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zeta
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Jul 22, 2010 - 05:03pm PT
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I am also going to be in the Tetons in August and will likely climb the Grand again. Like donini says, it's definitely critical to have an early start and move fast.
When I was there last in 2006, I saw rescue helicopters from the Moraine campground getting climbers evacuated from the Saddle. I never heard the specifics of the rescue, but I do remember just how long it took for the helicopters to get the people out. Rescues are really long and arduous--and I'm always so amazed & impressed at the strength, fortitude, and speed with which SAR folks are able to help.
Condolences to all involved.
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bluering
Trad climber
Santa Clara, Ca.
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Jul 22, 2010 - 05:35pm PT
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Wow! They think lightning severed the rope? That sucks!
Rest in peace, bro, and God bless ya!
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Anguish
Mountain climber
Jackson Hole Wyo.
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 22, 2010 - 07:51pm PT
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Fluoride's pic is actually of The Crawl, just after the Belly Roll .... but you get the idea. Park now says rangers were not inserted by heli to near the summit but instead climbed from LS up the O-S route.
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Nohea
Trad climber
Sunny Aiea,Hi
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Jul 22, 2010 - 09:39pm PT
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That is sad news. I was between middle and south a week ago and every one I met was super kind. I look forward to going back. This part of the game is a bummer.
Rest Easy Brother
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franky
Trad climber
Bishop, CA
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Jul 22, 2010 - 09:49pm PT
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i think i may have met that dude in a failed attempt at the direct exum a couple days ago. Sad. That storm was in the forecast, and i know a few people who canceled climbing plans for Wednesday because of it. they took a risk, it went badly for them. That really sucks. man... damn.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Jul 23, 2010 - 12:16am PT
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I led the Belly roll in perfect conditions, I got blizzarded off the east ridge first week of August, you can never let your guard down, there.
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Jennie
Trad climber
Elk Creek, Idaho
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Jul 23, 2010 - 01:26am PT
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Very tragic loss of life...Heartfelt sympathies to Brandon Oldenkamp's family and friends.
Major commendations to Grand Teton SAR for rescue of the other sixteen individuals in formidable conditions.
The thunderstorm was associated with a front that rolled through the area yesterday...and was more intense than the customary Teton afternoon storm. We could hear the booming and roaring from Driggs on the Idaho side...must have been overwhelming tumult on the peaks.
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gimmeslack
Trad climber
VA
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Jul 23, 2010 - 08:28am PT
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Bluering said: "Wow! They think lightning severed the rope? That sucks!"
Does anyone know more about this?
I'll admit alpine ignorance - are there documented cases of lightning severing a rope? I know I've read anecdotal references to the current traveling along wet rope.
Did the Upper Exum last year and I can't imagine getting caught in a big one. Very difficult place to bail from if in a hurry, and no place to hide.
Godspeed to the poor soul who perished.
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homemade salsa
Trad climber
west tetons
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Jul 23, 2010 - 09:50am PT
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They are looking closely at rope and harness in the next couple days, but there were fried axes, bits of crispy rope, and everyone's gear spread all over the upper mountain. One of my friends was on the first response team, and said there were unconscious climbers on every ledge. Some of the rescued climbers reported being hit by lightning multiple times. Pretty remarkable more people didn't die.
Gotta get up early for this mtn, no matter what the weather.
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Tony Bird
climber
Northridge, CA
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Jul 23, 2010 - 10:49am PT
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those of us addicted to california rockclimbing are probably more vulnerable than most in this department. good weather can be such the norm here during climbing season that we think every day is going to be like yesterday.
i was caught in a scary storm on tahquitz early in my career and have taken pains to avoid such predicaments ever since. four of us rappelling three pitches, lightning striking all around, everything drenched, water streaming down the rock. a man was killed by lightning in nearby lake hemet from the same storm. the important thing to remember at such times is to be methodical, so you at least don't die from your own mistake.
for anything involving technical retreat, the routine now is to watch the weather, read several reports, check webcams, of which there are several for the sierra. do it for at least a week before the project. get an idea of the "pace" of the weather. pick your project accordingly, and think about a retreat plan. take along some fast-acting summit fever pills.
my experience is that unusually big storms don't come out of nowhere--you generally have some indication from the weather reports. we're into the summer monsoon season where you get a daily pattern of afternoon stormbuilding.
jennie--and others--was there anything in the forecast that warned of this?
