them is another good reason to get the SAR team in there quick to get it out, for the family sake. Maybe they believe in casket burials.

Edited June 2, 2010 by genepires

[rob]

hey, just trying to understand the rage, here. I can see why people would be offended that they didn't demonstrate enough sensitivity about a fellow human being.

 

But there is a lot I don't know. Where was the body? Was it ON the route? Was it in a tree? Would it have been harder to bail to get help than to finish the climb? Did they take a photo out of insensitivity, or did they do it to help identify the body, and then finished the climb to go get help?

 

I don't have answers to any of this, so I will hold back before raging about the inhumanity of these strangers. You know, since I wasn't there.

 

I think it would be good to focus our energy on the victim and his family and their loss, for which I am sorry.

[genepires]

As for your questions, all I know is what I have read before things got filtered, which may or may not be true. I hope that what I heard was wrong but it didn't sound too noble for the guys who came across the body.

 

 

[rob]

What did you read? I wish they wouldn't filter things. People should be respectful in their tone, and avoid speculation, but they shouldn't keep things in the dark, either -- that just makes things worse.

[MarkMcJizzy]

 

 

I think it is reasonable to expect that anyone would call the authorities immediately when finding a body. There are a few good excuses for not doing this but going for a recreation climb is not one of them.

 

The fact that any wild creature might start consuming them is another good reason to get the SAR team in there quick to get it out, for the family sake. Maybe they believe in casket burials.

 

Two good points

 

hey, just trying to understand the rage, here. I can see why people would be offended that they didn't demonstrate enough sensitivity about a fellow human being.

Then you are in general agreement with everybody

 

But there is a lot I don't know. Where was the body?

Near the base of the route

Would it have been harder to bail to get help than to finish the climb?

Apparently it was found during the approach. There is a little scruffeyness along the approach, so some fast climbers could have believed that it would be quicker to do the rou

 

Did they take a photo out of insensitivity, or did they do it to help identify the body,probably the latter and then finished the climb to go get help?Maybe

 

I don't have answers to any of this, so I will hold back before raging about the inhumanity of these strangers. Good point

[Dane]

Ab Free has a contrived fairly long uphill approach and a unfun walk off decent. Might well have been easier/faster to finish the route than rap off and down climb, depending where the body was found. Then you'd have to get back to the village or a Ranger.

 

Either way it all takes time if you aren't carrying a cell phone.

[JosephH]

I personally can't imagine a scenario in that area that wouldn't entail immediately attending to the victim or initiating recovery of his body and making contacting SAR the priority of the moment. This sort of thing, no matter what the reasons or how you slice it, just makes us all look narcissitic and self-absorbed and it won't be pretty if it makes it into the national press.

[G-spotter]

Can I sum it up?

 

Climber falls and tragically dies. Other climbers find his body (in a tree??), take photographic evidence, and then finish their climb. After their climb they call SAR to pick up the body. In the meantime, a bear has eaten the body. People are pissed because they didn't cancel their climb and go get SAR immediately to clean up the body.

 

Did I get it all?

 

A true dirtbag would have checked the corpse for usable gear before continuing with the climb.

[JosephH]

Climber falls, other climbers find him on ledge/ground, take pics, go do a three pitch day climb, bears eat and drag body into tree. This unfolds a scant mile from C4 on a crag, not a wall. People will make of it what they will.

[rob]

I personally can't imagine a scenario in that area that wouldn't entail immediately attending to the victim or initiating recovery of his body and making contacting SAR the priority of the moment.

 

I don't know how YOSAR works, but when I was volunteering with EMR, the Everett County Sheriff was CRYSTAL clear that a dead body = crime scene, and don't even TOUCH it until you get the go ahead.

[Dane]

This sort of thing, no matter what the reasons or how you slice it, just makes us all look narcissitic and self-absorbed and it won't be pretty if it makes it into the national press.

 

We are all climbers by definition so your description is accurate. It is all just a matter of degree.

 

You ever done AF? Not the simpliest 3 pitch climb in the world to get on or off.

[JosephH]

I don't know how YOSAR works, but when I was volunteering with EMR, the Everett County Sheriff was CRYSTAL clear that a dead body = crime scene, and don't even TOUCH it until you get the go ahead.

So the sherrif made it crystal clear you should just walk away and go about your business on stumbling upon a body?