Skaha fatality

[Butch Hillhurst]

Yesterday around 3 pm a guy had a rap accident in Corridor at Skaha. I was there immediately along with 2 local climbers who were nurses. He had one strand of rope through his ATC and the other end was going up to the anchors. It appears he clipped only one strand of his rope into his ATC when rapping instead of 2 and so fell about 70 feet.

 

When we arrived he was prone and breathing but unresponsive verbally and to ocular stim. We didn't want to move him-- no collars etc-- and we took vitals but he was on his way down. We CPR'd him when his heart stopped and got a pulse back and then the EMTs showed and took over. They had him on O2 etc but they called it after an hour of CPR. From the initial lack of responsiveness to the incredible damage he'd sustained-- doing CPR on him he had basically a destroyed sternum-- it was probably a lost cause from the get-go but we did our best.

 

Anyway the nurses were solid. My heart goes out to his wife who was there. Check your rap and other setups, ppl, I don't EVER wanna watch another guy die.

Edited September 1, 2014 by Butch Hillhurst

[montypiton]

please remain tethered to the anchor until you've fully loaded the rappel and rechecked your rig fully loaded - only after fully loading the rappel (slack personal anchor) unclip your personal anchor and go.

[tvashtarkatena]

A very good friend died in the late 80s because he failed to stay clipped in until he was fully on rappel. Big, easy mountain ledge. Why bother?

 

He was knocked off the mountain by falling rocks while pulling the rope.

 

 

[Rad]

Tragic. I'm so sorry for the loss of the many people who loved this your man.

 

Climbing is an activity that is mostly quite safe but a mistake at the wrong place at the wrong time can kill or seriously injure you. Any time you connect and disconnect yourself from anchors off the deck is a particularly critical time. Check. Check. And check again.

[pcg]

So sorry to hear of this.

I’m not big on acronyms in general, but I made this one up for myself. I’ve taught it to my son and everyone else I’ve taught to rappel. I consider rappelling to be the most dangerous part of alpine climbing (like swimming with sharks in the water) and therefore it demands extra vigilance. I go through this drill every single time I rappel, in order as follows:

 

S Safety leash – make sure it’s properly secured

H Harness –verify that it is properly secured

A Anchor – verify that it is properly built

R Rappel device – load it

K Knots at end of rope

S Safety leash – Ok to remove now

 

[denalidave]

Condolences to the family and loved ones.

 

Same thing happened a few years back at Beacon. Really sad way to end a good day climbing.

 

Double check your set up to climb another day.

 

I like the SHARK reminder. Thanks.

[Eric T]

Sorry if you knew the man, Mr. Hillhurst sorry you had that experience.

 

http://blogs.seattletimes.com/today/2014/09/seattle-man-dies-rock-climbing-in-british-columbia/

 

Seattle man dies rock climbing in British Columbia

Posted by John de Leon

The Associated Press

 

KELOWNA, B.C. — British Columbia authorities say a Seattle man fell to his death while rock climbing south of Penticton.

 

The British Columbia Coroners Service has identified the man who died Saturday as 31-year-old Stas Eric Gray.

 

Gray was climbing with friends on a rock-climbing site called Skaha Bluffs.

 

Regional coroner Larry Marzinzik says Gray was rappelling down during his third climb of the day when he fell about 25 feet.

 

There’s no indication what caused Gray to fall. The coroners’ service and Royal Canadian Mounted Police are investigating the death.

 

 

 

[OKclimb]

Thanks for the report Butch. This is really a tragic story, and it's good to have some details on how it happened. The landing in that area has a lot of boulders, and so the internal injuries must have been severe. Can you tell us if he was wearing a helmet and if this might have saved him?

[tvashtarkatena]

I don't agree that knots at the end of the rope are always a good idea. Get your rope stuck after the toss - you don't need high winds to do this either - and you'll see what I mean.

 

Better to send the more experienced person down first to clear the rope of snarls, then have them put knots in the end for those who follow IMO.

