Discussion Topic |
|
This thread has been locked |
| Messages 1 - 16 of total 16 in this topic |
Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
|
|
|
Topic Author's Original Post - Nov 17, 2009 - 02:14am PT
|
News release - Park Staff Assist Stranded Climbers
Pinnacles National Monument - On the evening of Sunday, November 15,
park staff assisted two male climbers, from the San Jose area, off of a
climbing route after they had become stranded due to nightfall. Both
climbers were uninjured.
The climbers were able to place a cell phone call to a friend, who
contacted the park, around 6:00PM after they could no longer climb in
darkness. They were near the top of "Condor [Condom] Condiment", a 500 foot route
on the Condor Crag formation in the High Peaks area of Pinnacles National
Monument. The climbers were in different locations on the route and could
not complete the final 100 feet without additional light. Rangers
contacted the party via their cell phone and determined their approximate
location and condition before the climber's phone battery was exhausted.
With an overnight forecast of 25 degrees Fahrenheit and gusting winds,
rangers and search & rescue team members were dispatched to their location.
A California Highway Patrol helicopter located the pair using infrared
radar and a powerful "Night Sun" floodlight. Assisted by monument staff,
the climbers then completed the route and shorter descent off the back side
of the formation. Upon completing the descent at 1:00 AM, the pair had
been on the route for 14 hours.
Rangers escorted the climbers back to the trail and provided them
flashlights for their walk back to the Chaparral parking area on the park's
west side.
"I am glad that through the efforts of our search & rescue team and
partner agencies, this potential tragedy has been prevented," explained
Eric Brunnemann, Superintendent of Pinnacles National Monument.
Some hints for safe and successful climbing: Do not go beyond your
abilities and always allow yourself enough time, before darkness is
imminent. Be Prepared.
 Use a helmet!
Know the route, carry a guidebook.
Know and practice self-rescue techniques.
Carry extra food, water and clothing.
Carry two ropes on a multi-pitch climb.
Carry a headlamp, spare batteries and bulbs.
Carry a first-aid kit and know how to use it.
Use redundant anchor systems.
For more information about climbing at Pinnacles, please visit the
parks climbing web page at http://nps.gov/pinn/planyourvisit/climb.htm or the
Friends of Pinnacles web page at http://www.pinnacles.org .
Note: this happens to be one of the very few climbs at Pinnacles with cell phone reception.
|
|
Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
|
|
|
Nov 17, 2009 - 02:22am PT
|
That's one way to do a night time ascent.
glad they are ok
|
|
Matt
Trad climber
primordial soup
|
|
|
Nov 17, 2009 - 02:52am PT
|
CC-IAD, add these guys to the list i guess...
(not fer nothin, but couldn't ya bail, if ya needed to, with a few raps? just sayin...)
|
|
brat
climber
El Portal
|
|
|
Nov 17, 2009 - 02:53am PT
|
That's one of the better climbing-related press releases I've seen.
|
|
JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
|
|
|
Nov 17, 2009 - 12:26pm PT
|
Agree, brat. Very well-written news report. My only question after reading the report is a variation of Matt's: was there some difficulty that prevented them from descending the route when darkness approached? The comment to take two ropes on multi-pitch climbs makes me think they had just one.
John
|
|
Reilly
Mountain climber
Monrovia, CA
|
|
|
Nov 17, 2009 - 01:00pm PT
|
I hope the sutpid phuks get sent a nice phat bill.
|
|
mucci
Trad climber
The pitch of Bagalaar above you
|
|
|
Nov 17, 2009 - 03:43pm PT
|
Whoa! Getting rescued at the Pinns, uninjured would suck.
Good to hear everyone is ok.
The Condom is long but there are a few ledges to wait it out on. Were they in dire need of rescue?
Seems a night on the rock would have sucked but far less dangerous than a rescue.
Good work to the sar team for helping out the stranded party.
Headlamp and jacket and I'll bivy anywhere at the pinns!
Mucci
|
|
Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
|
|
|
Nov 17, 2009 - 04:02pm PT
|
If they were on CCC as reported, then the route traverses up and left some. I seem to recall at least one of the pitches being longer than 100' so if they only had 1 rope the rap would be hard pulls back to climber right on terrain that doesn't necessarily have bolts (or good ones at least) if they could even see them early.
So if they were unprepared as it seems, a rap back down wouldn't have been super simple. But it's a good message to keep in mind that having ones ten essentials with them should be the rule.
Early starts for the High Peaks are the way to go for sure.
|
|
HighTraverse
Trad climber
Bay Area
|
|
|
Nov 17, 2009 - 04:23pm PT
|
Let me hazard a guess:
light clothes, no sweaters, windshirts or hats.
1 rope
no headlamp
forgetting that it's DARK by 6PM and that it IS cold in the Pinnacles at night.
Just guessing. I hope we get a full report so we can all learn from it.
But really: what about many short raps on 1 rope leaving nuts/biners/slings/shoelaces behind?