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reddirt
climber
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Jul 23, 2010 - 11:28am PT
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Apparently there was another fatality on the Middle Teton
Michigan student dies climbing Middle Teton
By Cory Hatch, Jackson Hole, Wyo.
Date: July 23, 2010
A University of Michigan student who died Tuesday in Grand Teton National Park likely fell while descending the 12,804-foot-high Middle Teton, officials said.
Rangers used a helicopter to recover the student’s body Wednesday just before a lightning storm that prompted a massive rescue effort on the Grand Teton. The University of Michigan identified the student as 21-year-old Jillian Drow of Chelsea, Mich.
Park dispatch received a cell phone call from a Michigan excursion leader at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, said park spokeswoman Jackie Skaggs.
“The University of Michigan group leader ... reported that one of their party was missing, but said they were searching areas of Garnet Canyon for her,” she said.
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http://www.annarbor.com/news/family-friends-grieve-chelsea-resident-and-university-of-michigan-student-who-died-while-hiking-in-g/
Jillian Drow, 21, died this week following a hiking accident in Grand Teton National Park near Jackson Hole, Wyo. The University of Michigan student and Chelsea resident had been taking a summer geology course in the area.
University of Michigan student killed in hiking accident 'wanted to find the good in everybody'
Posted: Jul 22, 2010 at 4:50 PM [Yesterday]
Jillian Drow, a star athlete from Chelsea and incoming senior at the University of Michigan, had plans to join the Peace Corps after graduation. Her ultimate goal was to become a scientist, her father said.
“She just wanted to find the good in everybody,” Mark Drow said.
Drow, 21, died Tuesday following a climbing accident in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park.
Drow, who was studying environmental science, was passionate about the environment, fitness, and helping others, her father said today. She had been in Wyoming to take an upper-level geology course at U-M’s Camp Davis Rock Mountain Field Station, near Jackson Hole.
Tuesday's hike wasn't affiliated with the summer class, which was due to wrap up three days after Drow apparently slipped and fell while hiking.
“On her descent, she must have slipped,” Mark Drow said. “No one witnessed this. All we know is that she was found at the bottom of a ravine.”
Drow was with a group of eight students and graduate instructors hiking on their day off. She got separated from the group, Grand Teton National Park spokeswoman Jackie Scaggs said.
Park dispatchers received a cell phone call from a member of her party at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday to report Drow was missing.
Climbers from Drow’s party found her body at 9 p.m. Tuesday in the area of Garnet Canyon, Scaggs said. Her body was recovered by park rangers Wednesday morning around 11 a.m.
Drow’s party had probably hiked through four to six miles of back country to reach Garnet Canyon, a base camp area from which many climbers ascend the well-known Teton Range. The area can only be reached by foot or by helicopter and is at an elevation of about 3,000 feet.
Because Drow went missing at night, rangers couldn't make it out to the area to investigate until the next morning, Scaggs said.
Drow’s death preceded a second tragedy. Just after 11 a.m. Wednesday, a severe lightning storm hit the area and injured at least 16 individuals from three climbing parties. One person is still missing, while 16 others were airlifted, the Associated Press reported. Those groups weren't affiliated with Drow’s party and weren't U-M students, Scaggs said. The rescue operation has delayed the investigation into Drow’s death, Scaggs added.
In Chelsea, friends and family say they're heartbroken by the unexpected loss.
Drow is survived by her father and mother, Debra; sisters Anna, 22, and Alaina, 18. The family has lived in Chelsea for almost two decades.
At Chelsea High School, Drow, an honors student, excelled at math and science, and was a star diver and varsity soccer player. The two-time All American diver was captain of the diving team her senior year and lettered in diving for four years.
Chelsea High Principal Julie Deppner said Drow still holds several women’s diving records.
“Teachers and administrators will remember Jillian because she was an exceptional young lady,” she said.
“This is another devastating loss for the Chelsea community and our school community,” Deppner added, referring to the June 9 death of another Chelsea High School graduate, First Lt. Joel Gentz.
Gentz, 25, died while on a rescue mission in Afghanistan’s Operating Enduring Freedom, reportedly after Taliban rockets struck the helicopter he was in.
After graduating from Chelsea, Drow attended U-M on an athletic scholarship that was close to a full ride. She was on the team through her sophomore year, but quit to pursue cycling and joined the U-M Cycling Team, her father said.
While on the women’s swimming and diving team, Drow excelled at tower diving, which is performed from a 10-meter platform.
”She was confident and fearless at that height,” her father said. “That’s part of her make-up.”