 

Another option is the send the 1st down on a single fixed line (with auto block if you want and a means to re-ascend if it all goes wrong) trailing the 2nd rope down with him, then switch to standard two rope rap when the 1st is off rap. This isn't a bad idea in high winds or crap terrain - or when you're really no sure where the next anchor is.

[montypiton]

pcg - I like the acronym - think its worth spreading

 

Tvash - you've been around enough to know that you can do everything right and still get chopped. your friend may be an example

 

regarding wind and ropes not being where you want them - I like rope holsters - keep the rope with me and route it while I rap. I even keep the ends tied to me if the rappel ends in unknown or questionable terrain. For following rappelers, I prefer to tie the rope into the next anchor - slack J-line. Followers are thus anchored at both top and bottom, and clip to new anchor before disconnecting from rappel. Yeah, maybe its overkill, but 44 years of climbing suggests I can't be doing too much wrong...

 

and repeat: you can do everything right and still get the chop "geologic time includes NOW"

[dfrost]

Using an autoblock on the rappel is never a bad idea; you can go hands-free if you need to sort tangles or set up an ascending system, you are backed-up in case you lose control... the added benefits of using one outweigh the extra minute it takes to set it up.

[tvashtarkatena]

My friend wasn't clipped him. Basic and unfortunately common mistake. He'd only been climbing 3 years.

 

He was also pulling the rope in the line of fire. Another basic mistake.

 

I'm not sure if he'd cleared the route of loose rocks on the way down or not. Perhaps a third basic mistake.

 

It often takes 3 errors in judgement and/or habits - and they can be subtle, to produce a fatal accident. Not always, of course. A lot of times these are fairly innocuous habits that can work fine for years until things line up and they bite you.

 

Yes, anyone can get the chop, but much more often than not - such errors in habits and judgement play a key role. As Tod Skinners death illustrated, even the most experienced and talented climbers in the world can employ unsafe practices that eventually catch up to them.

 

I continually look to improve my best practices - and these improvements most often come from people with far less time in a harness than I have who've researched new information I didn't think to look for.

 

Along that line, both rope holsters and autoblocks are innovations that are well work looking at. I've used both - and am using autoblocks a lot more now. The one i use is to clip a prusik (you should have one available to escape a belay or ascend a rope anyway) to the leg loop, wrap it around the rap rope 3-4 times, and clip in back into the same biner. Very quick setup.

 

I would appreciate seeing a pic of the rope holster Montypiton's referring to. There are a few ways to do this. I'm interested in knowing what has worked for him the best.

Edited September 3, 2014 by tvashtarkatena

[montypiton]

agreed - "best practices" continue to evolve, and a wise person maintains a "beginner's mind"

[obwan]

Unfortunately, mistakes are sometimes not to forgiving in rock climbing - I feel bad for those all involved, it's a helpless feeling to watch. RIP

 

Tvash - you are right about the three times rule. I've done it myself when I let my guard down. The first error will usually get you by; the second error is when issues start compounding, and Maybe will get you by - And if not caught, it progresses to a third error; which is when the s--- hits the fan. That's why I call it the "3 strikes and your out rule", and can be very subtle.

 

Sorry for the climber and family.

 

[pcg]

[pcg]

I don't agree that knots at the end of the rope are always a good idea.

+1 agree

so K = Knots in rope or Know that the rope is long enough.

[Lhansen]

A great loss,

[OKclimb]

Sadly just this last Saturday a 28 year old Everett man fell to his death while rappelling from Liberty Bell.

 

The initial report is a bit vague, but a friend of his wife told me that he had only tied one knot in the end of one of the ropes, and when he got to the end the other rope pulled through. It was their 1st anniversary. Tragic.

 

My deepest condolences go out to his family and friends.

http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/outdoors/2014/sep/09/climber-killed-rappelling-liberty-bell-mountain/

[HansB]

I don't agree that knots at the end of the rope are always a good idea.

+1 agree

so K = Knots in rope or Know that the rope is long enough.

 

I used to agree that knots often caused problems, but I now use them all the time along with looping my ropes to make a holster. Works great, takes only 2-3 minutes, and no rope tangles on rappel. Probably just as quick overall, and safer.