Little Si climbing accident

[selkirk]

Was coming down from the old Si trail and lots of emergency vehicles were clustered at the parking lot around lunch time. Asked one of the firemen and he confirmed a climbing accident. I hoping everyone is all right and sending good vibes to all involved.

[Quarryographer]

Wow. Cray day. There was a bad fall at X38 today too. It took the ambulance an hour and a half to show up. Wish em both a speedy recovery...

 

[selkirk]

Heard about a lost hiker up Pl chuck as well? Very rough weekend.

[selkirk]

KIRO News Report

 

80 ft fall, but the article sounds like the climber will be ok.

[CascadeClimber]

KIRO News Report

 

80 ft fall, but the article sounds like the climber will be ok.

 

I hope all involved are okay, and...

 

Even in an age when the media usually butchers facts about climbing-related incidents, this article stands out as one of the worst I've ever seen. It reads like a 5th-grader wrote it and uses "on line" as a reference.

 

Good grief.

[jstluise]

I heard on the radio this morning that the climber wasn't wearing a brain bucket, but I couldn't find anything online to back that up. If he wasn't, he's damn lucky.

 

Here is the article about the teen who died near Pilchuck this weekend

[LUCKY]

 

Climbing Access Advocate LUCKY

 

Edited June 10, 2014 by LUCKY

[rob]

I heard on the radio this morning that the climber wasn't wearing a brain bucket, but I couldn't find anything online to back that up. If he wasn't, he's damn lucky.

 

He's damn lucky whether he was wearing a helmet or not

[Nordique]

A friend of mine was hiking on Little Si yesterday and she emailed me: "We were just passing the area where the climbers always practice when we heard loud shouting. When we looked up, we saw the climber falling down the wall and then hit the ground with a loud thump. It was a horrifying sight. It seems now like a miracle that he survived the fall. He didn't even wear a helmet. He landed next to a tree and all climbers immediately rushed down to him. Fortunately, there was also a doctor among them. Since there were a lot of people who dealt with the situation, we moved on.

 

When we came back to the parking lot, the sheriff was just about to leave. Eric asked about the condition of the climber and he said that

he was doing quite well, he was breathing ok and probably had some broken bones, but his legs were quite 'mangled'."

Edited June 10, 2014 by Nordique

[chris]

I've got an update through FB, but I won't share the names of the involved - if you know them, you know them. The climber was lowered off the end of the rope, falling 50' - 75', and suffered a fractured pelvis, fractured C2, and internal bleeding. Its going to take multiple surgeries to put him back together again, and a long rehab.

 

Please consider using a 70m rope at World Wall, and always have the rope end tied into something - the belayer, the rope bag, or even just a stopper knot. This community has already lost enough good souls just in this year alone, and we're extremely lucky not to have added another this week to that list.

[boadman]

As someone who has been lowered off the end of a rope (I fell roughly 30'), I strongly recommend that everyone internalize the habit of tying a stopper knot in the end of their rope every time they leave the ground.

 

Anyone who's spent much time at WW1 understands what a horrendous fall that would be.

[Rad]

I've got an update through FB, but I won't share the names of the involved - if you know them, you know them. The climber was lowered off the end of the rope, falling 50' - 75', and suffered a fractured pelvis, fractured C2, and internal bleeding. Its going to take multiple surgeries to put him back together again, and a long rehab.

 

Please consider using a 70m rope at World Wall, and always have the rope end tied into something - the belayer, the rope bag, or even just a stopper knot. This community has already lost enough good souls just in this year alone, and we're extremely lucky not to have added another this week to that list.

 

Yikes. C2 fracture can turn you into a quadriplegic for life if it's bad enough. Climbing is serious business. Please check the system and your partners, no matter how much experience they have, every single time you tie into the rope. It just takes one mistake to change your life and those of everyone in your circle. I'm glad it didn't turn out worse and hope he gains a full recovery.

[glassgowkiss]

Wishing a speedy recovery, which by sound of it will be quite long. It's not the first time PNW climbing community member was injured/killed by negligent partner.

[chris]

Wishing a speedy recovery, which by sound of it will be quite long. It's not the first time PNW climbing community member was injured/killed by negligent partner.

 

In accidents like these, I think the negligence is equally shared. Both the climber and the belayer should confirm, verbally and visually, that both harnesses are doubled back, the climber's knot is correctly tied, the belay device is correctly threaded and the locking carabiner is locked - and on multi-pitches that the belayer is correctly tied in too. This is a simple 30-second take-off procedure that can end with "...and you're on belay."

 

The World Wall is particular in that a 60m rope isn't always adequate, but this is a well-documented issue. Making sure that your rope is tied to something is a simple step to add for the climber and the belayer.

 

Both in this accident are accomplished, seasoned climbers. This was simply an oversight that all of us all to often get away with in most circumstances. This time their cards came up.

 

The takeaway, for me, is to have fun, but take this game of ghosts seriously. I'm not near so worried about dying as I am about being broken, and having my family burdened with taking care of me and my injuries because I slipped up.