A Death on Mount Shasta

[Orsonab]

I post this as I'm sure many who come to this forum have climbed this same route, myself included:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_...brooklyn_television_editor_chihiro_cherr.html

She was the friend of a friend of mine and had only recently moved from Boston where she worked at WGBH. Though she had climbed other mountains, neither she nor her compnions had ever climbed Mt Shasta before. I suspect the route may have been very icy and a self-arrest near-impossible.

A very sad loss.

 

[audrey]

So sad, she was a beautiful woman who sounded like she was coming into the full bloom of life.

A question for you climbers: the commenters ask, "Why do people climb icy mountains?" Would you attempt it and/or keep going if conditions were so bad that you couldn't self-arrest?

 

[TrishandAlex]

Peace to the lady and her friends and family. I'm sorry for their loss.

 

[Jay H]

So sad, she was a beautiful woman who sounded like she was coming into the full bloom of life.

A question for you climbers: the commenters ask, "Why do people climb icy mountains?" Would you attempt it and/or keep going if conditions were so bad that you couldn't self-arrest?

The Avalanche Gulch route on Mt Shasta is nowhere near "vertical ice" as somebody writes in the comment. It's fairly steep above Helen Lake but nothing near vertical. As far as icy mountains.. Sheesh, I just climbed Slide, Cornell, and Wittenberg last week, they were icy. Why do people walk on icy sidewalks, driveways?

Jay

 

[jfb]

A question for you climbers: the commenters ask, "Why do people climb icy mountains?" Would you attempt it and/or keep going if conditions were so bad that you couldn't self-arrest?

If conditions are such that self-arrest is unlikely, the rope comes out and climbers belay each other from anchors.

 

[mtnmama]

What an awful tragedy. She was so young.
My condolences to the family.

 

[giggy]

sad - RIP.

Nobody uses a rope on the AG route. Its steep but moderate and no crevasses - rope would be extra weight and belaying takes time and speed is safety on the bigger peaks like this. Bottom line is its risk you take when climb a route like this - basically, you don't/can't fall.


Its unfortunate and very sad.

 

[mtnpa]

How many of us have been in spots where a slip or misstep could've turned to disaster?

 

[mookie]

How many of us have been in spots where a slip or misstep could've turned to disaster?

Almost everytime i bike commute to work!

 

[DougPaul]

A question for you climbers: the commenters ask, "Why do people climb icy mountains?" Would you attempt it and/or keep going if conditions were so bad that you couldn't self-arrest?

A quick measurement on a topo suggests an angle of 34 deg (3600 ft/mi) in the upper part of AG. Steep for hiking, but not for climbing. Except for one short section, a walk-up under good conditions.

Newspaper reports are rarely good sources of info on the conditions and skill of the climbers. Whether to climb or not is a judgment call.

Doug

 

[giggy]

A question for you climbers: the commenters ask, "Why do people climb icy mountains?" Would you attempt it and/or keep going if conditions were so bad that you couldn't self-arrest?

ya know - tough to answer. ya kind of have to be in the moment and make a call on what to do. there is always risk. Conditions could have been icy but reasonably ok - lots of times, ice is easily climbed with pons and axe and the risk of fall is pretty small, so the risk of keep going without a belay is very acceptable. You pitch out the entire AG headwall on shasta to above the red banks, thats about 2000 vertical feet (tuckerman ravine is less than 1000 I think), its going to take you a very long time to do that and really, its too long to make it an reasonable option - at least IMO , esp when the route is considered easy by cascade mountain standards.

I think folks that climb have a different acceptable risk idea than those that dayhike. Not saying either are more right or wrong then the other, its just different and a different approach to thinking about it.


not to take from the post, I stress RIP to the climber and best wishes to the family.

 

[cbcbd]

It's sad to see preventable accidents in the mountains. My thoughts are with her loved ones.

