Rock Climbing Accident
- Thread starter richard
- Start date
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It's been discussed for a few days here:
https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/123142420/fatal-accident-at-tahquitz-today
https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/123142420/fatal-accident-at-tahquitz-today
sierra
Well-known member
I read through the link, more questions then answers. Sounds like the weather forced them to attempt to descend. This type of scenario is really dangerous. I was a technical climber for 10 years and it's a pretty safe sport. When weird things happen, it really gets hairy. Once we got caught in a thunderstorm on Cathedral ledge, I got up a pitch and hurriedly fixed an anchor to bring up my partner as the rain began pounding down the cliff face. I was on a ledge about 10 inches wide and after about 5 minutes my partner yells climbing!! I get ready to turn and weight the anchor to belay him up and the figure 8 knot is hanging down loosely, I never clipped my line into the anchor. If I had weighted that rope without noticing my error, I would have plummeted off the ledge. One mistake..............
Most definitely a good read. When I first started technical climbing back in the 70's this was a mandatory read and really the only one of it's kind. I lost a fellow climber and skier in an accident back near the turn of the century. I was not on the trip where the fatality happened like many others in our group and we all had big questions. The incident was reported in Accidents in North America which really helped with its explanation in putting the incident in perspective. Not sure whom the Author is at the moment but back in the early 90's I went to see the author at the time speak at Pinkham Notch. Very interesting presentation. Interesting to learn about the assessment process of how accidents were reported. Most interesting was how the bulk of climbing accidents can be summed into a handful of categories. One of the primary summations where accidents are categorized is the existence of one or more party's being in poor position at the time of the accident.
ChrisB
Well-known member
The Moutainproject thread linked above is very similar to accident discussions we have here on VFTT. Analysis, conjecture, search for understanding and occasional criticisms of victims and fellow posters.
One prescient poster offered the following really good observation, however:
Most trad climbing anchors and protection pieces are never tested because the leader seldom falls. Are they good? No one really knows. EVERY rappel anchor is fully tested multiple times by descending climbers. Are these anchors good? Sometime not.
Having placed my share of marginal pieces over the years, and not falling on them, I get that comment. Yet in retrospect I always felt most vulnerable rapping.
