DRC3886 Posted March 30, 2015 Posted March 30, 2015 Anyone know what happened to the climber at the feathers yesterday(3/28/15) Saw Emergency vehicles blocking the road coming back from zig zag, and an ambulance took off lights and sirens. No one seemed to know what happened. Climb on and climb safe! Quote
Erik Gearhart Posted March 30, 2015 Posted March 30, 2015 (edited) I was guiding a group 10 feet away from this accident scene. One of my students saw the victim fall--he was soloing the newer (and much chossier) bolted route just to the right of the chimney behind Satan's Pillar. My student reports that the victim was near the top--the fall was approximately 20 feet onto uneven talus and boulders. I heard what sounded like a loud object slamming to the ground and people screaming. I ran around the Pillar to see an approximately 40 yr old, white male crawling on the ground with clearly visible fractures to his lower left leg (at least two unnatural angles and protusions to his lower tib/fib) and blood coming from his hands. The victim said, "Both my legs are broken." Someone who arrived earlier than me was the first responder; he told the victim to sit still, then began an initial survey. By the time I drew closer, the victim's friends arrived, one of whom identified themselves as a nurse. 911 was called by multiple people. Another man and I both identified ourselves to the nurse as First Responders, offered our assistance if she wanted it, then backed a few yards away since a crowd had now formed around the victim. I overheard that a climber who was a doctor arrived shortly thereafter. Things looked pretty bad. The victim went from alert and pink to confused to low voice responsive and quite pale within about ten minutes. EMS arrived approximately 20-30 minutes after being called. I sure hope the best for the victim and his friends. The Feathers/Frenchmen Coulee area seems to have a disproportionate share of climbing accidents and fatalities. While this incident involved soloing, it seems that I see something terrible every year there. Several factors go into this, I think, including abundant seemingly beginner-friendly bolted climbs that may seem to beginners to be "just like the gym"; pretty awful rock; massive overcrowding; and large group trips led by questionably experienced leaders--trusting beginners tie into ropes set by friends/strangers with no idea of the mess they are tying into. Please check yourselves and your friends-and perhaps strangers, too, because a casual weekend walk through the Feathers will usually reveal a myriad of strange anchor set ups and other unsafe climbing practices. Edited March 30, 2015 by Erik Gearhart Quote
LUCKY Posted March 30, 2015 Posted March 30, 2015 Sorry for the climber and any involved or around, that said if you don't want DRAMA the feathers is not the place to go on a busy weekend there is much better to be had, just not the short walk like walk'n into a gym. When you climb you know you could fall if you fall you could get serious injured or DIE, this is not hiking or some of the other safer sports. Quote
Erik Gearhart Posted March 30, 2015 Posted March 30, 2015 Interesting point about hiking and risk: most accidents in outdoor programs (like NOLS, etc., which does detailed risk management audits of its hundreds of thousands of user days) occur during hiking. Not climbing. Climbing--with skilled and knowledgeable climbers--racks up far fewer accidents (even per user day) than hiking and backpacking. So what is going on at the Feathers, whose short and well bolted (well, at least closely bolted) routes would seem to be make up one of the most risk-controllable crags in WA state? Probably has something to do with the legions of inexperienced climbers there. Quote
LUCKY Posted March 30, 2015 Posted March 30, 2015 Let me see STUDYS ...Hummm long distance back packing, trial running, peak bagging, solo mountaineering never got hurt, reach up pull down climbing, unreported pulled shoulder, years to heal, blown calf muscle months to heal, other assorted other injury's, one DEAD acquaintance at the coulee, friend... can you say LAUNCH LEDGE, close friend long fall at Index, this is just off the top of my head... Yo climbing is dangerous accept the risk Climbing Access Advocate Lucky Quote
mattp Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 I'm with Lucky here. I've had more friends die in Climbing accidents that all other causes combined. And all of them had many years' experience. Quote
DRC3886 Posted March 31, 2015 Author Posted March 31, 2015 Eric Thanks for the response. This was my first trip out during the weekend. I usually climb during the week. I was shocked at the amount of people there. Zig Zag was nice and quite though with some great moderates . We were mostly trying to dodge the wind. I have climbed at feathers during the week, but don't see any reason to return, except maybe to try hardened arteries. I am one of those guys who doesn't understand soloing. I hope the guy recovers and learns his lesson. Quote
LUCKY Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 Don't miss Satan's Wagon 10-C( stay on the face, if your on the corner you bypassed the crux) or Satan's Little helper or The Uprising ,Yeah everyone likes to talk smack about the feather but there are some good climbs to be had there, just not on a busy day. Eric Thanks for the response. This was my first trip out during the weekend. I usually climb during the week. I was shocked at the amount of people there. Zig Zag was nice and quite though with some great moderates . We were mostly trying to dodge the wind. I have climbed at feathers during the week, but don't see any reason to return, except maybe to try hardened arteries. I am one of those guys who doesn't understand soloing. I hope the guy recovers and learns his lesson. Quote
cascadesdaj Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 And laps on don coyote can be a great workout on fun jugs. On a short afternoon/evening, you and a partner can get a workout doing that in an hour or so. Quote
num1mc Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 I hope the guy recovers and learns his lesson. A little nasty there. Quote
Choada_Boy Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 Personal anecdotal evidence: I've had more friends and acquaintances die from suicide than from all other causes combined. And, I am very happy to report, none have died in climbing accidents. Quote
glassgowkiss Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 Shit can and will happen, if you do it enough. Climbing is dangerous, even easiest routes can kill you, gravity works every time. It's all about minimizing the risk. Soloing a chossy and lose basalt might not be the best option, even if the route is easy. After 35 years of climbing I had my first real mountain climbing accident- falling into a crevasse and dislocating my right shoulder on Andromeda Glacier in Icefields area. probably should have probed more. Quote
JosephH Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 If you're having repeated accidents climbing it might be a sign this isn't the sport for you... Quote
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