Topo shows 4 pitches of 5.8. Not overhanging. No big traverses. Lots of bolts and natural pro. But I haven't done the route to be certain.
I can't speak for other gyms but Pacific Edge has an excellent self rescue course. Anyone doing multi-pitch should take one or be sure to learn from experienced friends.
InMyNotSoHumbleOpinion: When we go climbing we assume the responsibility of knowing when to back off before we get into trouble and how to do it. Or we tough out the consequences.
I'm reminded of the two men caught by a major storm on Cathedral two Novembers ago. One died on the retreat. Very sad. "Mistakes were made". I hope the survivor is recovering mentally.
I don't mean to imply we should suffer injury or death rather than call for help. Calling for a rescue should be saved for when you're certain the s**t is really going to hit the fan.
Glad these guys made it back safe and sound.
Fred
|
|
cragnshag
Social climber
san joser
|
|
|
Nov 17, 2009 - 05:10pm PT
|
Do you think the ranger gave them a ticket for parking after sunset?
|
|
martygarrison
Trad climber
The Great North these days......
|
|
|
Nov 17, 2009 - 07:21pm PT
|
I always try and give these folks some leeway. When I was very young I got stranded on big sandy during a major snow storm, ropes froze, we froze. Our even younger friends in the valley called us in as we were way over due. We had the whole nine yards, chopper to the top of half dome, do the overhanging jug out, the required sh#t from ranger Dill for only having twelve nuts, no bolt kit etc. I look back on it now and of course it would have been easy to drive through, but when youre still a teenager....I am just glad these guys are ok and will learn from the experience.
|
|
bhilden
Trad climber
Mountain View, CA
|
|
|
Nov 17, 2009 - 07:24pm PT
|
I used to get many, many gym climbers who could climb 5.11 indoors asking me about wanting to do a long, multi-pitch route in Yosemite and the route most often on their lips was Steck-Salathe. From what I could surmise, they all thought that since they climbed 5.11 in the gym, a 17-pitch 5.9 route would be a piece of cake.
Given the guidebook description and topo, I could see a route like Condor Condiment having exactly the same appeal to some gym climbers who thought climbing something outdoors that was well below the grade they climb indoors would be a piece of cake. Hence, no second rope, headlamps, etc.
Bruce
|
|
mynameismud
climber
backseat
|
|
|
Nov 17, 2009 - 09:21pm PT
|
The last two pitches traverse a bit. Leaving biners it would be possible to bail. Would be difficult if not impossible by leaving other types of gear.
3 pitch route
P1 165 feet to the ground. Funky rap might be possible with one rope if a person is creative.
P2 100 feet. With a 200 ft rope it would be a stretch.
P3 100 ft, traverses and is junky. Once out in the middle it would be difficult to go straight down.
I can see someone who is not used to the Pins seeing 5.8 (10a if you do the variation) and thinking no problem we will knock that out. Then taking a while.
|
|
David Knopp
Trad climber
CA
|
|
|
Nov 17, 2009 - 09:43pm PT
|
Fred- can you clarify your posting a bit-i'm unsure where you stand, and it was my friend peter who died on cathedral... so...
thanks, David
|
|
billygoat
climber
cruzville
|
|
|
Nov 17, 2009 - 09:55pm PT
|
Wow. I was at Pinns (east side) on Sunday and noticed how unused the climber registry is. Wonder if this party signed the west side log before heading up. They could have given themselves a huge added insurance if they did. Considering how hard it can be to get a cell phone signal out there, please use the log folks! The next time this happens, the party might not be so lucky, and it could be the log that saves them.
|
|
HighTraverse
Trad climber
Bay Area
|
|
|
Nov 19, 2009 - 10:39pm PT
|
David,
I'm very sorry you lost your friend. It was a tragic accident and I think of your friend every time I'm in that area. I didn't mean to speak badly of him nor to cause his friends new pain. I hope the surviving climber is able to get on with life and climbing.
I've thought of that accident often. I read it carefully in AANM (which I've loaned to a friend and can't find right now).
The point I was trying to make, albeit not gracefully, was that the Cathedral Peak accident might have come out entirely differently if the climbers had turned around a little bit earlier. It seemed from the reports that only 30 minutes or so might have made the difference. Would the Pinns climbers have avoided a rescue if they'd turned around 30 mins earlier. I know the two events are vastly different in importance.
We all want to get to the top. We all get really pissy when we turn back for whatever reason. Sometimes turning back is the only safe thing to do. Easily enough said in retrospect.
It's also easy to say from a warm armchair that a clear night on the rock at 25F won't really hurt you. I agree with windshirt or sweater, warm trousers, hat and a pack to pull over your legs. Been there, done that.
Not so easy to do if not equipped. We don't know what the Pinns climbers were carrying.
Thinking and talking about these rescues is one way we prepare ourselves for the inevitable difficulties we find ourselves in.
Again I'm very sorry for your loss.
Fred
|
|
| Messages 1 - 16 of total 16 in this topic |
|
SuperTopo on the Web
|
Let us know!