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Ted
Trad climber
San Rafael, CA
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Topic Author's Original Post - Nov 16, 2005 - 12:52am PT
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Anybody know what happened on Saturday afternoon in the Lost Horse area?
We saw the helicopter lift off from the parking area with a someone hanging out the side, ready to be lowered.
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WoodyS
Trad climber
Riverside
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Nov 16, 2005 - 01:20am PT
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Yes. There was a fall on the 5.7(name ?) to the left of Bird on a Wire. He fell at the crux and broke his ankle--compound. The chopper plucked him off with a cable. I got this information from one of the rescue people, Bill Briggs, that evening.
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Fletcher
Mountain climber
SoCal
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Nov 16, 2005 - 01:20am PT
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I heard this second hand, so details may be sketchy.
I met some folks Sunday at Crossroads Cafe who indicated the climber was on The Swift on Lost Horse. He somehow fell (from a heel hook??) and broke both ankles plus fractured another bone in one of his legs. Apparently the guy was with a SCMA outing and is the organization's safety coordinator... how ironic! Of course, once you get the title "safety coordinator" aren't you automatically doomed? :-) Seriously, I feel for the poor guy and hope he has a speedy recovery. I also heard he is at Loma Linda for a few days.
Maybe someone else knows more specific info.
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Ksolem
Trad climber
LA, Ca
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Nov 16, 2005 - 01:37am PT
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I just did Bird on a Wire, and was sitting at the base with my lovely partner when the leader on the swift fell up on the top pitch. It sounded bad, followed by lots of yelling etc. JOSAR happened to be in the area doing a practice, and as they were arriving it was decided that I should get up there fast to set the fixed rope etc that they would use. The injured climber had a badly compounded ankle, foot upside down etc. In the end they plucked him right off the wall with the chopper. At times the rescue moved with frustrating slowness, for example the JOSAR EMT had to inch his way up the fixed line on prussiks (no Jumars?)
I also ended up going back up to retrieve the gear, JOSAR just left everything up there and since a bunch of it was mine (anchors for fixed ropes) I ran up and cleaned it. It was getting late so instead of topping out I just went up to the guys high point and climbed back down with his gear.
The piece which caught his fall was a small alien which had pulled and relocated itself in a lower crack, wedged in by the trigger bar. A very lucky break and the next piece down was another 8 feet.
I will let someone from his organization post his name if they want. He was super tough dealing with his injury and kept his head screwed on straight through the whole thing. And it had to hurt.
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JuanDeFuca
Big Wall climber
Northern Mexico
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Nov 16, 2005 - 01:40am PT
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I am a member of SCMA and if its the Safety Coordinator I know who it was.
I had to pass a safety test to get into the club, and he gave it to me.
Gary might know something.
Was he a Fireman?
Juanito
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Gary
climber
Desolation Basin, Calif.
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Nov 16, 2005 - 01:48am PT
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No. It wasn't the Safety Chair. PM me.
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Holdplease2
Big Wall climber
Yosemite area
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Nov 16, 2005 - 01:50am PT
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What is the SCMA?
Hope the guy is doing better.
-Kate.
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Apocalypsenow
Trad climber
Cali
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Nov 16, 2005 - 02:52am PT
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So why do you folks want to know?
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dmalloy
Trad climber
eastside
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Nov 16, 2005 - 09:58am PT
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Way to go helping out with the rescue.....if the victim is out there reading this, stay positive and heal fast.
topic twist - so what's the deal with The Swift anyway? I started up that thing in the afternoon a few years ago, then my partner backed off leading two of the pitches, so it ended up getting dark. Luckily I had my trusty headlamp, so I was going to get us to the top. I tried to just keep following the crack system up to the top, but after one very 5.8+-seeming roof/flared crack section I was pretty sure I was off route. Kept going up, though, and right near the top I pulled off a huge block of chossiness, took a nice nighttime whipper. Luckily the block didn't hit my partner.
We bailed and came back the next morning to rap down and get the two pieces I had lowered down from. Funny part is that I remembered someplace along the way that I had been on the route about 11 years earlier, and in that case we had gotten off route and my partner had to aid a little overhanging crack to get us up and over.
I've heard since then that The Swift heads right out a crack up someplace in that last pitch, and finishes close to the top of Dappled Mare (which heads really far left on it's second pitch). I've also heard that a lot of people end up wandering around up there, like I did. Anyone got some beta on where the heck the thing goes?
Definitely some fun sections, but also some weird flared cracks and a general feeling of "5.7 in JTree can be .10c in other places".
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JuanDeFuca
Big Wall climber
Northern Mexico
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Nov 16, 2005 - 10:15am PT
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The Swift has many accidents. Low rating and low angle.
Tricky route finding. If you do fall on the last pitch it's kind of like the nutcraker, perfect angle to rotate ankles.
My first rope solo back in the day.
Juan
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looking sketchy there...
Social climber
Latitute 33
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Nov 16, 2005 - 06:05pm PT
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Descriptions of the route have been poor and the route finding is a bit inobvious. The new guide (Vol.1 -due in February) has better description and topo. Most people get off route by continuing up the main crack/corner:
925. THE SWIFT 7 ** A popular longer moderate climb. Note: it is not uncommon for parties to get off route where the climb exits the corner system near the beginning of pitch 3. Begin near the left side of the main face, just left of a pillar-shaped boulder and right of bushes. (P1) Head up a left-slanting crack to the left end of the Ledge (5); traverse right to a protruding block and crack on the block’s right side. (P2) Up the right side of the slot and crack above; then up and right on face (6) to reach a left-facing corner which you climb to a belay stance. (P3) Continue up the corner until you are about 15 feet below a small overhang at the top of the corner, then traverse right on face (7) then up to reach cracks that join with the finish of Dappled Mare. (P3 var.) Continue straight up over the small roof (9) and up cracks above (10a). Pro: To 3 inches. FA: Bob Dominick, John Wolfe, 4/76; (Var.) Unknown.
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Ksolem
Trad climber
LA, Ca
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Nov 16, 2005 - 07:21pm PT
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Yeah, Sketchy. Who knew that right after we saw you in the parking lot this deal would happen...
The guy was on route. Where he fell was up above the point where you exit the corner.
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10b4me
Trad climber
On that V2 problem at the Happies
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Nov 16, 2005 - 08:16pm PT
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I have climbed the Swift several times, and yes it is tempting to head up the corner. If you do the proper route it is 5.7, and no heelhooking is required.
Gary,
the guy is the new safety chair for scma.
hope his recovery goes well, and he is out climbing again next year.
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JuanDeFuca
Big Wall climber
Northern Mexico
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Nov 16, 2005 - 08:35pm PT
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I will check the roster, I am not sure why this is top secret?
Who knows, Gary did you get my PM?
Juanito
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