A question for you climbers: the commenters ask, "Why do people climb icy mountains?" Would you attempt it and/or keep going if conditions were so bad that you couldn't self-arrest?

I think the first question goes along with just the plain "Why do people climb mountains?". There is no satisfying answer to the listener.

If you can't self-arrest you just can't fall. These are called "no-fall" situations. You keep going if you feel comfortable in putting yourself in that situation. The question I hear then is: "Why would you put yourself in a situation where if you would fall you would die?"
And to that... if you haven't experienced it, then it is almost pointless trying to answer. You can always just keep answering "Because it's there" and just puzzle them even further.

 

[mtn.goat]

Another article I read from the west coast mentioned that none of them were wearing helmets. I don't know what area the accident happened in but I was surprised by that fact.

 

[Little Rickie]

How many of us have been in spots where a slip or misstep could've turned to disaster?

Could happen anywhere to anyone. Still sucks though.

 

[WinterWarlock]

It is indeed sad to see a member of the hiking/climbing community lose their life, and while it seems trite to say she was doing what she loved, I've always believed there is some solace in that, knowing how many people live their lives without loving what they do.

The question I hear then is: "Why would you put yourself in a situation where if you would fall you would die?"
And to that... if you haven't experienced it, then it is almost pointless trying to answer. You can always just keep answering "Because it's there" and just puzzle them even further.

I just read Ed Viesturs book, and his answer was "If you have to ask the question, you wouldn't understand the answer." Makes sense to me.

But, what says it best is a quote from Peter Boardman, who climbed the South Face of Everest in 1975:

"Courage. Endurance. Those words are meaningless. Life has so many cruel subtleties that require far more courage to deal with than the obvious dangers of climbing. It takes more endurance to work in a city than it does to climb a high mountain. But it takes more than courage or endurance to crush the hopes and ambitions that were in your childhood dreams and to submit to a daily routine of work that fits into a tiny cog in the wheel of Western civilization"

And so perhaps it isn't so trite to believe that she was able to escape those bonds of day to day life, and live her dreams. May she rest in peace.

 

[Orsonab]

I've seen further reports where she fell from about 11,500 which I think would put her right below the Red Banks rocks where the slope is steepest. And would also explain how she could fall 1500 feet. Not sure if a helmet would have been any help in a fall of this size but I was surprised that none of the climbers were wearing any in a area with so much loose rock and ice.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

I've climbed this route many times, and on two occasions have seen groups guided by pros who've used ropes. Personally, I wondered a bit about it as the conditions were great, but ... they do that stuff for a living, so I'm in no position to question their judgement. I also spotted a small cravasse below Redbanks in June, 2003. It was not in the climbing route, fortunately, and I've linked to it below.

What can make Red Banks tricky, aside from the fact that it's a steep, narrow chute, is that under less than ideal conditions the aggregate which forms Redbanks can be underfoot. Those small, round, volcanic rocks are like walking on ball-bearings. They're just big enough to prevent the crampon tines from making contact with the snow/ice/rock beneath. Under these conditions it's very easy to slip, especially upon descent, and virtually impossible to self-arrest as there's nothing for the pick to grab.

I was on Shasta back in July on this route, and but turned back below Red Banks as the conditions were just too sketchy. There are many mountains more difficult than Shasta, but this route/mountain can still kill you on any given day.

I am very sorry to hear about the loss of your friend, Andrew.

Below is the pic of the small cravasse I spotted on that 6/03 climb - the opening is approximately 6' wide. Reminded me a bit of the crevasses which form on the Tucks headwall in late winter/early spring.

And here's a picture showing the crevasse in the foreground. A section of Red Banks is at the top.

 

[The Hikers]

I think the point that we all take risks while hiking is well taken. A surprise animal attack, a sudden turn of weather, an unexpected medical emergency, can all end in death.
A few years ago we had to wade across waist high white water after unexpected heavy rain...a potentially deadly and totally unplanned danger.
Just part of the excitement we experience in the great outdoors.