Mountain biking had become a recent passion of hers, and she worked at the family-owned Aberdeen Bike & Outdoors shop in Chelsea for years, her father said.
“She was 15 years old when she started work there, and that was her second family,” Mark Drow said. “Those folks are grieving something terrible because they were as close to my daughter as any family could get.”
Jillian Drow sought to help fellow students at U-M feel accepted after having a hard time fitting in there at first, her father said.
“She was a mentor to those in need,” Mark Drow said. “There were specific cases where Jilly would look at kids struggling with acceptance. She did a great job taking those kids under her wing.”
She grew to love U-M and the people there, her father said.
In a recent survey given to students in the College of Literature, Science and the Arts, Jillian Drow wrote of the importance of imagination.
“I’ve recently read ‘The Daydreamer.’ Although this is somewhat of a childhood book rather than adult, I love that it stresses the importance of imagination,” Drow wrote. “To me, the world of daydreaming is the only place we are in control of everything, meaning we can change, rearrange, virtually anything.”
Those who knew Drow at U-M said that statement embodied her love of life and excitement for new experiences. A statement issued by the environmental program said Drow will be remembered not only for her passion for her studies and the environment, but for her smile that radiated warmth and internal beauty.
Funeral services were set for 6 p.m. Saturday at the First United Methodist Church in Chelsea.
Juliana Keeping is a higher education reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at julianakeeping@annarbor.com or 734-623-2528. Follow Juliana Keeping on Twitter
Skaggs said the group leader and Drow had attempted to climb the Middle Teton, but got separated on the way down.
“She apparently fell,” Skaggs said. “Why she fell, I don’t know that yet.”
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Jennie
Trad climber
Elk Creek, Idaho
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Jul 23, 2010 - 12:00pm PT
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Sympathies to Jillian Drows family. Very sad...
Tony,
"Possible thundershowers" were in the forecast for NW Wyoming and eastern Idaho Wednesday. Afternoon storms are common in the Tetons even when its sunny in the valleys. This was a particularly energetic storm ....surely unfavorable for climbing on high mountains. We all make misjudgements and force things a bit....and sometimes get caught in dangerous infernos.
As mentioned, this is particularly exposed terrain and offers little natural protection from lightning discharges.
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Scared Silly
Trad climber
UT
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Jul 26, 2010 - 10:33pm PT
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From a friend:
"...By the way, I looked at a couple of ice axes from the recent rescue.
They each had a large hole blasted right through the shaft - very
impressive."
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Scott Cole
Trad climber
Sunny California
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Jul 26, 2010 - 10:54pm PT
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When I worked as a guide in the Tetons for many years the standard rule for avoiding weather issues was "off the summit by noon"; I always tried to be off the summit by 9(am). In my 150+ ascents, there were a couple of times that that was not early enough. Lightning hits the Grand frequently. Twice I have felt the ground charge in the upper saddle and dodged shrapnel on what started out as perfect days, both times well before noon.
The Tetons are the real deal. Travel light, climb fast, and get the hell out of there if the weather goes bad!
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Jul 26, 2010 - 11:55pm PT
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hey there all, say.... oh my... very sad to hear of the outcome... i had wondered how it had fared, here...
and very sad, too, to learn of jillian, now, in the other climb....
(not sure where her home-area was, in this area, in mich, as i am new here, of a few years)...
my condolences to her family....
*also, say, it is a hard thing to do---warning about such climbing conditions and all, after folks have sadly died---but god bless you all for setting up such warnings so that others may have a better chance, and a hopefully safer climb, as to weather, etc, issues....
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okie
Trad climber
San Leandro, Ca
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Jul 28, 2010 - 09:21pm PT
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Very sad. When I was the same age as they I ventured alone up that OS route. I remember the exposure of that spot looking down the Black Ice Coulouir, I think that's what it's called, thousands of feet down the North Face. My buddies told me at the time that the longest fall in the Park had been suffered there. This weighed on my mind as I climbed on the icy holds- how tragic it would be to slip there...
Simply terrifying, that lightning stuff. Got caught in it on Fairview when we were trying to link up some routes. We knew we were racing the storm but we wanted it pretty bad... The storm won. The gear started humming strangely. It was fascinating...and terrifying. Topping out (probably a bad choice but we were soaked and cold) I should have flung the rack away and hunkered down but I kept it on, hoping it would be quick if it was gonna happen and sprinted for the descent slabs. I turned around and saw the Frenchman, too proud to run, seemingly calmly walking...
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